OSR Commentary & Ascendant Rpg Session Report Four - Capital City Casefiles #2: Served Cold By Karl Gustav & Gamblers Slaughter

 This half of our Ascendant rpg campaign picks up with the player's PCs getting done with second half of thier training under   Stan “the Lariat” Hansen in Japan at his training dojo. And then mopping up the last of  N.W.O. forcees  in our games from the Write Up's.org website. The PC's are being brought into Bluddville by Dreadnaught Security. And this loops around to last January's Ascendant session here.  Now a series of murders by poisoned blow dart on some of Bludville's high roll gambler's points up the return of one of the group's old villains Poker Face!  I used the character archtypes in the Ascendant Rogues Gallery supplement to sketch out Poker Face who doesn't appear in this session. But whose presence overrode the whole session! 

The events in today's session looped back around into Capital City Case Files#2 Served Cold. Several of the turfs and places in Bludville have been left in a bit of a vaccuum where Poker Face's gang 'The Fifty' have taken over. In this session the PC's got a chance to beat a bit on 'The Fifty before they brought out automatic weapons and RPG's causing the PC's to retreat or there could be more  collateral damage. 

PC's investigations revealed that the gamblers and thier funds were robbed as well as their finiances entirely drained. These gamblers had ties to the gangs and other criminals of the city. Poker Face is looking to buy his way into being a franchisee for Freak however this isn't his only angle.  Poker Face is looking for a substitute for  Freak (an Ascendant drug that grants temporary superpowers or triggers permanant powers in some users). The N.W.O. network is looking for a new distributor even though the leadership has been cut off & arrested. They don't believe that Poker Face is a good public persona for the drug. 

The player's believe that there's a third party interested in the lucrative drug trade within Bludville. And thier afraid that the series of murders could kick off a gangwar. All of the evidence they collected points to the fact that there may have been others at the crime scene. The party routed around looking for any tell tail signs of others at the crime scene. Of course they found that 'evidence' which was spur of the moment planting on the DM's part.  The party are planning thier next move and where to track down Poker Face (last time the vile villain got away with six murders of lotto winners).  

OSR Commentary - The Insidious Nature of The Blades Stormbringer & Mournblade In Original Dungeons & Dragons

 “Elric knew that everything that existed had its opposite. In danger he might find peace. And yet, of course, in peace there was danger. Being an imperfect creature in an imperfect world he would always know paradox. And that was why in paradox there was always a kind of truth. That was why philosophers and soothsayers flourished. In a perfect world there would be no place for them. In an imperfect world the mysteries were always without solution and that was why there was always a great choice of solutions.”

― Michael Moorcock, The Elric Saga Part I

When it comes to Stormbringer & Mournblade from Michael Moorcock's Elric saga no two enchanted blades have come close to matching the modern impact of these two blades on Sword & Sorcery. In Robert  Kuntz & James Ward's Gods, Demi-Gods, & Heroes Stormbringer appears and it's a beast; "Chaotic in nature, this sword has an intelligence of 12 and an ego of 12, is plus 5 when hitting, in the presence of Mournblade is as a Dancing Sword, and drains energy levels.On a roll of 11-20 it will drain all the energy levels from a being if it hits, with a roll of 7-10 allowing it to drain onehalf of the energy levels if it hits. The energy levels gained from the battle are transferred to Elric giving him an 18 strength, and a 100% on his exceptional strength. It also adds to his hit points by the method of rolling the proper die for the type of being hit. If a magic user is hit roll a 4 sided die and multiply the number gotten by the levels the magic user has. The same is done for all other classes and creatures. The sword becomes sated after draining off 300 energy levels, in which case after 10 melee turns Elric reverts back to his former strength and hit points. This sated state lasts for 50 full turns, at the end of which the sword will take another 300 levels." 
What makes the Black Swords so damn dangerous?! According to the Stormbringer fandom wiki entry on Stormbringer's history; "Before the Melnibonéans' ancestors, the Mernii, arrived on Elric's World, the Nihrain were a prosperous society who served the Cosmic Balance. To combat the Dead Gods and other powers of Law and Chaos that threatened to tip the scales of the Balance, the Nihrain forged the pieces of the Dragon Sword into the twin Black Swords, Stormbringer and Mournblade, and perhaps also forged their many brothers as well. Out of fear for the blades' power to slay them, the Dead Gods killed themselves (removed their physical forms and joined Eternity). But while both blades had the power to absorb vitality as did all Black Swords, Stormbringer was different from the others, because a mysterious power entered the blade at the time it was forged"  
And one of the most dangerous magical quality that both Stormbringer & Mournblade have is the fact that they can slay divinities & gods; "Godslaying- Stormbringer is fully capable of killing gods, even Chaos Lords and Lords of Law, and is greatly feared because of this. Though it is said that this does not truly destroy the Lords of the Higher Worlds, it just consumes their current manifestations in that world and ensures they cannot return there." 

