Getting Around NUNA

 

Map by Dave Paddon, who is working to preserve the old knowledge of Labrador.

Atelihai!

In traditional roleplaying games, travel to and from destinations is usually handwaived, and does not vary much throughout the seasons. In Lord of the Rings, the ringbearers decided to walk across the whole land and only vary due to a magical snow and windstorm they deem too dangerous.

In NUNA we call this type of weather a normal Tuesday.

In pre-modern Labrador, all travel from when the snow fell in late October to April was done by dogsled. Whether you were delivering mail or taking people to a hospital, it was the only way to go as the ocean was battered by winter storms and the land was covered in snow over your head.

I am working on the Travel systems for Nuna now and found the above map of pre-aviation dogsled routes. People back then were built different, and the effort and skill needed to complete the mailroutes by dogsled back then was nothing short of superhuman.

Here is the message of the OP:

"Hello in the Big Land. 

I made up this map a few years ago mostly based on Them Days (gistory magazine). It shows the dogteam mail routes prior to air travel and I have been thinking a bit about the mail carriers and the unimaginable hardships they went through. I know that Sam Lyall was 8 days from Burwell to Hebron to get the mail and then 30 days getting back!

There are other stories for sure and I would like to collect a few and maybe put them in a recitation. Or at least post them on pages like this one.

If you had an ancestor who was a dogteam mail carrier and you know of a story or incident they experienced while on the job maybe you could write me a paragraph and send it on Messenger. It could be serious or funny or anything really. For instance, one of Henry John Williams' descendants told me he once dumped off a load of catalogues as the going was to soft for all the weight!

I think these guys deserve some recognition."

Stormbringer Redux #32 1E Character Generation + Vancouver Game + Nuna Sales Report

I have been asked to run a Stormbringer 1E game here at a game store in Vancouver, so I will be fulfilling my aim of working through the old game before the new ones come out.

If you are in Vancouver and want to play, link is HERE.

Here is the blurb:

"This year, both Free League AND Goodman Games have announced their own Stormbringer games, based on the writings of Michael Moorcock.

To celebrate this impending revival of Moorcockean gaming, Theodore Bonnah (aka Tedankhamen), winner of the 2024 BRP Game Design Contest, will be running a Stormbringer RPG retrospective using the original Chaosium D100 system. The system is known for its lethality and dangerous demon summoning magic, as well as gonzo character generation."

My first task was to Moorcockify the old Tower of Yrkath Florn adventure in the 1E rules, which is both unfinished and a lackluster dungeon crawl. Instead, it is now a decidedly weird adventure that portends upon the fate and eventual doom of The Young Kingdoms.

Should be a lark!

My second task in prepping for this game was to codify character generation, even though I will be rolling characters in advance.

Without further ado, here is my guide to chargen for the old Stormbringer game.

Stormbringer Chargen Redux

So, I’ve wanted to sit down and codify the changes I’ve made that streamline the old Stormbringer character generation process, incorporate attributes more, put together all the rules spread throughout the rulebook, and give more options that smooth out the ‘hopeless characters’ or perceived racial inequality via player agency. These changes should be empowering and fun.

STEP ONE – NATIONALITY
Ah the much maligned Nationality Table. Roll as usual but ignore the old attribute bonuses. Instead, choose one of the descriptors of the Nation (Urban, Rural, or Magical) and apply its bonus to an attribute of your character.

Urban gives +1D4 to either INT or CHA
Rural gives +1D4 to either STR, CON, or DEX
Magical gives +1D4 to either SIZ or POW

For instance, if you roll a Melnibonean (Urban and Magical), you can choose +1D4 to either INT or CHA for dwelling in Imrryr, or +1D4 to POW or SIZ for being in Chaotic Melnibone.

Melnibone (Urban, Magical)
Pan Tang (Urban, Rural, Magical)
Myrrhn (Rural, Magical)
Dharijor (Urban, Rural)
Jharkor (Urban, Rural)
Tarkesh (Urban, Rural)
Vilmir (Urban, Rural)
Ilmiora (Urban, Rural, Magical)
Nadsokor (Urban, Magical)
Weeping Waste (Rural)
Elwher (Urban, Rural, Magical)
Island of Purple Towns (Urban)
Argimiliar (Urban, Rural, Magical)
Pikarayd (Urban, Rural, Magical)
Lormyr (Urban, Rural)
Filkhar (Urban, Rural)
Oin (Rural, Magical)
Yu (Rural)
Org (Rural, Magical)

NB For Religion, any roll of ‘none’ should be considered a unique deity, such as a Beast Lord, a demigod, an alien entity, etc.

