The Grand Tapestry

I don't claim to understand the Old School v. New School war's central division, and when I read posts about The Forge v. DIY OSR v. Indie, or Prog Rock v. Improv Jazz v. Garage Rock, I just wonder where my games fall along the spectrum.

The PCs are back to the Marnharnnan 'Megadungeon', a subterranean emergency colony of the Ancients. In the past, an endless stream of Runners (fast zombies) would emerge from a tunnel into the initial site, but since the Orthodox Wodic priests have been brought on site, that problem has been brought under better control.

My original sketch from the early 2000's

H&S blog aside, here is a link to the Russ Nicholson artwork for the Urutsk Referee's Manual. It is the colour piece (although the b&w stuff looks pretty cool, too).

LINK

As I said in the blurb, I've had this idea for several years longer than I've had my blog, and seeing the piece come to life was really extraordinary and gratifying.

The LuLu Players' and Referee's Manuals will likely be phased out when their replacements come into being. I am currently in discussion with the producer of an existing rules set as the basis of one version of the URUTSK: World of Mystery line, as I really dig the ease and flexibility of said unsaid system, not feeling like it will shoe-horn my setting into an uncomfortable fit.

Oh, and it uses d20. :D

Xudorn layout and Topography

Vrun Line Trooper-(Medium)[12" Move]
XP: 18 | 2HD | 28HP | AC 4 | Attacks: Bolt Rifle [1d12] | Bayonet [1d6] | Brawl [1d4]
--For D&D

1 [R] 1d12 -- 2 [O] 1d10 -- 3 [Y] 1d8 -- 4 [G] 1d6 -- 5 [B] 1d4 -- 6 [V] 1d2

Vrun Line Trooper-(M)[3]
MR: 18 | 2FD | 84DP | +1Def | -4H ARM | ATK: Bolt Rifle [R] | Bayonet [G] | Brawl [B]

---[Details]---
Troop Quality: Standard
Figure Type: Light Infantry
Specialist Training: Rifleman
--Concealment/Manoeuvre, Steady Shot
Advanced Training: none
Special Advantages: none
=Point Total: 10

Armour: Antagonist (Field Plate) [-4H]
Gear-
* Bolt Rifle [R], +1 Attack per Round, Long Range, 5 Shot Internal Magazine, Bolt-Action
* Bayonet/Short-Sword [G], Light Weapon, +1 Attack per Round

Recently, I have had the pleasure of doing a lot of online Urutsk gaming via Google+. We've had folks I know from the blogs, as well as many that I never had any idea were out there. I have met several players that really make me wonder what better sort of games I could have had all these years if I had gamed more outside of Florida (not knocking Fl. gamers). More than a few of the players I've run for this past week happen to be Canadian, and I'm inclined to think that may have something to do with it, but, this was also the case when I gamed with the really groovy Aethervox crew at Jeff 'Chirine baKal' Berry's last/this year over New Year's with C., and both NTRPG cons in which I've had the pleasure of participating.

It is heartening to know.

As Seen On Your Monitor, HERE.
--Here we have the same critter in AEDIENDI format

Name-(Size Category)[Number of 4" Moves)
HD: Hit Dice
HP: Hit Points
AC: Armour Class
ATK: Attack

Effect Dice-(Don't worry that's just for conversion completeness)
Violet (d2), Blue (d4), Green (d6), Yellow (d8), Orange (d10), Red (d12)

LETIUUMASI-(L)[16"]
XP: 325 | HD 3+3 | HP 50 | AC 08 | ATK: Musket 2d6 | ATK: Dagger 1d10 | ATK: Bite 1d6
* Special Abilities: Intelligent, Tracking Instinct Use: +3d/Day, 1x/8 Hours, Feral
Description: The hairy beasts are humanoid, but by adolescence, grow to stand as tall if not taller than the average Vrun. Adult males have been measured at over 13'5”, while females stand a little shorter on average. They tends towards the coppery-bronze end of the spectrum, but coats of dark sable and umber have also been reported in the deepest mossy woods. Reliable trackers of even the most difficult of prey, the Letiuumasi' long-barrelled muskets are most vexing. Even bare-handed, the Letiuumasi is deadly. They are rumoured to be a rogue subject race of the Abbekqorru, and it is fact that they are fully feral and only partly civil.

