The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2011 annual report for this blog.
Here’s an excerpt:
A San Francisco cable car holds 60 people. This blog was viewed about 1,700 times in 2011. If it were a cable car, it would take about 28 trips to carry that many people.
Today I’m jumping back to my Fantasy-Traveller-esq planet of Grond, to add a bit more to the development process if I can make a simple conversion of Classic Traveller, to a Fantasy environment. I’m in the process put together a small dungeon to test out my two character types, a barbarian and a rogue. The aim of putting these two cannon-fodder characters is that I want to see how deadly hand-to-hand combat in a fantasy world, is in Traveller, comparing it with other dungeon-crawling RPG systems.
But first, some errata; When going back to the ‘barbarian’ character creation, I noticed that I did not fully convert the mustering out tables. Therefore I’d like to preset them here (I’ll also update the original blog post).
Mustering Out Table for Barbarians:
1 Dagger
2 Blade
3 Blade
4 Blade
5 Bow weapon
6 Ticket on ocean ship to next city
7 Hovel / Place of residence
Something that I’m puzzled by, is why there was no entry for ’5′ in the original tables!?! Odd…
I’ve been mucking around in Bryce again…
So, lets put together a couple of characters and equip them, using the rules as described in my previous Fantasy Traveller postings:-
Character #1 (male)
Name: Magroc
UPP: E78754
Age: 24
Number of terms: 2
Skills: Gambling-1, Sword-2, Bow Combat-1 (Long Bow), Streetwise-1, Blade Combat-1 (Dagger).
Benefits: 50000Cr (Grond ‘Groats’ – lucky roll!), sword and a dagger.
Character #2 (male)
Name: Tayllin
UPP: 999877
Age: 31
Number of terms: 3
Skills: Carousing-1, Riding-1, Bow combat-1 (Long Bow), Sword-1, Streetwise-1, Forgery-1.
Benefits: 5000 Groats, 2 x Swords and a Long Bow.
Before our victims, sorry I mean heroes journey to gain fame and fortune, I’ve put together the equipment tables to use in Grond;
Equipment Tables
From CT book 1, I’ve converted the weapons costs to Grond currency. The easiest way to do this is to simply add an extra zero onto the costs in CT book 1. Example, daggers cost 100 groats.
Weapons that are available, are:-
Item Cost (Groats)
Dagger 100
Foil 1000
Cutlass 1000
Sword 1500
Broadsword 3000
Bayonet 100
Spear 100
Pike 400
Halberd 750
Cudgel 100
As Grond is a pretty primitive world, I’m only making two types of armour available;
Jack, which is made from real leather. Cost = 500
Cloth, basically a padded cloth jacket. Cost = 2500
From CT book 4 ‘Bow Weapons’ table:-
Item Cost (Groats)
Sling 10
Short Bow 500
Long Bow 750
Sporting Crossbow 1500
Military Crossbow 2500
Cranequin 1000
Repeating Crossbow 1000
All ammunition prices are 20 groats each.
Equipment
There isn’t much in the way of equipment listed in CT book 1 that can be used for such a low-tech world. So, I’ve added some stuff that I think will be useful:-
Item Cost (Groats)
Torch 10
Oil Lamp 100
Carpentry Tool Set 3000
Metalwork Tool Set 15000
Lock Pick Set 100
Disguise Kit 10000
Tarpaulin 100
Tent 2000
I’ve added a few other items to bolster up the equipment list, taking some inspiration from the 5th edition rulebook of Tunnels and Trolls:-
Item Cost (Groats)
Clothing and Pack 50
1 day of provisions (includes matches) 20
Explorers pack (Mirror, wax, chalk, salt, twine, needle and matches) 100
Rope 30ft Length 200
Skin of Oil 30
Boots 50
Sandals 30
20 Climbing Pitons 200
Piton Hammer 100
For the next post, I’ll get them to pop round the local shops and equip themselves, before taking the trip to the local dungeon, to try their hand…
This Quick Worlds release from Gypsy Knights Games differs slightly in that it is being offered as a free product, to prospective purchasers. The aim is to introduce buyers to the Quick Worlds line and feedback from purchasers is actively encouraged, so that future products can be improved. An email address is noted inside the book should buyers wish to do this.
