Back to the Table

The last gaming session I participated in was probably last year as a player in the playtest of a Mutant Crawl Classics RPG adventure via Zoom. Until a week ago, my last in-person gaming session was two years ago when I ran "Temple Siege!" for Dungeon Crawl Classics RPG. It is a short adventure by Julian Bernick included in the DCC Day 2021 Adventure Pack. As it states in the beginning, "This adventure is for 5 to 6 1st-level PCs (Some playtesters found that the adventure provided plenty of challenge for 4 to 5 2nd-level PCs as well.)" Well, we had three 2nd level player characters, and we were only halfway through the adventure when the session ended. Two years later (on 31 August 2024, to be precise), we finally met again to complete the adventure. Joe played Billie the Once Risen, formerly Billie the Squire (2nd level warrior), Sarah (my wife) played Francis the Creep (2nd level thief), and Leslie played George the Pupil (2nd level cleric). I re-described the circumstances of the adventure, what they had done, and where they had been, and they gradually recaptured the mood and party dynamics as if we had last played a mere week ago. The band was back! I would love to meet every week, but the schedules of adults are notoriously difficult to coordinate, and I'll consider us lucky if we can meet once or twice a month. It has been left to my discretion to pick the next adventure, so at least I'll have plenty of time to make a good choice and thoroughly prepare. I will be planning a mini-unmodule to lead into the adventure as I think we need more development of the player characters' local community and home bases. Their previous adventures, incidentally, have been Sailors on the Starless Sea, Doom of the Savage King, Frozen in Time, and, as I mentioned, "Temple Siege!"

Meanwhile, I will be running Mutant Crawl Classics RPG weekly for Mary (my mother) and Linnville, starting with the 0 level funnel, "Assault on the Sky-High Tower." I will be giving them eight 0 levels each (generated by the Mutant Crawl Classics 0-Level Party Generator by Purple Sorcerer Games). I have been developing a rich background for their tribe and location, which I hope will lend a feeling of community and shared history to the player characters. I think this is especially important to a far future postapocalyptic setting, which can sometimes be more difficult to visualize and relate to than more popular genres. I know it was one of the factors that dissuaded me from running Gamma World when I was a lad, despite a great desire to do so. Thankfully, I've learned how to surmount that inhibition.

I would very much like to run the new edition of Knave for some friends. I'm not sure who, where, or when, but I would like to try it as soon as possible.

I really need to get back on the phantom steed of running Ghostbusters. I can't remember when our last session was, but I really miss the wacky looseness of it. And I must run Teenagers from Outer Space! Either (or both) of these might be a good project for Halloween.

What games are you running, playing, or planning?

Blogs... in... Space!!!

I would like to thank everyone who left a comment on the previous article, "In Space, Can Anyone Hear You Blog?" Blogger provides no method of conveying approval short of comments, so I appreciate each and every one of them. For a brief time, Blogger incorporated the "+1" function familiar to Google+ users. It was similar to the "Like" and "Heart" of other social media platforms. It may not have offered the personal touch of a comment, but at least one knew that someone, somewhere, had read the article and enjoyed it enough to share that fact. Meanwhile, tracking the "views" on Blogger is pointless due to its inaccuracy. (Would you believe this blog occasionally has more readers in Singapore than in the United States? Neither do I.) Being added to blogrolls is helpful, but with more readers resorting to feeds, it isn't as helpful as it used to be. Unless I start a Patreon (and I know my blogs are not popular enough for that), the only way I can gauge whether anyone is reading anything I write is when I see the occasional comment. Towards that end, if it makes it easier, you are welcome to comment anonymously and just leave a "!" or an emoticon or a meme on any article in any of my blogs. I don't know if other bloggers would consider it annoying, but any kind of positive comment motivates me to keep blogging. Please consider it. Maybe, someday, it could become a universal method of encouraging bloggers everywhere.

That's all for today. Tomorrow, I shall blog again.

Be seeing you...

In Space, Can Anyone Hear You Blog?

Are you a person? Do you read this blog? If you are and you do, please leave a comment below. I am just trying to get an idea of how many actual readers this blog has. Applied Phantasticality gets a few thousand hits a month, but I have a difficult time believing most of them are not from bots. So, if you actually read this blog on occasion and you are not a bot, please leave a comment below. Feel free to do it anonymously if you prefer. And state your country, too, if you wish. It would be interesting to know where my readers are. All I really need are the numbers, so if you just want to indicate that you read this blog, simply type an exclamation point in the comments. I'll start.

N.B. All comments are moderated to prevent spam, but please do not let that dissuade you.

P.S. If you are a reader, thank you. If you leave a comment, thank you. Sometimes it's hard to find motivation in the silence of blogspace, and knowing one has actual readers means a great deal.

RPGaDay 2024: Day 31

31. Game you miss

The role-playing game I miss GMing and playing the most is Stormbringer 1st edition.

And that is the end of this year's #RPGaDay.

Be seeing you...

[For more information on #RPGaDay (or #RPGaDay2024 specifically), read this.]

RPGaDay 2024: Day 30

30. Person[s] you'd like to game with

I've answered versions of this question before, but this time, I would like to game at the Canadians' table:

• Brent Butt
• Paul Sun-Hyung Lee
• Rakhee Morzaria
• Andrew Phung
• Nancy Robertson
• Sugith Varughese

[For more information on #RPGaDay (or #RPGaDay2024 specifically), read this.]

RPGaDay 2024: Day 29

29. Awesome app

The answer to this prompt is The Crawler's Companion (for Dungeon Crawl Classics RPG and Mutant Crawl Classics RPG) from Purple Sorcerer Games. I highly recommend both the app and the HTML version.

[For more information on #RPGaDay (or #RPGaDay2024 specifically), read this.]

RPGaDay 2024: Day 28

28. Great gamer gadget

Merriam-Webster's 11th Collegiate Dictionary defines "gadget" thusly:

gadget

an often small mechanical or electronic device with a practical use but often thought of as a novelty

Based on that definition, "great gamer gadget" is clearly a dice tower. Do I use one? No. Do I think they are amusing? Yes. Would I use one if I had one? Yes, if a) it was sufficiently amusing and b) my players can't keep their dice on the table otherwise. Personally, I prefer dice trays and dice cups, but dice towers are fine, too.

