Archive for the ‘Fantasy Craft’ Category

[Fantasy Craft] Gearing Up for Darker Days

Posted: June 11, 2012 by pointyman2000 in Articles, Campaign Design, Fantasy Craft, Roleplaying Games
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Remember when I was talking about Darker Days as a Fantasy Craft Setting? Well, I figure it’s about time I run it.

There’s been a bit of a shake-up when it comes to player attendance in my games as of late, with real life concerns as a priority. Paulo and Mappy, two of the players that had been with us since the L5R Never a Dull Blade campaign will not be able to join the weekend games anytime soon. I’ll have to recalibrate my nMage Japan game for three characters moving forward (and tie off any hanging plot threads that remain relating to Mikaboshi and Melon Pan.)

In any case, I figure it might be a good idea to set up a pick up game that I can run when the main game doesn’t push through. And since Fantasy Craft has been something I’ve been itching to try for a while now, it was the first thing on my list.

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I’ve gone over the Darker Days setting in some detail last time in the previous post, but I wanted to spend a little more effort showing off the inspirations for what I’m gunning for.

First of, let’s take a look at Castlevania, specifically Lords of Shadow:

Then there’s Diablo 3:

Brotherhood of the Wolf (warning: NSFW)

As you can tell we’re gunning for a dark fantasy setting with lots of action. I’m going for Gothic Swords and Sorcery here. The protagonists in the Darker Days campaign are empowered individuals, going up against monsters that threaten humanity. I’ll keep the tone in the action-adventure territory, as there’s no need to go and get too depressing in this setting. It’s all about fighting the darkness after all, not the loss of hope.

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I’ll admit that the Darker Days setting isn’t exactly unique. There are plenty of games that scratch the same itch, but since I’m not running them, I might as well mine them for material. Among those that fit this particular niche are:

It’s a rich sort of aesthetic too that has fired the imaginations of many a gamer.  I’m hoping to be able to come up with a series of locales and flavors similar to that of Magic: the Gathering’s Innstrad setting, which has a lot of good visuals to keep me inspired.

[Fantasy Craft] Darker Days, A Gothic Fantasy Campaign Setting

Posted: May 22, 2012 by pointyman2000 in Articles, Campaign Design, Fantasy Craft, Roleplaying Games
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Last year, I put up a quick campaign setting sketch for “Darker Days” as a Beer and Pretzels style game run with 4th Edition D&D. With the recent release of Diablo 3, I’ve been thinking about it once again, and I think that with a little more work, it can be transformed to be something more interesting. That said, I decided that I might as well run this setting in none other than Fantasy Craft.

So how do we go about this? Well, let’s take a moment to break it down according to Fantasy Craft’s campaign world building chapter:

Genre: Action /Dark Fantasy – Darker Days is at its heart, a game about striking out against evil. As such, I’m seeing a lot of action in a setting that is bleak to start with. The player characters are the last embers of hope in the setting, and they take center stage in the fight to bring light back to the darkness.

Era: Reason – I was sitting on the fence on this one. The standard trope was to go for Feudal, but I figure that pushing it up to the age of Reason was a valid point, as many works of Gothic Horror are set here, including Ravenloft and Solomon Kane, which are both excellent inspirations for Darker Days.

Paths? No – I was also thinking about this a bit, but I figured that having Alignments and Paths meant that there was a tangible manifestation of the divine. To that end I decided to remove it. This fight was for mankind to win by his own hand, the Gods might be there somewhere, but they’re not about to grant miracles.

Spellcasting? Yes – While miracles are out of the picture, spellcasting exists. It’s an imperfect and dangerous art to those who use it, but it provides an interesting weapon against the forces of darkness.

Campaign Qualities:

  • Complex Heroes
  • Dead Means Dead
  • Dramatic Pacing
  • Hewn Limbs

As for backstory, the player characters are part of a secret organization of knights known as the Torchbearers. Their organization exists in secret, and is devoted to finding and recovering the ancient lore necessary to undo the curse that has sealed away Heaven from earth, leaving the dead to be trapped forever in the mortal realm. Along the way the Torchbearers fight a never-ending battle against the forces of darkness, as demons and other foul creatures have begun to carve out their place in the myriad kingdoms.

