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Friday, July 3

Black Guard: Part 2 – The Book of Matthew

Archive chose his words carefully. “More like a guardian spirit,” he said. “This Rabbi, whoever he is, is watching over Matthew.”

Lisa sighed. “About time one of them was useful. I’m going to go put Marissa to bed. Wake me if you need anything.”

Lisa left. Hammer and Jim-Bean joined Archive at the doorway, leaving behind the electronic sounds of exploding zombies.

“So how did that scroll get in there?” asked Jim-Bean.

“Ghosts don’t usually write things without help.”

“Help?” asked Hammer.

“The Rabbi possessed Matthew,” Archive said grimly. [MORE]

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posted by talien at 9:22 AM | 0 comments links to this post


Shadows: Part 4 – Pantry

A dozen white dust-covered children faced them. They had wicked curved knives in hand. Beyond them was a stairwell.

“Now we know the source of the laughter,” said Vlad.

“That’s our exit,” said Kham. “But we’re going to have to fight through them.”

The translucent children advanced.

Vlad switched to Vrosh’s spear. The tip crackled with electrical energy. “Here’s hoping I remembered the old snake’s tactics.” He spun the spear experimentally in one hand.

“Yeah, great.” Beldin sliced through one of the children with no effect at all. It laughed at him. “Just make sure it connects.” [MORE}

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posted by talien at 9:18 AM | 0 comments links to this post


Thursday, July 2

This. Is. Gross.


Fortunately, someone figured out what it (they) is (are). That doesn't make it any less bizarre.

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posted by talien at 9:01 PM | 0 comments links to this post


Black Guard: Part 1 – Going Gray

Ms. Gray’s home was in the west side of Rosetta on a cul-de-sac containing only five homes. A concrete sidewalk connected each home along the cul-de-sac.

The Gray home was a single story, red-bricked home with an attached garage. There was a large pecan tree in the front yard and several oak and pine trees shading the back yard. The backyard had a seven-foot wooden privacy fence. Although Ms. Gray had rose bushes and colorful annuals bordering her home, they were neglected and many had withered. Very little traffic occurred in the area. Lisa drove a new, white minivan, which she parked in the driveway.

Hammer pulled the SUV up. “Maybe we should stay in the car,” he said with a frown.

Archive blinked. “Why?”

“This isn’t our case. I don’t want to freak the poor woman out.”

“You?” asked Jim-Bean with a smirk. “Intimidating?” He switched to a Texas drawl. “Why I do declare I’ve never heard – I say I’ve never heard – of such a thing!”

“That sounds like Foghorn Leghorn,” said Hammer. [MORE]

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posted by talien at 6:37 AM | 0 comments links to this post


Vengeance: Part 3 – Conservatory

“Don’t go near the plant,” said Kham. “It’s a trap.”

Beldin paused. “There’s a fine-looking mace buried beneath it. Let me just take a look…”

“Damn it Beldin!” shouted Kham. But it was too late.

Beldin got a hold of the mace just as a rotten branch slapped outwards to encircle the dwarf’s wrist.

A brief tug of war ensued as the dwarf, determined the retrieve his find, refused to release the mace. The pile of vegetation lurched and suddenly Beldin disappeared.

“Great.” Kham had his blades out. “Now what?”

Vlad blocked another whipping tendril with his shield. “Just don’t use any lightning on the thing…they love lightning.” [MORE]

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posted by talien at 6:34 AM | 0 comments links to this post


Wednesday, July 1

Black Guard: Prologue

Rosetta was a small suburban town, widely known for its beautiful woods. The total population just touched 53,000. Many wealthy families lived in the area and this affluence provided access to many amenities and services. The city had a large library, a first class private hospital, and a professional police force and fire department.

Rosetta was home to RaeMart Industries, a large scientific firm that created specialized missile technology. Rosetta’s schools were some of the best in Texas and the students consistently scored among the highest in the state. Rosetta was home to the American Dream.

The north side of town consisted mostly of industrial zones and shopping areas, including a large mall. The east side was the oldest part of town and many of the families who lived there were very wealthy and owned large plantation-style homes. To the south lay the “poor” section of town, which was the only area zoned for apartment buildings.

“So there’s supposed to be a Nazi around here somewhere?” asked Hammer, driving a huge black SUV.

