Sunday, February 23, 2020

Troika! City Encounters


Hey look! Actual gamable content!

I'm running Troika! with my Saturday online group ("The Germans"). The characters are mostly new-comers to Troika, so I'm running it as a light city-crawl (with a lot of influence from Dark Heart of the Dreamer). As the PCs travel from district-to-district I roll to see what kind of weird encounters they have with the locals. 

I'll need to come up with more of these soon, as my players are burning through this original batch pretty fast!

City Encounters

Roll 2d6 whenever the PCs travel from one part of Troika to another.
  • 2: Demonic Incursion
  • 3: Illicit Magic Dealer
  • 4-5: Drinking Contest to the Death
  • 6-8: No Encounter
  • 9-10: Musical Debate
  • 11: Dwarf Artist
  • 12: Lamassu Fashionista


Demonic Incursion
A gate of bone and obsidian opens in the middle of the street. A demon and a demon hunter stumble out, mid-combat. She is Bianca Sten, a young woman with white hair, a facial scar, crimson cloak, and massive silver sword. He is Skathe, a demon of Rage, eight-foot tall with red scales, a lion’s head, tuxedo jacket, and eye lasers.

If the PCs do nothing, the fight will last for another 3 rounds. After that, roll 1d6 for the results. 1-4, the demon wins. 5-6 the hunter wins. Either way, the winning side will berate the PCs for not helping them.
  • Bianca Sten: Skill 8, Stamina 13, Initiative 2, Armor 2, Damage: greatsword (silver)
  • Skathe: Skill 9, Stamina: 20, Initiative 2, Armor 2, Damage: eye-beams (as fusil), double damage from silver. Gold and jade nose-ring worth 50sp.


Illicit Magic Dealer
PCs are surreptitiously approached by Gambolpuddy Spree, a weasel of a man with a long gray cloak and battered hat. He offers them a deal on several bits of contraband magic.

Gambolpuddy Spree: Skill 5, Stamina 6, Initiative 1, Armor 1, Damage: knife
  • No-Pants Powder: Blow this fine pink powder at your target. They must make a Luck roll (Skill for enemies) or their pants will fall to their ankles. 15sp
  • Double Trouble Bubble: A fragile glass orb that, when shattered, will create a duplicate of the last person to touch it. They will have identical clothing and equipment, but an entirely different philosophy and moral outlook. 100sp
  • Healing Liquor: Potent alcoholic distillation that may or may not heal damage. Roll 1d6. 1-2: nothing happens, 3-5: Instantly regain 2d6 Stamina, 6: Transform into a box tortoise for 1d6 days. 10sp
  • A small red book containing the Zed spell. 50sp


Drinking Contest to the Death!
A large crowd gathers around one of the many small beer gardens in this part of the city.
Two women sit across a table from each other, among dozens of scattered jugs and steins. What started as a simple IP dispute between the two women has escalated beyond reason.  Juliette Spank and Marva Ritter have decided to settle their affairs with a drinking contest… to the DEATH!

If the PCs do nothing, one or both will succumb to alcohol poisoning in 1d6+3 rounds of drinks. Roll 1d6: 1-3: Juliette dies. 4-5: Marva dies. 6: Both die.

Pennyweather Plunk, a chip-nosed dwarf takes bets. Giving 3:1 odds on Juliette.
  • Julliette Spank: Skill 4, Stamina 8, Initiative 2, Armor 1 (leather apron), Damage: hammer
  • Marva Ritter: Skill 3, Stamina 9, Initiative 2, Armor 0, Damage: pistolette
  • Pennyweather Plunk: Skill 4, Stamina 8, Initiative 1, Armor 0, Damage: sword.


Musical Debate
A large group of rough-looking men come tumbling out of a near-by tavern, violently punching, kicking, and shouting at each other.

The men are divided into two camps, who strongly disagree on popular music of the day. One group thinks that Trace Crystalis is the freshest voice in contemporary acoustic vapor-gaze. The other group asserts that Luna Sixx is breaking boundaries in nouveau autobiographical mope-core.
The violent men will demand the PCs settle their debate.
  • Angry Music Lovers (12 per side): Skill 6, Stamina 13, Initiative: 2; Armor 0. Armed only with their fists.


Dwarf Artist
Crimbo Caspacian is carving a large sculpture in the center of Casternally Cross, a busy intersection. He is currently carving a giant topaz into a 6-foot tall sculpture of flame at the behest of the Red Church. When he finishes his work in 1d6 days, the sculpture will glow and flicker like a real fire.

