Rest in Peace...

[whY] The Shards

1. All Shards revolve around some kind of central location, a place where immense power can be found.
2. Not all Shards are inhabited - conditions on some of them are quite lethal…
3. Shards that are left unprotected may vanish. Sometimes they reappear, twisted beyond recognition.
4. An artificial black hole is located in the center of all Shards. And all Shards are somehow connected to it.
5. Boundaries of some shards are clearly visible, while others seem to stretch infinitely.
6. Shards that are uninhabited by humans are sometimes home to some unspeakable monstrosities, much better adapted to particular fragments of reality.
7. From time to time, particular Shards seem to overlap. There was a clan who possessed a method of determining when and where it will occur. Or maybe it was just another myth.
8. Some shards are artificially lit, while others seem to be surrounded by dim glow. Night-day cycle is extremely rare.

The very first Ortix Podcast!

THE GUILTY FUCKER

Well, it happened. I recorded my very first podcast ever.

I was really nervous, the hum of the laptop can be perfectly heard (even though I recorded using the contraption presented above!) and my English is shitty. But I felt the urge to record it and I did it.

In this - the first ever - episode, I'm talking about the whY setting, its background, some basic features and the form. It's not very long, and most likely not very good as well! But I hope you'll enjoy it :)

Ortix Podcast S01E01 - Introduction and something about The Game Called... whY

[whY] doodle #1

I'm not good at drawing.
But I don't care.

Krshal Trilogy Bundle

If you want to grab the whole Krshal Trilogy (Towers, Tombs, Legends) in PDF format for reduced price, click the link below :)

The Krshal Bundle @ DTRPG

One rule to rule them all... Or not?

Do I need any rules? That's the question I ask myself everytime i run the game. And now, when my gaming group is no more, I ask it when it comes to write down the ideas for something new, be it Perilous Frontiers, whY or something else. I ask myself even if I know the answer.

Please note that I speak for myself and everything depends on multitude of different aspects.

I do NOT need any rules. In fact, I ran game sessions for years (and we had them on a daily basis, back in the late 90s) without a single dice roll. Character sheets were used to track PCs belongings - and nothing else.

Did it worked? Yes. But you must remember one extremely important thing.

YOU MUST NOT BE AN ASSHOLE.

When there are no dice and no stats, you - the GM - are the only arbiter of any actions. And I guarantee you that it will work out for almost any GM/DM in 99% cases - except combat. During combat, things may get ugly really quickly. And they will get ugly if you are an asshole. And - most likely - no one would participate in your diceless / rules-less games anymore.

This is how I determined the results of combat:

• PCs are stronger than ordinary mortals. They are not ubermenschen but they are significantly stronger, faster, more agile and/or more skilled.
• Description of the actions means everything. It was the most important factor.
• Wounds were the most difficult part of the game, as descriptive nature of all damage caused many problems, such as bleeding, broken bones etc. It was extremely gritty but we liked it.
• As we were gaming in the more or less Sword & Sorcery setting, PCs were healing pretty fast - although there were portions of the game that were fast-forwarded (or railroaded, heh), when all the player characters were so fucked up that players decided to let it go for two or three weeks to let them heal their wounds. Also, even though there were little spellcasters, healing potions and/or healing items were relatively common.

These things caused my players to be pretty skilled in descriptive combat and the overall survivability of their characters was really good, maybe except the fact that we were teenagers and peeps tended to slaughter each other on a daily basis, over slightest argument :D

Now - if I will be lucky enough to assemble a new group of players - I plan to go back to similar method of running games, except some addidtional features:

• Most likely, Diamond Diceless will be my weapon of choice, too keep track of the stats and abilities...
• ...but I will use the dice. Solely for the random content - I love random tables! I always add some randomness to the story / module, so I need the dice.
• I'm also considering to give players something in the shape of Fate Points from WFRP/40K RPGs, to allow them to cheat death - or, in some cases, my decisions.

Of course, I'm not sure if it will work - it all depends on the players. Some people prefer this kind of "storytelling", some prefer dice chucking. We will see (or not!).

Rats (half of the table from Tombs of Krshal)

This is the 50% of the table from Tombs of Krshal. Vicious, unsettling rumors about the Vermin. Chuck yer fucking deesix!

