Weapon patterns, marks and mods, and the squearoll

This has been on the list a while. It was sparked off by a discussion on weapons in 40K at an old Outside the Box, but could work for all kinds of games using dice to resolve success and failure.

The starting point was the fact 40K is nearly 27 years old now, in which time a lot of the core weapons have been sculpted in various forms. Compare the original lasgun for the Imperial Guard - or Army as it was - and the Squats, cult etc. to more recent versions. In the real world, reflected in historical and modern wargaming, various modifications and variants also exist, and the same could well be true for other more fantastical settings.

Think about all the possible forms that slings, bows, crossbows etc. can or could take, let alone the range of melee weapons. This is true also for many if not all technologies in conventional science fiction, science fantasy and fantasy, possibly even innate abilities.

Near future wor*fare

When mum came back from the war her skin was on inside out and she was crapping through a hatch in her belly button. That was nothing. Last time she'd coughed her lungs up and if not for the nanopills we'd have needed to stuff them back in ourselves. Like we did with aunt Claire's. Hanging down her front like a forked bib they were. *Yeugh.*

We did laugh though.

But this time it was the baddies came off worse. She had a vid to play us and it was a case of your tote destruxor. She took out two bungalows and the playground beside the old folks home, and Mrs Moggins vaped the brick flats on Mill Street. They pulled everyone back when the 'topes came in.

'Topes? No snopes. We never opened the windows anyway these days, what with the smell from next door. All just piled up out there they were. Good neighbours. Plain bad luck...

Bzzz...

Old school tactical roleplaying - a simple core ruleset

It may be the best time since the mid-1980s to start playing in the expansive style of the early tactical RPGs, and a new golden age for production and play.

That said, there are still barriers to entry. The range of rulesets, supplements and ideas emerging from the OSR and beyond can be overwhelming, and references to past work and debates on fine points can be confusing and may be discouraging potential players.

This post is an attempt to offer a simple starting point. Purists may dislike it, but it may help the interested potential player grasp the whole and grow the hobby. It's not a full system, more a distillation of themes and a generalisation for the early leaps. I'm using a similar approach with a drop-in campaign at a local game store and it's helping no end.

All we really need to know to get playing is how to create characters, how to explore, how to perform actions and how to resolve encounters, so that's what this will cover.

Using your braners (1) - World-changing weaponry

I want to show more of the scope in the braner concept, so this is the first in a series on possible applications for gaming and in wider fiction. It's propluristemic content, meaning it's designed for use in no particular game system or setting, for adaptation as preferred.

I recommend reading the last post first, and maybe this one, to find out what a braner is.

The idea is that part of a transdimensional structure - whether a lode of a weird material, or a daemon, or something else - is coaxed, driven or worked into a device of some kind.

The two here are melee or projectile weapons, and the entity is assumed to be the edge of the blade, or the surface making contact. This also suggests the sheath or equivalent is worked to contain the effect, or a variation on the weaver aspect is used to activate it.

Each one has a few possible names, to reflect the variety of worlds that could develop it.

Vault's Call, Sibilance, The Exsanctor etc.

This weapon cleaves solid matter cleanly, as if liquid, apparently destroying all material along the path. In fact, each particle is drawn over a dimensional boundary (cf. whisker).

The weapon may cut through a barrier of any nature except transdimensional. In combat a hit ignores all armour and fields with this same exception. The hit is always treated as critical or does critical or maximum damage, and will otherwise cause immediate death.

If left unsheathed, the transdimensional part will pass through matter on which it rests or which it strikes, and it will continuously draw in particles from a surrounding atmosphere or reservoir until this is exhausted - to which myriad dead worlds and voids may testify.

The constant whisper of this flow may be heard, and the space beyond may be sensed.

Wail o' the Weft, Shreave, The Disenverter etc.

This weapon warps the current reality, removing or remaking existing matter and infusing it with strange forms from unknown sources beyond dimensional boundaries (cf. winder).

