Ruminations on publication and some art.

It has been suggested to me (several times now) that I slap all this stuff into a book or something. I think I'd like to do it, but it will take me a long time, I think. there are many drawings to do and lots of stuff to write. I don't even know the format I should pursue (e.g. digest). Furthermore, now that White Box is dead or something (edit S&W WB has reverted to Mythmere and is in print, see comments), I don't even know if I should move it over to another rules set, or use the OGL to turn it into a complete game. There's got to be at least a couple of you sober enough to offer up some opinions.

Whatever/anyway here's some junk I drew (click for larger images):

First up, something I drew for the upcoming Planet Algol Book:


Here's my secret base:
Here's a Screamer:
And here is the byproduct of reading too many super hero comics and space opera novels at the same time (as well as running a SHRPG and planning an SFRPG). The hero is named Shockwave.
For what it's worth the comic page at the top of the post was part of a strip that I worked on with a friend called Assault and Pepper which may or may not have taken place on The Metal earth.

Men of Metal

The Lost Wars and the Mists:

The Final Human Empire came together as the product of a long series of wars. Details, such as the exact number, nature and location of these wars have long since been forgotten. Peoples, generals and heroes that lived through and fought these world shaking conflicts exist in current day memory only as shadows and allusions, hidden in the myths passed down from later eras.

The endless, eldritch ages the Earth had endured before the coming of the Lost Wars are collectively referred to as The Mists; little or nothing is known of these times.

There can be no doubt, however, that powerful artifacts from these forgotten ages exist. Even so, the scholars and explorers of the current day Metal Earth are far more likely to discern a particular item’s use than the context form which it initially emerged.

The Eternal Empress

The Eternal Empress, ruler over the final Human Empire, was cursed during the Lost Wars by an enemy remembered now only as Stranger 7. This curse visited unnaturally long life upon the Empress- and her people are said to have lived as long as stones under normal circumstances. The Empress watched millennium pass; her twilight kingdom flourished and waned and flourished again- only to expire at last in the Wars of Unreason, which broke the power of men and the world with it.

During her long, long life, the Empress watched all that she loved wither and die, and she loved much and she grieved much- such was her nature, and this, of course, was the true power of Stranger 7’s curse.

A long line of husbands and consorts lived, died and fell away to dust while the Empress remained as fresh as the first day of spring. It is said a deep sadness fell upon her and she did not smile for over a thousand years. At the end of this time, in an effort to break the hold of her despair, the Empress called together her scientists and sorcerers; her necromancers, cyberneticists, shamans and surgeons, too. After working for a year and a day, the savants unveiled the product of their labor to the Empress: the now legendary Men of Metal. Indestructible, deathless beings comprised of the most advanced sorcerous and scientific components. No one knows how many the made for certain, some say there were ten, others say that ten times ten times that number were created. What is known, though, is that from that day forward, the Empress resumed the practice of taking husbands and concubines. When a man grew to an age where he could no longer satisfy Empress’ lust, she gave him over to the artificers. These technicians would strip away the man’s flesh and lock his consciousness within the invulnerable form of a Metal Man. Forever.

So well made were they that many of the Men of Metal survived the Wars of Unreason. They remain in the world still, some infamous, others hidden and unknown, all growing stranger and more inscrutable as they pass the aeons locked away from feeling and death within their indestructible roboforms.

Grax Iré Lord of the Waste (Monster/ Man of Metal)

AC: 19 [0] Special: Fireburst, Radiate

HD: 20 Move: 30

Attacks: Smash HDE: 20/ 4000 xp

Grax Iraé is 12 meter tall humanoid of burning chrome. Iré resides in the remains of an ancient starship, located somewhere in the Desert of Rust. A greedy and cruel being, Grax Iré is said to have a horde of powerful artifacts from the time of the Final Empire.

Fireburst :Once a round Iré can attack with a 40’ cone of fire. Anyone trapped in the cone must make a saving throw. Failed save takes 10d6 fire damage; successful save takes 5d6 damage. Characters who drop below zero hit points as a result of this attack must take a result from the wound table.