Google+ user Ulek Xek joined C. for the Thursday night game via G+ Hangout on audio only. Sadly, Greg Backus was unable to join us due to computer issues. We'll have to sort those issues out for the next epi.

Here is Ulek Xek's LINK

Name-(Mass)[Moves](ea. roughly 7')
FD: Fight Dice
DP: Disruption Points
Def: Defence
ARM: Armour STOP & Type [H]ard/[S]oft
ATK: Attack

Cd: Colour Dice
V.iolet (6), B.lue (5), G.reen (4), Y.ellow (3), O.range (2), R.ed (1)

LETIUUMASI-(L)[4mv]
Menace Rating: 65 | 3FD+3 | 150DP | +0Def | -2S ARM | ATK: Musket 5Cd @ G | ATK: Dagger @ O | ATK: Bite @ G
* Special Abilities: Intelligent, Tracking Instinct Use: +3d/Day, 1x/8 Hours, Feral
Description: The hairy beasts are humanoid, but by adolescence, grow to stand as tall if not taller than the average Vrun. Adult males have been measured at over 3 Msnk (13'5”), while females stand a little shorter on average. They tends towards the coppery-bronze end of the spectrum, but coats of dark sable and umber have also been reported in the deepest mossy woods. Reliable trackers of even the most difficult of prey, the Letiuumasi' long-barrelled muskets are most vexing. Even bare-handed, the Letiuumasi is deadly. They are rumoured to be a rogue subject race of the Abbekqorru, and it is fact that they are fully feral and only partly civil.

C.'s friend, S. was in town and she dropped by and I ran them through a typical 'get to know your island' adventure, complete with Mind-Controlling Sleeper Aelbaan and Living Ancients coming to realise what they thought was to be only 3 Weeks of Cold Sleep travel turned out to be longer. 90% of the stars in the sky were simply gone, replaced with rainbowed ribons and streamers of dust and stellar fragments still spilling outward from the exploded core.

But I'm getting ahead of myself.

A random hand is assigned to each player and the Demesne Hand. The house received 3 cards, while S. received 4, and C. 5. These were replenished regularly, and the total only went down. Eventually a rest spot was found in overland trekking and a new Hand total was determined with the house drawing fewer by one.

I'll skip the actual mechanics involved, save that I didn't miss dice one lick.

The battle with grotto fish people spilled out as a conjured storm helped to blot out the setting sun, as the fishies were not fond of bright light. A siege resulted in the PCs being sent out in search of a good camp for the entire community of Saltwick to fall back to. The fish-folk employed bio-weapons in the form of shellfish explosives and launched shell-dwellers, with each creature's bio-properties acting upon those affected by shrapnel.

Savannah animals in that typical close-quarters non-conflict where the prey are simply watching the predator walking by, glancing at them disinterestedly. No conflicts were encountered and the animals simply scattered or moved slowly as suited them, and the party (2 PCs, 3 NPCs) pressed on, choosing not to enter the cloud and mist-choked, rain-forest/jungle clinging to the dormant volcano inner slope.

So, then they found the ship wreckage and a nearby shaft leading down to the craft covered by layers of quick deposition sediments and ash covered by sod. Since the folk of Saltwick are/were civilised folk with Imperial Caste training, the PCs: Kether Medical/Survival, and Marrumi Ship's Weapons/Scout Services, and NPCs were not ignorant of what a bulkhead was nor that the door could potentially be cranked open.

Accidentally Activating cryo units, two blondes, and three dark-haired (2 males, 1 female) spilled out nude from their blue-goo tanks. Soon it was time for the 'older' Aelbaan woman to try and assert dominance, which failed, resulting in her death -- riddled with bullets. The three Vrun shouted for the other blonde to be killed, and the NPCs obliged them after she lunged either at them or the newly thawed Vrun-Ancients.

