Mad Brew Labs

09 Ennie Nominee

The Ennies open up for voting today, and as many of you know, this blog was nominated for the Best Website category. I must say I am pretty flattered to be nominated because it puts my creation next to websites created by a couple of my favorite game designers: Wolfgang Baur (Kobold Quarterly) and Monte Cook (Dungeon-a-Day). Not to mention the big dog blog Critical-hits and the campaign wiki Obsidian Portal.

So after looking at the list of competitors in the category, I think it is safe to say I’m the underdog. Which is totally awesome because I feel like I have nothing to lose; in my mind I have already won by securing the nomination. Not only that, but it is a win for the RPG Bloggers Network, which has secured two of the five nominations this year. Hopefully this leads to a blog specific category next year, or not, if we can truly play with the big dogs. It’s open for debate.

That being said, I do ask my readers to support the Labs by taking a moment of their time and voting for this blog at the Ennies Awards site. The only thing better than being nominated would be having the underdog win, causing a major upset. I think we all love to see the small guy win sometimes (just this time it happens to be me!).

If you’re looking for a reason to vote for the Labs, I have several “selling points.” I think the biggest strength of this blog is that I’m not ad-supported, mono-gamist, or commercial in any fashion. I do promote products I like, but I don’t feel like I come away feeling like a propaganda machine for some corporation. I like to think I give everything a fair shake. So get your ass over to the Ennies site and make sure to vote.

Listening to: R0llins Band - Come in and Burn - Neon

Star Wars Saga Edition

I’ve never done any actual play logs here at Nevermet Press, and that probably will not change. However, I have been thinking about chronicling my experience as a Game Master. Specifically, I’d like to put some concepts of mine, as well as advice and tricks found on the internet, to the test.

From the Ashes

My gaming group has been through some twists and turns recently, suffering a lot of drama between and surrounding a few members. So it’s been months since I’ve played or ran anything (I still want to finish that Pathfinder Age of Worms game!).

However, last weekend I made the trip down to the backwaters where my gaming group convenes and we, the four remaining members, were trying to decide what to play. I had brought a plethora of RPGs with me including World of Darkness/Vampire: Requiem, All Flesh Must Be Eaten, Alpha Omega, Star Wars Saga Edition, and Mutants & Masterminds. We picked Star Wars SE and they picked me to Game Master.

First Session

I was wholly unprepared to run anything, but after a relatively quick character creation session, I managed to craft on the fly a decent beginning to a swashbuckling space adventure. The first lesson the players learned was that having everyone play a Jedi left huge gaps in skills that I made fairly important (like mechanics and pilot). The second lesson was that huge breaches in a ship’s hull are lethal.

I’d like everyone to be able to play a Jedi, because that is 99% of the reason to play in the Star Wars universe! So in light of the skills gap, I am considering letting everyone create a second, non-Jedi character.

7 Ps of Game Mastering

Proper Prior Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance. Ok, I ripped that out my good ol’ days of being enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps, but it is applicable. I am pretty freakin’ decent at improvising a story on the fly, but I think I’m even better when I have had an opportunity to plan things out.

I began jotting down notes from the previous session, trying to remember all those fictitious names I spouted out at random and then I fleshed out the PCs’ current location, gave myself a few NPCs to work with, and made notes about the local attraction (which is where much of the “adventure” will occur).

These things are not detailed, but it gives me enough information that I can easily extrapolate at the table. It also prevents me from confusing which made-up-name guy did what. I also like to jot down about 3-4 adventure hooks per location, and work in characters and elements related to those things throughout the course of the PCs’ time at those locations.

Campaign Charter

I also decided to create a Campaign Charter, which is my fancy version of one of those social contracts that received a decent amount of attention on the RPG Blogs last year (well, that is at least when I read the most about them). If you would like to read more about social contracts, I recommend RPG Athenaeum’s social contract article.

I should note that I do not call mine a contract, because that word carries with it a lot of negative connotations. I consider it a set of guidelines that we all agree to uphold during the course of the campaign. So basically, it just makes it easier for me to kill things that bog-down gameplay.

