RIP R.A. Montgomery

http://www.cyoa.com/pages/r-a-montgomery-1936-2014

The man responsible for the Choose Your Own Adventure series passed away. I have to say, he was very influential to me. Without his books, it's quite likely I would have quit gaming when I was a kid. He really helped me visualize what adventures were all about.

Still haven't picked up 5e yet

Most of the reviews of 5e that I have seen have been pretty positive. I've flipped through the Players Handbook and it did look pretty good. I haven't seen the DMG or MM yet, and I'm kind of hoping there will be a discounted set of all three books before I actually buy in.

It's kind of weird, as I bought 3e, 3.5, and 4e all on the day they were first available, and had read them within a week after that. I just really don't have that fire anymore. Maybe I'm just getting too old for this stuff. :)

5e DMG preview

Bushi D6 updated

I've updated Bushi D6  for those of you that are interested. Added in some more NPCs, fixed a bunch of minor errata, a couple new items, and other small stuff. Please let me know what you think!

Bushi D6 - doing some more work on it

I've been working more on Bushi D6. Just adding some stuff that I missed (like how the heck did I not include the yakuza at all?). I'm also adding some more NPCs and monsters, as well as more perks and complications. I've also added in a few more magic items (I really, really need to expand this section). I figure I'll be posting an update in a few more days, once I've got enough new stuff to make it worthwhile.

Dwimmermount in hand

I was one of the Kickstarters for Dwimmermount. I finally have the hardback, map book, and image book in hand. I like them a lot. It was a very long, turbulent process, but the final product is actually quite good. I can easily run a campaign for years with this book.
Parts of the dungeon are fairly standard, which is a good thing. But it also has a lot of pseudo-science/technomagic bits which work quite well.
The background is cool, and there are different groups of monsters in the dungeon, and their relationships are mapped. Some work together, others hate each other. If the players are smart, they could easily gain allies to help them.
The art if very old school in style. The book is big, and looks like it will take a lot of punishment.
Overall, I'm glad it is finally here. The final product looks to be very usable, and well thought out. Congrats to everyone involved in finally getting this setting into print!

5e sounds like it's going to be very good

I still haven't picked it up, but I'm planning to. From everything I've heard, 5e is going to be a very good version of the game. It appears to combine some of the best aspects of every edition. While I was not a fan of 4e as a whole, it did have some good ideas, like the wizard blast ability. I'm glad to see little things like that have remained.

D&D 5e Starter Set now available

The website for the Starter Set is HERE. It should be in your local gamestore and probably B&N. I'm not really interested in this, but it's only another couple months until the real game comes out. Looking over the Basic Set (available for free HERE), they are doing a whole lot right with the new edition.

The Wizard's Amulet for 5e (free)

Frog God Games/Necromancer is giving away a pdf of The Wizard's Amulet adventure revised for 5e. See here: http://froggodgames.com/5th-edition

5e and rpg forums

Rob Schwalb, one of the lead designers of D&D 4e, had a blog post where he basically says 4e catered way too much to the munchkin math geek crowd and he's glad that 5e is going back to its roots, where the impact of the number-crunching min-maxers should have a much lower impact.

Reactions to this blog are interesting. Over on The RPG Site, it's been mostly positive. A lot more old school D&Ders post there than you might expect.

The reaction on RPGNet is the complete opposite. They are raging about this. They HATE that he called their pet D&D version basically a bad game compared to its predecessors. If you have an account there, don't make the mistake of defending Rob's post, as you will probably get banned. (Not that the mods are biased or anything).

Please take the time to look through both. If you have only been active on RPGNet, I strongly recommend you give The RPG Site a chance. The forum runs a lot like RPGNet did 12 years ago. Mostly gamers, with little moderation.

Another relevant pic for scale on maps

It really is interesting just how small Europe is, but how huge of an influence it has had on the world.

D&D 5e Basic will be a free pdf (as well as a normal product)

News release is HERE. I really didn't expect WotC to release the Basic Set as a free pdf. This was a very, very smart move on their part! I'll still probably buy the real set, as I'm not big on gaming with just a pdf, but this will allow anyone who wants to to read the rules and learn how to play. This is pretty much the smartest move they could have made.

