tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-330787382012-01-26T14:06:39.989-05:00On the Trials, Tribulations, & Joys of Developing, World Weaving & GMing the Elthos Role Playing Game.VBWyrdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031787268876015417noreply@blogger.comBlogger2371100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33078738.post-20937649824521283192012-01-26T00:03:00.001-05:002012-01-26T11:39:35.216-05:00

Master Greggin Stouthart An Unexpected Guest After a long night of dreamless sleep Hermel awoke at the edge of dawn to the sounds of loud banging on the door of his meager third floor apartment. As he had been through much lately he leaped up from his straw bed, banged his knee on the broken closet door, and scrambled for his sword. Pulling it out and standing ready, sweat forming on his

VBWyrdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031787268876015417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33078738.post-6224137205346017242012-01-12T00:54:00.000-05:002012-01-26T08:24:24.548-05:00

The Master of Five Animals Hall The two hapless Hobbits, Lido and Ishcandar were ushered down the hall by the three young men in the black uniforms. They were taken down the stairs, down the long corridor and to the great red double doors with the bronze studs. Above the door they saw the red and gold sign reading “Five Animals Hall”, and stopped. One of the young men knocked three times

VBWyrdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031787268876015417noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33078738.post-7728740343241164822012-01-04T14:30:00.002-05:002012-01-05T12:15:59.064-05:00

This month's RPG Carnival is on the topic of Fantastic Locations, sponsored by Keith J Davies, and since I have a few of those, I thought I'd drum up a little post about one that I particularly liked. The place is called Weeleena's Tea House, and is located somewhere between the Realm of the Earth Kingdom and a certain ancient Tower of the Black Hill Ruins. When the Bellowick children needed

VBWyrdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031787268876015417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33078738.post-58680925758941589882011-12-29T00:47:00.004-05:002012-01-26T14:06:39.996-05:00

Escape from the Cellar The air in the room was filled with nearly electric tension as the wind swirled leaves around the room, and billowed the cobwebs in the corners. A hazy blue light seemed to be coming from somewhere but no one could detect its source. Hermel, Johan, and Jeremy stood pensively in the Five Crows Tavern wine cellar watching the secret door that had just closed on a scene

VBWyrdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031787268876015417noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33078738.post-36733258103128404342011-12-27T16:57:00.001-05:002011-12-29T14:07:22.002-05:00

I made up a tiny little Mini-Elthos-RPG that uses the Elthos ODS Rules as a backbone. It's a silly little thing, but somehow I like it anyway.  So here you go.  Stick Figures From HellThe Mini-Elthos RPG :) Enjoy.

VBWyrdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031787268876015417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33078738.post-27608247199733093402011-12-19T23:20:00.001-05:002012-01-04T14:32:49.955-05:00

As a follow up to my November RPG Carnival post, I will now take my turn to reflect on how I go about Gamesmastering Villains in my Elthos Campaign.  But first a hat tip and thanks to all the posters from the November RPG Carnival, all of whom helped me to clarify some of my thoughts here.  It’s tricky business to play Villains well. We have the usual conundrum of the split between the two

VBWyrdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031787268876015417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33078738.post-21811697513573435922011-12-19T16:25:00.003-05:002011-12-30T07:52:24.000-05:00

Yeep!  Sorry!   This post has been sent back to Draft, hopefully in the nick of time before any of my players notice it out here!  We have not quiiiiite finished the campaign yet, and due to some last minute changes there is now information in this post that they definitely should not see yet. Very many apologies, but this post will be Re-Posted again, intact (with a few minor edits that I just

VBWyrdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031787268876015417noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33078738.post-32223044119823379022011-12-15T01:20:00.000-05:002011-12-30T11:37:43.165-05:00

Bickering at the Door Through the partially opened secret door the party of young adventurers peered into the room. It was a basement wine cellar lit by a two brass lamps on the south and west walls. The cellar was well stocked with shelves upon shelves of wines, bottles of various kinds of liquer, and beer kegs set against three walls, along with several large crates in the middle of the room

VBWyrdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031787268876015417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33078738.post-69551680235274116012011-12-07T21:04:00.001-05:002011-12-07T21:09:20.456-05:00

For a lark, to teach myself how to use Sketchup mostly, I decided to create what the players know of Dunn's Bridge in 3D. These are the results thus far: Overview of Underground A view from across the bridge facing Five Crows Tavern.  The fully viewable tower is Tower 1, where the party entered. A view of Dunn's Bridge from the manhole cover that leads into the sewers, through which

VBWyrdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031787268876015417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33078738.post-82487129562842518822011-11-29T17:39:00.000-05:002011-11-29T16:08:36.530-05:00

Thank you very much to everyone who participated in this challenging topic! We heard from a handful of intrepid GMs who offered their insights and advice on how to think like a villain in your campaign. Here’s a brief recap: Runeslinger: wrote "Cracking Open the Skull of Evil" with a focus on Horror-Genre villains, Runeslinger offers his considerations of the villain’s motivations and

VBWyrdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031787268876015417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33078738.post-20584775676124583602011-11-01T06:22:00.000-05:002011-11-01T15:09:47.641-05:00

Tricks & Traps, or How to think like a Villain.  This month's RPG Carnival is being hosted here on Elthos RPG.  The way you participate is to write a blog entry (or two, or three, etc) on your own blog that answers the question raised by the RPG Carnival topic, and then post a link to your post in my comments page here on Elthos RPG.    At the end of the month I will write up a summary recap

VBWyrdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031787268876015417noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33078738.post-49286575078825303122011-10-31T19:00:00.000-05:002011-12-30T11:36:20.096-05:00

Doctor Lobe, I Presume The echo of twelve gongs of the clock reverberated throughout the tower and faded. At the top of the stairs on the third floor landing crouched Ishcandar, Lido, and the two Jeremies peering through the slit in the door that Ishcandar had ever so carefully and quietly cracked open using the skeleton key he has pilfered from Yakov. Behind them, at the bottom of the stairs

VBWyrdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031787268876015417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33078738.post-65063799928648550132011-10-31T16:24:00.000-05:002011-12-30T11:35:04.168-05:00

Guild Master Rothmon Fleeing the Yellow Spotted Toads As the Adventurers exited into the corridor from the cave-chamber, Ishcandar went to retrieve his dagger from the body of the yellow spotted toad that he had pinned to the floor with an artful throw. He considered that the slimy substance clinging to the blade would likely contain the poison that had so adversely effected Hermel’s arm,

VBWyrdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031787268876015417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33078738.post-53648145103381131052011-10-30T23:42:00.000-05:002011-12-30T11:33:50.235-05:00

Out of the Frying Pan It was mid morning on the cobblestone street along Dunn’s Street Canal. The patchy fog shrouded the four towers of Dunn’s Bridge, though in the second story window of nearest one a dim green light could be seen. Ishcandar shivered with cold as he wrapped the cloak that Lido had given him around his wet body. His mind was still lingering on the ghostly fish that had

VBWyrdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031787268876015417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33078738.post-69338736194149970932011-10-17T07:31:00.003-05:002011-10-17T10:15:40.866-05:00

The Adventurer's Guild of Elthos offers some general Guildlines on Mission Planning that are taken from the tome of Adventure Guild Protocols: 1) Recon whenever possible. 2) Consider options and possible outcomes. 3) Have contingency plans thought out. 4) Try not to rely on unknown variables (such as a person's reaction) 5) Keep it simple, and have clear objectives. 6) Equip the

VBWyrdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031787268876015417noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33078738.post-84595649328996906042011-10-14T23:56:00.000-05:002011-12-30T11:32:46.401-05:00

After the events of their last Mission, the members of the AAA Adventure Group wound up having various restless nights sleep, consumed by thoughts and dreams of what had transpired earlier that day. The adventure of the Yellow Robed Man had concluded successfully, but left a number of questions lingering. What had Wuton and Rothmon said to one another? What would Wuton do? And would Hermel

VBWyrdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031787268876015417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33078738.post-73376169443320734902011-10-03T12:35:00.003-05:002011-10-04T12:30:44.411-05:00

Let's face it, most Players are out for loot, despite what their Characters may tell you about “noble causes”, “the fair maiden”, or “I’m hungry”.  It really comes down to one thing:  Da Loot. So, making loot part of the plot is often a pretty reasonable choice.  However, I put a caveat on that before I go any further.  Like most things with Gamesmastering, it’s an art just like cooking is

VBWyrdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031787268876015417noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33078738.post-63547170530745173102011-09-26T13:35:00.001-05:002011-09-26T19:12:08.637-05:00

In the mountain town of Hobbington there are legends and rumors regarding Lord Dunn that are considered common knowledge, and as they may be of interest to the Adventure's Guild, I will record them as I have heard them from the locals in the town. It should be noted that the legends and rumors change somewhat depending on which area of the town the residents come from. Those who live in the

VBWyrdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031787268876015417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33078738.post-78653834413073252152011-09-25T21:24:00.002-05:002011-12-30T12:25:09.859-05:00

Once upon a time in Hobbington, an ancient and sturdy fortress-town built on a plateau along the the side of Mount Zatok, there lived three young men who wished to become adventurers.   So they joined the new Adventurer's Guild and sought training there.  One was a Hobbit from the wealthy part of town, by the name of Ishcandar, one was a poor farm boy named Hermel, who had come up from the

VBWyrdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031787268876015417noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33078738.post-51808015743500273052011-09-08T23:05:00.000-05:002011-09-09T09:51:06.769-05:00

RPGs as Escapism Life in the new millennium is fraught with stresses produced by a rapidly changing, often shocking, and at times highly dangerous environment. Stress and danger, however, are not new to modernity. The notion that we would want, and perhaps need, a mental escape from life's stress is not new either, as many have postulated the same through the ages, and pretty much most forms

VBWyrdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031787268876015417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33078738.post-51515369863834310162011-09-06T22:11:00.001-05:002011-09-06T22:24:39.673-05:00

A friend of mine challenged me to come up with some Elthos Vignettes which are examples of the kinds of people, places, things and events that exist in my World.   So here is one of them, named "A Stone in the Forest". A wizened priest of Minvar, the Elkron of the Earth, came to the old forest to sit upon an ancient stone near the river.   He sat there in order to learn from the stone where

VBWyrdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031787268876015417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33078738.post-63269219551868248302011-08-29T16:43:00.001-05:002011-09-26T19:13:21.428-05:00

I generally take a top down approach to designing my world, meaning that I start at the higher level and drill down where I want or expect play to actually happen.   So I will start with an area of the continent, and create the geographical environment.  I will consider terrain from the point of view of the races that will inhabit it.  What are the strategic points?   Often strategic points are

VBWyrdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031787268876015417noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33078738.post-66867965926698033162011-08-28T15:41:00.005-05:002011-08-30T14:41:49.456-05:00

Ok after much hemming and hawing these are the badges that apply to my GMing style: Story Aspects Story - I tend to put a premium on Good Story in my world. If you Role Play your Character well, and don't take foolish chances, then I find that tends to result in better stories.  Meanwhile I try my best to build the back story based on literary sources and classical themes that tend to help

VBWyrdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031787268876015417noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33078738.post-74242881611252646912011-08-24T22:22:00.001-05:002011-08-24T22:43:06.043-05:00

At the Literary Role Playing Game Society we have often discussed the fact that there are different Gamesmastering styles.  Recently I ran across The GM Merit Badges idea, which originated at Strange Magic Blog.  I think it is a brilliant set of icons to define different aspects of Gamesmastering, and I have divided them into two basic groups, Game Mechanics, and Story Orientations.  The Badges

VBWyrdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031787268876015417noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33078738.post-58693778334584096352011-08-23T13:17:00.000-05:002011-08-25T11:53:29.043-05:00

Simply put, Suspense is not knowing what is going to happen in a situation where the results are important to the observers. For Gamesmaster’s running RPGs there is always a wish to create a sense of suspense for the Players. For Players the suspense is an enjoyable aspect of the game. So I’d like to talk a little bit about techniques that can be used to create suspense in the game.

VBWyrdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031787268876015417noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33078738.post-6212775075794656832011-08-17T07:44:00.006-05:002011-08-17T08:48:21.556-05:00

I take a traditionalist view of creatures and monsters in my world.  And so I spend a good deal of time combing through old fairytales and folklore trying to discern what our forebears thought the creatures of myth and legend were like.   As it turns out, modern views of creatures like Hobgoblins differ quite a bit from the traditional versions.   As an example I'll take Hobgoblins. First off,

VBWyrdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031787268876015417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33078738.post-58568721552126710812011-08-14T19:49:00.012-05:002011-08-17T12:06:55.265-05:00

I'm currently working on the Experience Gains section of the Elthos ODS rules with the help of my play testers.  The results have been to simplify the Experience Gains system considerably, and I believe that the math is now both easier to perform, and also the results align better with the Experience needed for Leveling in the ODS System.  Before continuing I should point out that the numbers

VBWyrdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031787268876015417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33078738.post-53425678827343616722011-08-06T16:50:00.006-05:002011-08-06T17:07:28.497-05:00

One of the better known historical facts regarding Hamfest, that sleepy little swine-herder village on the edge of nowhere, several days north of Glendale Township, is that they were on the front lines of the Ogre War, and in fact saved Glendale with a clever, if somewhat cruel stratagem. In those days the Adventure's Guild had sent an expedition westward to investigate the Iron Hills, which

VBWyrdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031787268876015417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33078738.post-91359781662770161422011-08-05T19:39:00.004-05:002011-08-05T19:43:23.019-05:00

I've been tooling around with my Play Testers on the question of Guild Classes, and how much Experience it should take to go up in levels.  I think we've made some great progress on it, and so, as a kind of teaser, I'm going to toss up the Guild Class Configuration Screen from the Elthos RPG "One Die System" Web Application. In the not too distant future I'm going to ask for Gamesmasters to

VBWyrdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031787268876015417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33078738.post-37013116745714665682011-07-30T15:29:00.001-05:002011-07-30T15:30:20.685-05:00

Regarding the shrine of Nehalennia on the Island of Walcheren. “About the third century A.D., we know that a goddess had a shrine in the island of Walcheren on the Dutch coast.  This was afterwards engulfed by the sand, and many inscribed stones have been found there, some showing the goddess and giving her name as Nehalennia.  There is no doubt of her kinship with the Mothers, since she is

VBWyrdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031787268876015417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33078738.post-5701657692653790562011-07-18T17:42:00.005-05:002011-07-19T16:02:58.958-05:00

I have just added the Giant Pylori as a creature to my World today, and then generated a character sheet for it using the Elthos RPG Web Application.  While these will be rare creatures to encounter in my World, I do look forward to the day that the Party happens upon a particularly dark and dank series of tunnels somewhere in the unexplored depths ...  :) Giant Pylori Habitat Description

VBWyrdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031787268876015417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33078738.post-51502236336039205002011-07-14T22:24:00.001-05:002011-07-14T22:24:34.860-05:00

This list focuses quite a bit on ancient and classical literature because I have found a great deal of inspiration from the classics, though I also include some more modern works that are also suitable.   The criteria for books being added to this list is if the book inspired ideas for my Campaigns, or helped provide considerations for the Back Story of my World.  Pick and choose as you see fit

VBWyrdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031787268876015417noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33078738.post-7716194901616689402011-07-12T13:29:00.005-05:002011-07-12T13:38:21.727-05:00

Recently my play tester group has gotten shaken up with scheduling conflicts, and in addition I have two of the main players who are about to leave the area.  So given the difficulties with scheduling locally, I am thinking about trying to run my game on IRC.   I tried this before a few years ago, and it went reasonably well, though I think I overcomplicated the effort with too many rules for

VBWyrdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031787268876015417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33078738.post-31464626774372746662011-07-10T22:30:00.001-05:002011-07-10T22:31:12.156-05:00

What aspect of Pencil & Paper RPGs is intrinsically superior to Computer RPGs?   One word:  Creativity. As a Player, I can only do what the computer programmers and level designers come up with for me to do.  Even if it's a million things, the fact is, I as the Player can not "invent" any of them.  I can only select from the list of things that someone else invented for me to do. As a

VBWyrdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031787268876015417noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33078738.post-56784980290167994172011-07-09T23:16:00.004-05:002011-07-10T22:30:27.377-05:00

I'm working on incorporating the Elthos Tarot into the Campaign Setting over time.  That involves in some ways creating stories that will draw the Tarot Deck into play. Zatok is an old name that goes back a long ways in Elthos.  And the mountain has retained that name, even beyond the vast span of time that separates the two civilizations of that place.  Some ask how it is that the new comers

VBWyrdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031787268876015417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33078738.post-31217605553283260772011-07-06T06:28:00.007-05:002011-12-30T07:51:34.411-05:00

First off, the Elthos Universe has got Mr. BadAss Bunny as it's Mascot, so that's hard to beat. Second, I would say that the adventures that come out of Elthos are pretty badass as well.  I try to GM concepts that I think will surprise my players, and in some of the more recent cases the most badass thing they did was shrink down to the half the size of rice-grains in order to escape an enemy,

VBWyrdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031787268876015417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33078738.post-22819890976937199472011-07-05T19:45:00.006-05:002011-07-05T19:54:10.709-05:00

This is the final version of the Celestial Island Map back-face card for the Elthos RPG Tarot Deck. I can not begin to tell you how thrilled I am at how nicely the deck came out.  Thank you Jason Moser for a really incredible job on the artwork for the deck! The Celestial Island Map shows the relationships between the various Elkron of Elthos (the Celestial Deities, or Greater Powers, or

VBWyrdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031787268876015417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33078738.post-944193070863330812011-07-03T18:56:00.006-05:002011-07-04T07:56:50.966-05:00