Download the Campaign Charter

Play Style

The first order of business in the downtime between sessions this week was to determine what kind of play style I wanted to support: story-driven or location-based. I’m opting for a hybrid method by actually including plots in my sandbox.

I am a huge fan of sandbox style play, in that the players can choose their adventure instead of being spoon-fed a story. However, making the Star Wars universe a sandbox sounds like a monumental task for a GM. So I’m taking an easy route by creating several locations that can be fitted onto almost any planet.  I’m creating locations with themes: jungle, urban, desert, frozen, starship, space station, asteroid, lava, gaseous, and underwater. It’s still a ton of work, but it’s manageable.

On the other hand, I also enjoy epic stories and the Star Wars universe was built upon one of the most epic and memorable stories ever. So having a SWSE game without an opportunity to partake in some enormous, galaxy shaking plot doesn’t seem right. So, I plan on weaving several meta-plots through campaign. The players can decide if they act on any or all parts of it; regardless, there will be consequences either way.

Reflect

So, in the future, I plan to see how well the implementation of my ideas works.  I especially look forward to see if the Campaign Charter curbs any of the game sapping behavior I’m trying to eliminate. Look for future installments of this journal as long as the campaign doesn’t implode first.

Listening to: Nailbomb - Point Blank - World of Shit

Geist: the Sin-Eaters

Geist: the Sin-Eaters is the reimagining of the original World of Darkness game-setting called Wraith: the Oblivion. While the general concept of playing an entity that can operate in both the realm of the dead and the lands of the living are still present along with a smattering of terminology (like caul and [ecto]plasm), that is where the similarity ends. Notice how Geist’s cover has keys, but the old Wraith book had chains and a lock? That is very indicative of the difference between the old and the new.

This is a good thing, because the new setting is pretty damn good in its own right.  The Atomic Array was kind enough to give me a pre-release PDF copy of the Geist core book that will hit the shelves during GenCon. I’ve spent about a week reading and skimming the pages, mostly reading the always excellent short fiction pieces that bookend each chapter.

Premise

In Geist, players take on the role of someone who has died, but came back to life. However, it wasn’t without a price. When the character died a Geist, a spirit of the dead, offered a deal to be returned to life if the person also allowed the Geist within them. This gives the character extraordinary powers, but also causes them to truly become someone other than they were as the process merges the two entities.

Every Geist was sensitive to the supernatural before their death, so they are not wholly unprepared. But now they have been given a new lease on life, strange powers, new motivations, the ability to walk in both worlds, and presented with new challenges. How these characters meet these new challenges with the knowledge of death is what a Geist chronicle is all about.

Sin-Eater Template

Geist Promo Pic

Just as with the other settings in the World of Darkness, Geist offers a new template to add to the basic World of Darkness character that provides some unique new traits. You begin by making creating a basic character per the World of Darkness core book, and then apply the template.

Archetype

An Archetype is a more advanced Virtue/Vice mechanic in that if the character would regain Willpower from actions that are in line with those elements, the character would also regain Plasm (the Geist energy trait) in the same fashion.

Additionally, if the character activates a Manifestation (the Geist supernatural powers, similar to Disciplines or Gifts) in a manner that reflects her archetype, then the cost in Plasm to activate the Manifestation is ignored; of course what is in line with a Geist’s Archetype is up to the Storyteller to determine.

New Advantage: Psyche

Psyche is a measure of the strength of the bond between the Bound (the living person) and the Geist. Mechanically it limits the amount of Plasm a character can have and spend and maximum attribute and advantage scores (much like a Vampire’s Blood Potency trait).

Anchors

Geists with powerful Psyches require Anchors to connect them to lands of the living.  Destroying anchors can have profound effects on Geists as they lose their connections to living world.  It is very much akin to the Fetters of ghosts.

Plasm

Plasm is the fuel that empowers a Sin-eater’s Manifestations and other supernatural abilities (mechanically similar to Blood for a Vampire). Other supernatural abilities include healing and opening Avernian Gates to the underworld.

Synergy

Synergy replaces the standard World of Darkness Morality trait and represents how in tune a Bound is with their Geist. There are of course a new set of “laws” that govern what a “sin” is for Synergy. Example sins include killing other Geists, destroying anchors, and murder.