This brings a whole other level of dangerous to both manifestations of the Black Blade or Sword; "Stormbringer is a manifestation of the Black Sword, a cosmic archetype that can exist in any world of the Multiverse. In some universes, it manifests in other ways. It has been seen as a black jewel, and even a large humanoid demon. It is even suggested that Stormbringer and perhaps any Black Sword's true form is that of the humanoid demon"

This maybe one of the most dangerous aspects of these blades because not even the gods themselves are safe from having thier divinity absorbed by the Black Swords. This means that the wielders of the Black Swords are the heralds for the 'End Times.' 

The second that the two swords are snatched from thier place in the Pulsing Cavern the world of the Young Kingdoms is doomed. Way back in the early Eighties we had a chance to run across Elric's cousin  Yyrkoon. And our PC's were adventuring in the Young Kingdom during one of my uncle's games. We were too get several sorcerous herbs & spell components for our employer. Ultimately, we got the items and completed the task. We figured out what he was going to do which was open the dimensional door into the Pulsing Cavern. Our party left the world of the Young Kingdoms for Greyhawk shortly there after withour us getting paid. Mournblade is the twin of Stormbringer and as such they are merely two parts of the same evil or malevolent entity. We wanted no truck with either of the demon swords and this policy continued into our years playing Stormbringer. 

Blood & Suffering - Into The SuperMax - Wretched Darkness Session Report

 During this morning's Wretched Darkness/Wretched Vigilantes game session the players wanted some insight into a cult calling themselves  the Acolytes of Pain. They got permission from thier government contact to visit one of the Supermax prison's on the campaign world. We reviewed Supermax over here on the blog.  

The trip in with the military escorts and the security checks went well. No one was stupid enough to attempt to egg the soldiers on. Down into solid bed rock the party went until they crossed into the international boundry. They were led past row after row of cryo sleep chambers and cells. The hiss of escaping gasses spooked the party. They felt as if eyes were watching them.. They were led to a glass room.  Inside dressed in strange fetish style robes and an orange prison jump suit a weird figure stood. There was a sharp intake of breath as the figure looked at them with strangely lidded eyes with alien eyes. 'You have thirty minutes for an interview. But no flash photography, please'.  

The PC's were investigating the 'Mansfield Masscare' which was actually the site of Wretched's Sexual Holocaust adventure which we ran at the beginning of the campaign. This marked the first entry into our world of one of the Disciplines of Pain. This bastard committed horrid crimes to come into the role of 'super villain' after his summoner was killed. 

The PC's are trying to stop another series of ritual murders by  a cult calling themselves  the Acolytes of Pain. They've taken on several ritualistic mutations from the Discplines of Pain. They must be taken to the Beyond for thier final conversion into demonhood. This is going to involve a lot of suffering, pain, and death that the PC's are trying to prevent. 
And the player's PC's want answers before the next new moon. Next week the interview! 

The Next Frontier By Joseph Mohr & The Clement Sector Rpg Session Report - Wolf Slaughter - Session Report

 We scrambled into fighters that were provided by the  Ginuk & blasted one of the pirate ships that had been attacking the Science station on Tormazonia. We were able to block the transmission from the planet side to the pirate's base ship deeper in system. This session report comes on the heels of the last session report.   And of course it's Wolf time thanks to Ian Stead's artwork. 