In combat a hit ignores all armour and fields except those of a transdimensional nature and is treated as if coated with a permanently debilitatingly poison, while the maximum damage result causes immediate death. Each hit results in a single mutation over time.

In each situation in which the weapon is unsheathed, that location or route is corrupted and may bleed; any entity later touching this point or line is treated as if hit. Where this weapon proliferates, the world may quickly become unrecognisable, even uninhabitable.

When in motion the weapon emits a shriek and ripples may be felt in the fabric of reality.

Hopefully this does make the possible uses clearer, or helps point a way. The last post has more context, and once you can visualise what's going on, the ideas should flow...

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Rogue Space - Splinter Shield

I haven't done very much for Rogue Space lately, so here's a field type I came up with a while ago inspired by the Shields Shall be Splintered! rule.

Splinter Shield

A splinter shield projector is a compact device based on the coalescence technologies developed in Oboric planar travel, initially adapted to the Chargers of Rrrn Y. It is often worked into a chestplate or pendant and converts kinetic energy into shards of matter.

An individual with a splinter shield gains 1 point of Protection against ranged attacks, a hit from which sprays the area with apical shards: for each point of Damage caused by the hit, the radius of this area is 5' and there is a 1 in 6 chance of each target within it - except the individual protected - being struck by an attack doing 1D3 points of Damage.

For example, if 4 points of Damage are caused by a ranged attack, anyone up to 20' from the individual protected is hit on a roll of 1-4 on 1D6, suffering if so 1D3 Damage.

In addition, if the total Damage done by a ranged attack is 6 points or more, the shield fails after the hit is resolved, collapsing into 2D6 splinters, each with the following profile.

                                                                                                                              

 Coalesced splinter      -     S      Brittle: one use; wielder loses first 1 HP if any Dam.

                                                                                                                              

There's a bigger, nominally Rogue Space project on the way too, involving the excellent Lithus Sector, and from here the Trippies and Orəq especially. I'll be trailing that soon...

Rogue Space downloads - Rogue Space news

Hereticwerks - Swords & Stitchery - Mik's Minis - TheFairlyUnkempt - Sam Z's Blog 'o Doom - Roll for Treasure - P'sE

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Rogues' gallery - the Orəq

Here's the next faction in the series, what I hope is a fresh approach to a familiar fantasy creature.

I've called them the Orəq, with the 'ə' pronounced roughly 'uh' to load the word with more meanings, like the 'ʒ' in Citiʒant. Like the Trippies they're written up for Rogue Space so should be easy enough to adapt to other rulesets.

So who are these, erm, Orəq then?

The biopoietic homunculars known as the Orəq are born deep in the earth on a number of worlds and have a shifting colouration believed to be an oracular quantum expression.

And what's that got to do with us?

At the GM's discretion, the Orəq may be taken as starting characters and/or be NPCs.

Starting characters: Origin, nature and lifestyle mean around 50% of the Orəq have the Warrior Archetype, and all have a further +1 Acquiring and -1 Repairing plus the Psionic power Clairvoyance, in addition to any powers usually permitted. The Orəq are sensitive to the presence of each other and their creators over short distances in space and time.

NPC groups: A group may include 2D6-1 Orəq drawn from 1D3 spawning cohorts, likely from the same homeworld; 1D3 members of the group will be battling for the role of seer.

Homuncular: At the GM's discretion, Orəq may be of any human clade, gaining clade-specific stats, modifiers, features, rules and options not in conflict with any for the Orəq.

Oracolouration: Once per short cycle, or following a major personal event, there is a 1 in 6 chance that an Orəq's colouration changes by a degree. The GM sets the incoming colouration, but the Player defines in general terms the significance of a first appearance of each colouration for the in-game future - the GM must then cause some interpretation of this definition to occur. Oracular accuracy falls further with distance from homeworld.

Technologies: The Orəq use relatively primitive equipment, but learn rapidly and borrow readily. All Orəq carry a variety of dusts, shaped stones and naturally occurring detritus and a means to utilise these as distractions or weaponry, as per the profile given below.