Merits

Several new Merits make their way into the World of Darkness. The first is Ceremonies, which are just rituals that can be performed to aid a character on his mission.  The next Merit is Haunt, which is a refuge for a Geist to restore Plasm or make it easier to cross over into or out of the underworld. The final Merit is Momento, which are powerful relics that serve as foci for supernatural power.

I hope you enjoyed the small preview, check out the book when it hits the shelves this August.

Want to learn more about Geist: The Sin-Eaters? Read on…

• Atomic Array: Geist: The Sin-Eaters (Atomic Array 027)
• Game Cryer: Review by Chris Perrin
• Flames Rising: Deal with the Dead
• Gnome Stew: Running Geist
• RPG Aggression: Rudis Review
• Atomic Array: Free Demo Quickstart

Drop by White Wolf Publishing today!

Listening to: Skinny Puppy - Rabies – Worlock

2009 Ennie Nominee!

That’s right; Mad Brew Labs was nominated for a prestigious Ennie Award in the Best Website category! I am pretty ecstatic about the nomination because I’m competing against some big names and excellent sites including fellow RPGBN member Critical Hits, campaign wiki site Obsidian Portal, Monte Cook’s Dungeon-a-Day, and Wolfgang Baur’s Kobold Quarterly website.  That’s pretty impressive considering the number of other bloggers and websites that entered.

I’m asking all of my readers, as well as the entire RPG Blogger’s Network, to go vote for the Ennies between July 24^th and August 1^st. I would like to see the RPGBN grab the honor of winning this year, so while it would be awesome if you vote for me, I think it would benefit our community if either Criticals Hits or Labs was able to accept the Ennie. If we prove to be the serious contenders we know we are, perhaps next year they will give bloggers their own category.

I’ll remind everyone again when voting opens up, but until then I would like to thank all my readers, the RPG Bloggers Network, my gaming group (what’s left of them), and especially wife and daughter for allowing me to pursue this time consuming hobby!

Listening to: Slaves on Dope - Inches from the Mainline - Inches from the Mainline

Pathfinder RPG

I’m anticipating the release of the Pathfinder RPG core rulebook at GenCon this year probably more than I have anticipated any release. Having participated in the Pathfinder Society organized play with the Beta rules and following the Paizo blog, I am really excited to see my favorite rules still being supported.  Let’s take a quick glance at what Paizo has scheduled for release in the coming months for the PRPG.

Pathfinder RPG Core

Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook

A few of my friends were also excited when we spotted the Pathfinder RPG core rulebook for 37% of the cover price of $49.99 at Amazon. That’s right, you can pre-order the Pathfinder RPG right now for $31.49!  It looks like it won’t ship for a few weeks after the release at GenCon, but you can’t beat that price (and if it gets cheaper, Amazon guarantees you the lowest price). That is pretty freakin’ awesome for a 576-page full-color hardcover.

More than 50,000 gamers playtested the Pathfinder beta, and when they released a print version of the beta rules for sale, which could be downloaded for free, it sold out at GenCon within hours!  So if that is any kind of barometer to predict the success of the final version, Paizo definitely has a runaway hit on their hands.

Game Bestiary

PRPG Bestiary

Of course, technically, the Pathfinder RPG is backwards compatible with previous Dungeons & Dragons 3.5 material, but who could pass on this monsterous revision of some 250 of the game’s most popular creatures? This 320 page beast might be worth it to read for the descriptions and art alone (I dig bestiaries from just about every RPG anyways).

Even the Tarrasque makes an appearance, and I bet even the beholder and mind flayer are in there, albeit with untrademarked names…

The Bestiary is due out in September, about a month after the Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook hits the shelves.

Gamemastery Guide

PRPG Gamemastery Guide

Perhaps the product that has piqued my interest the most is the 320 page Gamemastery Guide.  The Core Rulebook actually includes all the necessary rules for a Game Master, but this book contains both advanced rules and advice including “best practices” sourced from the Paizo staff and freelancers.

The Paizo website describes the book as containing “encounter charts, idea lists, encounter design advice, tips for using and adapting published products to your personal campaign, and top-to-bottom guidelines for building a campaign from scratch.”