He is constantly pestered by territorial owls, who are displeased by this intrusion into their prime brooding space. Crimbo will gladly pay the PCs 20sp a day each to keep the owls and other pests away.

On the final day of crafting, Crimbo’s hated rival Jangle Handspan will run out of the crowd, screaming curses, and angrily lob a bomb into the workspace.
  • Crimbo Caspacian: Skill 5, Stamina: 12, Initiative 2, Armor 0, Carving tools (treat as daggers)
  • Jangle Handspan: Skill 5, stamina: 13, Initiative 2, Armor 0, Bomb (20’ radius, damage as fusil, Luck roll to avoid)


Lamassu Fashionista
Uk-Ululu, brazen-maned lamassu attended by seven beautiful androgenes dressed in fragile gold and buttery samite.

Uk-Ululu and his entourage will loudly berate the PCs for their poor sense of fashion and style.
However, if the PCs show grace, humor, and wit in the face of such harsh criticism, they will earn Uk-Ululu’s favor. The Lamassu will treat them to a shopping spree to the tune of 1d3x50sp in fine clothing and accessories.
  • Uk-Ululu the Lamassu: Skill 9, Stamina 20, Initiative 2, Armor 0, Claws (as sword) and Hooves (as club), Spells: Amity, Illusion, Peace
  • Beautiful Hangers-On: Skill: 3, Stamina: 9, Initiative: 1, Armor: 0, Unarmed. Spells: Light, Befuddle.

Wednesday, February 19, 2020

Support my Friends' Zines!


QAGS is the Quick Ass Game System from Hex Games. It has been a part of several charity bundles on Drivethru, so chances are good you already own it.  QAGS was created by Steve Johnson and Leighton Connor. I bought QAGS 2nd Edition at Origins in 2005. I was immediately taken in by three things:
  1. How simple but effective the system it was. 
  2. How fun it was to read. 
  3. How genuinely useful its GM and player advice was.

I started writing for Hex in 2007 with The Dungeon of Moderate Annoyance for their fantasy-parody setting, Qerth. Since then I have written a whole bunch of stuff for Hex Games, including the Ennie-winning Hobomancer’s Companion. Everything I wrote for Hex was in collaboration with and/or under the editorial pen of Steve Johnson and Leighton Connor. More than anyone they’ve probably had the biggest influence on my writing style, in both subject and form. They’ve also become dear friends.

All this is to say that if you like Sanctum of the Snail or Druagr & Draculas, then you have those guys to thank. Also, you’ll probably very much enjoy the stuff they write.

Steve and Leighton both currently have Kickstarters going for Zinequest 2. I urge you to check them out.

Steve is writing Tales from the Lusty Minotaur, detailing the titular fantasy tavern, its staff, and regulars. It promises rumors, adventure hooks, and random tables. There’s also rules for “Fate’s Hand” a tarot-based card game. Tales is designed to be system-agnostic but uses QAGS where stats are needed. Steve’s bringing on several Hex Games artists for this project, including me.


  
Leighton brings us Akashic Titan. This is a supplement for DCC that revolves around the titular Akashic Titans, giant robots powered by magic who travel across the endless void. It’s dream-like and sublimely weird. Leighton’s doing all the writing and art on this one.



Give them a look, and also look at Them's Monsters why not?

Wednesday, February 12, 2020

Them's Monsters! now on Kickstarter


Kickstarter Link!

Q: What are those?
A: Them's Monsters!


In 2018, I put together a manga-sized zine called Them’s Monsters! that I passed out to people I met at Gencon (it’s better than a business card!). The zine was a collection of various monsters for the Dungeon Crawl Classics Role Playing Game. I’ve never officially published Them’s Monsters!, and that original print-run of 50 was all the world has even seen of it.

But now Zinequest 2 gives me the opportunity and excuse to share Them’s Monsters! with the wider world! The Zinequest version of Them’s Monsters! includes the original 10 monsters, several new ones, as well as new and improved art.

Those Monsters...

  • Carrion Knight
  • Cleric Lick Monster
  • Cybersnail
  • Eyeless Dead
  • Humababa
  • Iron Medusa
  • Millennium Tortoise
  • Muldasynkovi
  • Pumpkin Knight
  • Sanity Assassin
  • Sludge Dwarf
  • Sludge Golem
  • Terrible Infant
  • Weremoose 

And Also…

  • The Dungle, a new DCC class of hardy little beetle people.
  • A never-before seen Moonblossom & Chance comic.

If you've enjoyed Sanctum of the Snail  or Draugr & Draculas, you're sure to enjoy this one as well. Check it out!