Jim-Bean shrugged from the passenger seat. “I know what I saw. Galt said Rosetta, Texas. And some doctor.”

Archive scanned his limited-access cistron. “The old town square holds an arts and crafts festival most weekends and is ringed by a number of antique stores. The most popular restaurant is The Cattleman, but many chain restaurants can be found on the north side of town.”

“But nothing about Nazis?” asked Hammer.

“Nothing yet,” said Archive. “But if you had a Nazi living in town, wouldn’t you bury it?”

“Point taken,” said Hammer. [MORE]

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posted by talien at 6:42 AM | 0 comments links to this post


Vengeance: Part 2 – Game Room

A couple of billiard tables stood in the room, along with a few empty racks for cues. A fireplace filled with trash and bones stood on one wall.

“What the hell is that?” asked Vlad.

Dominating the center of the room were two blobs of quivering flesh, each stained with dark streaks. The flesh shuddered and released a spray of disgusting liquid.

“Pwalgs,” Kham said with a frown. “Sentient tumors torn from the Unspeakable One’s flesh. Look out!”

He dove to the side as a stream of acid spewed forth, melting one of the billiard tables in half.

Vlad drew the light gladius he had retrieved from Bijoux’s homeworld. “This should help.” [MORE]

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posted by talien at 6:40 AM | 0 comments links to this post


Sunday, June 28

Chapter 40: Last Rites of the Black Guard - Introduction

This story hour is from “Last Rites of the Black Guard” by Ed Wetterman. You can read more about Delta Green at http://www.delta-green.com. Please note: This story hour contains spoilers!

Our cast of characters includes:

  • Game Master: Michael Tresca (http://michael.tresca.net)
  • Joseph “Archive” Fontaine (Dedicated Hero/Acolyte) played by Joe Lalumia
  • Jim “Jim-Bean” Baxter (Charismatic Hero) played by Jeremy Ortiz (http://jeremyrobertortiz.blogspot.com)
  • Kurtis “Hammer” Grange (Fast/Dedicated Hero/Gunslinger) played by George Webster

If you’re familiar with the Karotechia in Delta Green, you know that it is led by a triumvirate of Nazis on their last legs: the ancient Olaf Bitterich, the artificially sustained Gunter Frank, and the immortal Reinhard Galt. Advancing the Delta Green timeline thus causes a bit of a problem, because Bitterich should be dead of old age. The solution: Last Rites of the Black Guard (LRBG).

LRBG assumes the characters will conduct a séance, which isn’t necessarily something every group will try. Instead, I had our resident psychic character possessed by Aimee’s spirit and let him role-play out the answers with the other characters. Only after enough clues were gathered about what happened to the spirits did I reveal that there was once a Nazi living next door.

LRBG then moves to the second part of the scenario, which is essentially a death trap. Once the investigators find their way down to the secret door, it locks behind them and they are engaged in a fight for their lives with a Risen of Osiris, an undead monster. Since I adopted this monster to a Delta Green setting, I changed it to a Screaming Crawler. The effect is the same: the investigators have to slog it out in a toe-to-toe fight. My players were unhappy about this, expecting to uncover some plot-device to destroy it. The monster has no other purpose than as a guardian, which surprised my players, who expected it to be the old Nazi himself.

This scenario provided a mix of creepy investigation and slugging it out with a supernatural beast. Because of how the fight went down, Archive was taken out early, which left it up to the gunslinger and the faceman. The gunslinger enjoyed himself, the faceman didn’t.

Defining Moment: Since his incident with Yog-Sothoth, Archive is terrified of spheres. Which just happens to be the form an ABE takes… [MORE]

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posted by talien at 10:39 PM | 0 comments links to this post


Shadows: Part 1 – Great Room

The main floor of the Cresh House was in a deplorable state. The walls, once covered in paper, were torn and peeling. Water had stained, cupped, and warped the wooden floors, a testimony to the leaks from the floor above.

They were in a massive room with a polished marble floor that still shined even with all the grime and debris littering it. Two large fireplaces, each big enough for a grown man to stand inside, flanked the sides of the room. Instead of the expected curios and portraits that normally adorned such mantles, there were rats’ nests, chunks of fallen plaster, and filth. Across the room were several windows, though wooden planking concealed whatever lay beyond.