I ran across a post called "The Time of the Metalanterns" which talked about Sapphire & Steel, (thank you, GreyWulf!) which reminded me that I absolutely love that series and wanted to borrow some of the ideas from it for my World.  In case you don't know, it was a British Science Fiction TV series that I think of as a cross between 'Doctor Who' and 'Dark Shadows'.  It never failed to give me

VBWyrdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031787268876015417noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33078738.post-15751409073287144572011-07-01T10:58:00.000-05:002011-07-01T10:58:21.903-05:00

In case you are not familiar with it, there is a service called RPG Game Find that continues to improve it's interface and get better over time. I renewed my ad which looks like this: New York, USA: Elthos RPG - RPG Game FindWhile I have not recieved any requests based on the ad thus far, it nevertheless is not a bad service, is potentially useful, and doesn't cost anything. So in case you find

VBWyrdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031787268876015417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33078738.post-26921358963565802742011-06-29T11:23:00.006-05:002011-06-29T11:31:14.159-05:00

Some people don't believe that trolls actually exist in the real world. The blind fools! Of course they do. And now there is finally actual cinematographic proof! Here is your proof, if any were needed: Don't be a fool. Remember to bring your torch and oil with you. Trolls are a serious threat, and should not be taken lightly! You may also like to educate yourself regarding

VBWyrdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031787268876015417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33078738.post-5917548043382182312011-06-24T12:25:00.006-05:002011-06-24T14:15:19.495-05:00

As a followup to my post for RPG Carnival - Cartography, I thought I would post these two maps and explain a little bit about how I created them. Hobbinton Township Environs Map The first one is the original that I drew on a 8.5 x 11 piece of paper with a felt tip pen. It shows the area around the township of Hobbinton (aka Hobbington, Hobnington, and Hobbnobton, depending on the district of

VBWyrdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031787268876015417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33078738.post-19472804608597202312011-06-15T11:38:00.003-05:002011-06-15T15:07:45.170-05:00

I am a fan of the idea of Alchemy as a system of symbolic relationships. The Alchemists envisioned, it seems to me, a Universal array of Symbolic Correspondences which appear throughout the natural world as reflections of the supernatural world, connecting abstractions with instances in conjunction with a vast interwoven tapestry of underlying meanings embodied in symbols, glyphs, words, songs

VBWyrdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031787268876015417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33078738.post-2780476652950365092011-06-08T15:08:00.005-05:002011-06-12T11:31:58.010-05:00

I like this GMs treatment of death in his game. NO bones about it, and no mincing during the chopping.  Just ... you made a big mistake - you're dead. Nice. Tomb of Horrors Session I have to admire a GM who is perfectly willing to let the PCs get mowed down like so many blades of grass.  Of course there's a lot of angsty Players out there who will feel horribly crushed if their Characters

VBWyrdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031787268876015417noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33078738.post-24294432666417586232011-05-30T10:43:00.029-05:002011-05-30T12:48:44.488-05:00

Maighdean-Mhara (the Sea-Maiden) All went well for three years until one day the young couple were walking by the loch shore again.  This time the monster rose out and it was Finnseang who was dragged under the waters before Murdo Og had a chance to defend her.  Murdo Og was wailing and lamenting his lost bride when an old man walking by asked what was wrong.Murdo Og told him and the old man said

VBWyrdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031787268876015417noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33078738.post-17007501763980493692011-05-19T14:48:00.002-05:002011-05-19T15:09:59.746-05:00

Just a little something I've been toying around with... :) vbwyrde and Elthos RPG in Elthos RPG (vbwyrde) Maybe it will work? What the heck, I'll try it. ...hmmm... seems to work nicely in Chrome, but in IE7 not so great. Not sure why. Oh well. Nice try. Anyway, I like the base website for PearlTrees. Definitely cool. Embedding, so so. But main site? I like it.

VBWyrdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031787268876015417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33078738.post-67022680041350016212011-05-14T13:39:00.000-05:002011-05-14T13:39:58.684-05:00

- Sisyphus - One profound lesson that I've learned during the course of this project is that it is really impossible for me to tell how long something is going to take.  A very good example is my current efforts at play-testing my Elthos RPG skills system, taking the feedback I got from my play testers, analyzing it, and then integrating the recommendations.   Wow!   Recommendations finished

VBWyrdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031787268876015417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33078738.post-57912799419485177812011-05-09T12:10:00.023-05:002011-05-09T13:05:05.302-05:00

This morning I was browsing RPGBloggers and I found Andreas Davour's post on THE OMNIPOTENT EYE blog: My thoughts on sandboxing I think Andreas is certainly on the right track. These are my comments which I decided to cross-link to the (LRPGSW) from his comments box, since my comment started getting a bit involved. I decided to Cross-Post this to the ElthosRPG Blog as well, because, obviously

VBWyrdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031787268876015417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33078738.post-42682519486493297212011-04-17T13:01:00.003-05:002011-04-17T13:13:28.338-05:00

As a World Weaver I've spent a good deal of time considering and planning for the Great Cataclysms of Elthos. They lay latent in the World's Back Story, waiting patiently for the right time and conditions for them to be set in motion.  Elthos has 12 Major Cataclysms, one for each of the Major Celestial Powers.  None of them have thus far played out in the game, primarily because I am playing my

VBWyrdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031787268876015417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33078738.post-58022081289333813182011-04-01T13:01:00.008-05:002011-05-02T00:10:09.763-05:00

Cartography If a picture is worth a thousand words, I suggest a map is worth ten thousand words because maps put things into context. I do a lot of maps for my world. In fact I do a lot of Types of maps for my world. What do I mean? Well I not only map geography, but I also map plotlines, and story elements. So I have three kinds of maps, Geographic, Story Plot, and Elements maps. As a general

VBWyrdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031787268876015417noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33078738.post-776229142921212011-03-31T17:00:00.001-05:002011-03-31T17:01:46.283-05:00

It is very gratifying as a game designer to finally have a tangible and beautiful manifestation of their work. I am very grateful to my artist, Jason Moser, who took my written descriptions for each card and turned them into an exquisite deck of Elthosian Tarot Cards. It's fabulous. At the moment we have only printed the major arcana, which are 24 cards, and the only ones actually needed for the

VBWyrdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031787268876015417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33078738.post-8149487753431736642011-03-06T09:21:00.003-05:002011-03-10T15:42:11.783-05:00

I'm very excited that we are moving ahead with our first physical print test of the Elthos ODS Tarot Deck.  This is one of the aspects of the system that I've most enjoyed working on.  It ties together a whole set of Elthosian World Weaving Development Tools into a relatively easy to use and coherent system.  I will certainly post more details about this later on, but for now suffice it to say

VBWyrdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031787268876015417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33078738.post-60408715401949555642011-02-10T16:28:00.006-05:002011-02-11T23:27:22.385-05:00

I've always felt that World Building is one of the most fun and challenging aspects of Gamesmastering.  When I saw RPG Carnival has set this month's topic to World Building I thought I would give it a shot. How do you get the worlds you use for your game? I do a lot of reading.  Mostly classical literature, the older the better.  I use those stories to a large degree to shape my world.  Places

VBWyrdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031787268876015417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33078738.post-57721397271694949592011-01-29T07:22:00.005-05:002011-01-29T07:50:50.690-05:00

Just a few words about the Elthos  'One Die System' (ODS)  Skill Learning Points system.  The basic idea of the system is that as Characters go up in Levels they gain Skill Learning Points at each level, which they can either save or spend.  If they spend them they can learn new skills, or beef up their level at already learned skills. Currently the Elthos ODS Rules Book states: Skills are

VBWyrdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031787268876015417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33078738.post-10997125389834166732011-01-25T08:09:00.002-05:002011-01-25T14:13:02.554-05:00

Gamesmastering Style - Railroading. - Author Appeal - "what I think is cool must be cool" - Focused only on combat to the exclusion of role playing: weak narrative - numbers focused. - Excessive cheating. - GM plays all NPCs with the same personality and mannerisms. - GM does not narrate well (stilted descriptions). Player Interaction - Not understanding player preferences. - GM Rules

VBWyrdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031787268876015417noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33078738.post-60937355179806225732011-01-24T15:05:00.000-05:002011-01-24T15:05:49.469-05:00

Ok, things are moving along slowly but surely.  I was very happily working on the next set of enhancements to the Elthos Web Application when I found that my hosting company, Arvixe, has been updating their database system.  So I ran into a big fat hairball when I tried to deploy my changes to the production system.  Oh joy.  That took about a week of communications, research, trial and error to

VBWyrdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031787268876015417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33078738.post-19985936185585418462010-12-31T08:48:00.005-05:002010-12-31T08:52:51.356-05:00

Joseph Campbell’s Monomyth (Hero With A Thousand Faces) The standard path of the mythological adventure of the hero is a magnification of the formula represented in the rites of passage: separation--initiation--return: which might be named the nuclear unit of the monomyth. Stages of the hero’s journey: 1. Birth: Fabulous circumstances surrounding conception, birth, and childhood establish

VBWyrdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031787268876015417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33078738.post-89347517785897876492010-12-27T09:07:00.005-05:002011-01-26T18:43:35.084-05:00

I'm writing in response to this article: http://thedumpstat.blogspot.com/2010/12/fast-forwarding-combat-part-1.html whose basic point is that D&D 4th Edition is designed in a way that makes anything but Big Boss combats a drag on the game.  So he recommends a solution where you basically skip all the low level and intermediate combats and just run the Big Boss combat in the normal 4e mode.  

VBWyrdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031787268876015417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33078738.post-63586747629379324352010-12-24T09:54:00.000-05:002010-12-24T09:54:58.350-05:00

I thought this was turning into a useful and interesting discussion on the Sandbox and Spiral Methods of Gamesmastering over on the Literary Role Playing Game Society of Westchester Yahoo Group, and so I am sharing the link to that discussion here. http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/LRPGSW/message/4098 Please feel free to participate either on the LRPGSW, or here in the Blog.  To participate

VBWyrdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031787268876015417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33078738.post-89475561939222418272010-12-23T22:53:00.003-05:002010-12-23T22:55:51.907-05:00

The Eight Animals of Bagua are, in order around the circle:Monkey Dragon Unicorn Hawk Bear Lion Snake Phoenix Three are enchanted creatures.  The others are normal animals, but each with very distinctive characteristics.  The monkey is fast and light on it's feet, yet very powerful (do not get attacked by a monkey - it's bad).  The Hawk is fast and strikes from out of the blue, and with it's

VBWyrdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031787268876015417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33078738.post-12556167372742900322010-12-16T23:44:00.000-05:002010-12-16T23:44:38.464-05:00

I wrote this article for the Computer Game Developer's Association in 1996. I thought I'd republish it on my blog, just for fun. Role Playing Games: A GM's Perspective Multiplayer Internet Role Playing Games (MI-RPGs) promise a new paradigm of computer game playing. Proponents believe that it is the future evolution of computer gaming. As computers evolved the Internet, the Internet will

VBWyrdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031787268876015417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33078738.post-24532095112729497682010-12-15T13:52:00.000-05:002010-12-15T13:52:35.622-05:00

I thought this was interesting... http://greyhawkgrognard.blogspot.com/2010/12/storyline-vs-sandbox.html My comment was as follows: I think the distinction between "sandbox" and "plot-driven" campaigns is certainly valid. And like others I'm working on combining the best of both, when possible. One thing that I found useful in this regard is the "Spiral Method" of GMing. Instead of having

VBWyrdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031787268876015417noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33078738.post-64150999977022347222010-11-28T22:33:00.005-05:002010-11-29T07:54:53.248-05:00

There is a distinction I would like to make between Gamesmastering and World Weaving. How one would Gamesmaster a scene happens to be based on a set of skills that are completely different than what it takes to World Weave one. I am thinking that this distinction I have not discussed here yet and so I’d like to take a moment to bring the topic to light. I will start with World Weaving.

VBWyrdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031787268876015417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33078738.post-14639648946269570112010-11-21T23:28:00.007-05:002011-12-30T11:29:37.061-05:00

Suddenly there was a knock at the barn door. Thum Thum Thum. No one moved. Thum. Thum. Thum. The ‘Steel Wool Sheeps’ stood in combat ready positions facing the door. No one spoke. After a pause the barn door slowly creaked open. A beautiful woman stepped into the flickering light cast by the lantern. She was wearing a black leather skullcap from which flowed long red hair in waves

VBWyrdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031787268876015417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33078738.post-80771317774560660472010-11-13T20:14:00.008-05:002011-12-30T11:27:15.105-05:00

“That seems rather odd,” said Storm Wizard a bit disconcerted at the enormous number of crows dotting the snow, perched on the trees and flying in numerous circles around his barn, which they could see from a distance as they rounded the top of a hill still a fair way off. “It does,” said Juliette with a discernable note of unease. It was rather eerie, they thought. On the crest of another

VBWyrdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031787268876015417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33078738.post-70843870404101855402010-11-11T23:31:00.006-05:002011-12-30T11:26:08.334-05:00

Storm Wizard fingered the silver inlaid Ladybug calling card that Isabella had given him in his pocket wondering if it would work again as they walked away from the ‘Leaves and Roots Pathway’ through which Isabella had just vanished with her Warrior Ferdinando. He wondered, briefly, if he would ever see her again. But other matters pressed on his mind, and he soon left his reverie. Eastward

VBWyrdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031787268876015417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33078738.post-61416410547915387052010-11-10T20:01:00.003-05:002011-12-30T11:24:56.336-05:00

Having concluded matters among the Insect peoples the ‘Steel Wool Sheeps’ were ready, finally, to return home, relieved to learn that the Locust’s plan to swarm the Grand United Army over the Glendale Region and destroy it utterly had been thwarted by the capture of the two Locust Princes. Ben, who had taken up residence at the Aphid Temple decided that it was time to return home with the great

VBWyrdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031787268876015417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33078738.post-18778030965379668352010-11-10T01:02:00.006-05:002011-12-30T11:46:22.146-05:00

Everyone was alive, some just barely, and two, Brian and Ferdinando, were deliriously poisoned by spider venom. The ‘Steel Wool Sheeps’ looked below them as they sailed away from the battle on the legs of the ladybug that Lady Isabella had summoned to their aid. Far below them the Insect War raged on. The flashing black and blue striped Wasps of the Tiger Moon Squadron were annihilating

VBWyrdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031787268876015417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33078738.post-62680990054028593982010-11-06T00:55:00.003-05:002010-11-06T06:54:49.980-05:00

As I work on my game system I am discovering an interesting aspect of rules design that I thought I would briefly discuss today. I've been working on my Skill System, and in particular the question of how many skills characters get as they progress through the game. I've gone through six different formulas so far. Each one seems suited to a different type of player, but it boils down to this.

VBWyrdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031787268876015417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33078738.post-4025008875264983762010-11-03T11:51:00.005-05:002010-11-03T14:13:19.092-05:00

In contemplating the political aspects of World Weaving, I find it helpful to consider historical events, and one of the best sources to study is the Peloponnesian War, wherein political idealism confronted realpolitik in no uncertain terms... "The Athenians were now determined that the next siege would lead to the death of every captured male, not the sparing of either all or some, as happened

VBWyrdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031787268876015417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33078738.post-34944545743593551762010-10-31T21:52:00.000-05:002010-10-31T21:52:22.816-05:00

A Warrior Gentleman of the Wasp Kingdom, Captain of the Imperial Moon-Tiger Squadron, Servitor of Princess Isabella of the Ladybug Empire.

VBWyrdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031787268876015417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33078738.post-63333946461822799192010-10-16T21:59:00.005-05:002010-10-16T23:21:55.542-05:00

As the 'Steel Wool Sheeps' fled from the scene of the Insect War, Ferdinando recounted his adventure in the cave of the spiders...Flash Back: While still in a state of delirium down in the dark tunnels of the spider cave, Ferdinando had found that he'd wandered away somehow from Lady Isabella on a strange adventure of his own. It seemed like a dream. He thought he had found a secret passage,

VBWyrdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031787268876015417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33078738.post-50336876763926725842010-10-13T23:46:00.000-05:002011-12-30T11:22:35.238-05:00

A blue and black striped Wasp, the relative size of a horse, zipped over Storm Wizard’s head in a screaming buzz attack and thwacked a Mosquito of the Crimson Heart Squadron directly between it’s eyes with it’s ebony sting. The Mosquito fluttered to the ground dead, the pulsing red and green light fading forever from its eyes. Not far off on a grass blade, the Ant-Men were battling the mosquitoes

VBWyrdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031787268876015417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33078738.post-43460545585011897132010-10-13T21:54:00.009-05:002011-12-30T11:21:26.869-05:00

Seeing the Ladybug on a leaf not terribly far from the battlefield, Storm Wizard speculated about the possibility of getting her to return and fly all of the tiny adventurers away on her legs. But thinking it over as he watched the Mosquitoes, Water Bugs, Wasps hovering, darting and whizzing around, and the lone black Dragonfly with unknown intentions perched on a grass blade not far away, he

VBWyrdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031787268876015417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33078738.post-49086329539435013992010-10-13T06:31:00.007-05:002011-12-30T11:20:03.638-05:00

Having decided to take refuge in the dark and frightening spider nest for a second time, the ‘Steel Wool Sheeps’ huddled at the tiny entrance trying to catch sight of what was going on outside and above them. Laid low by a stun beam from Storm Wizard’s still smoking fingers, The Red Locust Ambassador was quite unconscious, way up on top of the gigantic twig that was towering over the adventurer’s

VBWyrdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031787268876015417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33078738.post-76381644052722937302010-10-03T22:18:00.006-05:002010-10-03T22:29:25.613-05:00

Ok, well this is not so much a Review, actually, as much as my recollections and impression of Fortune's Fool, based on my brief and engaging encounter with the Game Designer, Jay Stratton, and the Editor-In-Chief at Pantheon Press, Jason Keeley, over at the Complete Strategist in NYC on October 2nd. I have not, I should say up front, reviewed the rules in any sense of the word. However, I did

VBWyrdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031787268876015417noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33078738.post-9988926624063205062010-09-30T07:20:00.003-05:002010-09-30T09:00:58.834-05:00

I am trying to Mythopoeia my way to a world in which giant intelligent dragons roam. I have some ideas based on Fafner, Grendel, and Tolkien's Dragon, Glaurung, of which we find the following description in Wikipedia:"Glaurung was a very powerful and cunning dragon, and he at times used his abilities to achieve his desired ends without resorting to direct physical violence (at which he was

VBWyrdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031787268876015417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33078738.post-46050976136253987912010-09-28T13:50:00.000-05:002010-09-28T13:50:10.582-05:00

When Juliette Bellowick came into possession of the Mystic Sight Stone from Black Hill Tower she did not imagine that one day it would replace her own eye... the one she sacrificed to escape from the River of Death with Pamela McFearson.   Now, however, it has become a part of her, and with it she sees through rock and stone, capturing the essense of that which is, and when she does, the double

VBWyrdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031787268876015417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33078738.post-65933106391765254882010-09-27T21:49:00.004-05:002010-09-27T21:54:44.748-05:00

Outside of Glendale Valley there is to the East a region of land that is largely unexplored. Very far into this region, beyond the far limits of Hamfest Village there is a lonesome trail that leads up through the hills into the Black Forest. There one may find the Green Dragon Inn, and beyond that higher up into the mountains one may find the logging camp of the Highland Lumberjacks. They're

VBWyrdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031787268876015417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33078738.post-21549177127077037102010-09-26T07:29:00.004-05:002010-09-27T14:34:34.670-05:00

This News Just In..."Australia's Darling river is running with water again after a drought in the middle of the decade reduced it to a trickle. But the rains feeding the continent's fourth-longest river are not the undiluted good news you might expect. For the cloudbursts also create ideal conditions for an unwelcome pest – the Australian plague locust.The warm, wet weather that prevailed last

VBWyrdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031787268876015417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33078738.post-50027999675726416592010-09-20T11:49:00.001-05:002010-09-20T11:53:01.776-05:00

A couple of questions that come to mind when thinking about magic in Role Playing Games from a Gamesmaster's perspective.A) In many Fantasy Role Playing games (and fantasy films) magic is often a display of directed energy, transmutation, or transmigration. For example, we often see wizards flying, casting fireballs and lightning bolts, and polymorphing themselves into other forms, all of which

VBWyrdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031787268876015417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33078738.post-12665698950799234422010-09-16T23:58:00.000-05:002011-12-30T11:18:30.509-05:00

From his position in the lead, Laraby found that by the torchlight he thought he could see that the tunnel through the webs lead into a darker tunnel which seemed to exit the cavern on the far side, about sixty paces beyond where they were. He made his way cautiously toward it, everyone following behind him in a slow moving line. Everything was flickering torchlight, dancing shadows, and echoes

VBWyrdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031787268876015417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33078738.post-78225232520944827962010-09-16T23:54:00.007-05:002011-12-30T11:17:04.585-05:00

At their tiny size the ‘Steel Wool Sheeps’ stood barely tall enough to climb onto the back of an aphid. Having captured the Red Locust Ambassador, one of the human-ish Princes of the Locusts, and carried him down from the Temple of the Aphids into the towering grass blade forest at the base of the ruined Tower on Black Hill, the tiny adventurers found themselves suddenly beset by a new threat.

VBWyrdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031787268876015417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33078738.post-6568500197837337492010-09-07T09:42:00.002-05:002010-09-07T10:04:16.585-05:00

There is an old military adage by Carl von Clausewitz that states "No plan survives contact with the enemy". Gamesmasters the world over know that this principal is also true for back story development of RPG Worlds, and can be stated as follows: "No back story survives contact with the Players". This is particularly true when you are playing in "Sandbox" mode, which means the Gamesmaster

VBWyrdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031787268876015417noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33078738.post-66409298845906322002010-09-06T22:46:00.000-05:002010-09-06T22:46:26.329-05:00

Once upon a time on a lilly-pad not far from The Great Ivy Way there lived a wondrous magical frog named Mr. Dwimbles.   He could see through into other dimensions, hop from plane to plane, and had lots of magical powers.  He was a very nice little frog and delighted in helping those in distress, or just to pass the time telling tall tales and drinking magical teas in Weeleena's lovely Tea House.

VBWyrdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031787268876015417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33078738.post-29055999084808865872010-09-03T06:32:00.005-05:002010-09-03T06:48:17.076-05:00

This article was written by George MacDonald, a member of the Inklings.The natural world has its laws, and no man must interfere with them in the way of presentment any more than in the way of use; but they themselves may suggest laws of other kinds, and man may, if he pleases, invent a little world of his own, with its own laws; for there is that in him which delights in calling up new forms--

VBWyrdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031787268876015417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33078738.post-31135661434269900722010-08-31T07:22:00.000-05:002011-12-30T11:43:28.898-05:00

“Wise Aphid, before you leave… do you know what that tremendous booming sound would be?”, asked Storm Wizard as the old Holy Aphid-man was hobbling out of the Great Hall. Pausing, he turned around and looking back, said dismally, “That would be the sound of the Locust Ambassador’s Horn.” He then turned about and continued out of the Hall, vanishing from view as the giant doors swung closed

VBWyrdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031787268876015417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33078738.post-80834282200715927492010-08-29T20:42:00.008-05:002011-12-30T11:40:42.667-05:00

And so it was that our courageous heroes had arrived at the Great Hall deep in the heart of the Temple of the Aphids and found there the Old Wise Aphid in deep meditation. He looked untroubled, though the weariness of ages had clearly descended upon his hoary head. He was in humanish form at this time, sitting silently on his stone chair in the middle of the Hall. All was shrouded in silence and

VBWyrdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031787268876015417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33078738.post-75481929007784192582010-08-21T16:13:00.002-05:002010-08-21T16:15:07.121-05:00