The book can be downloaded from Drivethru RPG for absolutely nothing as a PDF and is 13 pages long. The book is presented in the familiar Quick Worlds style with system data (and the monochrome system map), government and planetary information. Possible adventure hooks are dotted throughout the book, the layout is clear and I only noticed one typo.
The background to the world is a former member of of a ruling technocracy has taken over and become dictator. Security on Atargatis is extremely tight and can be perceived as out of proportion to the numbers of inhabitants.
Image: A depiction of Atah, one of the moons of Anat, which is inhabited by a mining colony owned by the Blaylock Mining Corporation. (c) S.Attwood, created in Bryce.
Adventure Link
A representative of one of the dictators wives contacts the players regarding some suitable work opportunities. She would like the players to provide some ‘off-worlder feedback’ on some aspects of the palace construction.
However, when Audreta speaks to them in person, it is with an entirely different proposition. She is getting fed up of having to share her husband with Bernice and wants her ‘framed’ so that she falls out of favour and the husband forces a divorce with Bernice. It will be up to the players to come up with a plot to frame Bernice and make it look as though she wants to assassinate her husband.
The palace, being a construction site, should provide plenty of opportunity with the hazards that it presents. There are areas of scaffolding on the outside of the palace (ideal places for falling objects), dodgy electrical cabling that could cause electrocution or ways to slip and fall from a great height.
Once aware of the plot, it could be entirely possible for the players to double-cross Audreta and detail the plot to Bernice. She may want to try the same sort of thing against Audreta and increase up the players fee.
Though Atargatis doesn’t offer any extra graphics illustrating the planet or lists of creatures, such as found in Tal ‘Kalares, it does provide an excellent way to see what the Quick Worlds line offers. At zero cost to the prospective customer, this is great value and I’d recommend any Traveller or sci-fi gamer to take a look.
Today I want to look at another of the most recent of the Quick Worlds series by Gypsy Knights Games, ‘QW18 Era’ and ‘QW19 Etxarte’. Again, I’m going to combine the two products into an adventure-review which I hope you will find useful and interesting.
Both Era and Etxarte are available from Drivethru RPG for $3.99 each and are 15 and 14 pages in length respectively.
Something I should note is the system maps, which have been undergoing a number of changes. Era features a system map in the newer ‘colour’ format, wheras Etxarte employs the older monochrome map. I’ve had discussions with John Watts regarding his plans regarding these and I’ve been privileged to see one of the new format colour maps that will be appearing in later releases. I’d like to commend John and the team at Gypsy Knights Games on the way that they take constructive criticism and feedback from the Traveller community and that they use this to improve their products. Agreed, it has lead to a certain amount of inconsistency between older and newer books, but at least you are assured that as a small publisher, GK Games are continually trying to improve their products.
Anyway, I digress; back to the book descriptions:-
The Tourists Guide to Era
Era is an unusual world where the populace have decided to live in particular periods of Earth history. This is based on a consensus that ‘things were always better in the past’, so the planet is effectively divided up into regions of (recognisable) Earth history. For example, one region is alike medieval England, another like ancient Rome. Technology is of course restricted to the same of the period and strictly enforced. However, the less ‘pleasant’ aspects of these periods of history such as slavery or violence are not allowed, though some crimes are region-specific so visitors should be careful to note local laws. All visitors to Era must pass through the orbiting station ‘Highgate’ in order to gain access to the planets surface; here restrictions on what dress and items can be taken to Era must be observed.
Travellers guide to Etxarte
Etxarte is comprised of a system of 6 worlds and 3 asteroid belts. Government-controlled mining operations take place in the three belts and there are some other interesting research stations based around the system. The main planet is ruled by a King, who declared himself dictator some ten years ago. Trade on the world is pretty relaxed, with some unusual exceptions but it is recommended that you don’t transgress the local authorities or you might find that you disappear… The climate of the Etxarte does have some extremes which may catch out Travellers who are used to more temperate climes.
