Traveller 5 is out in the wild

Looks like Marc Miller has started shipping books of Traveller 5 to the pre-orders.

RPGSite Thread - Here are some pics and various posts about its contents.

From that thread, it looks like I won't be buying the game. I'm really glad that Marc finally finished it and got Trav5 published, but the game is very different from Mongoose Traveller, which is my personal favorite (though I did like the Traveller: New Era setting, its rules were terrible).

For those of you who are long-time Traveller fans, this is probably a must-buy. I just wanted to spread the word that the book is now shipping.

Rifts - books best avoided?

What books are best avoided in the Rifts line? I know at least South America 2 is probably on this list. I don't like the players being super-powerful, and some of the books put them on the level of taking on gods.

Stuff I currently have:

Rifts anniversary edition
Sourcebook I: Archie
Lone Star (mainly for the dog boys)
Mercs
Mystic Russia (haven't delved too deeply into this. Are there any ridiculous PC races/classes?)

Books I know I want:
Vampire Kingdoms
New West
Spirit West

I used to have a bunch of Rifts stuff, but sold it off. I regret it now. Most of the games I've gotten rid of are in better hands, but I still love the idea of this game, if not all of its implementation.

Rifts rpg

I wish there was a big worldbook for Rifts, but with no stats in it. Just lots of text and lots of cool art. Keep the era near the beginning of the setting, before all the Tolkien metaplot garbage. I'd buy this book in a second.

I used to really like the Palladium system, as it was obviously based upon AD&D, but with guns and robots and magic and psychics and tons and tons of awesome stuff. It really is my favorite published setting (except for maybe gray box Forgotten Realms). It's a shame the rules are so mediocre (they are not horrible, but they are not great).

A book without rules baggage would be great, and I suspect it would be a good seller for Palladium. Sadly, I don't think Siembieda would ever consider it, as he really does believe his system is the best.

Swords & Wizardry Appreciation Day

I'm sick as heck, or I'd have written up something new for S&W Day. Instead, I'll just be lame and provide a link to a bunch of stuff here on this blog that I've already written for the game (usually the White Box variant).

My S&W Stuff

Please feel free to use any and all of this stuff, and take the time to read all of the other S&W-related blogs out there (most are in my Other Blogs section).

Here's a LINK to Tenkar's Tavern, who actually got this whole thing going.

Thief-Bait (magic item)

Thief-Bait

Thief-Bait looks like a fancy money pouch. It cannot be cut. An evil noble had a few made. He wears them about town in a sort-of obvious location that a pickpocket can easily reach. The noble wanders through an area notorious for thieves and lets the pouch be stolen. He then leaves.

When the thief reaches into the bag, he must make a saving throw vs. Spells. If he fails, the bag shuts itself and cuts off his fingers. It also eats the fingers, so they may not be recovered.

If the thief makes his Save, he manages to get his hand out in time as he realizes the bag is magically trapped.

Happy Easter!

I was sick all week and had to work today, so I have to miss out on the family meal and all that stuff. It's also raining. Blah!

Invisibility

In D&D, invisibility is dispelled as soon as you attack someone. This is a game balance mechanic, as it makes it fair for the enemy. If you kept your invisibility, you cause your opponent to take a -4 to hit penalty. So it does make sense, in a "fairness" kind of way.

I was thinking that maybe you should keep your invisibility until you are hit. It makes it tougher on your opponent, but I think you being wounded would make you much easier to find, especially if you were cut by a blade. Not sure if this would make invisibility too powerful. Maybe increase its spell level to 3. Just an idea.

Warhammer art style

I really wish more games would incorporate the Warhammer style of art. Much of it is black and white, and it is better looking than a lot of color works from other games, imo. I like some of the cartoony or straight fantasy stuff in D&D and similar games, but none of it is as atmospheric as the Warhammer art (Planescape is the best example of well-done D&D art styles).

Stuff I'd love to see emulated far more often:

Wizard's D&D pdfs

This is kind of old news, but also a bit of new news. Wizards of the Coast has been putting more and more stuff on RPGNow: WotC pdf List. Some of this stuff has been made available again over time, after the initial big hullabaloo a few months back. If you haven't been keeping track, I recommend checking the list out. You will find some real gems in there.

Death Star Destruction

Luke, Leia, and Anakin. The family connection and the destruction of the Death Star. Coincidence? I think not!