New Arrival from Across the Pond

My print copy of Life & Death: Zarth Edition arrived yesterday. I've been perusing the pdf, but there's something very satisfying about having the physical copy to lay one's mitts upon. I may, given the chance, even post a review of it once I've fully digested it.

Getting the Ley of the Land

Magic in Crypts & Things is a far less tame beast than in most other classic fantasy game systems. Things like corruption and attracting the Others' attention makes using it an exercise in risk assessment. That's one of the things I really like about the system.

The term "Ley Line" was originally coined in reference to the placement of certain geographic features -both natural and man made- in relation to one another. Later, occultists coopted the phrase for the idea that "veins of power" ran through the earth. An interconnected web of arcane energies. One of the ideas was that rituals and spells performed along these lines or at their intersections would be able to better tap into that power.

Obviously, this idea has a lot of potential for fantasy stories and games. In terms of C&T, I am imagining a region or micro-setting which is rife with such lines, or perhaps more potent than "normal." Sorcerers come to this land and build their towers to be close to these energies and tap into it for their spells and research.

Such a land would be a strange place. Not just because of the "extra" magic, but because so many powerful sorcerers in one area would have interesting effects on the local power structure. The mages would probably be less interested in conquest or politics than their studies, but the local lords or townsfolk wouldn't want to annoy them needlessly.

"Do not meddle in the affairs of wizards, for they are subtle and quick to anger!"  -JRRT

There would be other by-products of such a place that might make good adventure fodder. Magical experiments gone awry, loosing horrid beasts into the wilds. Wizards paying handsomely for retrieving rare, quest-worthy ingredients, etc.

This is an idea I plan to play with a bit over the next few weeks. We'll see where it leads.

Two C&T related projects

So I'm pretty close to finishing a simple adventure for C&T. When it's done I'll put up a PDF for anyone interested to look at. It's sort of a rules shakedown for me and intended to be a fun one-shot, not so much a kickoff to a whole campaign arc. That's project one.

The second project is a little more complex. I've been looking for a while at various setting and campaign ideas for games like C&T, Labyrinth Lord, Green Ronin's Fantasy AGE, etc. I think I've hit upon something that sounds like fun to me, but it's going to require mashing a few things together. Specifically, I'm going for a potential cross-genre thing.

Lords of Light!

Instead of a post-apocalyptic earth with the ancient ruins of a technologically superior civilization, this setting would be a dark fantasy world more like Zarth where alien/futuristic technology (and possibly aliens) appear. Imagine a D&D world where the ship from Expedition to the Barrier Peaks just crashed. 

I still need to iron out some of the specifics, but here's some of what I'm planning:

• C&T-style mechanics, including Sanity and similar damage/injury rules.
• Mutants, but Chaos-based instead of radiation,
• Androids and psychics. Possibly even as exotic PC classes.
• Technological artifacts (ray guns) that might be found as treasure.
• Aliens
• Evil Gods
• Barbarians, Sorcerers, and all that jazz.

The gloaming vs the night

gloaming (noun) twilight; dusk

I've mentioned before where I am unsure about running my own Crypts & Things setting vs. using Zarth itself. Both have an appeal for me. Zarth is chock full of fun little adventure hooks, cool flavorful weirdness, and a great "Dying of the Light" vibe that seems one part Gamma World, one part Stormbringer, and a dash of Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay.

Part of me just can't help tinkering though. One possibility that occurred to me was to use the Crypts & Things rule set to bring a fresh take on an existing setting.

For those of you not familiar with Karameikos, it was the initial offering of TSR's "Known World" (later "Mystara") Gazetteers. It outlined one of the nations within that setting: the Grand Duchy of Karameikos. 

For some, it is a classic example of a "vanilla" fantasy setting. You have a populations of elves, goblins, and dwarfs. You have villains and heroes and ancient ruins. It ticks all the regular D&D boxes. 

Yawn! Sounds terrible for C&T's brand of weirdness!

Now hear me out. Yes, running a "straight" Karameikos campaign under the C&T rules would be, well, odd. But imagine this: what if some of the events that led to the incursions of the others into Zarth –or events very much like them– happened to a "normal" fantasy world where the PCs lived? In other words, what if the campaign picked up right when stuff went sideways instead of after the weirdness had been going on for generations?

[Minor spoilers: There is even an ancient "slaver" race in Karameikos that mirrors some of the serpent men's role in the setting.]

The nature of the adventures would certainly have a different flavor if the PCs initially saw the incursion of these terrors as an aberration instead of the new norm. Perhaps they could help stem the tide. Or perhaps they'd be the founders of the new cults, given the promises of power that might be offered by the Others.

I think it might be an interesting twist to play out the introduction of the corruption to the world. It might be a bit bleak to some, if it starts to look like "victory" is not likely in the face of cosmic horror, but that could lend a fun "Call of Cthuhlu" tone to things as well.

Just a thought, anyway.

C&T Review: Part 4/4

Home stretch, here!

Ill Gotten Gains of Dark Desire:

This is the treasure section of the book. In addition to some straightforward advice about placement and appropriate reward levels, C&T also includes “trade-out” guidelines (similar to Swords & Wizardry). The idea here is that there is a chance for a given amount of the treasure’s “cash” actually being a special item like gems, jewels, or even magic.

C&T also shies from random magic item placement. Magic should be chosen by the CK deliberately. Also, enchanted objects are almost never unilaterally beneficial (or harmful). Magic is a double-edged sword. Even useful items carry a cost.