I think it would be fun if there were competitions to create the most interesting dice towers—elaborate Rube Goldbergian contraptions just to roll dice. And then OK Go could incorporate the entries into a music video. It seems like the universe would want this to happen.

[For more information on #RPGaDay (or #RPGaDay2024 specifically), read this.]

RPGaDay 2024: Day 23 Revisited

23. Peerless player[s]

Previously, I asked if anyone would like to offer an alternative topic to the 23rd prompt of #RPGaDay2024, but none have been forthcoming, despite it being the most-viewed post of Applied Phantasticality this month. (Technically, I was asked if I had considered the official alternative prompt, but I found it equally uninspiring.) Well, I no longer need any suggestions. I have an answer.

Peerless players? The Aquabats. We'll sit around a table in the Battletram, set it on autopilot, and I'll run the wildest game of our lives as we drink cherry sodas and eat gas station burritos. At least until real danger strikes or someone needs our help.

Behold the Floating Eye of Death!

[For more information on #RPGaDay (or #RPGaDay2024 specifically), read this.]

RPGaDay 2024: Day 27

27. Miniatures

For war games, I prefer miniatures. For role-playing games, I prefer "theatre of the mind."

[For more information on #RPGaDay (or #RPGaDay2024 specifically), read this.]

RPGaDay 2024: Day 26

26. Superb screen

I own a four-panel, landscape-oriented, customizable GM screen with clear plastic pockets on both sides of every panel so I can slide in reference sheets or art appropriate to whatever game I am running. It's called The World's Greatest Screen from Hammerdog Games. It's nearly perfect. The World's Greatest Screen: The Half Screen (soon to be launched on Kickstarter) might be even better (and I certainly plan to get one).

Another good option is the three-panel, landcape-oriented, Savage Worlds Customizable GM screen from Pinnacle Entertainment Group.

When I was a teenager, I used the typical cardboard, three-panel, portrait-oriented screens that were produced for various role-playing games by their manufacturers. They were already too tall for my purposes, but the situation was worsened by the fact that I ran my games from a desk that was taller than the card table at which my players were seated. To overcome this lack of visibility (a problem for me as I communicate nearly as much with gestures and facial expressions as I do with speech when I GM), I tended to sit on the back of my office chair. And tilt it backwards (a habit, not a strategy). I strongly discourage both activities. Fortunately, landscape-oriented screens (and playing at the same actual table) eliminate the need for such stunts.

Buy a better screen or make one yourself. It's worth it.

[For more information on #RPGaDay (or #RPGaDay2024 specifically), read this.]

RPGaDay 2024: Day 25

25. Desirable dice

It is my desire to see binary six-sided dice become more widely available and in a greater variety of colors, styles, and materials. By "binary dice," I mean those that have an equal number of sides marked "1" or "0"—and I strongly prefer the six-sided variety (either 16 mm or 12 mm).

I have 20 binary dice in opaque white with black inking, but I have never found them in actual stores, and they are not always easy to find online. I just conducted a search on a popular retail site and the closest result I found was a set of cowrie shells "for use as binary dice." We can do better.

[For more information on #RPGaDay (or #RPGaDay2024 specifically), read this.]

RPGaDay 2024: Day 24

24. Acclaimed advice

Game design: To paraphrase, "Keep it simple, sunshine."

Refereeing: Thou shalt not railroad.

Playing: Support thy comrades and share the spotlight.

[For more information on #RPGaDay (or #RPGaDay2024 specifically), read this.]

RPGaDay 2024: Day 23

23. Peerless player

I have no use for this question. Would anyone be willing to ask me a better one?

[Edit: I found an answer.]

[For more information on #RPGaDay (or #RPGaDay2024 specifically), read this.]

RPGaDay 2024: Day 22

22. Notable non-player character

In my experience, the best non-player characters have always been those who were not intended to be notable at all, and were often created spontaneously in the midst of play. They appear out of necessity, but—due to player character interest—grow to become complex recurring characters and an important part of the player characters' lives. This, to me, is one of the most fascinating and enjoyable phenomena that occur in role-playing games.

[For more information on #RPGaDay (or #RPGaDay2024 specifically), read this.]

RPGaDay 2024: Day 21

21. Classic [literary] campaign

Short answer: Pendragon.

Slightly longer answer: I've never played Pendragon, but its structure and subject matter seem like the quintessental classic literary role-playing game/campaign. I'd love to run and play it someday.

(Note: I altered the topic to make it less boring for me.)

[For more information on #RPGaDay (or #RPGaDay2024 specifically), read this.]

RPGaDay 2024: Day 20

20. Amazing adventure

One of the most amazing adventures I've played in the last few years was When Manimals Attack by Tim Snider. It is a Mutant Crawl Classics RPG adventure for 2nd level characters, and I had the privilege of playtesting it with Mr. Snider and one other player via Zoom. My comrade played a Plantient, and I played a Human Rover named Declan (possibly descended from a clone of footballer Declan Rice (or his reincarnation???)). We made a great team despite being shorthanded, and the adventure itself was, per today's topic, amazing.

(I just noticed the Goodman Games site is currently out of stock of the Print + PDF, but here is the link watch: MCC #12: When Manimals Attack—Print + PDF. Meanwhile, it is still available strictly as a PDF: MCC #12: When Manimals Attack—PDF.)

[For more information on #RPGaDay (or #RPGaDay2024 specifically), read this.]