It’s a race for the player characters to travel the various kingdoms to recover the necessary lore (and artifacts) to undo the curse and restore peace to the land. I’ll try to accommodate all the Classes in Fantasy Craft for this campaign, though I’m probably keeping it as an all-Human game for the time being. In homage to Diablo 2, there will be various environments as well, as each of the kingdoms will come from a different biome and culture, which should be an interesting change of pace from my usual urban campaigns.

Inspirations:

  • Solomon Kane
  • Ravenloft
  • Castlevania
  • Diablo

20% Off On a Bunch of RPG PDFs over at DriveThruRPG!

Posted: September 29, 2011 by pointyman2000 in Articles, Fantasy Craft, Legend of the Five Rings, Roleplaying Games
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Hey guys,

I’m currently recovering from a nasty cold that has kept me more or less bedridden, but that won’t stop me from posting some very good news!  DriveThruRPG is currently offering a 20% off on the following titles until November 10, 2011:

To get the discount, simply input DiceInTheFall in the promo code field on checkout.
Fantasy Craft and Legend of the Five Rings 4th Edition are both very good games, and having a 20% discount makes this a great opportunity for you to get your own copy and save money doing so.

Games I Wish I Was Playing Right Now

Posted: June 3, 2011 by pointyman2000 in All For One: Regime Diabolique, Articles, Fantasy Craft, HERO, Hollow Earth Expedition, Mage: the Awakening, Roleplaying Games, Savage Worlds, Savage Worlds of Solomon Kane, World of Darkness
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In a little fit of pique from my selfish Id, I figured that I might as well make a list of games that I wish I was playing in right now.  Take note that my Id is neither realistic, nor patient, nor does it give a damn as to how I could possibly play all 5 games right now at the same time.  This list represents the desires of my basest of minds, the angry, petulant 5-year old that shrieks and breaks things when denied.

Considering that this particular angry and destructive 5-year old self lives in my brain, I figure I might as well give it an outlet before it decides to throw a tantrum and perhaps decide to smash a folding chair into my pineal gland.

And so onto the list:

All For One: Regime Diabolique

After checking out the corebook and several of the Richelieu’s Guides, I think I’ve finally found the swashbuckling RPG I’ve been looking for.  All For One: Regime Diabolique is probably the only RPG I know of that is in current circulation (sorry, 7th Sea, you don’t count) that handles the swashbuckling action of the Three Musketeers while adding an interesting supernatural twist to the setting.  While some people might find that Musketeers with Magic might be just a little too weird for them to handle, I am giddy with excitement at what I could pull off in this game as a player.

Champions

Ah, to play a supers game again.  HERO has always been my go-to for superheroic campaigns, and while I’ve successfully run it, I have yet to play it again under a different GM.  Perhaps the system is too daunting, or nobody has time to make a character with the detailed character creation rules anymore, but it doesn’t stop me from wishing that I was in a supers campaign where I could tweak and build a character to my exact specifications the HERO way.

Fantasy Craft

Fantasy Craft has been quite an obsession of mine, with all the options that the game provides.  I’m constantly hypnotized by the possibilities and I keep telling myself that I’ll finally unleash that mammoth of a custom setting I’ve got brewing in the back of my head.  But wait, I’m supposed to be talking about playing games, and I have to admit that despite it’s relation to the d20 System, I’m very much a fan of Fantasy Craft and would jump at the chance to play in a campaign.

Hollow Earth Expedition

Ahhh… pulp, the genre that keeps on giving.  I’m a big fan of the pulp genre, but it pains me that I’m usually the only GM willing to run a campaign.  That said, Hollow Earth Expedition is one of those games that just sings, getting even the most jaded of players to reconsider the merits of the pulp genre.  I’m all for any sort of campaign, Hollow Earth or not, I’d be just as happy punching Triad gangsters in Shanghai and punching out Thule Society thugs in the ruins of a hidden monastery in Tibet.

Mage: the Awakening

Mage is by far my favorite game in the World of Darkness, and I don’t think I will ever tire of it.  The themes of responsibility, power and hubris are all excellent fodder for all sorts of stories, both hopeful and tragic.  I yearn for the day when I can actually play in a full campaign of Mage with all the dials turned on.  Arcane Archeology? Sure.  Political backstabbing?  Bring it on!  Other-dimensional aberrations that seek to destroy our reality?  I’m there.