                                                                                                                              

Blowpipe, sling etc.   S    LOL* or alternatively Target at -1 to Tests next round    Silent

                                                                                                                              
* A Rating of LOL is one lower than S, and does Damage of 1D6-1.

But what are they doing here..?

The GM may want to roll below for each starting character or NPC group, who is/are:

1. ... emerging from a subterranean spawning complex, or an equivalent location.
2. ... trading, or otherwise offering skills, services or technology, likely borrowed.
3. ... acting as a mercenary element, possibly part of a precognitive strike force.
4. ... drawn by or pursuing an intuition, thought or vision, perhaps unconsciously.
5. ... gathering with a vast horde, likely preparing for or conducting spiritual war.
6. ... seeking others of their kind or a creator, or attempting to induce spawning.

Feedback is always welcome. If you haven't got a copy yet, Rogue Transmissions #2 is out, and Hereticwerks have been posting more of their own great Rogue Space material.

Rogue Space downloads - Rogue Space news

Hereticwerks - Swords & Stitchery - Mik's Minis - TheFairlyUnkempt - Sam Z's Blog 'o Doom - Roll for Treasure - P'sE

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Mantis tanks close in

Blight Wheel Miniatures are expecting a batch of 34 mantis tanks to go up at the store a bit later today. There's a list of local posting times here.

It seems to me there are very few unusual vehicle designs in tabletop gaming, and even insectoid walkers like the mantis aren't especially uncommon. In fact, it seems like a good time to ask - can you think of anything weirder?

I've got the urge to stat something that could use this model so here's a possible profile for Rogue Space. I've used the vehicle construction rules from December, but the mech expansion being developed at TheFairlyUnkempt might well be able to do the job better.

                                                                                                                              

Hektid ASW Mk. VII, 'The Creepy Crueller'

The Hektid Armoured Support Walker sees extensive use on the broken ground of the Eternal Fronts, often operating remotely at the whim of its Notwork cranAI. A response to the depth of current craterscapes, the Mk. VII bears a Morder on its thoratic mount.

C       0%     [0]

H     37.5%   [1]   Manipules (1 Attack)   [1]  Head + 1 Light Pulveriser   [1]  1 Big Morder

A     37.5%   [3]   C: -  H: 1, 1, 1  S: 5

S      25%    [2]   25' (ignores terrain to thorax height and abdomen width; 1D2 Attacks per 1S)

E     100%     8

                                                                                                                               

The profile for the Light Pulveriser is here. The Big Morder is a new Empyric weapon.

                                                                                                                               

Big Morder       H       Shells       as Shell       Indirect fire

                                                                                                                               

I've updated the footer with new blogs working on Rogue Space. If you don't know it yet, you can get the pocketmods free here and the book here or here; my old review is here.

Rogue Space downloads - Rogue Space news

RS@Hereticwerks - @Swords & Stitchery - @Mik's Minis - @TheFairlyUnkempt - @the Expanse

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40K OSR? (18)

The latest 40K OSR? update. What's an OSR?

Could be an Old School Renaissance, an Other School Renaissance or even an Optional School Renaissance, or not, and maybe the 'R' stands for 'Review', 'Revolution' or 'Revelation'. Maybe...

Colonel Kane's logo is to the right. If you use it, consider giving him credit and adding Tales from the Maelstrom to your blogroll for the inspiration.

Here we go then - even more of that inspiration.

• Big Jim at Adventures... talked more about Killzone Evolution, posted a house rules pdf and looked again at the wow factor and using GMs in 40K; his full interview with Loquacious is also up at World of Wonder, ...

• ...while Brian at A Gentleman's Ones covered KZ's missions and tokens...

• ... and the third full interview was Lantz, looking at the AdMech FanDex.

• Bryssling has hints for homebrew weapons and more on the Disciples.

• Overlooked last time were the custom missions and cards at Roll With It.

• Karitas at Excommunicate Traitoris has a three-way idea, with a H Mudd. 