Radiate: Once a day, Grax Iré can radiate heat. He can use no other attack while radiating, but the process can not be stopped, unless Grax Iré is killed.

During the first round, heat is transmitted through stone, metal and similar materials in a circle of 100m diameter (with Iré as the center point). Anyone standing within the circle takes 4d6 damage (save for half damage). Space suits, magical armor and other sorts of special gear may provide complete or partial protection.

During the second round, the circle expands 100m in diameter. The damage increases to 8d6 (save for half damage). Air becomes too hot to breath properly anyone within the circle must save or suffer ½ movement (androids and robots excepted). Again, spacesuits and other gear may provide some protection.

During the third round, the circle expands 200 more meters and the air catches fire. 20d6 damage (save for half). Save or movement is reduced by ½. This effect lasts for 1d6 rounds and then the fire flares out and conditions return to normal.

Chavín de Huntar

Sometimes it's groovy to step away from the normal sources and look at something a little different.

Chavîn de Huntar is an extremely important pre-hispanic, prehistoric monumental site in the north-central Andes. It is made up of several large edifices arranged in a u shaped plaza, the open side of which faces east. The structures are riddled with constricted labyrinthine galleries, some of which are subterranean.

The exact time of the complex construction/importance is a matter of some dispute, but the most recent work places it as a center of power and authority in the region between 1300-600 BC. The consensus is that Chavín was a religious site. People traveled to the complex from all over the region. This seems pretty likely, but there is no written language, so it is impossible to prove.

Anyway, what makes Chavîn so interesting (aside from the fact that it's a giant pile of prehistoric awesomeness) is what seem to have been the major intentions of its design (or rather, its designers). In the main, these intentions were to impress visitors with spectacle and to emphasize the differences between the “shamans” (and possibly other elites) and the common folks.

These two goals were accomplished by building a huge (about .5 square km) and imposing site on a tremendous scale (just the size of the place implies power- the power to get people to build it, if nothing else) and by restricting and controlling access to certain parts of the complex.

Huge sculptures of human and animalistic/human hybrids some with fierce expressions and many of them shown to be discharging mucus, a byproduct of using hallucinogenic snuff, decorate the walls.

Hidden entrances and staircases made it possible for shamans to appear unexpectedly in places, such as on the top of buildings, . Maze-like corridors (known as galleries) wind within and beneath the structures. Special ducts were made to facilitate the reflection of sunlight into these galleries, providing illumination at strategic points, such as onto a sculpture of the main deity. There were also strategic hiding places, like above the deity sculpture, from which someone posing as the deity could have spoken. As if this wasn’t enough, there was a cleverly constructed canal network that channeled water under the site. The noise of this water is thought to have sounded like endless, extremely loud applause.

So dig it, maybe you’re a chieftain’s son, the heir to your group's power or some other sort of up and coming bigwig; whatever, on your 16^th birthday, you get sent up or down the mountainside to Chavîn. You snort some hallucinogenic snuff, which was probably mescaline (there are lots of engravings of dudes carrying around the mescaline bearing cactus, or something that looks a lot like it, at the site) with some shaman/priest guys and they take you into the central plaza where there are maybe a couple of hundred other people, also all jacked up on magic cactus. The shamans pop out all over the place, seemingly coming from nowhere. There are guys blowing conch shells all over the place. It’s loud and weird and funky. You are tripping balls and are probably loosing it a little. Maybe you’ve got a touch of the fear or you are free form love dancing. Who knows? Anyway, things get pretty groovy, and that’s when they take you down into the crazy roaring dark and introduce you to motherfucking GOD. I guarantee that if you are on mescaline, it doesn't matter weather or not God is made of stone, he is breathing and pulsating and all kinds of other shit.

It’s like a fraternity initiation and a Dead show all at once, except Jerry and

John Belushi are combined into one dude, and that dude is the LORD, and he’s got a message just for you.