1. We must kill them all. They are in fact parts of the soul of the Great Flayer. When there are enough of them, he will be reborn.
2. There is an artifact, buried somewhere beneath the oldest ruins at the fringe of the Palatial District, which allows its user to look through the eyes of a rat. Of any rat.
3. There is a new breed of rats in Krshal. Slightly smaller, with darker fur and much longer tail. They say that they were designed by mages, to get rid of the monsters living in the city’s vast underworld.
4. The Thieves Guild is using rats as spies for years. They also use them to steal small objects but people are saying that they can steal almost anything.
5. Beware of the Silver Rat. It's a very powerful magical creature, a true god of rodents. They say that it can turn gold into mud - and vice versa.
6. There is a homeless girl, living in the Leper's District, able to communicate with rats. In fact, mages protect her, as they cooperate with her quite often.

Perilous Frontiers - some changes in the idea of the booklet

So, can you spot the difference? Probably not, as you must click the image to see it.

If you ever used any of my releases, you probably noticed that they are extremely raw in terms of form. Little or no artwork, dry descriptions, very informative tone. To be honest with you, I still suck at English and I don't feel comfortable with procuring any lengthy descriptions. Also - I just like it the way it is. No bullshit, 100% creative content. You don't need to pay extra for pages full of meaningless garbage.

Numero due - there are fuckloads of game systems, rulesets and so on. Even the percentile ones (if you're unaware - the whole "Perilous" family is NOT about yet another clone of the Original Game). Even though Perilous Ages was more or less "complete", I do not think it's a complete rulebook. I suck at rulebooks - moreover - and when I managed to assemble the whole BandB game, I was totally drained of the creative energy. For weeks. Even though the feeling of getting job done was absolutely amazing. That's why I dropped the idea of creating another complete rulebook.

What does it mean for you - the potential user of Perilous Frontiers? Most likely nothing. Or even it will make the book better, as sometimes I get tricked by myself and constrained by some (imaginative) barriers or requirements that new release must meet. And - obviously - more constraints mean less fun from the creative process. And I want to have fucking fun from writing new stuff. Having fun is the most important thing that should come from any hobby. Because it's a hobby, not a fucking day job. Even if I work on board games as my day job.

If you're not familiar with the Perilous Ages, which will be the basis for the Perilous Frontiers, you can grab it here. Also, I've set a 50% discount to make it easier to get the copy :)

Six Bizarre Collections (Tombs of Krshal sample entry)

Sometimes PCs can find something extraordinary - the collection of... something. And sometimes, "something" may be way more unusual than anything encountered before.

The table below can be found in the Tombs of Krshal booklet, along with additional two dozen of tables of unholy, wicked randomness.

1. Seventeen dried hearts, apparently human. Each of them rest in a separate wooden box and each is pierced by a thin piece of a polished, sharpened bone.
2. Eight sets of ornate plate mails, obviously made for cats.
3. Huge jar of eyeballs of different colors and sizes. There is an inscription on the lid, saying “UNSEE ME NOT”.
4. A dozen of finely crafted shoes, made of various exotic leathers. Each shoe is way too big for a human being - they should fit the giant’s foot better. Each shoe is the left one.
5. Several hundreds of keys, displayed on nine large boards. Each key is made of yellowish bone, and each one is snapped in two.
6. Five jars with organs preserved inside. Each organ is very similar to each other, although they are clearly not human. What is even stranger - all of them totally differ in colors.

Tombs of Krshal out now!

You know, sometimes writing a new supplement (or a new game) can be a fucking chore, lasting centuries. But on some occasions, you just sit down on your god forsaken ass and write stuff down. Just like that. Several days and POOF - it's already done.

That's what I did with Tombs of Krshal. That's what actually happened with all current Krshal booklets! I just loved the creative process. It was a pleasure for me.

OK, enough bullshit for today. The supplement is out, ready to be grabbed. Links below!

BUY PDF ON DRIVETHRURPG

BUY PDF ON LULU

BUY PRINT ON LULU

Tombs of Krshal contents preview

Well, what can you expect from the newest Krshal expansion? Let's find out!