RPGaDay 2024: Day 19

19. Sensational session

"Sensational" is a strong word, but from a GM's point of view, I'll take it to mean an enjoyable adventure with a satisfying resolution, a great group of players, and a comfortable gaming location. I was running a homebrew adventure I had written for Timeship that began at the O.K. Coral in Tombstone, moved to San Francisco via train, and ended in Shanghai via steamship. The players included some of my oldest friends and our younger brothers. The location was a luxurious conference room (complete with kitchen!) at our local university library. One of my friends had reserved the room for us, despite the fact that we were high school and junior high school students who had no connection with the university. It was a thoroughly enjoyable experience under perfect circumstances. Amongst other things, a barroom brawl was started, a U.S. President was rescued, and a manmade earthquake was averted. (Hurrah!) I consider that session sensational.

[For more information on #RPGaDay (or #RPGaDay2024 specifically), read this.]

RPGaDay 2024: Day 18

18. Memorable moment of play

It was like a scene in a movie: The time my Mutant Crawl Classics RPG character Barry Gibb-On (a mutant gibbon Manimal with the ability to throw balls of electricity and who looks exactly like Barry Gibb except when asleep) was crossing a bridge inside a building of the Ancients with a Plantient infant in one hand and a laser rifle in the other and held off an attack by a huge aerial murderbot singlehandedly, enabling all to escape.

[For more information on #RPGaDay (or #RPGaDay2024 specifically), read this.]

RPGaDay 2024: Day 17

17. RPG community

More often than not, I feel detached from the concept of community in general. I have always felt like a stranger from another place and another time, an alien stranded in these spacetime coordinates. I rarely feel that I belong. But sometimes I do. Sometimes the RPG community feels like home. I strive to make my corner of the hobby as welcoming to others as it has been to me. The best part of a hobby is sharing it with others.

[For more information on #RPGaDay (or #RPGaDay2024 specifically), read this.]

RPGaDay 2024: Day 16

16. Quick to learn

For speed of learning and teaching, the honors go to:

• Ghostbusters: A Frightfully Cheerful Roleplaying Game
• Scales & Tales
• Teenagers from Outer Space
• Zorro: The Roleplaying Game

[For more information on #RPGaDay (or #RPGaDay2024 specifically), read this.]

RPGaDay 2024: Day 15

15: Great character gear

Several RPGs with great character gear come to mind:

• The Morrow Project
• Mechwarrior
• Ringworld

[For more information on #RPGaDay (or #RPGaDay2024 specifically), read this.]

RPGaDay 2024: Day 14

14: Compelling characters

In my experience, both as a player and as a GM, RPGs are always better when the player characters and the non-player characters are actual characters—beings with motivations, complications, and unique personalities. Without those elements, one might as well be playing board games. (I enjoy board games, but what I enjoy most about role-playing games are those aspects that set them apart from other kinds of games.) Compelling characterization—for me—is the most important ingredient in a role-playing game.

[For more information on #RPGaDay (or #RPGaDay2024 specifically), read this.]

RPGaDay 2024: Day 13

13. Evocative Environments

There are too many to name, but here are a few:

• Valley of the Pharaohs
• Flashing Blades
• Boot Hill
• Gangbusters
• The Morrow Project
• Judge Dredd - The Role-Playing Game

[For more information on #RPGaDay (or #RPGaDay2024 specifically), read this.]

RPGaDay 2024: Day 12

12. RPG with well-supported campaigns

Need it be said? Call of Cthulhu.

[For more information on #RPGaDay (or #RPGaDay2024 specifically), read this.]

RPGaDay 2024: Day 11

11. RPG with well-supported one-shots

Dungeon Crawl Classics RPG has a large number of adventures that can serve equally well as one-shots or parts of a campaign.

(Ask a simple question, get a simple answer.)

[For more information on #RPGaDay (or #RPGaDay2024 specifically), read this.]

RPGaDay 2024: Day 10

10. RPG you'd like to see on TV

If the RPG is the setting of a television show, my answer is Gamma World or Paranoia.

If the RPG itself makes an appearance on a show (that is, if the characters are depicted playing it), my answer is Lords of Creation or Paranoia.

If the characters in the show are depicted playing the RPG and then they find themselves in the RPG's setting, my answer is Sherpa or Paranoia.

[For more information on #RPGaDay (or #RPGaDay2024 specifically), read this.]

RPGaDay 2024: Day 09

9. An accessory you'd like to see

A tri-faced monitor like the one seen in the original Star Trek so the GM can display images simultaneously to all the players.

[For more information on #RPGaDay (or #RPGaDay2024 specifically), read this.]

RPGaDay 2024: Day 08

8. An accessory you appreciate

I feel very appreciative of cushioned dice trays. They reduce the noise of dice-rolling and (mostly) keep dice from flying everywhere. They are well worth the investment and can be used for many types of games.

[For more information on #RPGaDay (or #RPGaDay2024 specifically), read this.]

RPGaDay 2024: Day 07

7. RPG with 'good form'

I'll say Sherpa by Steffan O'Sullivan. [Click!] The rule book is digest-sized. The rules can be condensed to an index card. The character sheets can be written on business cards. Nothing is required to play except a single randomizer: a digital stopwatch, a dice app on your smartphone, a single d10, or a deck of cards (minus face cards). It can be played anywhere. It has great form.

[For more information on #RPGaDay (or #RPGaDay2024 specifically), read this.]

RPGaDay 2024: Day 06

6. RPG that is easy to use

Several RPGs or RPG systems that are easy to use:

• Sherpa
• Ghostbusters: A Frightfully Cheerful Roleplaying Game
• Prince Valiant: The Story-Telling Game
• Any classic Basic Role-Playing game such as Call of Cthulhu, Stormbringer, Ringworld, etc.
• Knave
• Macchiato Monsters

[For more information on #RPGaDay (or #RPGaDay2024 specifically), read this.]

RPGaDay 2024: Day 05

5. RPG with great writing

Three RPGs immediately spring to mind as being enjoyable to read and clear (the most important factors in considering RPG-writing greatness in my opinion):

• Teenagers from Outer Space by Mike Pondsmith
• Sherpa by Steffan O'Sullivan
• Tunnels & Trolls 5th edition by Ken St. Andre

There are others that qualify, of course. These are just a few examples.

[For more information on #RPGaDay (or #RPGaDay2024 specifically), read this.]