Also, nothing is certain, but there’s a good chance they ate people there too, so maybe if you failed to please the god, or you hurled on the shaman’s girlfriend, or couldn't hold your snuff, you got taken off to the dinner table. Obviously, these guys knew how to party.

Whatever, imagine all that. Then imagine 500 years later when the place is completely overgrown and the shamans are long gone. Some, if not all, of their treasure remains, though, hidden away in the crazy noisy dark godmaze. Some galleries are probably unstable due to age; other parts of which may be trapped with the intent of safeguarding god’s stuff. You can bet that there are some new residents too: ghosts from the dinner table; some war worms, or mutants, or crazy robots (or orcs or something if you roll that way) reenacting the long forgotten rituals. Explorers might have bizarre flashbacks to the distant past when the place was active. Possibly, the entire place is psychoactive and just being there makes you really, really, really fucking high, which may not be all that cool when you are wandering around a monster infested labyrinth. Nothing will kill your buzz like painful grisly death- except for listening to ABBA, anyway. Maybe Jerry Godcia is still there too, only he’s more than just a statue.

Aliens and animal heads: Player Species

Gray: Small humanoid aliens, stranded on the Metal Earth so far in the past that they have almost forgotten that they come from another world. Usually live in homogeneous hive like settlemtents, but sometimes venture out in the world for trade and adventure.

Attribute Generation Method: 4d6 Intelligence and Constitution; 3d6 Wisdom, Dexterity and Strength; 1d6 Charisma.

Special: Mind blast: 1d6 Damage- treats everyone as AC 10 [9] unless they have a mind shield; range of 100'. All normal critical hit and wound rules apply.. Note- this power does not work on undead, magical or mechanical creatures.

Humans: Ancient race, possibly the oldest sentient species native to the planet. Humans are nearly extinct, considered to be unclean, and unwelcome everywhere.

Attribute Generation Method: 3d6 in order.

Special: Humans are highly evolved and may re- roll all 1’s during character generation. +2 on task resolution saving throws involving technology.

-5 charisma Vs. mobs formed of other species.

Insectors: Human-sized upright mantis-like insects. Usually loners.

Attribute Generation Method: 4d6 Constitution and Strength; 3d6 intelligence and Dextarity; 2d6 Wisdom and Charisma.

Special: AC 4 [15]; Two attacks a round- with claws (1d4) or one handed two one handed weapons.

Lizard Men. Savage swamp dwelling reptile species.

Attribute Generation Method: 4d6 Strength and Constitution; 3d6 Intelligence and Wisdom; 2d6 Dexterity and Charisma.

Special: Tough hide AC 4 [15]. Amphibious; Can breath underwater

Minotaurs: Bull headed peasantry of the latter earth. They like mazes.

Attribute Generation Method: 5d6 Strength and Constitution; 3d6 Dexterity; 2d6 wisdom; 2d6 Intelligence; 1d6 Charisma.

Special: Gore 1d6+ Strength modifier damage, must have a running start; without a running start horns do 1d4 + strength modifier damage.

Mongrels: Humanoids with animal like heads. Often treated like second class citizens by other species. Dogmen and pigmen are the most common "races" of sentient beings in the Ruinlands. Tiger girls are hot.

Attribute Generation Method: 3d6 in order to start, but mongrels my move around 1d3 dice.

Special: Natural Weaponry: 1d6 +Strength modifier damage. Darkvision 20m.

Sasquatch: Elusive solitary ape folk, Sasquatch are often very wise and usually smell pretty bad.
Attribute Generation Method: 4d6 for Wisdom/ Strength, 3d6 Constitution/intelligence; 2d6 Dexterity/Charisma.
Special: Blurry. +2 to all stealth related saves. Sasquatch are hard to see at a distance and have a 4 [15] armor class against all ranged weapons, furthermore, scopes and other technological aim enhancement devices do not work on Sasquatch

Shae: Diminutive, urban dwelling ultra-conformist. Shae resemble small, hairless Humans and are rumored to be a product of Human-Grey cross breeding

Attribute Generation Method:

4d6 Intelligence and Wisdom; 3d6 Charisma and and Dexterity; 2d6 Strength and Constitution.