• At Confessions... dwez has biomorph markers and looks at terrain setup.

• Zac's Gaming Blog has a second edition battle report, found via Musings.

• Fine Detail Miniature Painting posted the Necromunda video report that triggered the multi-system online campaign, as well more Necro painting and an ash nomad conversion, with the shrike, and a nomad long rifle.

• Loquacious also posted a Specialist Games-focused Top X with Von over at HoP and the very next day Von posted a thoughtful look at Inquisitor.
  

• At Kenzie's blog the action moves to a Deathwatch drop on the starport.

• There's a list of warbands and two mini reports up at Terminus Omega.

• TheAmbit has parts two and three of a Night Hawks tale; the first is here.

• At Warpstone Flux jabberjabber presented a Tyranid origin hypothesis...

• ... and Laughing Ferret has pics of a genestealer cult infantry squad.

• Drathmere at 40k Hobby Blog is scratchbuilding a Ragnarok - 1, 2 so far - ...

• ... Krisken at Scratchbuild 40K built then painted some Eldar platforms, ...

• ... Kamui showed a scratchbuilt opening drop pod at Creative Twilight, ...

• ... Rictus at Recalcitrant Daze put up 1, 2, 3, 4 more posts on Ork looted wagons, and 1, 2, 3 on the defensive walls, moulds for which are for sale, ...

• ... Apocalypse 40K gave us a look at a scratchbuilt Ork soopa stompa...

•  ... and at Heresy Workshop Will Wright made a salamander on a chimera.

• Scaling back down, Warhammer in Progress converted a demon prince, a great unclean one, cyberwolves and some cyclone missile launchers.

• More Nurgle at Rust and the city, where Cameron has some terminators and more plague marines, and looked at sculpting the belly plates.

• Brovatar finished the female C'Tan and a Necron overlord; court here.

• At Spiky Rat Pack izeColt introduced us to Skull Hopperre, a companion for Mutie Kul, and there's a new JB-inspired build underway, the Rifleman.

• And to finish, another Goatboy interview, also for ID at World of Wonder.

If I've overlooked anything this time round, feel free to leave a link - even your own work.

Update: I missed Ron's post at From the Warp on sculpting hair and beards, as well as this 28mm Inquisitor force at The Grim Darkness, of which there's even more here.

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Rogue Space - Flare ATG and Storm APC

A pair of linked transports adapted for Rogue Space using the new rules; Fenway5's core rules and supplements are up here, an A4 sheet each.

The combination is a development of the Nova Armoured Transport Gyrocopter, or ATG, and I've kept the naming related - the larger delivery vehicle is the Flare ATG, and the smaller vehicle it carries is the Storm APC.

There's also a new weapon, the light pulveriser, using the rather ugly implosive rounds.

It's all a part of the Empyre conversion, aimed at giving Rogue Space players a future human context, but one that's familiar, simple and generic enough to adapt easily; the main inspirations were probably the aerial crane concept and the Aliens dropship.

                                                                                                                              

Flare ATG Mk. Id, 'The Velvet Glove'

The Flare ATG builds on the Nova frame, replacing direct passenger capacity with an external bay for a ground vehicle based on the Storm chassis. Though designed for rapid Empyric conquest, the Flare is now a key suppressor in the Uncivil Discourse.

C     25%    [1]   Cabin (max. 3 crew, top hatch)  [1]  Clamps (max. 1 Storm chassis of up to E12)

H     10%    [1]   1 Light Pulveriser            [1]  1 Light Pulveriser

A     35%    [7]   C: 4, 1/S (Clamps / Storm chassis)  H: 1, 1  S: 3 

S     30%    [9]   125-185' (185' - 5' per 1E of Storm chassis), skims (clamp / unclamp - 1 turn)

E     100%    20

                                                                                                                              

Storm APC Mk. II, 'The Mailed Fist'

The versatile Storm chassis was developed in tandem with the Flare ATG. The APC is the primary variant and in demand in these days of dynamic civil resistance. The Mk. II is a response to the spread of heavy assets as a result of audacious resistance tactics.