The uplifted pirates were only part of the issue because of the fact that they've been pushed deeper into the blackness because of the Clement Frontier Scout Service. This is because the Clement sector navies have been taking such a toll on the syndicate pirate fleets. Our guys in tonight's game didn't let the pirates make planet side at all. 
There are medical advances and planetary resources that make the Science station on Tormazonia far too valuable to advancing pioneers & the Clement sector's worlds. The players wanted to make sure that the pirate ships weren't leaving the planet alive at all. The player's PC's made sure that  the Scout Service and the Cascadia Colonization Authority which keeps close tabs on the Scouts were informed of the events on Tormazonia. The PC's had one pirate ship land on the planet and they engaged in a prolonged fire fight that took up the rest of the night. The party killed any pirates that they managed to take down except one who was then psionically probed and vital information was taken. 

Tonight's adventure picks up from the internal affairs described by  The Next Frontier By Jospeh Mohr which  is well done & well written. The Next Frontier can easily be adapted to any 2d6 Rpg Science Fiction.

Deeper & Deeper Into The Station From Hell - The Red Room's Orbital Decay & Night Owl Workshop's Colonial Troopers - Session Report

 Tonight's  DM Paul's Colonial Troopers/Orbital Decay campaign and tonight's game picks right up where we were in last week's session. Our scientist Pu ar aj created a device that can disrupt the phasing ability of the alien monsters we were dealing with. 

The catch was that the device could only work from room to room. My Colonial Trooper PC and the rest of our mercs went from room to room putting Matt our engineer and psychic to work. We left two of our alien friends partially phased into a bulkhead. That was one down and more to go. Just as Matt threw up a field saving my character from two acid edged claws. 
Our PC's are looking for the artifact that the scientists took on board which seems to be holding open the dimensional gate the alien monsters are using. The aliens took one of psychics a healer named DEV by phasing her through the wall of the Science section! 

The monsters seem to be attacking in a directed pattern and our PC's laser rifles are set not to blow holds in the station's walls or floors. So it's been partially a 'cat & mouse' game with these horrors.  Our next objective is the station's engineering & reactor room. 

Read Through & First Impressions of Cepheus Universal: Player's Book By Paul Elliott For The Cepheus Universal Rpg

 So awhile back I picked up the massive Cepheus Universal Rpg rules which clock in at four hundred & forty three pages of the newest incarnation of the Zozer version of the Cepheus Engine. And then I discovered the  Cepheus Universal: Player's Book which gives even more player oprions for PC creation. 

We get term-by-term character creation, 
designed character creation,
random character creation, & 
what skill levels and characteristics really mean. Then we there's even more PC options such as: 

• Secret agendas for characters
• Career load outs
• Random name lists
• Combat and game rules
• Full equipment lists
• Point buy psionics, cybernetics and retrogenics
• Group creation suggestion
• Gadgeteering rules
  And this adds a far more nuianced feeling to the ten minute PC creation. But is this the same rpg system as Zozer Games Hostile Rpg?! 
  Well yes and no, there are definitely Hostile rpg system bones within Cepheus Universal but the system is far more designed & written for expanded 2d6 Science Fictional rpg campaigning. And the Player's Book adds to this by do a very decent job of boiling down some of the Cepheus Universal systems into a more player oriented book. This supplement makes the game more player based and easier to use in my opinion. Is it necessary?! For me as a DM? Oh yes! 
  
  
  
  Because the Player's Book adds in both optional PC systems & makes the existing material so much easier to digest for PC creation. There are more PC system  options making PC creation a breeze. And Cepheus Universal is easily used with other Cepheus Engine rpg systems so existing 2d6 campaign setting are a snap to use with this book
  As a companion supplement the  Cepheus Universal: Player's Book works very solidly to serve as both bridge point & player's guide to this incarnation of the Cepheus Engine. All in all very satified with my newest 2d6 supplement addition. 

The Next Frontier By Joseph Mohr & The Clement Sector Rpg Session Report - Wolf Attack - Session Report

 "After a long and grueling mission the travelers are relaxing at a star port tavern when they are approached by a grizzled old veteran of the Sonoran Frontier Scout Service. He is looking for crews for scouting duties beyond the borders of the Sonora sector. These areas beyond the borders are dangerous and unexplored by humans. Humans have certainly visited the edges of these sectors but none have fully been explored. In fact...most of these sectors have barely been touched by human visitors. As the human race expands outward into the stars the need for knowledge of these frontiers places becomes more imperative." 