STEP TWO - ROLL ATTRIBUTES & CALCULATE ATTRIBUTE BONUS POOL
Roll 3D6 for the seven characteristics (STR, CON, SIZ, DEX, INT, POW, CHA) down the line. Next, for every roll of 7 or under, roll an extra D6 and note the sum of these extra rolls as a pool. (After rolling your Profession, you distribute these points to increase attributes and make your character fit the profession better via higher skills. Maximum attribute for starting characters is 20.)

STEP THREE - PROFESSION & STARTING SKILLS
Roll as usual then calculate skill levels as below.
NB Don’t forget to use your pool of attribute bonuses to make your character fit their Profession better. Hint – look at major skills and increase the attributes that determine them.

WARRIOR
First weapon Attack DEX x 5%, Parry STR x 5%
Second weapon Attack DEX x 4%, Parry STR x 4%
Third weapon Attack DEX x 3%, Parry STR x 3%
Make a Luck roll (POW x 5%). If you succeed you are Calvary and get Ride at STR x 6%, if you fail you have Ride at STR x 3%.
Gear is 3 weapons of choice & suitable armor,
Starting purse is INT x D100 in LB.
Income if hired is INT x 1 LB per day. Jobs include Soldier, Mercenary, Guardsman, etc.

If INT and DEX add up to 32, is also an Assassin.

(ASSASSIN)
Poison Lore INT x 3%, Search INT x 3%, Move Quietly DEX x 5%, HIDE DEX x 4%
Ambush DEX x 5%, Listen INT x 5%
Gear is one Poison of choice.
Starting purse is INT x 1D20 LB.
Income is INT x 100LB per target, but punishable by death if caught.

MERCHANT
(Choose wandering Trader or Shopkeeper in a named city of their nation)
Weapon of choice Attack DEX x 4%, Parry STR x 4% (reduced to x2% if Shopkeeper)
Read & Write Common INT x 7%
Persuasion CHA x 5%
Credit CHA x 4%
Evaluate Treasure INT x8%
Gear is one weapon of choice, non metal armor, and a donkey for Traders. Shopkeepers have a tiny stand and a young lackey with a broom.
Starting purse is INT x 5D100 LB (double if a Shopkeeper).
Income is INT x 5 LB per day if a Trader on a caravan or sailing expedition, INT x 1 LB per day working in a shop in a city.

If INT is 16+ INT and POW add up to 32, the Merchant has a 50% chance of being a  Sorcerer, and can start magical studies if they find a teacher or school.

 

SAILOR

If INT is 16+, character is a Captain. If 12-15, a Mate. Otherwise, they are just a Sailor.

Weapon of choice Attack DEX x 4%, Parry STR x 4%
Swim STR x 5%
Tie Knot DEX x 7%
Climb STR x 4%
Balance INT x 5%
Navigation at INT x 8% (Captain), x5% (Mate), x2% (Sailor)
Gear is weapon of choice. Captains get a small sailing ship, such as a sloop or catamaran.
Starting purse is 10D20 x INT for Captains, 5D20 x INT for Mates, and 1D20 x INT LB for Sailors.
Income is INT x 10 per day for Captains, INT x 5 per day for Mates, and INT x 1 per day for Sailors as Merchant Marines or Pirates etc.

 

HUNTER
Weapon Attack DEX x 3%, Parry STR x 3% (NB: Man-killer weapons are forbidden ex. battle ax, greatsword, Lormyrian ax, sea ax, heavy mace, or Filkharian pike)
Self Bow Attack DEX x 3%
Set Trap DEX x 5%
Ambush DEX x 5%
Track INT x 5%
Blacksmith INT x 2%
Gear is starting weapon & bow plus 12 arrows
Starting purse is 1D100LB
Income is INT x 1LB per day as guide, gameskeeper, scout etc.