The River of Death scene contained a good deal of symbolism associated to the correspondences of the Elthosian Tarot, so I thought I would post the reading as it was played here. A picture is worth a thousand words, and my feeling is that this one may be worth even more than that to those who take an interest in such things. Note that the cards displayed are from the Tavaglioni set, and

VBWyrdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031787268876015417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33078738.post-29778182369051436302010-08-19T21:43:00.007-05:002011-12-30T07:57:45.519-05:00

The ‘Steel Wool Sheeps’ Adventure Group made their way along the wall of the Tower on Black Hill. Brian and Daniel led the way, followed closely by Storm Wizard and Laraby, with Isabella, her warrior Ferdinando, Morgana and Juliette following up in the rear. Storm Wizard was thinking to himself that the Locust Ambassador would not be so easy to subdue. He was armored with a copper vest, metalic

VBWyrdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031787268876015417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33078738.post-36948479379254926442010-08-18T23:02:00.010-05:002011-12-29T15:06:44.168-05:00

When Pamela awoke she was in the Monastery with Juliette, both of whom awoke on the slab of stone in the Womb of Minvar. Pamela felt she had awoken from a dreadful nightmare, and Juliette explained as best she could that the dream was over, and that they were safe and sound. Penelope was overwhelmed with relief to see Juliette awaken after so long a trial. Next to her she saw Pamela, but she

VBWyrdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031787268876015417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33078738.post-37331310352795926672010-08-18T21:54:00.010-05:002011-12-29T15:04:41.881-05:00

Meanwhile Storm Wizard and Clarence were heading off into the Estates, towards the Manors, where the wealthy denizens of the region lived. It was due east from the Monastery, over the long fields, passing the farmers, about a day’s journey by foot. As they walked, they came to the edge of the long fields. They were covered with a thin layer of dull gray dust. “In the name of Minvar, greetings”,

VBWyrdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031787268876015417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33078738.post-88575460410067022742010-08-18T07:03:00.010-05:002010-08-18T15:18:38.212-05:00

Having left the Golden Sheaf Monastery to find backers for their daring plan against the Locusts, Storm Wizard and Clarence departed across the long fields towards The Estates, where the wealthy people live.Meanwhile within the Monastery, inside the Womb of Minvar, Juliette was laying inert on a slab of stone in the dark silence. The Abbess Penelope then returned and chanted an ancient Earth-Song

VBWyrdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031787268876015417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33078738.post-59038346296260144092010-08-11T13:59:00.005-05:002010-08-11T14:48:18.371-05:00

... grind slowly but surely.Latest update on the technical front: I finally got the Elthos RPG Web Application switched over to the new hosting service. Hopefully this will vastly improve the site's performance. It will probably be a couple of days before I have all of the configuration work finished and the site back up and running, but for now, I'm OK with the switch. It was a bit more

VBWyrdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031787268876015417noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33078738.post-47947100724294260112010-08-09T18:47:00.001-05:002010-08-09T19:08:50.845-05:00

This is a pretty great list of RPG Plots, and some good thoughts / advice at the bottom, too.What follows is a scrap of trivia . . . my collection of RPG plots, in abstract form. I built this by examining the premises of hundreds of published adventures for all systems (including those systems dear and departed from print), trying to boil them down to common denominators. The results are

VBWyrdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031787268876015417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33078738.post-3389278711408464012010-08-07T20:53:00.003-05:002010-08-07T21:01:44.509-05:00

The Cosmological Order of ElthosA picture is worth a thousand words they say.

VBWyrdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031787268876015417noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33078738.post-15752767960303794082010-07-26T21:48:00.004-05:002010-07-26T22:08:28.046-05:00

"Alignment has been a staple of many role playing games since the industry's beginnings. It's been the subject of countless essays in fanzines and blog posts. Most people either love it or hate it; some could take it or leave it. I myself have gone from one extreme to another over the years, using it as a weapon against my players in my early-and-inexperienced years as a GM, then later

VBWyrdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031787268876015417noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33078738.post-25509897868731803112010-07-21T20:22:00.008-05:002010-07-23T14:55:51.626-05:00

Ok this post is about the trials and travails of hosting Elthos RPG Web Application out there in the horrible "real world".First off the hosting company migrated my project to a "new platform" in mid April. Fine. Except: they broke the site in numerous ways that made it all but impossible to work on, or even get to, for quite some time. You have no idea what I've been through with this. Good

VBWyrdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031787268876015417noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33078738.post-18287805640379810922010-07-09T23:18:00.022-05:002011-12-29T15:02:42.368-05:00

The ‘Steel Wool Sheeps’ stood in a ten foot wide open gap between the inner tower and the outer wall. Before them were two doors, one near and leading into the tower, and the other was the arched tunnel through which they originally entered from the courtyard before the walled manor. They were furiously trying to decide what to do. They wanted to speak with Thurwulv and calm him down, but they

VBWyrdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031787268876015417noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33078738.post-47875535981383763352010-07-08T23:08:00.013-05:002011-12-29T14:53:05.402-05:00

In the Great Hall of the Temple of the Aphids, deep within a stone block located on the western rim of an old ruined tower on Black Hill, the few remaining Princes’ of the Aphids gathered with great foreboding at the bidding of the old Holy Aphid. In came two yellow Aphids, two red Aphids, two black Aphids and two green Aphids, the last being Kintin and Tinkin, our heroes’ guides through the

VBWyrdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031787268876015417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33078738.post-21910483034733762272010-06-09T23:36:00.010-05:002011-12-29T14:51:45.809-05:00

“A Locust?” asked Storm Wizard, surprised. “I take it you wouldn’t get along with Locusts particularly", he added after a moment's reflection. “No”, answered the young noble Aphid-Man, Kintin, with a grave finality. “Locusts don’t tend to get along particularly well with anyone, do they?”, continued Storm Wizard thoughtfully. “No, not really.” “Why is he here?”, asked Juliette. “We don’t

VBWyrdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14031787268876015417noreply@blogger.com0