"The Frontier Scout Service has scouted many such places. But in recent years the strain on the service’s resources has become apparent. Too many of their scouts have perished in this outer rim of the galaxy. Many scouts have gone into the wildest places of the adjacent sectors and have not returned. No trace has been recovered of most of these expeditions.

The Frontier Scout Service needs a brave team to make a survey of the nearby sub-sector which the Frontier Scout Service has designated Galakodana" 

I had a spur of the moment Clement Sector rpg session & we had already completed our first leg of the campaign already. The PC's were swept away by the money that the grizzled old veteran of the Clement  Frontier Scout Service. The Next Frontier By Jospeh Mohr is well done & well written. The Next Frontier can easily be adapted to any 2d6 Rpg Science Fiction. Note that 'aliens' in our Clement sector games are actually uplifted or modified humans who were sent on exploritory missions during the days of wormhole. The Clement sector has lost communication with this region of space. 
The PC's signed onto the patronage of Scout Charles Anderson whose service to the Clement Frontier Scout Service has been done with solid references. Those references were checked & they began in earnest. The party began to note the number of dangerous hyperspacial and subspace anomolies which played merry havoc with some of thier drives. The party made for a ball of ice & it was a pock marked Hellscape called Tormazonia. We made contact with the lizard like humanoid  Ginuk who had a small Science resarch outpost on this icy world. 

The biggest question was why?! The PC's began looking at everything about Tormazonia. And found out that the little world has naturally occuring cold fusion & this got the PC's excited. 
Everything was going well until some uplifted pirates showed up! And of course it's Wolf time thanks to Ian Stead's artwork. 

The edges of the Clement Sector map are slowly being reclaimed from the Blackness in our campaign. These areas are being claimed back by the Scout Service and the Cascadia Colonization Authority which keeps close tabs on the Scouts.. 

Violent Mechanisms of the Second American Civil War - Cities Without Number & Zozer Games Earth Sourcebook for The Hostile Rpg

 What if the newest face of the American Civil War wasn't what everyone thinks it's about?! This is the question that I asked myself when I was reading through Cities Without Number and Zozer Games Earth setting book by Paul Elliot for the Hostile Rpg 

Earth's setting book has written into her timeline the American Civil War II which is not about North Vs South American forces. Instead, it's about the erroiding of individual rights in the face of the mega corporations of Earth. 
One of the flash points for this new American Civil War is the front of Texas which is pretty much in the cross hairs of the mega corporations over stepping thier bounds onto states rights. 
Cities Without Number has something similar with the mega corporations overstepping thier bounds much earlier and then things kick off. 
This isn't the start of the new Civil War but instead merely a series of brushfire wars that leads into the situation becoming much worse later on. 
Texas becomes the Casablanca of the West where agents, corporate forces, state armies, the American Police forces, and the operators all meet. 
Because of the fact that Cities Without Numbers uses the Cepheus Engine skill system as it's base. We've got a readily available campaign setting that we can port over. 

What would a cyberpunk style second American Civil War look like? The Civil War  would be a series of brush fire conflicts, terrororist actions, and pitched battles set together with operator parties, brutal Cold War style esponisage, high tech gadgets, and more. 

 What if I told you that the actual cause of the conflict was something far different?! Suppose that Earth actually harbors sinister alien intelligences. And these alien intelligences are totally unseen. Far fetched?! Not really in a world where evil clones & androids are hunted down there's plenty of room for rogue A.I.'s . The Kosmo's 60's blog has an entry on 'Violent Mechanisms,' which are exactly as they sound rogue murderous retrofuturistic A.I.'s. Russia and America of the Earth sourcebook used to be partners in space exploration. That partnership dissolved under unknown circumstances. What if the A.I.'s sewed the seeds of distrust?! An accident here, an untraceable murder there, and the break down of an international partnership. 
Now imagine if a few of those rogue A.I.'s wanted to set the mega corporations & the pesky humans of the United States at each other's throats. A few well timed disasters and infrastructure breakdowns with the mega corporation's finger prints on them?! The perfect cover for an A.I. implied American Civil War II & a bleeding ground for violent experimentation under the fog of war.