Too bad this book is not due out until February of next year (2010), because I’d like to thumb through the book and see if there is anything innovative within it.

I’ve had a light posting schedule here because of my time is currently spent working on Nevermet Press (check out our free daily RPG content!), but I couldn’t resist the opportunity to share this info.

Shameless plugs abound!

Listening to: Bolt Thrower – Those Once Loyal – Entrenched

gamingD&Dd20rpgroleplayingdungeons and dragonsPathfinder

I must apologize that it has taken me so long to get around to finishing this RPG Carnival Roundup.  With side projects like Nevermet Press, I didn’t get around to posting as many contributions as I had planned!  Of course, that could be one more contribution, as the site definitely has some Steampunk flavor in the design.

I would like to extend an enthusiastic thanks to everyone who participated and remind everyone that Chris Tregenza at 6d6 Fireball is hosting this month’s RPG Blog Carnival with the topic being the 800 lb. gorilla of D&D.  So make sure you check out what is happening this month.

Roleplaying Pro shows us where to find some inspiriate with the Steamboy animation and touches on some popular games that incorporate steampunk elements such as Deadlands and Unhallowed Metropolis.

Robertson Games offers 4 optional rulse for using firearms in your D&D game: Hit Point/Stamina Loss (with open-ended damage), armor penetration, knock-down, and re-loading. [sorry I missed this the first time around!]

The Dice Bag delves into fond memories of a bloodthirsty Tinker Gnome (of the steampunk influenced Tinkers from Dragonlance) and his evil pain inducing inventions and how WoW marginalized the cool aspects of these gnomes.

6d6 Fireball talks about how his vision of steampunk cannot exist without the British Empire.  From Babbage’s difference engine to British rails, British ingenuity ruled the Victorian day.

Whitehall ParaIndustries weighs in on Steampunk, and why he has never been attracted to what he sees as an often ugly genre.  Gleichman asks for Steampunk fiction recommendations; I would try Whitechapel Gods, The Difference Engine, Perdido Street Station, and if you like comics, check out BattleChasers.

Compromise & Conceit is an entire blog dedicated to chronicling the adventures in a campaign world in which the steam age merged into magic based on infernal conjuring. It is set in 18th century America during the Revolutionary War and is a great read.

Fame & Fortune enlightens readers on the punk side of steampunk and how the eras that it draws upon for inspiration were times of massive social upheaval and change that were created as a by product of the Industrial Revolution.

Gaming Brouhaha highlights his favorite steampunk setting, Iron Kingdoms (which I am a HUGE fan of too, so double awesome!).  If you’re looking for a new setting, you should definitely read MJ’s spotlight on Iron Kingdoms.

MJ also notes that there is a new e-zine for the iPhone/iPod Touch published by Steampulp Publishing. It emulates “the style of the pulp adventure magazines of the 1920s and ’30s, Steampunk Tales #1 contains first-run and original fiction written by an A+ list of award-winning authors.”

Troll and Flame admits his dislike of steampunk but still gives us a campaign idea (plenty of Adventure Hooks and one line Encounter seeds) called Fantasy Rails inspired by the Iron Dragon board game.

Vulcan Stev’s Database discusses some films that could be used for inspiration while gaming in a steampunk universe.  He even wraps up the article with Van Helsing in the form of a Savage Worlds Wild Card NPC.

Aron Broder from Allgeekout, a Nevermet Press insider, details his idea for a steampunk themed superheroes setting.  You have to read some the character ideas, Victorian superheroes for the win!

Steampunk World, a blog dedicated to the genre, puts the punk back into steampunk!  He talks about pollution, violence, and the exploitation child and women.

A Wandering Monster, I pointed out steampunk flavored song/poem by Jeff Grubb of the Alliterates.

A Character for Every Game brings us a metric ton of steampunk posts (thanks for all the great contributions!):

• Steamworks and Dragons – 5 d20 Steampunk Books presents a wonderful bibliography of d20 books for any OGL gamers out there looking to incorporate steampunk & klokwerks into their game.
• Steamguns and Blackpowder Clockworks – Rules takes a look at how to add firearms into your burgeoning steampunk campaign.
• Steamguns and Blackpowder Clockworks – Magical Arms actually gives us a selection of several magical firearms to use in your game.
• [DragonMech] Moruth Ironbeard, steampunk cyborg showcases a level 1 character from the DragonMech RPG using a new class called steampunk cyborg.