Adventure Idea Linking Etxarte to Era
A well known public personality has recently started attacking the bards of Etxarte, who are employed continually sing the Kings praises. The latest attack has resulted in the death of a bard and the King has sent this person to a rehabilitation centre as he was declared insane at his trial.
However, the wife of the public figure wants to arrange for the rescue of her husband and contacts that players during their visit to Etxarte.
She wants the players to break her husband out of the rehabilitation facility and get the two of them to Era. There she has arranged for them to hide out in the era of ‘Albion’ with friends. She wants the players to act as bodyguards for the next month to ensure that they are not found by agents of the King of Etxarte. However, the downside is that the players will have to dress and arm themselves at the same TL as Albion so as not to draw attention to themselves. There is the additional complication of getting through Highgate customs… Or the players could sneak down to the surface directly…
After the period of ‘protection’ has been passed, it will be safe to assume that the escape was completely successful and the Kings agents are not in pursuit.
The adventure presents some challenges for the players; breaking the husband out of the rehabilitation facility, getting through Highgate customs and protecting their charges with minimal, low-tech weaponry. Some of the players may enjoy the opportunity to strut around in full plate armour and a two-handed broadsword, however…!
Review Conclusions
Era is an enjoyable product, its a quite unusual setting and can give the players a change from the usual plying the spacelanes type of adventures. It has some nice colour graphics to break up the text and aside from one paragraph typo, is well laid out.
Etxarte has some similarities with other Quick Worlds books (dictator ruling the planet, certain restrictions on various activities), however as mentioned in previous reviews, there is benefit in reading the book carefully and there are some very interesting things going on in Etxarte which the referee can make great use of. I won’t mention them here but they help to push the book above an ‘average’ rating so I’d recommend that you take a look!
I’d also like to thank John Watts for supplying the freebie copies of the Quick Worlds books for me to review.
First of all, Happy New Year to all Traveller’s and visitors to this site!
For this blog posting, I want to take a different approach to reviewing some of the latest Gypsy Knights Games products. Due to real life stuff going on, I’ve fallen a little behind with my latest reviews, so by combining several product ‘reviews’ into one posting I can give the reader an idea of the product content and some ideas how to use the books.
The first two books I’m going to start with are QW15 Vasynov and QW16 Serapis. The books both have attractive colour covers and are 14 and 16 pages in length. They are available from Drivethru RPG for $3.99 each as watermarked PDF’s.
The third book which I want to add to the mix, ‘Tal’ Kalares’ can be found on Drivethru RPG for the same price at QW17 Tal’ Kalares. However, the book is much longer at 22 pages; even at this price all the books offer great value.
A suggested sector map when running the adventures below. Map generated from Travellermap POST form, background generated by me using POV-Ray and some custom scripts.
A quick summary of Vasynov:
Vasynov is a geologically violent world, part of a system of icy, rocky planets that are of great interest to mining companies. Visitors to the world will note its dry, arid and mountainous features with wind a constant feature. Trade with its 4 million inhabitants can be interesting as items previously considered as illegal, on the next visit could be perfectly legal due to the way the participating democracy works. This includes some forms of narcotics, so Traveller’s who trade on the other side of the law may find opportunities on Yasynov.
Serapis – the quick tour:
This is more temperate world, with about the same number of inhabitants as Yasynov. It is however, ruled by an eccentric dictator named Harlan Grant. Initially a popular figure, Grant now rules with an iron fist and it is not unknown for transgressors of the law to be sentenced very quickly; some even ending up on the prison planet of Sinope, which can be found around 8AU away from Serapis. Due to the way that women are treated on Serapis, marriage is controlled to a certain extent by the government and it is not unknown for men to take several wives.
In comparison to previous Quick Worlds books, the book does feature a replacement planetary system map format, which I find much clearer to use.
Tal’ Kalares – the visitors view:
The world is dominated by its unusual geological features which are a mystery as to how they were formed. The landmass is divided into upper and lower regions, the latter being the more interesting for adventurers. A recent discovery of a number of ancient artifacts of unknown origin has created a sort of ‘gold rush’ where adventurers and the planetary research teams are looking for more, but none have been discovered so far.