Dungeons & Dragons 5e Product Line announced

The big news is here in the Escapist: http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/134601-Dungeons-Dragons-Unveils-Full-Product-Line-Release-Dates-and-Details-Update. Only TWO months away! I really didn't expect it so soon. This is great news for tabletop gaming, and I really hope that WotC produces a fantastic game.

It's pretty cool that they are going to use Kobold Quarterly to publish the first available adventures. This could get very interesting if other companies can go through official channels to release products.

No RPGs, lots of anime and gw2

I haven't played in a face-to-face rpg in a few months, due to work, people moving, etc. Ugg. Reading rpg books really doesn't fill that void. Generally, I'm just doing more of my other hobbies.

Mainly I've been watching anime. Tons of it. It's amazing how many great shows have been released in the last few years. I wasn't watching anime for probably the last five, and now all kinds of great stuff is out that I had no idea existed. HERE is a copy of everything I've seen, along with ratings for each. If you like anime, that site is invaluable for tracking stuff and finding new shows.

I've also been playing a lot of Guild Wars 2, a fantasy MMO. Sadly, their most recent major patch has ruined the game for me and many others. I view it as the Star Wars Galaxy game-killer patch, but for GW2. If they don't go back and fix the trait system immediately, I suspect this game will be completely dead in a couple months. It's too bad, because there was nothing wrong with the original Trait system.

Wanted: Black Lagoon rpg

I recently have been watching the anime Black Lagoon. It is about a group of mercenary smugglers in an imaginary city named Roanapur in Thailand, set during the 80s. They have a PT boat, and engage in piracy and other unsavory jobs for money.

The main characters are basically action heroes, with many goons to fight. There is a ton of death, but the really talented guys might get shot up and even hurt badly, but are basically safe from true death.

Roanapur is run by the Triads, the Russian mob, La Cosa Nostra, the Colombians, and other smaller groups. It is incredibly dangerous.

It's also the perfect setting for a modern game of something like Shadowrun but without magic, cybernetics, and metahumans. I'd love to see a sourcebook detailing everything.

A system like D6 or even a game based on some of the liter OSR games would probably work perfectly. Heck, using just the base rules of Shadowrun would be ok, though a bit heavier than I prefer these days. Gurps Lite is a good candidate, as well.

Dave Trampier passed away

Dave was an artist at TSR, and if you've seen the original 1e Players Handbook, read the Wormy comics in Dragon, or just used a bunch of the early modules, you've seen his work. It's sad to see yet another of the old guard dying. Rest in Peace, Dave. You made me laugh quite a few times when I was a kid.

The calm after the storm

After finally finishing and releasing Bushi d6, I seriously haven't touched gaming in the last couple weeks. I've been watching anime and reading books. Minor burnout, I guess. I wonder if anyone else involved with working on an rpg product does the same thing?

Bushi D6 - finished!

The third and probably final draft is available here: http://home.comcast.net/~danbuter/BushiD6.docx.

The map is here: http://home.comcast.net/~danbuter/BushiMap.png.

I added some more monsters, encounter tables, and a couple pages of setting info. Thanks for checking it out, everyone.

Bushi d6 - Neko Philosophy

I'm plugging away at this, and it's almost done. Here's a bit I've added in, after people commented that some form of Buddhism should be present, as it really influenced Japanese culture.


NEKO PHILOSOPHY 
The neko are not religious. They follow a Philosophy that includes tolerance of others, pursuing inner enlightenment, and living a good life. They believe in reincarnation, and that only through achieving enlightenment will they achieve oneness with the universe. They strongly believe in karma, where good actions are rewarded and bad actions are punished, possibly in a later life. Neko are carnivores, so they have no issues with eating meat, and consider it a natural part of life.  

Neko know that the kami exist, but do not consider them gods. They think the kami are just a different facet of the world. Many humans have incorporated neko beliefs into their own spirit worship. As with all things, some neko follow the tenets of their Philosophy more strictly than others. Quite a few neko don’t really believe in it, and generally just do what they want to accumulate personal power in this life.
 