“Tell me something,” said Vlad. “You’ve been seeing this Countess woman for years…and you never suspected she was from Carcosa?”

Kham shrugged. “How should I know? She’s a madam. She always wore a mask.”

“And you didn’t find that strange,” Beldin stated matter-of-factly.

“No.” Kham peered into one of the fireplaces. “In fact, that’s what I was paying for.”

“You PAID her?” asked Vlad. [MORE]

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posted by talien at 10:34 PM | 0 comments links to this post


Thursday, June 25

Shadows: Prologue

It was an ugly day. The sun hadn’t shown its face at all, seemingly content to hide behind the swollen blanket of clouds that covered Freeport. Worse, the rain was nothing more than a drizzle, enough to awaken old stenches and stains, but not enough to wash the filth from the sewers.

“So this is Cresh Manor,” said Vlad.

Kham, Beldin, and Vlad stood inside the entrance to a veritable wilderness of overgrowth. The street behind them was just visible through the opening in the wall that now only sported one rusted gate hanging from a single bent hinge. The other half lay on the ground, burying who-knows-what beneath its heavy bulk.

“Yolanda said the portal is in the basement, so that’s where we’re going.”

As they looked around, the autumn wind blew through skeletal trees, sending their gaunt limbs rattling and clattering. The life inside them had long since flown, as did the birds and squirrels that once nested in their boughs. A narrow path wound through the tall grasses, stained in places by old blood, a few fluttering carcasses of rotting birds, and tatters of yellow cloth.

“The portal’s been compromised,” said Kham.

“How can you be sure?” asked Vlad.

“Trust me, I just know. I’m the Key to Carcosa, remember?” [MORE]

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posted by talien at 11:34 PM | 0 comments links to this post


Wednesday, June 24

Dead Letter: Conclusion

“What the hell was that?” asked Hammer.

Fiona sat in the middle between Hammer and Jim-Bean. She was still coming to. Archive drove and Guppy sat in the passenger seat.

“I think that was patient zero,” said Jim-Bean. “Whatever it was, it’s been dead a long time.”

“And infected with Sapphire,” said Hammer. “Site compromised. Initiate PURGATORY. Repeat: PURGATORY.”

“I remember that,” said Jim-Bean, “wait, you’re not…”

“I am,” said Hammer. “The entire site has to be wiped out. If that gorilla makes it out into the wild…”

“But the evidence!” shouted Jim-Bean. “We can trace this back to the Karotechia!”

“No time,” said Hammer.

Jim-Bean focused. He might not be able to gather evidence physically, but he had his own ways of gathering information. He concentrated.

Horst Jaeger was screaming frantically in German to a laptop microphone and webcam. A bandaged figure, with the same pale blue eyes as the big Nazi they encountered at the chemical plant, barked a command. Jim-Bean’s remote viewing couldn’t make out the location of the Nazi, but he could see his name written at the bottom of the screen: REINHARD GALT.

Jim-Bean didn’t speak German. Galt’s speech was slurred and there was interference in the wireless feed. He could make out the words “The Doctor” and “Rosetta, Texas.”

The signal suddenly went out. The laptop rattled. Jaeger looked up in fear… [MORE]

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posted by talien at 6:33 AM | 0 comments links to this post


Chapter 55: Shadows in Freeport - Introduction

This scenario is adapted from a Goodman Games adventure, “Shadows in Freeport” by Robert J. Schwalb, set in the Arcanis setting. You can read more about Arcanis at Onara Online. Please note: This adventure contains spoilers!

Our cast of characters includes:

• Dungeon Master: Michael Tresca (http://michael.tresca.net)
• Beldin Soulforge (dwarf fighter/dwarven defender) played by Joe Lalumia
• Kham Val’Abebi (val rogue/psychic warrior) played by Jeremy Ortiz (Jeremy Robert Ortiz)
• Vlad Martell (human fighter) played by Matt Hammer

I knew that one of the PCs would have to sacrifice themselves to save Arcanis, so I had a contingency plan all along to rescue whoever that was. Since that was Sebastian, arguably the most destructive character in the group, it meant that any adventure involving undead was going to be that much harder.