 

FARMER (limited to farm implements such as hatchet, scythe, hayfork etc)

Cudgel Attack DEX x 3%, Parry STR x 3%

Small ax Attack DEX x 2%, Parry STR x 2%

Spear Attack DEX x 2%, Parry STR x 2%

Blacksmith INT x 2%

Track INT x 2%

Plant Lore INT x 2%

Gear is cudgel and hatchet

Starting purse is INT x 1D20 LB

Income is INT x 1LB per day as gardener, herbalist, groundskeeper etc

PRIEST

(Roll POW + CHA/10 on 1D100, success means you are a High Priest)
NB Literate - If any other languages are learned later, Read/Write includes Speaking.

Dagger Attack DEX x 3%, Parry STR x 3%

Read/Write Common at INT x 8%
Read/Write Low Melnibonean at INT x 6%
Read/Write High Melnibonean at INT x 6%
NB Literate - If any other languages are learned later, Read/Write includes Speaking.

Plant Lore INT x 4%
First Aid INT x 4%
Persuade CHA x 3%
Credit CHA x 3%

Gear is a dagger.

Starting purse is 5D100 LB, gets renewed per month at temple.
Starting Elan is 2D6.

Income is INT x 5 per day if Priest, x 10 if High Priest.

NOBLE

NB - De facto leader of any group, if multiple higher INT is leader.
If INT 13+, roll again on Class Background for second class. If Noble again, 1D6+1 people between them and the throne.
NB Literate - If any other languages are learned later, Read/Write includes Speaking.

First weapon Attack DEX x 4%, Parry STR x 4%
Second weapon Attack DEX x 2%, Parry STR x 2%
Credit at CHA x 4%
Gear is weapons and armour of choice, plus 1D6 hawks.
Starting purse is 100 x 1D100 LB, also has property worth 10,000 x 1D100 LB.
Income is INT x 100 per day as Commander (if also Warrior), or INT x 50 if Courtier, Magistrate, etc.

THIEF (no large weapons like Lormyrian ax, Filkharian pike, the lance, greatsword as first weapon)
Weapon of choice Attack DEX x 4%, Parry DEX x 4%
Dagger Attack DEX x 5%, Parry STR x 5%

Read/Write Common Tongue at INT x 3%

Climb at STR x 1D10%

Conceal DEX x 1D10%
Jump STR x 1D10%
Pick Lock DEX x 1D10%
Listen INT x 1D10%
See INT x 1D10%

Search INT x 1D10%
Move Quietly DEX x 5%

Cut Purse DEX x1D10%

Evaluate Treasure INT x 5%
Gear is a dagger, 1 weapon of choice, and lockpicks
Starting purse is 5D20 LB

Income is INT x 2 LB per day as Robber, Scout, Spy, etc.

BEGGAR

Roll on Afflictions table.
NB: When buying additional weapon skills, Beggars have to pay TWO skill points.

Any weapon Attack DEX x 1% Parry STR x 1% plus 1% per extra Beggar in the group.

Persuade CHA x 6%
See INT x 6%
Search INT x 3%
Pick Lock DEX x 5%
Gear is bowl and affliction gear (ie blindfold, crutch etc).
Starting Purse is 1D6 LB.
Income is INT x 1 LB per day as Lookout, Spy, etc.

CRAFTSMAN (Gets +3 to DEX)

NB Must choose speciality (Blacksmith, Armorer, Weaponsmith, Leatherworker, Bowyer, Fletcher, Weaver, Jewelsmith, Carpenter, Rope maker, Shipwright, Tailor, Cartographer, etc)

Weapon of choice Attack DEX x 1D10%, Parry STR x 1D10%

Craft INT x 7%

Gear is tools and weapon of choice.

Starting purse is INT x 1D100 LB. Has an atelier in a city of choice.

Income is INT x 3 per day of work, INT x 6 if jeweller or goldsmith.

(SORCERER)

Sorcery Skill INT x 3%

Sorcery Rank 

1st (INT + POW = 32) Can summon one type of elemental.

2nd (INT + POW = 36) Can summon two types of elemental, one type of demon.

3rd (INT + POW = 40) Can summon three types of elementals, and three types of demon. 

Can try summoning 1 Elemental Ruler if near the element.

4th (INT + POW = 44) Can summon all types of elementals, and five types of demons. 

Can attempt to summon two Elemental Lords, and if Melnibonean, one Beast Lord.

5th (INT + POW = 48) Can summon any elemental or demon type. 

