A blast from the past – my redux of Castle Gygar, the old ruin from the 1983 D&D Basic Rules.

A blast from the past – my redux of Castle Gygar, the old ruin from the 1983 D&D Basic Rules.

A blast from the past – my redux of Castle Gygar, the old ruin from the 1983 D&D Basic Rules. This is my take of what the stronghold may have looked like before it fell to ruin.

Man, am I getting lazy as I get older.

Man, am I getting lazy as I get older.

Man, am I getting lazy as I get older.

I used to hand draw dungeon doodles, but I can barely find the time anymore so I have been experimenting with digital mapping tools.

Found an old copy of Dungeoncrafter, a neat little Windows mapping program that I”ve always loved for it’s simplicity. Started building a library of old-school RPG tiles inspired by one of my all-time favourite mappers – Dyson, who am I sure you are all familiar with.

Anyway, here’s a quick example of how things are shaping up so far. I’ll be posting more when I can and hope some of you can use them in your DW games. Cheers!

A little excerpt from a side project I have been working on . . .

A little excerpt from a side project I have been working on . . .

A little excerpt from a side project I have been working on . . .

The 17th century is drawing to an end . . .

The strain of the THIRTY YEARS WAR has left the EMPIRE OF SPAIN, conqueror of the NEW WORLD, weak and vulnerable. Priorities in continental EUROPE have forced the Spanish navy to abandon all but it’s most important islands in the CARIBBEAN and concentrate on protecting it’s treasure flotillas as they voyage across the ATLANTIC.

SPAIN’S enemies are quick to take advantage of her shrinking, run-down and increasingly under-equipped fleets and move to stake their claim to the riches and resources of the AMERICAS . . .

In PORT ROYAL, JAMAICA, the principal ENGLISH PORT in the WEST INDIES, the power-players are making their moves . . . eager to for a share of the gold and glory that are suddenly up for grabs in the CARIBBEAN.

The GOVERNOR looks to bolster his fortune by way of a PRIVATE NAVY, issuing LETTERS OF MARQUE to any ship and crew willing to attack the Spanish. The MERCHANT-BARONS sponsor trade endeavours and the exploration of uncharted lands and waters, the greediest and most ambitious among them secretly bankrolling buccaneers to rob Spanish coastal towns and sack the vessels of their competitors. As for the CHURCH, it’s missionaries have become far less passionate about converting believers than they are about laying claim to priceless relics and artifacts of the NEW WORLD.

A golden age of high-adventure has begun . . . which means plenty of opportunity and pieces-of-eight for an enterprising soul such as yourself.

So look sharp, keep your cutlass at the ready . . . and never trust an old sea dog!

Kicking around the idea of a Pirate-themed game tentatively titled “Skulls & Crossbones – The Streets of Port Royal”.

Kicking around the idea of a Pirate-themed game tentatively titled “Skulls & Crossbones – The Streets of Port Royal”.

Kicking around the idea of a Pirate-themed game tentatively titled “Skulls & Crossbones – The Streets of Port Royal”. In the meantime, here’s my revised Zombieworld hack . . .

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B438R2MBFQ1mZTFUS0tpeHlKRWM/view?usp=sharing

Happy October, fellow tavern-goers.

Happy October, fellow tavern-goers.

Happy October, fellow tavern-goers.

No dungeon doodles for a very long time now. Been working on Halloween props and a Zombie-World revision in honour of the High Holiday instead.

I will have a bunch of images to post some time next month, for those of you who are interested.

In the mean time, keep up with all the great discussion around here.

Cheers!

Fun with Hack n’ Slash.

Fun with Hack n’ Slash.

Fun with Hack n’ Slash.

The more my players trigger the H&S move, the move comfortable we have become with moving away from the traditional move/action/attack format used by other, more traditional rpgs.

When we first started experimenting with Dungeon World, naturally, we stuck with what we were used to. Our combat scenes were still being played out on almost a turn-by-turn basis. A hack and slash move typically consisted of a single blow by the player couneterd by a single blow by the enemy.

Then some wonky stuff started happening.

Sometimes, especially on a 7-9, the results of the roll didn’t quite jive with the fiction. How could the player land a blow that killed the enemy and yet the enemy still managed to hit and deal damage back, when the fiction would seem to indicate that the player hit first?

Clearly, we were all still thinking in terms of “turns, rounds, and actions” within the rigid boundaries of an entirely different system.

Then we finally came to realization that the Hack & Slash move could be used to resolve the outcome of a “scene” as opposed to an “single action”. In other words, Hack & Slash got us past the whole I-GO-U-GO way of thinking and encouraged us to let the result of the roll guide us in how the battle should be narrated.

No longer did an attack consist of just a swing and a hit or miss, followed up by a counter attack.

Now, an attack might consist of several thrusts, parries, dodges and repositionings, some screaming, maybe a tumble between the legs or a flip over a swing.

It was liberating.

And when everyone at my game-table finally understood and bought into it, Dungeon World became a real game-changer.

Thanks to the minds behind it!