Friday, July 29, 2016

Free Map Friday - Beneath Bitterweed: Part 3







     This is it. We have found our dear friend Nebin Pendlebrook. Some of our Zeroes may have made it past the giant toad spiders, crossed the ravine and made it past the skeletal hounds, how many party members are left? Are they ready for what's next?

It was a lot of fun recreating the encounter maps from Nebin Pendlebrook's Perilous Pantry and again I'd like to thank Jon Marr and Purple Sorcerer Games for permission to post these as part of my Patreon.

Jon does a lot for the DCC community so please check out the Purple Sorcerer website for a virtual Bag of Holding full of DCC resources and adventures, or download the free Crawler's Companion, a "funky dice rolling, rules referencing, chart crushing" mobile app for Android, iPhone, or web.

Patreon supporters will get hi-res printable PDFs and a logo free hi-res JPEG of the full map.


All Patreon supporters this month get the hi-res files of all the Beneath Bitterweed maps as well as bonus content. Patrons at the $2.50+ level additionally get bonus versions with grids.





 










Previously a Patreon exclusive! 

The ancient city of Chathair Túr was once the home of Egeszfold’s most powerful sorcerers. Originally built around a tower that reached far into the sky. In the first age of the world, Chathair Túr prospered under the rule of its sorcerer overlords. While may labored to build the tower and enjoyed the show of ingenuity, the rulers worked their arcane powers to breach the very gates of Heaven. This peace and prosperity was shattered when the true intentions of the rulers were revealed when the veil between heaven and earth was torn. It wasn’t a doorway into heaven however and through the portal poured into this world great cosmic horrors that were never meant for this world. The great creator god Egysten took pity on his creation and destroyed the tower in a great cataclysm. Today all that remains today is a floating island city rumored to be filled with untold treasure, arcane artifacts, and unknown horrors. While the floating Ruins of Chathair Túr remain a monument of an age that has since become the inspiration for myths and legend, deep in the underground ruins something stirs...







Heart of Darkness is currently available digitally as a White Star compatible adventure and as a Savage Worlds licensed adventure.


Friday, July 22, 2016

Free Map Friday - Beneath Bitterweed: Part 2




Continuing with the DCC zero level funnel Nebin Pendlebrook's Perilous Pantry, this week our zeros continue their search for Nebin deeper below Bitterweed Barrow. Thanks to Jon Marr and Purple Sorcerer Games for permission to present the terrain as a free map and for Patrons. This next installment--a cavern chasm, a strange well containing a solid column of water flowing up through the ceiling and down into the floor, an armory with a hidden room and secret tunnel. I really tried to get the effect of water reflected on the floors in the well room.

If you are not familiar with the adventure I highly recommend you check it out, but be warned although it may look whimsical it is deadly.



All Patreon supporters this month get the hi-res files of all the Beneath Bitterweed maps as well as bonus content. Patrons at the $2.50+ level additionally get bonus versions with square and hex grids.





 










Previously a Patreon exclusive! 

The ancient city of Chathair Túr was once the home of Egeszfold’s most powerful sorcerers. Originally built around a tower that reached far into the sky. In the first age of the world, Chathair Túr prospered under the rule of its sorcerer overlords. While may labored to build the tower and enjoyed the show of ingenuity, the rulers worked their arcane powers to breach the very gates of Heaven. This peace and prosperity was shattered when the true intentions of the rulers were revealed when the veil between heaven and earth was torn. It wasn’t a doorway into heaven however and through the portal poured into this world great cosmic horrors that were never meant for this world. The great creator god Egysten took pity on his creation and destroyed the tower in a great cataclysm. Today all that remains today is a floating island city rumored to be filled with untold treasure, arcane artifacts, and unknown horrors. While the floating Ruins of Chathair Túr remain a monument of an age that has since become the inspiration for myths and legend, deep in the underground ruins something stirs...







Heart of Darkness is currently available digitally as a White Star compatible adventure and as a Savage Worlds licensed adventure.


Thursday, July 21, 2016

Free Map Monday - Beneath Bitterweed, Part 1




This past Saturday I had the opportunity to Judge the DCC zero level funnel Nebin Pendlebrook's Perilous Pantry. It was a blast as well as a total TPK. While many people prefer to play DCC in a theater of the mind style, Purple Sorcerer Games includes paper minis with the adventure and of course I just had to make some terrain to go with it. The terrain turned out great and was enjoyed by all. as I was making it I asked for permission to present the terrain as a free map as well as for Patrons. Here's the first installment--the halfling home, cavern tunnels and toad spider cave. If you are not familiar with the adventure I suggest you check it out. I plan to run it again, but this time as a Savage Worlds adventure for Savage Dungeons Novice characters

Friday, July 15, 2016

CritHit Con Report

I was privileged to attend CritHitCon in Phoenix, AZ last weekend, July 9-10, and it was a great start to a new annual event. Two days of tabletop roleplaying games focused on learning about new games and meeting new players. There were so many games scheduled including Patfinder, D&D, Savage Worlds, DCC, Shadow of The Demon Lord, Trail of Cthulhu, Tunnels & Trolls, 7th Sea, and so many more. The best part was being able to game with and hangout with Some RPG Legends and great designers like Ken St. Andre, Shane Hensley, John Wick, and more. I had the opportunity to sit for a while and talk to Ken St. Andre about all things RPG (he was a little disappointed that I hadn't read the Tunnels & Trolls Deluxe that he signed for me at Phoenix ComicCon, but I'm fixing that right now.),
There was a great update and informal discussion from Shane Hensley on what's new and exciting from Pinnacle.The presentation was the same as last year's GenCon announcement, but the conversation that followed was a whole lot more fun. I’m really looking forward to the upcoming Fear Agent setting. Shane also  let us in on some "insider" stuff that may, or may not, be in the works, sorry I'm under oath, but it was great being able to ask very specific Savage Worlds questions and get the answers directly from the originator of the system.





I planned on running two games, My own Heart of Darkness for Savage Worlds and  Nebin Pendlebrook’s Perilous Pantry a Zero Level DCC Funnel. Unfortunately one of the pitfalls of a small first year con and maybe having a game in the same timeslot as John Wick who was running 7th Sea, I didn’t have any guests at my table for HoD, but fortunately that left me time to catch the screening of Dark Dungeons: The Movie  which included a Q&A via Skype with writer/producer JR Ralls.




Nebin’s Pantry did deliver on its perilous promise. While most of the players managed to hold onto at least one zero until the very end the last two encounters finished them off. Don’t let the pretty pictures fool you, this adventure is quite deadly, we lost 3 PCs by the end second encounter—it was a great game enjoyed by all.

Jim Miller Did a great job putting this inaugural gaming con together and I can't wait for next year. There is so much potential here, and as Ken St. Andre said in a Facebook post following the event, "If Phoenix isn't the hub of the game-designing universe, it's at least a mighty nexus.