• Ten Magical Skulls;
• Shape of the Crypt;
• Six Bizarre Vampires;
• Rumors About the Labyrinth;
• Rumors About Rats;
• Features of the Ghoul Mothers;
• Mysterious Coffins;
• Crypt Entrances;
• Strange Undead Creatures;
• Undead Magic Items;
• Inhabitants of the Crypt;
• Lost Souls;
• Gravediggers;
• Grave Robbers; 
• Magical Flowers;
• Magical Birds;
• Pillories;
• Funeral Processions;
• Tombstones;
• Mad Poets;
• Mourners;
• Magical Tools;

And probably something more. I'm still working on the actual contents so things might change!

If you still don't possess your copy of Towers of Krshal, you may grab it HERE! Also, Legends of Krshal may be obtained by following THIS link.

Tombs.

Coming soon.

Yeah, I know I promised something else. But to be honest, sometimes ideas just attack me and I can't do shit to prevent it. The only thing I can do is to write them down.

[whY] Quote #2

“We came to existence during the collapse of your reality. Born from your fear, your lies, your sins. Now we just wait. One day - and that day is near - we will rise and devour your souls, just as the Womb - the Machine - devoured your world. Fear not, as it’s pointless to fear the inevitable.”

- Subject Eight

Tabletop RPG from the creators of Fallen London

Do you know Fallen London, the best browser-based game ever? Or maybe Sunless Sea or Sunless Skies?

If you do - below you can find the link for their newest creation - pen and paper RPG, called Skyfarer. It is available for free. If you don't - shame on you!

CLICKY!

[whY] The Void Moth

This entry, although it depicts a monster from whY setting, also brings to you a sneak peak of the game mechanics that will be used in the game. Of course, it's the same system I've presented to you as the Perilous Ages game.

Type: Demon

Rarity: Unique

STR: 57%

DEX: 91% Inhuman+3, Flying

CON: 49%

INT: 66%

LCK: 89% Blasphemous

WIL: 34% Immunity

PER: 66%

LEA: 45%

MELEE: 69%

RANGED: n/a

DEFENSE: 76% Dodge while Flying

VP: 147

Weapons: Bite d6+1+2 Poison (Paralysis + Insanity)

Armor: 4 Magical

Other Traits: Arcane 99% Stealth 89% while Flying, Invisibility Aura (d4+2 minutes)

More classic stats:

HD 10, AC2, Movement 24 Flying, poisonous bite (sv vs Magic or paralysis for d4 hours)

[whY] General mood of the setting

Well, this time I will try hard to provide you with something more than gibberish quotes and cryptic random tables. However, I prefer to create stuff in a form that will be easy for you to cherry pick the parts that should suit the best your campaigns. So, it can still be a bit confusing and unclear. But I like it as it is.

• Almost exactly one thousand years ago some unspeakable cataclysm shredded the world to pieces. The old order is shattered.
• Space-time was ripped apart, the remains are now called the Shards. Moving between them is complicated and dangerous.
• Humans are not the only inhabitants of the Shards. There are the Unliving - hideous mix of flesh and machine, the Demonic - hybrids of men and extra-dimensional entities and the Inhuman - various generations of mutants. Most of them are hostile towards mankind.
• The Guild controls the world. They are old, very old. Perhaps predecessing the Fall. Their oppresive rule stretches over most of the Shards.
• The Hollow Ones were the masters of the world before the Fall. Now they are gone (here you can read the old post about them - however, you should bear in mind that many things may change).
• Number of Shards is hard to determine - some may appear for the first time, some can vanish without a trace. Only few of them are explored, even smaller numbers are inhabited.
• World is a dangerous place, full of anomalies, monsters and other perils. But people still want to delve into the unknown, looking for knowledge of the past and artifacts of old.

[whY] Quote #1

“One thousand years ago there was the Fall - a cataclysm which destroyed the world. We have been betrayed, millions have died. We were plunged into darkness, lost everything. 

Now the backwards, primitive descendants of once great live amongst the ruins of the old order, on the Shards, the only remains of our reality. We are exposed to the unspeakable evil of the Inhuman, of the Unlife, of the Demonic. 