Special: Shae are the only race which can become magic users.

I tried to make them all unique and interesting, but I need to do some more work here. Robots, cyborgs and freaks will require some random tables, and I need to think about that. Furthermore, I'll have to expand the modifier tables for scores over 18 and under 3.

Modular rule design, The mulligan point and a question

Yet another note about my house rule design philosophy.
I'm trying to keep all these rules modular, so that you can use what you want and leave the rest behind. Taken as a whole, the hit point and damage system is the most large scale radical change I've made to the game, but you could probably break it apart and use what you want.


Moving on, various games have a system whereby players have some kind of point store they can draw upon to influence the action at the table, or maybe re-roll a die or something. I am of two minds about these kinds of points. I kind of like the fact that a player has a mechanism to save a beloved character from time to time, but I don't like the idea that you just get these things, and that you might have a bunch of them held in reserve so you can do all kinds of stupid shit without much fear of suffering. If, as referee, I am impeded in my ability to make you suffer, something is fucked up.

So here you go.

The Mulligan point.
(Edit: changed slightly from the original version)
Characters receive 1 Mulligan pt for 500 xp/ level. This point allows the character to have a second attempt at any single failed die roll in the game. The character may never possess more than one Mulligan point at any one time. The Mulligan point must be purchased before the adventure begins- not as they are needed. All Mulligan point rolls are normal with no additional positive modifiers. Intent to use the point must be voiced immediately after the failed roll. For example if a character misses in combat, and then is hit with a critical by his opponent, he may not use the mulligan to re-roll his missed attack.

Truthfully, I don't know how I feel about this one. I'm going to have to test it in play. My gut feeling is that combat is still lethal enough that his wont fuck things up, but, we'll see, I guess. All in all, it's an attempt to implement a newish concept in an old school way. Is that even fucking possible?

All this ruminating leads to a question:
At what point have we house ruled ourselves in to another game entirely?

PSA: Skype gaming- Just do it.

This weekend i did something I've been thinking of doing and half ass planning for the last couple of years. I gamed with some very old friends via Skype. we will be doing it every week form here on in. If you can read this you can probably do it as well.

Some people will tell you that it s a fairly decent substitute if you can't get a face to face group. I'll tell you that if the people are right, there is no major difference (except you can't pass the bong back and forth). What I mean by that is that gaming via Skype, or some other audio chat program, is only as much a substitute for gaming with a live group as gaming with another live group is. Sure it can suck- but so can face to face gaming.

I'll admit that if you're doing it with strangers it may be a little more difficult- maybe a lot more difficult, I dunno, but I think many of you who don't have groups right now probably have good friends you once played with that are now too far away, or have kids, or crazy possessive spouses that won't let them out of the shed, or whatever.

They're only as far away as the internet.

Anyway, it works for me. If you've been thinking about it, give it a try. If you haven't thought about it, or dismissed it- think about it.

For what it's worth, I think it probably works best with lighter rule sets.

Imagine, if you use the Metal Earth as your setting- you could use the internet to pretend to be a Sasquatch. You will have to fight off the reproductive opportunities.

I feel like I should post the word motherfucker in this thread, because it's been absent from my last few posts.
Motherfucker.
You are welcome.

You cowering bastard!

I added this rule regarding missile weapon (bows, spears and such) hits to the 1d4 critical table, and also changed it so these weapons function like firearms and energy weapons.
I must say that for the first time ever, I am satisfied with the way ranged weapons work. Also I like the idea of making a player say, "I'm cowering this round."
Perhaps I'll insist they whimper.


Cowering: when fired upon with missile weapons*such as arrows, sling stones, or spears, an unsurprised character may hide beneath a large shield and will, in the case of a normal hit, only take normal hit point damage (e.g. 1d6 from an arrow). Critical hits are considered to have pierced the shield and result in a roll on the wound table. Whilst cowering, a character may move 1/4 the Normal rate.


*Not to be confused with firearms or energy Weapons