The book is illustrated with colour scenes of the world, along with statistics of some of the creatures that can be found in the lower regions of Tal’ Kalares. The additional colour system map has been joined by the original format system map, this now forms the format used by future Quick Worlds books.
Adventure links and hooks:
Adventure 1: Whilst visiting Vasynov, the party is approached by a patron who has evidence of the possible location for ancient artifacts (aka ‘tools’), which can be found on the world of Tal’ Kalares. The tool is reputed to produce water from the surrounding rock and dirt and considering that Vasynov is a ‘dry’ world, the patron will pay handsomely for the players involvement in it’s find. The players will be hired to mount an expedition to Tal’ Kalares and track down the tool. Obviously, a number of animal encounters can be used to impede the players progress (an extensive table of encounters is provided in the book). It should be noted that rival companies and individuals from Vasynov, also aware of the ‘magic water tool’ will also be attempting to impede the players progress at every opportunity. Whoever possesses the tool, will become very, very rich…
Adventure 2: Vasynov’s volcanism is going into overdrive and the planet’s super volcano is about to erupt. The party is contacted whilst out in deep space and is asked by the government to take a number of its inhabitants off-world and to safety. A representative from the government asks that the party takes the women first and for them to return for the menfolk as soon as possible. However, the reality is that the government of Vasynov has been infiltrated by an agent from Serapis. The government of Serapis simply needs more women; because of the way the government endorses men marrying multiple times, the female population is being depleted and the Serapis agent wants to direct the female refugees from Vasynov to Serapis, to bolster the female population.
Obviously, this is morally and completely abhorrent. However, the Serapis government is prepared to make an offer to the players that is too good to refuse. It will be up to the players to decide… If they decline the offer, the Serapis government may take things to their own hands and attempt a hijack of the players ship.
Adventure 3: The government of Tal’ Kalares needs the help of the players to help ‘influence’ the latest public vote on Vasynov. The water dragon narcotic, currently illegal on the world, needs to be made legal again. There is a current illegal trade between the two worlds which demand on Tal’ Kalares is outstripping supply. Making the drug legal on Vasynov will help improve the supply lines to Tal’ Kalares, even though it will remain publically illegal. It should be noted that influential people in government are endorsing this change on Vasynov, but if the plot is exposed, it will be denied by the government of Tal’ Kalares.
The players will be asked to arrange that the electronic voting results have a positive outcome for the legalisation of water dragon. Characters with good electronic and computer skills will be beneficial. The job will involve breaking into a government building on Vasynov and connecting a specially adapted terminal (supplied by the patron representing the Tal’ Kalares ‘client’) to access the voting results computers. Obviously security will be extremely tight and the target is located down several levels of the building. Once the terminal upload is complete, the players will need to get out without leaving a trace of the break-in or evidence of accessing the voting results computers.
A successful escape and expected result in the voting results will give the players a handsome pay-out from the patron.
Overall Conclusion:
I like these three books, especially Tal’ Kalares, which at the time of writing has now become a firm favourite. I like the addition of the encounter tables and a couple extra colour graphics help to increase the overall ‘value’ felt when purchasing the product. There are a great number of adventure seeds to be gained from the book and the introduction of an unknown alien ‘element’ to the background adds to the mystery. All recommended purchases and I hope the ideas above are of use!
In my next posting, I’ll be looking at the latest Quick Worlds releases!
Continuing my series of reviews of the latest Quick Worlds books from Gypsy Knights Games, number ’14′ in the series ‘Hiallt’ is based on a world ruled by an elected Duke, who is coming to the end of his rule. The book is available as a 16-page watermarked PDF from Drivethru RPG for $3.99. As in the past couple of releases, the cover features and attractive colour (raytraced) scene somewhere on the world.
Hiallt is part of a binary system and details of the orbital data for all the worlds are listed. The referee is presented with a number of interesting adventure hooks how to get the players involved in the political intrigue on the world and the change this brings, for example, through subterfuge or more direct means such as a mercenary ticket.