The end is near. 

At last.” 

Koaash, Overlord of the Red Pit

Magical Eggs

Players stumble upon the strange, violet egg. It is approximately two feet tall and although its shell seems to be translucent, it is actually impossible to take a peak into its inside. If the players choose to crack the egg, roll 1d12 to determine what's inside:

1. Cockatrice chick, helpless but friendly (can be trained as pet);
2. 2d8x317 gp, covered with manure;
3. Cloud of colorful fumes. You may roll this table to determine its nature;
4. Void Dragon hatchling;
5. Human child / small humanoid skeleton (inanimated), holding a gem in its hands;
6. Egg explodes with cloud of filthy rags - 1d3 concussion damage in ten feet radius;
7. Large, animated skeleton of a duckling (pathetic stats);
8. Ordinary contents of an egg (edible, 15% for being rotten);
9. Young Crystal Serpent;
10. Egg is empty but it emits strange, ringing noise when cracked open;
11. Trans-dimensional portal opens;
12. FML, there's another egg inside this one (but it is bright green)!

[whY] The Guild

1. They are the descendants of the Hollow Ones’ minions. 
2. The Guild are the only ones who are able to communicate between the Shards. 
3. They gained their power through the demonic pacts. Now the payback time is coming. 
4. They are the last ones who understand at least a portion of the technology of the past.
5. No one ever saw the members of the Inner Circle, not even other members of the Guild. 
6. Only descendants of the Guild members can join their ranks. They perform some kind of “gene-tests” on the recruits, whatever it means… 
7. They claim to be “maintaining the balance” but it’s just one of their countless lies.
8. Almost every aspect of their lives and deeds is heavily ritualized, entangled in long chain of over-complicated prayers and rites.

[whY] The Fall

1. The Hollow Ones. They built the Machine. 
2. World - both space and time - was ripped apart. 
3. They tried to open a portal to Hell - and they succeeded. The results, however, were far beyond their expectation. 
4. The device which destroyed the world is still there. Still active, pouring its poisons into our reality. 
5. Remains of the Machine are rooted deep inside the every Shard. That’s why the Shards are surrounded by the aura of… artificiality. 
6. The Machine was so powerful that not only our world, our dimension was destroyed. Some other, dark world was also shattered. And mixed with the remains of ours.
7. Someone tried to save the world from global disaster but it led to another catastrophe, maybe even worse than the one from which he tried to save us. 
8. The world was much better place before the Fall. It was safer and brighter. Technology was much more advanced but now most of the wisdom of the past is lost. 

(I will explain later ; I'm sorry, you must be patient)

Ortix Year Eight, blogging Year Nine

Well, time flies. I'm older, fatter and most likely dumber than before.

I am blogging for almost (or maybe even over, if my now defunct Polish blog counts) nine years. And each year I plan to create more stuff and post more content. And I fail miserably.

So, this year, I do not promise you anything. I do not declare that I will release anything new. It is totally pointless.

But I will try. I still have some tricks up my sleeve. And I feel the growing urge to create something. Wish me well, I will need your support :D

Also, as you probably know, Google is soon nuking the Geeplus. Which sucks alot. I liked this platform. And - as fecesbook sucks ass and I noticed some migration tendencies amongst fellow geeks - today I created my MeWe account, solely for the RPG/OSR-related bullshit.

CLICK THIS LINK TO ADD ME ON MEWE, I DARE YOU

I wanted to post something about Year Nine, but...

But when I logged into Blogger I noticed some really sad and nasty things happening in the OSR community.

I must say two things.

Mandy, I believe you.

And I believe in you. 

For those who are unaware what happened - visit this link.

EDIT: my creations have always been dark, twisted, gory and pretty fucked up in almost every possible way. And - as I enjoy writing such stuff - they will remain as such. But I never will support any kind of both online and RL harassment or abuse. And I will never support any people responsible for such actions. Fuck them.

Lunation - (almost) final rulebook download

If you are still interested in my board game, here is the almost final version of the rulebook. Rules are final, composition may be changed in the future.

And sorry for the lack of content on the blog, I've been heavily immersed into music production lately. But I guess I'll be back.

LINK