Can summon any Elemental Ruler, plus any one Lord of Law or Chaos if ceremonies performed & entity is willing. If Melnibonean, can summon three Beast Lords

DEFAULT SKILLS

For non-profession skills, base percentage is usually appropriate attribute x 1%, except for Dodge which is DEX x 2%. If the skill description is 0%, like for foreign languages or extra-planar skills, the character cannot attempt them until trained.

ADDITIONAL SKILLS

Roll 2D6+2. This is a pool of improvement points that can be used to increase a skill’s modifier by 1 per point spent. For example, if you want to improve your Dodge (usually DEX x 2%), if you use 2 improvement points to increase your skill to DEX x 4%.

---

NUNA Quickstart is now 3/5 of the way to Bronze medal on Drive Thru RPG. Thanks to everyone who dropped a few coins in support. If you haven't downloaded a copy yet, or want to share the word, the link is below or HERE.

60 page Quickstart $1.99

https://legacy.drivethrurpg.com/product/575172/NUNA-Rpg-Quickstart

What The Heck Is The Seven Part Pact?

Steve Jackson Games seems to be blowing up Kickstarter with its magnum opus, 7 Part Pact. TLDR, they got the designers of the incredibly charming RPG Wanderhome to create an RPG about being 7 competing wizards.

As an OG gamer, I am not sure what I am looking at here.

THE EVOLUTION OF GAME PRODUCTS

When I started gaming in the 80's, RPGS (they weren't called TRPGs yet) were a book out of which you played a game. Anything else had to come out of your imagination. If you were fancy, your book came in a box, or had a large fold out map, or cardboard standees. Art was atmospheric at best and amateurish at worst.

Then came the supplements in the 90's, ironically largely pushed by Steve Jackson for his GURPS game.

Life whisked me away from gaming in the early 2000's, but when I peeked back at the hobby at decade's end, art had become very professional, and although the corebook (a new term) was still there, more and more you needed some splat book, gazeteer, module, or other extended material to feel you were fully playing the game. And the game itself had become bloated, with extra rules for character creation, page long monster or character descriptions, and whole chapters of iffy fiction, among other things.

At the same time, gaming licenses had made it difficult to get older games, and most people's favorite game had gone through various editions of decreasing quality. It was no wonder the OSR and its back to basics rulesets like Swords & Wizardry came into vogue, and the indie game jam scene at itch.io and elsewhere burgeoned.

In the 2010's Kickstarter hit the scene and slowly began blowing open the limits on the game industry. When 7th Sea became a million seller in 2016, there was no turning back. For a decade we have had our choice of game size (small zine to massive corebook), genre, and playstyle. Indie creators have slowly stepped away from traditional printing and distribution models, and even Old Faithful (Chaosium) is riding the Kickstarter / Backerkit wave.

7 Part Pact seems to be pushing things to the next level.

TTRPG? BOARDGAME?

Looking at the promotional material, I cannot tell what I am seeing. 7 Part Pact comes with 7 'asymmetric Domain board games', whatever that means, 7 Wizard Codices (player manuals?), and tons of meeples and other gewgaws.

This is no surprise considering the enormous growth of the boardgame industry the past 20 years, as well the proliferation of battlemats, dice trays, recipe books and other (to me) superfluous items for TRPGs. Or TTRPGs as they say in Japan.

So I would say it is a roleplaying boardgame, and looks like Talisman on steroids to me, or else a boardgame version of the old Chaos War PC game.

A couple of other things have me scratching my head...

7 GAMES IN ONE

The materials mention that 7PP is '7 games in one.' I have no idea how that works, but I admire the gumption. In a traditional RPG, it is hard enough to get one player to stop grandstanding, so it will be interesting to see how 7PP lets up to 7 wizards fulfill their destiny. SJG is one of the OG games companies, so good on them for reaching out to younger designers.

AN EXPERIENCE 

Although I am guardedly optimistic, I think the game, if it works as touted in its ads, should be quite the experience. I know my old circle of foreigner fathers who I gamed with in Japan could really sink their teeth into a game like this, with boardgame and roleplaying game elements wrapped in a juicy tale of competing wizards.

(I miss you chaps!)

At the same time, the gamers I know either do a 4 hour session once a month at a game store, and often pay to do it. Or they play with friends and ignore the rulebook. So I am not sure if all but a select few modern audiences can give this game the attention it deserves.

But it inspires me to make Giri-Ninjo a similarly epic experience.