RPGaDay 2024: Day 04

4. RPG with great art

I am less concerned with the art in an RPG than I am with game design, writing, editing, typography, and layout. I want great rules with great writing, great legibility, and great organization. There are many RPGs with great art even if you exclude those that use the art of the original source material (as in the case of games adapted from comic strips). I cannot imagine how I could narrow it down, so I won't. I'll just say I prefer any art or an absence of art over a.i. "art."

[For more information on #RPGaDay (or #RPGaDay2024 specifically), read this.]

RPGaDay 2024: Day 03

3. Most often played RPG

The RPG I have played most often in my life is Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 1st edition.

The RPG system I have played most often in my life is Chaosium's Basic Role-Playing (with an emphasis on Stormbringer, Call of Cthulhu, Ringworld, and Superworld).

The RPG I have played most often in the last few years is Mutant Crawl Classics RPG, followed by Dungeon Crawl Classics RPG and Ghostbusters: A Frightfully Cheerful Roleplaying Game.

[For more information on #RPGaDay (or #RPGaDay2024 specifically), read this.]

RPGaDay 2024: Day 02

2. Most recently played RPG

The most recent RPG I've played is Mutant Crawl Classics RPG published by Goodman Games. Today, if all goes well, I'll be running the MCC RPG adventure, Assault on the Sky-High Tower. It will be my first time as an MCC RPG judge.

[For more information on #RPGaDay (or #RPGaDay2024 specifically), read this.]

RPGaDay 2024: Day 01

1. First RPG bought this year

I haven't purchased any this year, but if Gallant Knight Games launches its Kickstarter project soon enough, my first RPG bought this year will probably be D6 System: Second Edition.

Update! I just noticed Kevin Sherry's Scales & Tales 2nd edition (ISBN 978-1524885564) has been released, so that will probably be my first RPG purchase of the year.

Another Update! I ordered Scales & Tales and then discovered that the D6 System: Second Edition Kickstarter project is live! I backed it, of course. So, S&T 2e beat D6 2e by a matter of hours as my first RPG bought this year, but we're all winners in the end, aren't we?

[For more information on #RPGaDay (or #RPGaDay2024 specifically), read this.]

Taking RPGaDay to 11(th)

RPGaDay2024 begins in a few hours minutes, and I have decided that I will be participating in it. This is the eleventh year of RPGaDay, and although many of the topics have been recycled, I have been persuaded by a certain article to be involved, albeit in a manner conducive to concise responses. In previous years, I used the social medium formerly known as Twitter and compiled them here in Applied Phantasticality. Last year, I simply posted them here daily. This year, I shall be using Threads and compiling them here again. [Edit: On second thought, I've decided to post my answers daily both here and on Threads.]

For this year's event, two lists of prompts have been provided by the organizers, and a third list of prompts has been offered here in Barking Alien. I shall be drawing from whichever list inspires me at the moment or substituting my own.

Be seeing you...

I'll Be the Judge of That (Postapocalyptic Adventure)

In the very near future (possibly next week), I will be running my first Mutant Crawl Classics RPG adventure. I've played a fair amount of it (and have even playtested a few adventures), but I've never run it. It will also be my first experience with MCC RPG in person, as I have previously only played it via Zoom.

Before the funnel begins, I will be implementing the following house rules, optional rules, and acts of whimsy:

• Attributes will be generated with 4d6, drop the lowest die.
• Starting hit points will be generated with 1d4, rerolling 1s.
• All birth sign lucky rolls are a flat +1 regardless of the player character's actual Luck score.
• All character classes that do not regenerate spent Luck now regenerate it at a rate of 1 point per 7 days.
• Available human character classes include Sentinel, Shaman, Healer, Rover, Warrior, Wizard, Cleric, and Thief. (Yes, this is a world of savagery, sorcery, and superscience.)
• The setting is not Terra A.D. but Catastrophe Planet. I shan't reveal the nature of the catastrophe(s) here as spoilers are the worst kind of catastrophe, but I might be using some resources by third party publishers...
• The starting point will probably be somewhere in Flo-da Ridia.

At the moment, there are two players for this particular campaign, so I will be letting them run eight 0-level characters each for the funnel. I haven't yet decided whether I will have them choose one character each to level up (and possibly give them some non-player character assistants for support), or let them choose two characters each to level up. Probably the former.

Oh, and the funnel in question will be Assault on the Sky-High Tower from the first printing of the MCC RPG rule book.

The Cost of Withholding the Odds

When I run a role-playing game, I have a standard operating procedure when it comes to a player-character taking an action that requires a roll. Before the player commits to the action, I will offer an accurate estimate of its difficulty: easy, moderate, hard, etc. Once the player commits, I reveal the actual numerical difficulty or armor class. As I see it, once the risk is undertaken, the odds are revealed. There is no point in punishing the player in the name of immersion. I contend that not revealing the odds is a violation of verisimilitude. Once you attempt something, you can usually gauge your chance of success with a reasonable amount of accuracy simply by being aware of your own capabilities and the challenges you face in the moment. Furthermore, if you withhold the odds, you are withholding knowledge of the character's environment that a player-character needs in order to make meaningful decisions. It is frankly an infringement of player agency, and that, as far as I am concerned, is a breach of the role-playing social contract.

Withholding the odds can be even more consequential if a role-playing game employs a meta-currency such as luck. Why would anyone be motivated to use a scarce resource without knowing the odds? It makes game play less meaningful and, in my experience, less enjoyable. It makes more sense not to engage with that aspect of the rules at all, especially if the resource is rarely, if ever, replenished. But where is the fun in that?

The person running the game already has a vast informational advantage. In the name of good sportsmanship, at least let the players know what their chances are.

Artificial Influence

I am glad there was no such thing as "influencers" when I entered this hobby, because if there were, I would have probably dismissed it as puerile. There was a time when it was assumed—rightly or wrongly—that role-playing gamers had above average intelligence, but the tone of these influencers (and their willingness to shill for certain companies) makes it clear that they, and certain companies, believe their audience is composed of gullible dullards. Every video they make has a clickbait title and seems like a commercial or an infomercial. The influencer has, at this point, become a product whose goal is to promote official products released by companies that, in some cases, are actively pursuing a strategy of transforming the hobby into a mass of passive consumers dependent on their products rather than a community of creative individuals who sometimes like to do it themselves and share what they create.