The Savage World of Solomon Kane

I would use words to describe why I want to play this game, but it wouldn’t do the setting any justice.  Instead, have a snippet from the Solomon Kane short story, Red Shadows:

“You – who are – you?” her words came in gasps.

“Naught but a wanderer, a landless man, but a friend to all in need.”  The gentle voice sounded somehow incongruous, coming from the man.

The girl sought to prop herself up on her elbow, and instantly he knelt and raised her to a sitting position… His hand touched her breast and came away red and wet.

“Tell me.”  His voice was soft, soothing, as one speaks to a babe.

“Le Loup,” she gasped, her voice swiftly growing weaker.  “He and his men – descended upon our village… They robbed – slew – burned -”

…

“I ran.  He, the Wolf, pursued me – and – caught me -”  The words died away in a shuddering silence.

“I understand, child.  Then -?”

“Then – he – he stabbed me – with his dagger – oh, blessed saints!  mercy -”

Suddenly the slim form went limp.  The man eased her to the earth, and touched her brow lightly.

“Dead!” he muttered.

Slowly he rose, mechanically, wiping his hands upon his cloak.  A dark scowl had settled on his somber brow.  Yet he made no wild, reckless vow, swore no oath by saints or devils.

“Men shall die for this,” he said coldly.

My excitable 5-year old self is already bouncing off the couch, play sword in hand and hacking at random furniture.

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And so there it is, my list of games that I wish I were playing right now, somehow, against all logic.  These are all awesome games, with great systems that support the tone and style of play inspired by the genres that spawned them.  Check them out, give them a whirl, and if you ever decide that this is the game for you, drop me a line, I may just jump at the chance to play in your game.

Games To Look Out For In 2011

Posted: January 28, 2011 by pointyman2000 in Articles, Fading Suns, Fantasy Craft, Legend of the Five Rings, Roleplaying Games, Spellbound Kingdoms, Spycraft
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My sudden absence from blogging came from an unfortunate combination of a sudden deluge of work, and the fact that my home internet connection died.  That said, I’m back, and blogging, and today we’re looking at several game lines that I’m keeping an eye on that will hopefully be coming out this year.

I’ll be doing a run-through of the games that I know of by company as it seems to be the best way to go about it at the moment:

Crafty-Games has two game lines and several supplements coming out this year, and I’ll definitely be looking out to reviewing them on the blog:

  • Spycraft Third Edition – Spycraft was the original flagship property of Crafty-Games, and I’m very happy to see that we’re getting a 3rd edition this year.  While Crafty-Games has a reputation for having a preference for heavy crunch, I’ve yet to see a game actually do Espionage as well or as thoroughly as Spycraft does.
  • Spellbound - A supplement for Crafty-Games’ Fantasy Craft game line, Spellbound promises to expand the base magic system even more with new Classes, Feats, Spells and other character options.  Some people felt that Fantasy Craft was pretty awesome, but the magic chapter was a little thin… Spellbound should fix that pretty well.
  • Ten Thousand Bullets - is a new Mastercraft line for Urban Adventure.  From Modern Crime to Police Procedurals, this game takes things to the mean streets instead of the life of glamor and intrigue of Spycraft.  I was initially concerned that there might be some overlap between the two games, but thinking about it, the two genres are distinct enough to stand on their own, and the overlaps will only enhance both games as opposed to diminishing them.

I’ve already gone into detail with the upcoming books from AEG for their Legend of the Five Rings RPG.  Lot’s of good potential in those books and the print quality is gorgeous.  Definitely worth keeping an eye out for those.

There’s some solid progress going on over at RedBrick LLC with regards to the 3rd edition of the much beloved Fading Suns space opera RPG.  Fellow Philippine rpg blog The Armchair Gamer has been watching any and all developments on this line like a hawk, so I’d make sure to check with him now and then.

Good news to early adapters to the innovative small press RPG Spellbound Kingdoms, as the author is looking to release an updated version, and he’s promised to have improved the already impressive effort he’s done.  I’ve yet to run this game, but I’m pretty sure that an opportunity to do so won’t be too far off now.

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These aren’t the only games coming out of course but these are the ones that I currently have my eye on.  How about you guys?  Are there any new games that I ought to be paying attention to?  If so, bring it up, I’m pretty open to checking out new and interesting things and if I pick it up, I might review it here and give take it out for a spin for my group.

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