Aaron Allston passed away

Aaron Allston passed away at the age of 54. He was a fantastic game designer and author. Stuff he wrote that I love include the D&D Rules Cyclopedia, The Grand Duchy of Karameikos, and a ton of Hero books. His Star Wars novels were also pretty darn good. Rest in Peace, and thanks for all of the great works you did.

His website: http://www.aaronallston.com/

Bushi d6 - Encounters

I've been slacking. Anyways, here are some preliminary encounters I'm adding in. Most, if not all, will be flushed out a little more, though not too much. 

Encounters 

1. A wandering samurai challenges the player to a duel. He is young and inexperienced, and he has a powerful father. 
2. Bandits are attacking local farmers. They ask the players for help. 
3. An evil sorceress has spread a plague in the town. The players must find her and make her end the disease. 
4. The samurai’s lord wants the player to escort his daughter to a neighboring lord for marriage. She isn’t interested, and another lord wants to stop the wedding, through any means necessary. 
5. Something has been kidnapping local children. A local priest thinks it might be a kappa from a nearby lake. 
6. A beautiful woman asks the samurai for help. If he follows her, she leads him to a secluded area and tries to kill him. She is a ninja hired by an enemy lord. 
7. A sinkhole has opened up in a corner of a town. It has exposed some of the underworld, and bakemono and oni will begin terrorizing the area. 
8. A neko philosopher and a human priest are engaging in a furious debate. They both turn to the samurai and ask him to be an impartial judge. 
9. A band of saru has emerged from their forest, seeking the aid of the local lord. The players must engage with them, and potentially help them in the jungles. 
10. A dragon has been sighted in the area. The players must get the locals to safety and possibly speak with the creature. He may be friendly, or he may be evil.  
11. The local river has stopped flowing. The players must seek out the river spirit and find out why. 
12. Dragon cultists are kidnapping people and taking them away as sacrifices. The players are tasked with eliminating them.

Bushi D6 second draft available

The second draft is available HERE. It is a docx file. Also is a slightly updated map HERE.

Please let me know what you think, and if you have any suggestions.

For final, I want to add in some encounter tables and probably some more perks.

Bushi d6 - currency revised

This is based on the currency used during the Tokugawa Era.

Coin

There are three standard types of coins used: gold koban, silver ichibuban (commonly referred to as ban), and bronze mon. There are 10 ichibuban to one koban. There are 10 mon to one ichibuban. Ban and mon are made with a square hole in the center for stringing them together. Koban are usually only used for large trade transactions, and as currency between nobles. Most people only see ban and mon in daily life. 

Bushi d6- Miyako and Gojo Cities

Miyako is the Imperial Capitol. It was formerly named Honzu, until Hunzu Shuzo became the First Emperor and renamed it. The Imperial Palace dominates the southern half of the city. A large naval and trade dock district fills the western half of the city. The rest of the city consists of residential and commercial areas. 

The city is currently just starting to rebuild, following the oni attack that destroyed large parts of the Palace and surrounding neighborhoods. Some oni and bakemono are still hiding in the city, preying on the residents.  

Gojo is a heavily fortified city. A large fortress sits on the northern end of the city, with a cliff down to the sea dominating its western side. Walls surround the city. There are large residential and merchant areas, but it is immediately obvious that the entire city is geared towards supporting an army. Many Imperial Troops use this city as their home base. 

Daimyo Gojo Shun spent much of his time fighting the oni before the civil war erupted. He was a stout supporter of Emperor Honzu Ryoto, and has actually put his backing behind Honzu Tetsu in a vain effort to repair the Empire quickly, as he believes the attack by Wu Jiao was only the first of several planned assaults by some power hidden within Onizan.  

Gojo has a long-standing rivalry with the Takashi Family, and that rivalry has now caused the current rift in the Empire. Gojo would prefer to concentrate on the oni, but if necessary, he will gladly use his armies to crush his Takashi foes.

Buski D6 -Samurai roles expanded a bit

THE SAMURAI

Samurai are the warriors of the nobility. Many are nobles themselves. As such, they have a number of duties as well as a number of privileges not available to the common peasant.