I have learned to distrust these companies and their influencers. I ignore their videos. I'm just glad my generation wasn't subjected to this particular form of commercialization when the hobby was young.

Glitch, Sabotage, or Self-Sabotage?

I just noticed that when one clicks the icon of a follower of one's blog (of the blogspot variety), the pop-up still shows the list of other blogs followed by that person, but it no longer displays that follower's own blogs. I cannot fathom a reason for this, but it certainly doesn't benefit anyone. It would be nice if one could be allowed to follow a follower's blog in return. It's one way to help keep blogging alive... I consider that a good thing...

The Burden of Adventuring: Addendum

In "The Burden of Adventuring," I presented a modified version of "Save vs. Encumbrance" from Aeons & Auguries by JDJarvis. It occurred to me there is one matter I failed to address, which I shall address below.

Encumbrance checks may be required if a character attempts to do something that is made more difficult by being encumbered even if that task would not ordinarily require a check. If a task already requires a check and being encumbered is a significant hindrance, two checks must be made: the initial check and the Encumbrance check. If the initial check is successful and the Encumbrance check is not, the character succeeds, but at a cost: −1 fatigue penalty or loss of (or damage to) the item corresponding to the number rolled for the Encumbrance check.

Table: Who Does the Mad Mage Think He Is This Time?

The Mad Mage is having a personality shift again. Or is he channelling a spirit? Or is he possessed? Or has he switched places with someone (or something) from another time and place? This is the twelfth table of the What Is This Table? Table.

Who Does the Mad Mage Think He Is This Time?

Roll 1d8

1. Xigxag the Even Madder Arch-Mage
2. Floyd Wrong, Architect of Insanity
3. Pezla, Confectioner Électromagnétique
4. Severn Darden, Interdimensional Man of Mystery
5. Aldebaran Oooeeeooo*
6. Dis Tater, Arch-Spud of Hell
7. Yoga Sothoth
8. Pizzazzathoth

* Conceived by my friend Andrew back in 1980-something.

(See also the Build Your Own Space Opera Table for twice the Random Generator Month fun.)

Table: What Did the Mad Mage Summon This Time?

The Mad Mage summoned it and now we must deal with it. This is the eleventh table of the What Is This Table? Table.

What Did the Mad Mage Summon This Time?

Roll 1d12

1. A blink frog.
2. A coconut cream pie.
3. A displacer yeast.
4. A fire-breathing giant tarantula.
5. A gargan!
6. A gazebo.
7. A miniature yak.
8. A minor demon noble.
9. A pouch of stunfetti.
10. A swarm of mayflies.
11. A vague ennui.
12. A ziggurat for ants.

(See also the Build Your Own Space Opera Table for twice the Random Generator Month fun.)

Table: What Did the Mad Mage Create This Time?

The Mad Mage created what now? Let's roll and find out... This is the tenth table of the What Is This Table? Table.

What Did the Mad Mage Create This Time?

Roll 1d8

1. An antmanticore.
2. A babloon.
3. A chimermaid.
4. An ibiselephant.
5. A salamandrake.
6. A toucanalligator.
7. A triplicat.
8. A trogre.

(See also the Build Your Own Space Opera Table for twice the Random Generator Month fun.)

Table: Why Is the Room Spinning?

This question was inspired by real life. The table results were not. (I think it was caused by sinusitis.) This is the ninth table of the What Is This Table? Table.

Why Is the Room Spinning?

Roll 1d8

1. You had perhaps a wee bit too much to drink.
2. You contracted a disease generously provided by a "Dungeon Masters Guide"?
3. The room is literally spinning. And so is the building. And so is the tornado.
4. You were kidnapped and imprisoned in a funhouse.
5. You were abducted by aliens with a faulty flying saucer.
6. The room isn't spinning. Your head is. You are possessed by a demon.
7. You are strapped to a torture device known as Lazy Susan's Wicked Auntie.
8. You were targeted by a dizzy spell and failed your saving throw, of course.

(See also the Build Your Own Space Opera Table for twice the Random Generator Month fun.)

Table: What Does the Eclipse Portend?

We interrupt this mega-table with a table inspired by a certain total solar eclipse just witnessed by the author. This is the eighth table of the What Is This Table? Table.

What Does the Eclipse Portend?

Roll 1d12

1. Unity against a common foe.*
2. The return of the Tarrasque.
3. The return of the Black Death.
4. The return of Gamera.
5. The release of the Kraken.
6. The unleashing of Cerberus.
7. An unprecedented outbreak of faerie shenanigans.
8. An unprecedented surge of paranormal activity.
9. Ley lines at maximum magical/psychic power.
10. Everything. It's all different from this moment forward.
11. Nothing. It's an eclipse.
12. Overwhelming victory in the Tomb of Horrors.

* See the solar eclipse from June 16, 1806. To quote from Wikipedia:

It has been called Tecumseh's Eclipse after the Shawnee chief, Tecumseh. He realized that the only hope for the various tribes in east and central North America was to join [in a federation]. He was assisted by his brother, Tenskwatawa, called The Prophet, who called for a rejection of European influence and a return to traditional values. This tribal unity threatened William Henry Harrison, the Territorial Governor of Indiana and future 9th President of the United States. Harrison tried to discredit the Shawnee leader by challenging Tenskwatawa to prove his powers. He wrote: "If he (Tenskwatawa) is really a prophet, ask him to cause the Sun to stand still or the Moon to alter its course, the rivers to cease to flow or the dead to rise from their graves."