However, the last time our heroes faced off against ghosts, way back in Madness in Freeport, they were unprepared. Since then, both Kham and Vlad acquired ghost touch weapons. And both of them have bane weapons against Carcosan beings, which is precisely what they were up against. I changed many of the infernal references to Carcosan references instead, and just about everything that wasn’t undead has the Farspawn template.

That said, one big difference in how the heroes approached this adventure is that they had a mission. In the original version of this adventure, the goal is to find the children lost in the house, which means tearing the place apart. Instead, I changed the party’s goal: find the portal to Carcosa. They know it’s in the basement. And if you think about it, aren’t all portals to horrible places in the basement?

This means the adventure goes very quickly. Our heroes are in no mood to explore; they want to find the portal and get the hell out of there. So they skipped a whole section of the module with almost no prodding from me. Indeed, they made a beeline straight for the portal without knowing where it was!

What was supposed to be a creepy haunted house ended up being more like a raid on a drug den. But the adventure bridged the gap to Carcosa, and in that regard it was definitely a success. [MORE]

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posted by talien at 6:31 AM | 0 comments links to this post


Interview with Aldo Ghiozzi of Free RPG Day

I recently chatted with Aldo Ghiozzi, owner of Impressions Advertising & Marketing and the architect behind Free RPG Day. We talked about how Free RPG Day got started, how stores, publishers, and customers can participate, and where he sees role-playing games in the near future. [MORE]

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posted by talien at 6:26 AM | 0 comments links to this post


Tuesday, June 23

GSL now allows 3.5-compatible products

Recent changes to the 4th Edition Game System License (GSL) of Dungeons & Dragons now allow publishers to re-release third edition products with certain revisions.Specifically, "Section 6" was removed which prohibited publishers of third edition Dungeons & Dragons products to produce similar products for 4th edition. [MORE]

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posted by talien at 6:21 AM | 0 comments links to this post


Dead Letter: Part 20 – Going Ape

The sound of a roaring engine reached his ears. Hammer grabbed Fiona and dragged her out of the way.

The front end of a car smashed through the garage door, ramming into the cages in the back of the garage.

Hammer peered through the window. Jim-Bean, slumped over the wheel, looked up. “That enough of a distraction?”

Hammer frowned. “Yeah. Keep them busy, I’ll get Fiona to safety.”

“Oh sure,” said Jim-Bean.

Hammer fled, half-dragging Fiona with him.

Heavy breathing caused Jim-Bean to peer back through the front of the car, beyond the cracked windshield. Something huge and dark moved in the shadows of the now torn open cage.

Jim-Bean threw the car into reverse, but the wheels merely screeched. The vehicle was held fast by two huge, gangrenous paws that gripped either side of the front fender. [MORE]

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posted by talien at 6:18 AM | 0 comments links to this post


Naoke: Conclusion

Slipping past the lighthouse known as Milton’s Folly, the Nǎoké made its way into Freeport in the twilight. As she came slowly into dock, everyone line up on the deck rails cheering and waving and flags flying. Word of Baldric’s return had made him a hero, and his defeat of Cho Sun only cemented his reputation as a formidable candidate for the Sea Lord’s Council.

Passengers and their possessions went ashore in a scene of great noise and confusion. The milling port officials, crew, porters, hawkers, and would-be guides only added to the chaos. Clem, Tranco, and Estaboth slipped out into the crowd.

“I’ll take you to the Marquis Moon.” Yolanda was about to don one of her familiar masks. “You’ll be safe there.”

“We won’t if you advertise who you are. Keep the mask off for now. We’ll have to lay low,” said Kham. “Last time we were here, we pissed off the daughter of a certain powerful newspaper editor. And I’m supposedly dead in a botched rescue operation.”

Yolanda turned and screamed shrilly. “Patricia!”

Patricia had gone into the harbor. Vlad ran over to the edge of the dock. Patricia’s broad hat was on the quay and there were ripples on the water. The Milandisian dove in.

“She missed her step,” Francesca said, rocking herself. “She missed her step. She missed her step.”

“She jumped,” said Ilmarė. “Stupid humans.”

A man with a pad and paper was waiting for Vlad as he brought Patricia back to the dock. “Freeport News: can I have a word with you?”

“Damn it!” muttered Kham. “Ilmarė, do something before we end up on the front page!” [MORE]

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