C     25%    [1]   Cabin (max. 2 crew, top hatch)  [2]  Hold (max. 8 pass., front ramp, rear ramp)

H     10%    [1]   1 Plasma Gun (mounted to fire clamped, unless landing, landed or taking off)

A     35%    [6]   C: 6, 6  H: 3  S: 4

S     30%    [2]   25' (clamp / unclamp - 1 turn)

E     100%    12

                                                                                                                               

A note on design: I dealt with the variable load by basing the Speed of the Flare on the total Engineering of the Flare and an E12 Storm, but spending only the Flare's points; I then decided 1E less than the maximum load would be worth 5' of distance travelled.

The Light Pulveriser is more or less a Light Machine Gun from the Armoury supplement, but using what will be the standard Empyric ammo, the brutal Implosive Round, raising the destructive effect of a bullet further; the special rule shows the nature of the wounds.

                                                                                                                               

Light Pulveriser    H    Implosive Rounds    L    Damage recovered at half normal rate

                                                                                                                              

Make any suggestions at all, and maybe download the game if you haven't yet - it's free.

Rogue Space downloads - Rogue Space news

Rogue Space at Hereticwerks - Rogue Space at Swords & Stitchery - Rogue Space at the Expanse

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Rogue Space - Ammo, jams, armour and overhauls

I'm working up ideas for possible new material for Rogue Space, focused on adapting the Empyre setting, new technology and population centres, but in a roundabout way.

Given Rogue Space is rules light, I'm keeping the new material simple and fast, ideally not overloading the in-game action with extra rolls, but integrating it within the existing.

So here goes, a series of relatively modular optional rules for Fenway5's consideration.

Rogue Trader in Rogue Space?

To follow up on the review of Rogue Space last week, I thought I might run a series suggesting stats and rules for the system, for characters, equipment and so on inspired by other settings.

There are setting materials in the various free supplements of course, but the enormous potential in sci-fi means these are probably not what everyone is used to or looking for.

I thought I'd start with the obvious for many readers here - the 40K universe. Given the Rogue Space basic ruleset assumes a human starting character and lists light armour and projectile weapons, and the Armory supplement includes laser weapons, it's quite easy to create characters inspired by human Imperial forces like the PDF and Guard.

It also means there's a starting point for other standards, and if you want to run a game with a group of 40K players, it seems likely space marines in particular will come up.

So here's a proposal for a transhuman starting character in powered armour armed with an explosive projectile launcher, flamethrower, plasma gun or close assault weapons.

Review - Rogue Space

With HoP focusing more on RPGs recently, and Von's new series, I thought I'd review a good starter game for sci-fi wargamers interested in setting up a roleplaying campaign.

The game is Rogue Space RPG by Fenway5. It's rules-light even by the standards of old school games, which makes it easy to pick up and keeps the focus more on the action and less on the detail of the mechanics. The basic rules and all the supplements so far are free, and each fits onto a sheet of A4 and folds into a booklet, which means you can keep everything in a miniatures case and play in the spaces around battles.

The downloads are here, found through the image at the top of the blog's right sidebar.

So how does it work? To my mind very well. The simple rules framework allows players to try pretty much anything they might want if they can imagine it, and in that sense the evocative name is a solid foundation, conjuring up all kinds of images of pulp sci-fi and space opera shenanigans, kickstarting the imagination even before the rules are read.

You'll need to know coming in that there are few limits with a system like this, but a bit of work may be needed, even if only through preparation or on-the-spot improvisation.

The pay-as-you-go laser rifle

Have a read of this. Now there's a business plan, and a real piece of the action. But not necessarily for the taxpayers whose money is being spent, or the lives put on the line.

It makes me wonder why in games, books and films the protagonists so often team up with one power against another, whether it be a kingdom, a tribe of orcs, a cult leader with a private army or a rogue planetary governor and local forces. Surely if they were serious they'd supply both sides with arms, or set up a chain of armed interventions?