Tenskwatawa declared that the Great Spirit was angry at Harrison and would give a sign. "Fifty days from this day there will be no cloud in the sky. Yet, when the Sun has reached its highest point, at that moment will the Great Spirit take it into her hand and hide it from us. The darkness of night will thereupon cover us and the stars will shine round about us. The birds will roost and the night creatures will awaken and stir." On that day [in Ohio, probably near the Indiana border], there was an eclipse, and Harrison's attempt to divide the Shawnee people backfired spectacularly. Then Tecumseh ordered the Great Spirit to release the sun.

(See also the Build Your Own Space Opera Table for twice the Random Generator Month fun.)

Table: What Is This Game of Chance?

There comes a time—perhaps many, many times—when adventurers will find the opportunity to gamble their loot, their heirlooms, or even their souls. But first, "What is this game of chance?" This is the seventh table of the What Is This Table? Table.

What Is This Game of Chance?

Roll 1d12

1. Poker
2. Gouger
3. Stabber
4. Blackjack
5. Flapjack
6. Slapjack
7. Rummy
8. Winey
9. Boozy
10. Craps
11. Poops
12. Merde

(See also the Build Your Own Space Opera Table for twice the Random Generator Month fun.)

Table: What Are They Discussing? 2

Will the adventurers casually eavesdrop or will they join the conversation? This is the sixth table of the What Is This Table? Table.

What Are They Discussing? 2

Roll 1d12

1. The campaign against literacy launched by some out-of-town barbarians.
2. The convenience of staying at a caravansary vs. the cost.
3. Cures for insomnia.
4. The deadly combination scavenger hunt/sacrificial rite orchestrated by the despotrix.
5. The disappearance of a certain noble's puppy in the vicinity of some ruins.
6. The lycanthropy outbreak in Werewolvington.
7. That ludicrous display at yesterday's mob football match.
8. The merits of rotating crops.
9. A protest organized by the local death cult.
10. The village with the best idiot.
11. The weather.
12. Who would win in a fight between a vampire and a ghoul.

(See also the Build Your Own Space Opera Table for twice the Random Generator Month fun.)

Table: What Are They Discussing?

One cannot always help overhearing the conversations of non-player characters in their natural habitat, whether it's guards at their post, clergy behind the altar, servants at the well, or just about anyone at the tavern. Naturally, one wants to know, "What are they discussing?" This is the fifth table of the What Is This Table? Table.

What Are They Discussing?

Roll 1d12

1. The archery contest incident involving the intrusion of crossbow hooligans.
2. The latest fad of sewing pockets into clothing.
3. The local death cult's lute-burning spree.
4. The mermaid sighted at Rover's Cove whilst catching the largest cod ever seen.
5. The new tax on ostentatious codpieces.
6. The price of ambergris in Portport.
7. The scandalous new hats being worn in Highplace.
8. The sighting of a ghost at the abandoned electrum mine.
9. The slobold uprising in Slothgate.
10. The stirrings of revolution in Oppressia.
11. The weather.
12. Whether one would rather be the sole mortal in a town populated only by demons or the lone demon against a team of saints in a mob football match.

(See also the Build Your Own Space Opera Table for twice the Random Generator Month fun.)

Table: What Does This Barrel Contain?

Sometimes adventurers cannot leave well enough alone and insist on dawdling in the name of "a thorough search," leaving no stone unturned and no barrel or cask unopened. If they refuse to accept your helpful hints, roll to see what they find. This is the fourth table of the What Is This Table? Table.

What Does This Barrel Contain?

Roll 1d30

1. ale
2. beer
3. cider
4. caltrops
5. a corpse
6. fireworks
7. flour
8. fruit punch
9. hard cider
10. lamp oil
11. lentils
12. luxury rat hotel
13. mead
14. monkeys
15. nails
16. nuts
17. oats
18. paint
19. parsely
20. pepper
21. pickles
22. salt
23. salted beef
24. salted fish
25. salted pork
26. syrup
27. vinegar
28. water
29. wine
30. a zombie

(See also the Build Your Own Space Opera Table for twice the Random Generator Month fun.)

Table: What Is This Plane of Existence?

"What is this plane of existence?" is a question that adventurers might ask as they ponder the nature of reality and their place in it, but it could equally be a legitimate inquiry if they plunge—for whatever reason—through an interdimensional rift. The table below might provide an answer. This is the third table of the What Is This Table? Table.

What Is This Plane of Existence?

Roll 1d12

1. The Pastoral Plane
2. The Ephemeral Plane
3. The Prime Real Estate Plane
4. The Parallel Parking Plane
5. The Positive Feedback Plane
6. The Negative Feedback Plane
7. The Good Place
8. The Bad Place
9. The Plane of Mutual Disagreement
10. The Cornfield
11. The Periodic Plane of Elements
12. The Plane of Missing Socks

(See also the Build Your Own Space Opera Table for twice the Random Generator Month fun.)

Table: What Is This Market Stall Selling?

The adventurers are browsing in the market and they want to know, "What is this stall selling?" Roll to find out! This is the second table of the What Is This Table? Table.

What Is This Market Stall Selling?

Roll 1d30

1. apples, peaches, and pears
2. amulets and talismans
3. belts, garters, and scabbards
4. cabbages
5. candles and lamp oil
6. citrus fruits
7. fabric
8. fancy codpieces
9. flagons and tankards
10. flowers
11. friendship bracelets
12. greens
13. hats, non-hats. helmets, and wizard hats
14. herbs
15. costume jewelry
16. knives and knife-sharpening
17. magical trinkets and other discount magic
18. "medicines"
19. perfumes
20. pies and bread
21. pottery
22. practical jokes and harmless gags
23. sandals and slippers
24. soaps
25. soups
26. souvenirs
27. sweets
28. robes
29. turnips
30. woodcarvings

(See also the Build Your Own Space Opera Table for twice the Random Generator Month fun.)

Table: What Is This Business?

"So, what is this business?" the adventurers ask as they wander through the city/town/village/hamlet. Roll and find out! This is the first table of the What Is This Table? Table.

What Is This Business?