Akronos World has created a Steampunk Mage paragon path for D&D 4e.  Check out the “Want some steam, punk” daily power and Invention of Arcana ritual!

Greywulf’s Lair gives us 6 custom steampunk Gadgets and Gears for Mutants & Masterminds.  The Jetpack Velocipede is definitely my favorite!

Advanced Gaming & Theory loves using bizarre technologies in his games and discusses the nuances of technologies in a campaign.  Did I mention he gives us an old school (AD&D) Greek Fire Canon!

The Gamer Traveler shows us a strange steampunk contraption he encountered at an event in Belgium, a mechanic tiger!  Daniel even talks about turning the real life inventor into a character in one of his games.

Stargazer’s World shares one of his favorite steampunk flavored comics, Girl Genius.  He talks about creating a Savage Worlds version of  the Girl Genius world and then follows up with a Savage Worlds version of the star character, Agatha.

1001 Bobs gives shares some excellent resources for converting the awesome Iron Kingdoms setting to D&D 4e, including stuff for the Gun Mage!

Creatively Anomalous explains his idea of the Otherwhere and alternate steampunk infused reality.  He also looks at incorporating steampunk elements into his world of Apocalypticon.

Unclebear sends three articles our way with:

• The Tinker-King of Klockworld Street urchins from Victorian London are swept into a steampunk fantasy-land!
• Gears of the Golden Golem a Biblical era clockwork mecha showdown between the Egyptians’ False Idol and the Israelites’ Golems!
• The Chinese CoalPunk Revolution In near-future China, a band of heroes fight to overthrow evil Capitalists and return power to the People!

Campaign Mastery details 7 very good steampunk resources ranging from Castle Falkenstein to Wikipedia.

I also posted my entry for the One Page Dungeon contest, Vapors of Colossal Death. A steampunk dungeon.

Again, I would like to thank everyone who participated, and if you don’t see your contribution listed, let me know!

Listening to: Vernian Process - The Forgoten Age - Zeitgeist

gamingSteampunkrpgroleplayingRPG Carnival

Nevermet Press

If you have been paying attention to The Core Mechanic anytime in the last month you know that Jonathan (TCM’s blogger) has effectively closed shop to focus on a new publishing initiative called Nevermet Press.  If you have been playing close attention, you will also know that I am a co-founder along with Jonathan, which explains any silence this blog has experienced in the last months.

What is Nevermet Press?

Nevermet Press. or NMP, is a new RPG publisher that takes a couple of innovative approaches to the way we develop game content.

First, we offer a profit sharing program for our content developers instead of the typical one time payment to comission work. This allows us to contract with freelancers (mostly recruited from the RPG blogosphere) to get content developed without substantial, way-of-life-ending overhead while offering an incentive for freelancers to develop the best material they can.

Second, we develop the core product to be system independent and then invite participating bloggers (or even general websites) to develop system-specific components for the core product.  This allows us to more closely connect with the online community which is saturated with a lot of untapped talent.  This mutually beneficial arrangement should allow for many cross-marketing opportunities while also developing the skill and talent of community members.  Not to mention possibly providing stats for our excellent content for use with both the popular and nice roleplayng systems.

Daily Content

We are publishing one or more articles every week day on the NMP blog that can be incorporated into your tabletop game immediately.  Each element will be accompanied by a list of links that will direct users to the extended NMP community sites that have developed and are hosting the system specific content.  We are currently producing two-week publication cycles that focus on a villain with supporting elements such as encounters, organizations, equipment & magical items, genre adaptations (so you can use the material in your favorite horror or sci-fi games), and even original fiction.

Come check us out and if you have any suggestions or would like to discuss our content, start up a thread on the NMP forums.  Don’t forget to follow us on your favorite social network (see our website for an extensive list).

Listening to: Spineshank – The Height of Callousness – New Disease

gamingNevermet Pressrpgroleplayingpublisher