The Mystery of Cahokia

 Wish I had seen THIS before I ran Coyote & Crow last week. Don't think I did too bad.

Elric Comes TWICE!

Last week I posted that there seems to be a bit of an Elric / Moorcock revival going on, based on the proliferation of Elric or pro-Moorcock content on YouTube..

Then the RPG world exploded with TWO big announcements.

TWO HARBINGERS

First, Free League announced an Elric RPG based on Dragonsbane.

Then, Goodman games of Dungeon Crawl Classics announced THEIR Elric game.

What do I make of these announcements?

Nobody asked for it, but here are my two Large Bronzes.

THE ONE I AM BUYING

I don't think it is any surprise but I will be ordering Free League's game. Dragonbane from what I have read is a spiritual successor to the old Chaosium games, and from what I know probably fits between the original Stormbringer and the fanmade Barbarians of Lemur hack floating around on the inter webs in terms of mechanics.

Content wise, if Free League can do LotR right, I'm interested to see what they'll do with the Young Kingdoms.

As for DCC/5E, I am largely over the OSR and vanilla fantasy. I am also moving past my distaste of 5E - I appreciate that people play it for relaxation, don't really use the rules, and make meme characters for laughs. Good on them, and a good antidote to the tiring corporate touting of D&D as "world's greatest" and the glut of 5E products.

I am a proud member of the I'm Begging You To Play Another RPG FB page, where we regularly promote indie and lesser known TRPGs and bag on 5E / WotC marketing bloat. But I also feel that people should play what they want (while hopefully trying new things), and Goodman Games are experts in both marketing and getting people to the table.

So I wish them well, and would sit in on a game in a heartbeat.

WHICH ONE SHOULD YOU GET?

If you got the cash, why not get both? The older editions have doubled or trebled in price the past few years, so this may be the only way to get an affordable official Elric game.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

I'll go out on a limb and say that with this much buzz, an Elric TV show or movie is nigh inevitable. If the suits catch on that The Witcher is an Elric pastiche, they might bankroll the project. However, their interference might also make it go pear shaped.

In my dream dimension, Ralph Bakshi has come out of retirement to make it. Dude made Fire and Ice and Wizards, the Secret of Nimh. He can do no wrong in my book.

Exciting (and unsettling) days ahead for us Moorcock lovers! I hope that Michael is getting a well deserved cut of the proceeds.

Coins & Scrolls Reminder

Someone was asking me about OSR random tables that were all the rage in the 2010s. Reminded me of this blog, which has some incredible content (eating dungeon monsters table is my fave and a must for any fantasy campaign).

Happy reading!

Coyote & Crow gaming in Vancouver

 So yesterday (Sunday), I ran my homebrew Adventure for Coyote & Crow, Initiation Day.

It was a blast!

Here’s a tip for game masters. Always get players to make something for the game. It engages them and you can use it later as a prop. Players made this great art when we did a review of the setting at the start, but then it was used by NPCs as a projection in history lesson later in the adventure.

Here is an honest self appraisal of the game.

The good

The story was solid and players brought their best game. They were actually a table of people who had played together and so their acting in collaboration was top-notch, and I gave them lots to work with in an adventure about young Suyata or superpowered marshals coming to the big city to be initiated. I found the adventure that came with the Coyote & Crow book a bit lacking, and so I thought this would be a far more fitting adventure. And it was, with them being engaged with several NPC’s, making their way through a big action set piece, using their superpowers to help in investigation, and having a good showdown at the end, all followed by a cliffhanger surprise that came out of left field. 

(I will be publishing this with the Coyote & Crow publisher program in future, so no spoilers!)

The bad

Although my game mastering in terms of acting and prompting was some of my best, my mastery of the game system was lacking. My printer didn’t work the night before so I had to just come with everything on the laptop, and the rules are quite unique and complex, so I ruled several things on the fly or negotiated solutions with players. Luckily, they were very forgiving and open to learning and being more creative with how rules were applied. 

The ugly

Nothing really stands out. I think if I was a younger man with lots of free time, I would’ve mastered the game better but the textbook is admittedly a wealth of information and I didn’t want to wait until I had mastered all of it. I decided to jump in and learn as I went and invited the players to come along and do the same thing. And we all put in the work and had a great time.

And there was some talk of me running the game again for an organization they knew, so we’ll cross our fingers and see where that goes.

Now back to Nuna, thanks to the great feedback from my fellow Chaosium contest winners, and the amazing Welsh play testers, it will be a lean and mean psychedelic indigenous role-playing Quickstart.

Quickstart will be out in time for summer gaming, full rules will be out in time for Christmas gifts.

This next few months are gonna be fun.

NUNA External Playtest Report

The intrepid band of playtesters in the UK have had their way with NUNA.

This is the initial response.

THE GOOD

"We had a lot of fun!

The feedback on the scenario was super positive, the overall setting too.

I'll have a more detailed report for you in the next couple of days, but rest assured, they really loved the setting and scenario."

The Chaosium contest confirmed that the setting had legs, and my last playtest at Rain City showed me the type of play or scenario was also appealing. I had one player gasp in disgust at one of the adversaries, so glad that some of this made it through even with a different GM.

THE BAD

"It was a bit 'choppy' but we're through it.

The choppy part was more around some of the rules, missing damages, and finding the right elements in the quick start book when needed."

Again, no surprise. If I waited till it was perfect it would never get done. So glad to have some feedback that will help me get it ready for the world. When I ran the game, I could rely on my memory and improv ability to fill any holes and keep the game going. Now I have to provide an airtight garage of tools and vehicles to get players and GMs through the game without confusion.

My work is cut out for me. And this is only the Quickstart!

THE UGLY

Now I have to finish the darned thing. But right now I am making more art and taking a little break from writing. And prepping for my Coyote and Crow session!

Coyote & Crow Game Session & NUNA Update

I'll be running Coyote & Crow at Rain City games in Vancouver on May 3rd. Hurry, seats are going QUICK!

Also, NUNA being playtested this weekend in the UK!

The Latest Elric Ripoff

 Welcome to the party, Diviner!