Charon Prime - general mood

Think of it as a mix of Roadside Picnic and Dune. I think it's the best description.

Duh, once again I became silent. However, there are still some fresh ideas I want to post here, let's hope I will be able to do it before procrastination kicks in again...

Free items

Items listed below can be obtained by PCs for free at various locations (marketplaces etc.). Treat them as a garbage (items, not the PCs!).

1. Slightly rusty chain, 1ft;
2. Short oar;
3. Half a loaf of bread, somewhat stale;
4. Clay mug with missing handle;
5. Small tallow candle;
6. Half-burned incense stick (3% that it's magical)
7. Mouse trap;
8. Fishing rod made of stick. Line is snapped after 3ft;
9. Short stick of chalk;
10. Club made of table leg;
11. Smoked sardine;
12. An apple (9% that it's a worm inside it);
13. Padlock without a key;
14. Knife / shank made of a half of scissors;
15. Small stool;
16. Horseshoe in perfect condition;
17. Dusty linen bag;
18. Flea-ridden felt hat;
19. Pair of wooden shoes;
20. Pot lid made of tin.

Legends of Krshal now with reduced price!

I've reduced the price for the Legends of Krshal supplement. Now you can grab a PDF (both on Lulu and RPGNow) for $2 and print for $7.50.

Perilous Ages - another review

I just found a review of the Perilous Ages, written over a year ago. Yeah, sometimes my google-fu sucks alot...

This game is not complete but it's 'rules-enough', there to be ruled. It's tough to produce a pleasing game in this style and still rein back on adding more details at the design stage but Albert has tastefully avoided rules-bloat and delivered a bold intriguing ruleset.
Refreshingly different for the OSR (but yet familiar) and inspiring.

LINK

Charon Prime - versions of the game

Previously, I wanted to make the Charon Prime standalone supplement, compatible with 0e and clones. However, now I plan to create two versions of the game. First one I want to do is a complete game, compatible with a ruleset already used in the Perilous Ages. Second (which I guess will be much more popular), will be of course compatible with most OSRish games / rules systems / whatever.

You probably wonder why I decided to create a version which most likely will be unpopular, plus will require much more time and effort to complete. The answer is simple - I want to run the game this way. Simple :)

I guess the next question is when - I do not know. Usually I work on several projects at the same time, which is not good in terms of publication time but - for me - is much better than focusing on just one setting and burn out relatively quickly.

More info soon. Next time, with more content.

Charon prime - map from The Archives

The map above was found in The Archives belonging to the House Strakarson. Most likely it was drawn by some adventurer. File is partly corrupted and no date was assigned to it, thus it's impossible to determine map's age.

Click to enlarge :)

HERE you can find the reason why the map is so primitive and lacks almost any names. In fact, it may be the most detailed map of the planet ever created (or rather ever shared with anyone)!

Charon Prime - Aldenson's Sorrel

The only one edible plant that can be found on the surface of the Charon Prime. Actually, Aldenson's Sorrel is the one of two plants that are known to be existing on the planet!

It has thick, rubbery leaves, usually two to three feet-long. They are the main source of food for the inhabitants of the Citadel of Rust, as well for all animals that are kept and bred for their meat. Unfortunately, the plant has one peculiar ability - and pretty dangerous and unsettling ability.

It can be best described as the collective psychic powers. Even the single specimen can affect one's mind. And the more Sorrels are gathered in single place, the more powerful they are.

• Single to few plants: humans experience the sensation of being watched;
• Few to dozen plants: strange whispers and noises can be heard;
• Several dozen Sorrels: nausea, headache, short and chaotic visions of distorted images;
• More: losing control of own body, coma, catatonia

Some people say that they saw their companions disappear in the Sorrel thickets, never to be seen again. Ordinary persons usually cannot overwhelm the psychic force of the plants but they just start act strangely (or try to escape the Citadel, probably to find Sorrels growing in the wild). Aggression, hyperactivity or paranoia were never noticed (or, at least, no one survived such occurrence).

So, who grows the Sorrels to feed the Citadel's inhabitants? Monks belonging to the one particular sect or people who were already insane.

More info soon (or in five years or so - it seems that I don't post anything about Charon Prime campaign setting very often)...

Legends of Krshal - first review!

"Legends of Krshal continues the tradition of Towers with imaginative and off the wall ideas, and it is definitely worth owning as a supplement to the original. It should be used more carefully, and some of the really good stuff is hidden in obscure corners you need to carefully and deliberately look for and attack with a highlighter. It is less immediately useful as a game material, but it is an invaluable idea mine – there's gold in them thar hills, if you are willing to do the digging."

- Melan

LINK

Legends of Krshal - sample entry (II)

CLICKY!

34. To date, seventeen people has committed suicide in front of a large, old sculpture standing to one side of the Black Cat Gate. All of them chose really painful ways to kill themselves.

Hypotheses about the nature of the statue, written by the Nameless Scholar (most likely member of the Inquisition):

• Minor Cthonian God is trapped inside the statue. Awakened by an unknown source, he draws power from death, preparing for breaking free;
• Statue was an important element of the ancient sacrificial altar. It must be embedded with powerful magic;
• Sculpture might be devoted to destructive aspect of the Lord of Dreams;
• Some pre-Krshal texts (unfortunately, they are incomplete) contain information about the God of Painful Forgiveness - the name itself can lead to some significant conclusions.

And the list of deaths. It may be extremely difficult and / or time-consuming to gather information about all of them

• Six years ago. Self-disembowelment;
• Six years ago, just two days after the first suicide. He drank a mug of acid;
• Four years ago. Gate’s caretaker set himself on fire;
• Four years ago, at the autumn equinox. Apparently, she infected herself with the Plague of Falling Leaves. She fell apart in front of the statue;
• Three years ago, during the new year’s day. Self-impalement. Apparently, the victim used a ladder to end his life in a very nasty way;
• Three years ago, during the Festival of the Frog. Three people decapitated themselves by jumping from the top of the gate building with iron wire around their necks;
• Two years ago. He died by electrocution by stuffing the Lightning Worm into his… well, uhh...
• Two years, exactly thirteen days after previous suicide. Two children inhaled some kind of gaseous poison, which caused their skin to turn black and fall away. No one ever discovered who provided them with the poison, not even the Inquisition;
• Two years ago, again thirteen days after the death of two kids. Old and respectable wizard struck himself in the abdomen with the Wand of Thousand Thorns;
• A year ago, again during the Festival of the Frog. Knight belonging to the Order of the Twin Angels fell on his magical Flaming Sword;
• Five months ago, during the new moon. One mercenary shot off his own arm with a blunderbuss. When he bled to death, his companion, who just moments before tried to save his friend, took his weapon, reloaded it and did the same thing to himself;
• Two months ago. Member of the Alchemists Guild swallowed a small magical bomb, which exploded in his bowels, tearing him in two;
• Yesterday (day before the rumour was heard by the adventurers). She somehow strangled herself with bare hands...

Legends of Krshal on Lulu

As I said yesterday - Legends of Krshal is now available via Lulu.com, both in print and PDF format.

Buy the printed version via Lulu

Buy the PDF version via Lulu

Buy the PDF version via RPGNow

Legends of Krshal out now!

I managed to finish it really quick!

Legends of Krshal is a huge expansion of the Rumours about the City table from the Towers of Krshal. It contains dozens (over a thirty!) new random tables, lots of adventure hooks, as well as some items, monsters and diseases.

LINK

Right now it's available via DTRPG / RPGNow. Tomorrow I'll try to upload it on Lulu.

Towers of Krshal on RPGNow

LINK