Roll 1d12

1. Armand Armour's Half-Priced Armory ("Pre-Owned Arms & Armor")
2. The Bucket & Duck Tavern (a.k.a. The Decoy Lodge)
3. Drury's Brewery ("The Opposite of Dreary")
4. The Fell Inn ("Bottomless Hospitality")
5. Flesch's Butcher Shop ("Free Offal with Purchase")
6. Ten Rolling Pins Bakery (a.k.a. The Crossed Rolling Pins)
7. Polly the Apothecary ("Free Advice with Cracker")
8. Smithers' Smithy and Stable ("Horses Shoed. Flies Shooed.")
9. The Whale & Sail Alehouse (a.k.a. The Not-So-Drydock)
10. The Whistle & Lyre Tavern ("Mandatory Musical Accompaniment")
11. Willa Taylor, Tailor (secretly a.k.a. William Tale, Spy.)
12. Witt & Burley's Millery ("We Grind Our Competitors to Powder!")

(See also the Build Your Own Space Opera Table for twice the Random Generator Month fun.)

What Is This Table? Table

Once again, it is April Fool's Eve, and this time the foolishness will be doubled! Here, in Applied Phantasticality, you are invited to the madness of the What Is This Table? Table. (You'll see...) There, in Savage Arts & Sciences, you may enroll in the Build Your Own Space Opera Table (inspired by the likes of Flash Gordon). Two mega-tables for the price of one! Which will win? Read them both to find out...

What Is This Table? Table

Roll 1d12

1. Roll on the What Is This Business? Table!
2. Roll on the What Is This Market Stall Selling? Table!
3. Roll on the What Is This Plane of Existence? Table!
4. Roll on the What Does This Barrel Contain? Table!
5. Roll on the What Are They Discussing? Table!
6. Roll on the What Are They Discussing? 2 Table!
7. Roll on the What Is This Game of Chance? Table!
8. Roll on the What Does the Eclipse Portend? Table!
9. Roll on the Why Is the Room Spinning? Table!
10. Roll on the What Did the Mad Mage Create This Time? Table!
11. Roll on the What Did the Mad Mage Summon This Time? Table!
12. Roll on the Who Does the Mad Mage Think He Is This Time? Table!

N.B. Results of the What Is This Table? Table are being added [almost] daily (starting on the 1st of April). [And it stands at 12 entries.]

Reconsidering the Anniversary Festivities

As I mentioned in "Phantastical Dodecahedral Anniversary", this year (and this month, in fact) marks the twelfth anniversary of Applied Phantasticality. I mentioned possibly dedicating this year's Random Generator Month (a.k.a. April) to the splendid d12, and I dashed out about twenty d12 tables to this end, but alas they all insisted on being part of something called the Build Your Own Space Opera Table (COMING SOON!) in one of my other blogs, Savage Arts & Sciences. Instead of cross-posting them to both blogs, I think I'll leave the d12 tables to Savage Arts & Sciences and post more recklessly to Applied Phantasticality. I might not even use a theme. That's how wild and crazy I am. (Let's hope I post something, though.)

Carry on.

Phantastical Dodecahedral Anniversary

This year marks the 12th anniversary of my oldest extant blog, Applied Phantasticality (and my 25th anniversary of blogging in any capacity, as shocking as that is to me). In honor of this event, I think I might dedicate this year's Random Generator Month (a.k.a. April) exclusively to the noblest of platonic solids, the dodecahedron, or, as it is known amongst gamers, the d12. I am undecided about the theme of this year's Random Generator Month, but all of the tables will require the service of your loyal twelve-sided dice.

Huzzah!

Ides of March

The controversies surrounding Hasbro/Wizards of the Coast and its dominion over recent, current, and imminent versions of Dungeons & Dragons leave little room for optimism for those of us who like earlier editions, later variants, and different role-playing games altogether, but I can't say it's surprising. I haven't trusted TSR since it published Zebulon's Guide to Frontier Space for Star Frontiers (and I ought to have distrusted them starting with the bifurcation of D&D and AD&D), but I've never trusted Wizards of the Coast with or without Hasbro's overlordship. As media personalities jump ship from D&D and launch their own vessels of variable seaworthiness, I think it's worth looking at the craft of great designers, young and old, who have been perfecting role-playing games without regard to, or interest in, Hasbro/WOTC's self-defeating nonsense. There are so many satisfying alternatives from the very beginning of the hobby to the present, and more are being created right now by actual independent game designers who actually play the games. The best part of role-playing is that it's a hobby. The best publishers of role-playing games are hobbyists themselves. The corporations don't care about hobbyists. In turn, we owe them nothing. We can do it ourselves.

Martian Crawl Classics Crowdfunding in Progress

The Kickstarter project for Martian Crawl Classics, Tim Snider's alternative setting for Mutant Crawl Classics RPG, is in progress and obtainable for the reasonable price of $5.00 for the PDF and the option to purchase an at-cost, print-on-demand copy. Add-ons include the 0 level funnel Dead in the Water, the 1st level adventure The Desk in Room 8-10, and the 2nd level adventure Phage from Below at $5.00 each for the PDF and the same hard copy option. The deadline to back the project is 24 February 2024.

Random Fantasy Campaign Generator Example

Here is the explication of my Random Fantasy Campaign Generator demonstrated with an example of its use. Suppose you wish to run some adventures that have no predetermined setting (or none you care to use), and you would like the world to grow as the characters explore it rather than spending countless hours beforehand building it from scratch. Where do you start? You start with the location of the very first adventure and gradually expand from there. You start with a roll on the Starting Place table.

Starting Place

With a roll of 2, the adventure starts in a village. It could be the player characters' home village, or it could be a village they are visiting or through which they are passing on the way to their destination. In this case, we'll say the player characters are visiting a friend.

Landmass

With a roll of 4, the village is located on a supercontinent. There may be islands, but most of the world's landmass consists of a single Pangaea-like supercontinent. This suggests that the world might be geologically younger than our planet Earth, and it might even have megafauna or dinosaurs (or weird variants thereof).

Nearest Waterway

With a roll of 4, the nearest waterway is "Sea," which would mean a world-spanning super-ocean. So, our village is on the coast, which means fishing and trade are probably important to its economy.