The listed items are an excellent sampling of weird magics in a swords & sorcery world. Unlike other games, instead of being classified by type (scrolls, potions, rings, swords, etc.), the items are just listed as individual objects. This further underscores the idea that they should be considered individually instead of “just another magic __.”

A Compendium of Fiends:

Monsters, monsters. Where would we be without a bestiary? C&T delivers with a nice assortment of the weird, bestial, sinister, and deadly. Using a very “stat-lite” S&W style of listing, the monsters listed include only the numbers you need, and rely more on colorful flavor text to help the CK evoke the feel  of a creature. Many of the critters are “Zarthian” as opposed to your standard fantasy fare, and normal creatures (lions, tigers, and bears oh my) are a bit thin on the ground, but these are imported pretty easily from other rule books like Swords & Wizardry.

The end of the section includes tables and advice for creating or modifying monsters to create unique creatures in your game, along with a listing of monsters by challenge level. While I personally don’t use challenge levels in general, it’s a handy reference when looking for an easier or harder foe to include in your adventures.

The next section contains three adventures: The Halls of Nizar-Thun, The Haunted Lands, and Port Black Mire. While they all look eminently playable, they also serve as blueprints for C&T style adventures.  Found it very useful to look at how they differ from typical fantasy adventures as well as how they’re similar. “Halls” is a dungeon crawl, “Lands” provides some outdoor/wilderness adventuring, and “Port” is a city adventure complete with a random city events table. The adventures also provide some more detail to the setting (especially Port Black Mire).

Notes from the Abyss:

The final chapter self-described as “a miscellany of topics.” It includes CK (GM) advice do’s & don’ts, etc.), some fun tables for semi-random crypt (dungeon) creation, and a nice writeup on horror in gaming. It finishes up with a bibliography and suggested soundtracks (inspirational/thematic music).

What I liked: The treasure and monster sections were engagingly different than typical fantasy games. I particularly appreciated the nature of the magic items (magic with a cost).

What I didn’t like: As I’ve mentioned before, a lot of the material is tied pretty tightly to the default setting. That’s not a flaw, but it does feel limiting sometimes.

OVERALL: This is not a vanilla fantasy game. Crypts & Things is not a generic D&D substitute. It is designed to deliver a very particular theme and tone; one of weird magic, eldritch horror, gritty pulp action, and characters that you might find in the pages of Howard, Burroughs, or Smith.

The world of Zarth is a nearly ideal backdrop for such a game. With its ancient races, lurking terrors, and encroaching doom. For those who wish to play elsewhere, it shouldn’t be too difficult to use the game in your own setting, but it would be tough to leave all things zarthian behind.

I am immensely pleased with the return on my Kickstarter investment and am looking forward to actually playing some Crypts & Things very soon!

C&T Review: Part 3

THE BOOK OF DOOM

A rather dramatic title for what amounts to the GM section of the book. I mentioned before I liked having the player information kept in its own section, so this part is the other side of that gold piece.

I’m going to do my best to avoid specifics and spoilers here, but these pages are meant for Crypt Keepers (CKs), not players.

Secrets of the Continent of Terror:

Essentially GM info on the various regions in the setting. Two parts of each entry that I really appreciated were a short table for random encounters, and suggested adventure hooks specific to that area. Even if CKs don’t use them directly, they provide nice idea fodder and give a better sense of what might happen to the PCs while they’re there.

Moving on, we come to a handy little section about “the Others.” This gives a brief description of what exactly the Others are, as well as some information on things like summoning rituals. In a nutshell, the Others are quasi-lovecraftian entities from beyond and objects of worship for various evil cults. Such things are standard fare for a nice, pulpy swords & sorcery feel. The next part details some specific Others, their worshippers, and their minions. This gives a CK some material to work with, as well as a blueprint for designing their own cults and Others.

I appreciated the attention given to this subject on its own, instead of lumping it into the monsters’ section. These things are not gods, nor are they just a big critters to hit with an axe.

Snake Dance:

(cue “Men without Hats” music)

Ssss -Nnnn - Aaaa - Kkkk - Eeee

These pages detail the Serpent Men. The race is integral to the history and current climate of Zarth. There is a lot of good information here, but this chapter is one that left a bit ambiguous. Not for the quality of the material or writing, but because -as I’ve previously stated- I’m not sure that I want to run C&T on Zarth as written or take a homebrew approach. That said, if a CK plans to use the default setting, this chapter is a must-read.

Scourges of the Dying World:

An interesting chapter that offers some high-powered villains to use in one’s campaign. These aren’t “boss monsters” that lurk in the last room of the dungeon, these are master minds and major players. These are the bad guys that a whole campaign is centered around dealing with. Some are Others, some are not. Like the section on the Others, CKs might use these as written or draw inspiration for their campaign’s own nemeses.

What I liked: A lot of thought and effort went into fleshing out the setting and its various populations. As a self-confessed setting junkie, I love getting a sense that a game world is a living, breathing place. The section on the Others really helps underscore the weirdness of the place and of magic's role.

What I didn't like: Again, just from my own perspective, some of the Zarth-centric information may not end up being used that much by me, at least directly. That is not to say it can't be inspirational material, but it might require digging certain things out of the game's innards -or at least filing some serial numbers off.

Next time I’ll cover the last parts of the book: Monsters, Treasure, Sample Adventures, and “Notes from the Abyss.”