If the characters do have to use their fighting skills. they could always use the proceeds to support an expedition of their own. A one-two like that is nothing new in our world.

But then why wouldn't they go the extra mile - shift the suspicion and blame. How?

First, the 'heroes' could overthrow a corrupt power and set up a democracy. Next they could whittle the parties down to two and support both financially, then whichever guy gets democratically elected they have arm another power in the world - with weapons they supply - and make that power feel it has friends, comfortable enough to overreach.

Elections are held; eventually the first leader gets replaced with another. The suppliers then have that guy turn on the newly-armed power and remove the 'regime'. They top up the lost munitions on both sides and maybe diversify to pick up more of the spoils.

Sound familiar? Does a bit. Let's be honest, it is pretty old school, rather 20th century.

The Grisly Grotto

For last week's post at HoP Von recorded a video on what roleplaying is, and it's worth a look. When I clicked through I found it linked to a vid on Quake, a seminal first-person shooter from back in 1996, and watching more reminded me how good the design was.

This is a walkthrough of the fourth map, the Grisly Grotto, built around a flooded cavern, one of my favourites for the character of the spaces and the clever setups. Quake never seemed especially complex in how it populated levels or reacted to events, but the bad guys and locations were arranged well to draw players on and keep them off balance.

This is the PC version and as far as I can tell it's not using the DarkPlaces mod or any texture packs. Watch out if you don't know Quake - it's pretty gory, and could be scary.

If you're wondering why all that infrastructure might be there, Callin at Big Ball of No Fun has a lot of options, and for more cavern inspiration check out the links at this post.

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Things that go thump in the night

No pumpkins here. I thought I'd mark the day at the Expanse a different way, by looking at one of the scariest in living memory - Hallowe'en 1962. The world just scraped through the Cuban missile crisis on the 28th, but the missiles were still on Cuba for maybe three more weeks, possibly in Turkey for six more months and in Italy till some time in 1963.

The first and second vids are from the movie Thirteen Days. That mention of John Paul Jones in the second could be useful for gamers and writers looking for a plot. The guy reading a new language is the man in the third. He has a message for an autumn day:

"I wanna say - and this is very important - at the end we lucked out. It was luck ... ."

Those are expensive tricks. They don't make Hallowe'ens like that anymore, do they?

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Chaos dwarves, dwarves and a broad blunderbuss

Brian at A Gentleman's Ones has some classic Citadel Chaos dwarves and dwarves for sale. They look great. I like the later Chaos dwarf style too, though I know it's not everyone's favourite, and ideas like the blunderbuss. Interesting weapon in general.

I've statted one up. I used Gotthammer's FireZone, which may be aimed more at sci-fi, but can certainly cope with fantasy, and has plenty of options for weapons. It's a very well-made skirmish game and free to download. I plan to do some sci-fi stats for it too.

Broad blunderbuss

The broad blunderbuss is a tough, crude, ranged weapon with a flaring barrel and bore. It is filled through the muzzle with solid shot, whether cast metal or simple scrap, brick or stone. A black powder charge spews the mass a short distance across a wide arc.

Range  Acc  RoF  Dam  Type

  3 / 3"    +1     1       5     Jet 9/3, Reload 2

Notes: Range in FireZone is split into bands, with a modifier for each full band out from the firer; the first number is the number of bands and the second the length of each.

The blunderbuss also fires a Jet, and the extra numbers are the dimensions of the cone, a length of 9" and a width of 3" at the broad end. Accuracy here is a small bonus to represent the overall difficulty of missing. The weapon has a Rate of Fire of 1 and not surprisingly a reload is necessary, requiring 2 Action Points, likely to mean about a turn.

I've kept Damage low relative to the sci-fi weapons Gotthammer stats up in the pdf.

I hope I've not missed anything, but if I have, feel free to point it out. If you haven't had a read of FireZone yet, I recommend you do. It's here. Don't forget Brian's dwarves though.

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