A COLLECTOR'S MASTERPIECE?

One last thing. This advert also caught my eye:

This isn't just an RPG. It's a collector's masterpiece.

Inside the box you'll find:

Seven Wizard Codices

Seven asymmetric Domain board games

A massive Grimoire

The Orrery

Custom cards

21 engraved alchemical dice

Hundreds of premium components

Upgrade to the Kickstarter-exclusive Arcane Boxed Set for hardcover codices, a faux leather Grimoire, wooden components, premium finishes, and more.

Pledge now on Kickstarter!

I've posted previously about the plethora of IMMENSE shelfies posted by gamers of my vintage, hundreds if not thousands of gamebooks sitting, largely unplayed and unread, on shelves. So I am a bit torn by this excessive materialism of the game.

WHO IS IT FOR?

So ultimately who is 7PP for?

Fantasy roleplayers who want to delve into the story of their character? CHECK

Boardgamers? CHECK

Book collectors / Kickstart addicts? CHECK

Traditional gamers? DUNNO. I'll have to look at some playtest materials or vids.

MESSAGE TO STEVE JACKSON

Thanks for the literal decades of gaming your products have given me, good on you for finding a young designer to push the envelope, and best of luck with the 7 Part Pact!

The Silver Machine Adventure Art

(This article is one of the backlog that piled up when I went off on a much needed vacation. As I slowly get back into blogging and prep for fall semester, I'll be working my way through these in addition to more NUNA, game design, Coyote & Crow, and Stormbringer posts) 

The Silver Machine is my introductory adventure for the NUNA Roleplaying game. It is purposefully a gonzo adventure, because life in Labrador is gonzo. As I explain in the quickstart, I was brought up with tales of survival in the wilderness, of strange ghost lights in the woods leading travellers to safety or death, and crashed secret military planes and hidden radar towers.

Here is a taste of the art of The Silver Machine.

Who is The Blue Man?

Who approaches the mysterious fortress in the Interior?

What awaits in The Underground?

The answers to these questions and many more are in the NUNA Quickstart!

The 60 page Quickstart is available for $1.99 at the link below:

https://legacy.drivethrurpg.com/product/575172/NUNA-Rpg-Quickstart

I am currently taking a break from RPGs to recuperate and spend time with sonny (YAY!) but also write a few chapters for my academic book on debt in Japan for a publisher (BOO!).

No rest for the weary wicked! Squeeze the most out of these waning summer days!

Vonnegut on art

 To practice any art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow. So do it.

NUNA Sales Report & 義理人情 (Giri-Ninjou) Concept

Happy to report that the NUNA Quickstart has made it halfway to the 50 sales needed for a Bronze medal on DriveThru RPG. If you haven't gotten a copy yet, the link to the Quickstart and free player characters preview (which has more than enough downloads for Bronze but is free so doesn't count) are below.

Player Characters Preview (FREE)

https://legacy.drivethrurpg.com/product/575125/NUNA-Rpg-Player-Characters-Free-Preview

60 page Quickstart ($1.99)

https://legacy.drivethrurpg.com/product/575172/NUNA-Rpg-Quickstart

As I've stated here, my next project is Giri-Ninjou, a radically different game from NUNA.

1794 woodblock print of a kabuki moneylender character,
which I am using in a non-RPG project and I put here for a thumbnail.

Giri means Duty while Ninjou means Humanity. From my 22 years living in Japan and becoming a published Japan Studies researcher there, I am always disappointed by the misrepresentation of Japan by outsiders. Films with Japanese characters always talk about 'honour', but this is largely an Orientalist trope and Japanese are more likely to base their actions on Giri and Ninjou.

Here is my concept for Giri-Ninjou:

Rules light

GMless

Narrative

Ruthlessly faithful to Japanese society & culture, NOT D&D in funny hats

On Kickstarter by year's end

Modern fantasy

(This article is one of the backlog that piled up when I went off on a much needed vacation. As I slowly get back into blogging and prep for fall semester, I'll be working my way through these in addition to more NUNA, game design, Coyote & Crow, and Stormbringer posts)

Hello, this is an ad for a modern writer who writes short pulp stories, I think he’s got a point about how modern books with their 900 page world building aren’t doing fantasy much favour. 

I think this is another reason pulp fiction, including Moorcock, retains such a following, while longer modern works seem to come and go.