The populace has some interesting views on pre-marriage ‘relations’ and does present a few adventure ideas for getting involved in a little smuggling of ahem, eg. ‘video material’. Note that the government does monitor its people and the chances of getting caught are high…
I noticed a few typo’s and the graphic on page 3, depicting a Saturn-type world with rings, looked odd. The rings have hard black concentric stripes and had a distinct curved edge, rather than something ‘flatter’ and more transparent. This doesn’t look right and took the edge off what is otherwise a decent image. I won’t criticise too much though, I’ve personally been down the road of trying to create flat ring systems around worlds in Bryce and it ain’t that easy! Something that is also a bit strange, is the large feature mentioned in the Hiallt description. The ‘Grand Desert’ is described, but the name of the desert is missing from the colour map. An oversight perhaps?
Other than these minor quibbles, the book has a lot of interesting content and settings for adventures. This is a good product and (what is now becoming usual for me doing these reviews), did get me thinking how I could adapt it for an adventure or two.
I would have like to have seen a rumours page listing some stories or background of what could exist in the Grand Desert. A couple of suggestions are listed below;
Image copyright: Mi9 / Kevin Reinwald
As Hiallt has a large agricultural manufacturing base, it may be suitable for the players to make a killing by purchasing cheap foodstuffs on the Hiallt open market. However, just as the PC’s ship is lifting off from one of the downports, they experience some sort of catastrophic ship-wide failure and crash in the Grand Desert. The referee could determine that a great deal of their foodstuffs and equipment has been wrecked. They have a limited amount of time before their survival is threatened; however there is a mysterious object not far from their location, seen glinting in the sun so its up to the party to investigate, if they are to survive…
Whilst the PCs are leaving Hiallt, a recent massive sandstorm reveals the shape of a derelict spacecraft (or other unusual object – a secret base perhaps?) which can be spotted from the air. Over to the players to investigate!
Overall, there is a lot to be gotten from this book and I can see a referee using it for some time. Well worth a purchase!
By the way, Quick Worlds 16: Serapis has just been released on Drivethru RPG – review to follow soon!
I’m going to be reviewing the latest three releases from ‘Gypsy Knights Games’ in their ‘Quick Worlds’ series in the next few postings, starting with ‘Quick Worlds 13: Chennai’.
Available as a watermarked PDF from Drivethru RPG for $3.99, the book contains 14 pages including the cover and 2 pages for the copyright / licensing information.
The book follows the now familiar format from the other Quick Worlds series, broken down into system details and diagram, planetary information, map of the world itself, population and adventure hooks. The text is well-laid out and easy to read, aside from one ‘snaking’ table (something which I’ve noticed has occasionally appeared in other products), I did not notice any typo’s.
There are no images inside the book, but its content does not suffer from this. The cover is attractive and colourful from Can Stock photo, featuring a spacecraft lifting off from Chennai and moons in the background. I feel that as more publications appear from the Gypsy Knights stable, the overall ‘feel’ of quality is getting better and choice of images help draw the readers eyes to the book.
This book favours characters and parties that can think and actual role playing. This is not a ‘shoot first, ask questions later’ type of adventure, unless they never want to come back to the planet! A degree of interaction is needed to get this most from this book, initially I struggled to come up with my own adventure seeds, but there are some good ones later in the book if you do get stuck for ideas.
However, after a little thought, this led me on to one of my own adventure hooks, where one of the party is sentenced to hard labour for a minor indiscretion. Because the citizenry are very law-abiding, thus could challenge the party to break out their colleague as there is an increased risk of being turned in to the authorities, or suspicious talk about the PC’s movements.
Another adventure hook I came up with set in the Chennai system, where mentioned at the start of the book, starships can stop off at the gas giants for refuelling. The most distant world in the Chennai system has a small research station located there, perhaps during a routine refuelling stop, the PC’s ship picks up a distress call or message that leads them to investigate an something quite unsavoury…
Something that I am gradually getting used to with the Quick Worlds products, is that to get the most out of the purchase, read the book very carefully! Close reading brings rewards and hints of adventure seeds for the Traveller referee! Though initially I wasn’t sure I was going to take to it, I enjoyed reading Chennai and can recommend it to other Traveller referees.