Samurai are expected to be loyal to their lord; maintain their personal honor and the honor of their lord; show bravery in the face of adversity; be proficient on the field of battle; and to be honest in their dealings with others. Not everyone does this, of course, but most samurai strive to maintain this code of conduct, referred to as the Code of Bushido.

Only samurai can wield the daisho, consisting of the katana and wakizashi. This doesn’t mean that a typical samurai wouldn’t rather shoot you with a daikyu from fifty paces, though.

Samurai can travel freely, though they usually only leave the lands of their lord if they are on a mission of some kind. Travelling samurai can have fatal accidents if they are in the lands of a noble unfriendly to their lord.

Bushi d6 - still plugging away

I've done some of the changes already. Still have more to do. Mostly the setting stuff like brief descriptions of each city and some encounter tables.

Happy New Year!

For all you crazy Chinamen reading my blog, go have fun tonight!

Bushi d6 - plans for second draft

Stuff to be done:
Fix a couple typos.
Dragons won't breath fire. Might buff them even more.
Yokai will be able to assume material form, but will become vulnerable if they do.
Either rename white wizard or just delete it. I'm not sure it really fits with old Japan. Maybe it does.
Maybe change Totem Animal to Shinigami (and tweak it a bit), instead of having Shinigami as a spell.
Give a synopsis of Bushido.
Make a disadvantage of Peasant.
In Samurai Roles, give a brief synopsis of the duties and powers of a samurai, especially with regard to social standing.
Add in some encouter tables.
More info on each city and Family.

BushiD6 - first draft now available

Here's the FIRST DRAFT . It's a docx file, so anyone who is interested can make changes to suit their personal game.

I'd love feedback, especially for any noticeable rules problems. I may expand the setting in the future, but I think the rules are basically done. Please let me know what you think!

Bushi d6 - More new monsters

Tanuki*** Scale: 0D
Shapechanging raccoon-dog.
Might: 4D Wit: 1D+2
Agility: 3D+2 Charm: 2D hp: 36
Skills: Brawling 5D, Dodge 5D+2, Stealth 5D
Perks: Can Shape Change at will into any object, Claws (+1D damage unarmed)
Static: Dodge 17, Block 15, Parry 12, DR 0 

Terra Cotta Warrior *** Scale: 0D
Automatons of destruction.
Might: 4D+1 Wit: 1D
Agility: 2D Charm: 1D hp: 37
Skills: Brawling 6D+1, Dodge 4D, Lift 6D+1
Perks: Armor Skin (+3)
Static: Dodge 12, Block 19, DR 3 

Tsuchigumo *** Scale: 0D
Tiger body, spider legs, demon face. Eats people.
Might: 3D+2 Wit: 1D
Agility: 3D+1 Charm: 1D hp: 34
Skills: Brawling 5D, Dodge 5D+1, Stealth 4D+1, Stamina 6D
Perks: Bite (+1D damage), Tough skin (Armor +2)
Static: Dodge 16, Block 15, Parry 11, DR 2

Bushi d6 - some new monsters

Kappa*** Scale: 0D 
Water-dwelling turtle-monkey.
Might: 4D Wit: 1D
Agility: 2D Charm: 1D hp: 36
Skills: Sumo 5D, Stealth 3D+1
Perks: Breathes Air and Water, Armored Shell (+3 armor), speaks Imperial and Bakemono
Static: Dodge 6, Block 15, Parry 12, DR 3 

Kitsune**** Scale: 0 
Shapechanging fox-demon. 

Might: 2D Wit: 4D+1
Agility: 3D Charm: 4D hp: 28
Skills: Dodge 4D, Stealth 4D, Magic 6D, Etiquette 5D
Perks: Can Shape Change at will.
Spells: Choose 3.
Static: Dodge 12, Block 6, Parry 6, DR 0

Shishi Lion *** Scale: 0D 
Dog-Lion that protects temples. 
Might: 3D+1 Wit: 0D
Agility: 3D+2 Charm: 1D hp: 33

Skills: Brawling 5D+1, Stealth 4D+2
Perks: Armor Skin (+3)
Jade Aura (+1D to resist elemental attacks)
Static: Dodge 11, Block 16, Parry 10, DR 3