Nearest Geographical Feature

With a roll of 12, the nearest geographical feature is "Volcano." The villagers may believe the volcano is dormant, or they might not know it is a volcano. In the real world there are actual communities built in the craters of "extinct" volcanoes (e.g. Mt. Tabor in Portand, Oregon, U.S.A.), but we'll set our village at the base of the volcano at the edge of a bay since we established that it is a port. If the volcano were to erupt, there would be time for people in the village to react.

Most Prominent Architectural Achievement

With a roll of 6, the village's most prominent architectural achievement is a library. In general, the impressiveness of a location's most prominent edifice depends on the location's size, prosperity, cultural priorities, and level of technology. Given that our location is a fishing village near a volcano on the coast of a supercontinent, perhaps we could make the library the only building that (miraculously) withstood a previous eruption. A village was gradually rebuilt from the ruins of the destroyed city, and it was decreed that no building shall ever rival the library in magnificence. The importance of the library has grown as a consequence, and scholars from near and far come to the village to study there.

First Patron

With a roll of 6, the player character's first patron will be a local official. In this case, it would be logical to make that local official the Head Librarian, a person of importance with vast knowledge. Regardless of the adventure's premise, it ought to be easy to think of way to link it to the Head Librarian's interests.

Best Place for Rumors

With a roll of 12, the best place for rumors in the village is the well. Sure, there may be gossip aplenty amongst the scholars at the library, but the rumormongering at the well is more reliable.

Summary

In a coastal village at the foot of a volcano, the adventurers have come to meet a friend who is connected with the Head Librarian of a famous library that is the sole remnant of an ancient city. The community well is the best source of information of a non-academic nature, as the hardworking villagers are honest folk and more cosmopolitan than most. All of this is taking place in a world dominated by a single supercontinent.

These initial details provide the ingredients for a larger world of interconnected places, cultures, and adventures that can be expanded as needed.

Random Fantasy Campaign Generator

The Random Fantasy Campaign Generator can be used as a prompt to create a setting and situation for a party's first adventure, and, perhaps, the initial focal point of a new campaign world that will expand with the party's travels.

Random Fantasy Campaign Generator

Starting Place

Roll 1d4

1. Outpost
2. Village
3. Town
4. City

Landmass

Roll 1d4

1. Archipelago
2. Island
3. Continent
4. Supercontinent

Nearest Waterway

Roll 1d4

1. Stream
2. River
3. Lake
4. Sea

Nearest Geographical Feature

Roll 1d12

1. Barrow
2. Canyon
3. Cave
4. Desert
5. Forest
6. Hill
7. Jungle
8. Megalithic structure
9. Mountain
10. Plains
11. Swamp
12. Volcano

Most Prominent Architectural Achievement

Roll 1d12

1. Abbey
2. Castle
3. Fountain
4. Granary
5. Guildhouse
6. Library
7. Marketplace
8. Mill
9. Monument
10. Palace
11. Temple
12. Tomb

First Patron

Roll 1d12

1. Abbot
2. Alchemist
3. Elder
4. Guildmaster
5. Innkeeper
6. Local official
7. Merchant
8. Noble
9. Sage
10. Spy
11. Trader
12. Wizard

Best Place for Rumors

Roll 1d12

1. Castle
2. Den of iniquity
3. Dock
4. Fountain
5. Inn
6. Guardhouse
7. Marketplace
8. Shop
9. Stable
10. Tavern
11. Temple
12. Well

Reviewing Reviews

There is a debate amongst some in the hobby—if not the industry—whether a review of a role-playing game is legitimate if the reviewer did not first play or run the game. The crux of the problem is this: Is it the game or the product that is being reviewed? Take chess for instance. One could review the rules of the game and the experience it produces as an activity, or one could review the physical components of the game such as the board and the pieces. Most role-playing game reviewers rely heavily on the latter because there is the added complexity that no two groups of gamers play exactly the same way. When they do address the rules (as opposed to the details of a rule book such as font, binding, type of paper, or quality/quantity of illustrations), they typically concentrate on how they think they will help or hinder the gameplay. Without experiencing the effect of the rules firsthand, they can only theorize whether a given rule is good or even necessary. And this will vary from gaming group to gaming group. One group might respond favorably to a game in which each player controls multiple characters whereas another might find it a nuissance. One group might consider an initiative rule to be novel and entertaining whereas another group might find it too time-consuming. All reviews are subjective. It is in their nature. I would merely suggest that reviewers draw a distinct line between a review of a role-playing game as a product versus a review of the same as an experience, because both are valid. Sometimes a rule looks better on paper than in practice, and sometimes the rules as written work better than you could have imagined. Too often I have made assumptions about a rule only to be proven mistaken at the game table. The proof is in the actual play. You can a) review the game itself, b) review just the physical product, or c) review the product and speculate about how it might work at the table. Just be clear about your approach.

[This article has been cross-posted here in Creative Reckoning.]

Table: Secret Door Status

Sometimes a location in an adventure has secret doors that will never be discovered by the player characters using conventional means. This can be made easier for player characters who are actively searching in the correct area by giving them clues or by bestowing a bungling bonus, but if you need something a little more obvious, you could roll on this table...

Secret Door Status

Roll 1d12

1. Ajar.
2. Ajar and secretly trapped.
3. Cracked open.
4. Cracked open and secretly trapped.
5. Locked and obviously cursed.
6. Locked and obviously trapped.
7. Locked and showing signs of attempted entry.
8. Locked and showing signs of successfully activated trap.
9. Magically sealed with prominently displayed riddle.
10. Shut and marked by previous intruder.
11. Shut and obviously cursed.
12. Shut and obviously trapped.

N.B.: This can be used when creating an adventure location (such as a dungeon), but it's especially useful when applied to published adventures that might abound with dead ends and bottlenecks caused by the injudicious use of secret doors. Just make them impossible to miss.

Reactions Revisited Elsewhere

The usefulness of reaction rolls and tables is the topic of "Reaction: Action Rolls, Take Two..." in Pits Perilous. There is wisdom in the comments, too.