By utilising the cards the player/house is able to initiate conflict, or make friendly gestures, with trumping power evident by the comparison of cards. My old system from the '90's.

As S. is down from elsewhere, it is unlikely we'll soon continue, unless we run a G+ hangout game or something like that.

JR over at JR's blog had this set of questions one was to know a few of the answers to before throwing together a new campaign. I thought I would oblige them, and so I have gotten a few locals to answer J's questions:

1. What is the deal with my cleric's religion? --If you worship some particular god, don't be surprised if someone or something else is supplying part of the power that grants you those miracles. Othern' that, we here revere the Emperor.
2. Where can we go to buy standard equipment? -- Trading post or town Shoppe
3. Where can we go to get platemail custom fitted for this monster I just befriended? -- A local unscrupulous blacksmith, maybe. What do you mean, exactly, by Monster? We don't take kindly to no Humanoids in town, I tell you what.
4. Who is the mightiest wizard in the land? -- Wizard? Oh, that guy who fiddles with Ancient Technology? He lives in that weird old house in the back woods.
5. Who is the greatest warrior in the land? -- Well, Dahl is known to be able to take a ten-point buck with his coilstock, shooting from a tree stand, and Qavor, he once fought a Ousumyn with naught but a knife when it got hold of his youngest. We got lots of men, and a few of the gals, who's killed a few Dokirin raiders or muties in recent years.
6. Who is the richest person in the land? -- Which land? Here? Oh, the Mayor, or Mr. Basqon, maybe.
7. Where can we go to get some magical healing? -- Do you mean medicine? Oh, more than herbs, but less than syringes. Dunno. Do you folks have lots of 'magical healing' where you're from?
8. Where can we go to get cures for the following conditions: poison, disease, curse, level drain, lycanthropy, polymorph, alignment change, death, undeath? -- Lycanthropy is a disease? I think my grandpa had a polymorph, on his back side, once. It was just lanced and set over with a mustard plaster. Alignment change? Oh!, that's what they do to them buggies that don't steer correct, right? Death is just what happens: You gotta deal with that, son. As for Undeath...best not to speak of the dead.
9. Is there a magic guild my MU belongs to or that I can join in order to get more spells? -- You sure do talk a lot about magic. You feelin' okay, mister?
10. Where can I find an alchemist, sage or other expert NPC? -- Paertown is the first place I'd look.
11. Where can I hire mercenaries? -- The Guild Council rents 'em out by the hour, or so I hear.
12. Is there any place on the map where swords are illegal, magic is outlawed or any other notable hassles from Johnny Law? -- Can't righly speak to the magic question (Hey, Bahb, this Tsheff fellah sure is queer for magic, ain't he?) As for swords and the like. It best be a place far from here, I tell you what. If anyone tries takin' my kit away, they best bring an army. An' everyone here feels just the same. Live Vrun or Die.
13. Which way to the nearest tavern? -- We use shingles hung out above the door. See? We got a few, catering to different classes of clientel.
14. What monsters are terrorizing the countryside sufficiently that if I kill them I will become famous? -- Well, tell you what. We seen some Xurosen near Old Man Piters' lodge. You and a few of your tin-plated buddies want to trek up there and take a male, we'll throw you a party. That'll make the news in Romers and Kuaietville...maybe even Luxum.
15. Are there any wars brewing I could go fight? -- Hmm. Well, you look pretty soft there, but...hmmm. Well, get in touch with the local GC rep. Maybe you can carry ammo and such.
16. How about gladiatorial arenas complete with hard-won glory and fabulous cash prizes? -- We's civilised in these here parts, son. Torether may throw a few unfortunate Durnsmen into a pit, if I recall the stories, but nothin' the children ought to see. Humans too rare to waste on blood sport, y'know.
17. Are there any secret societies with sinister agendas I could join and/or fight? -- > blank stare < You with Mal'shevski?
18. What is there to eat around here? -- We got us the best pan-fried breaded Brach this side of the Stemford, I tell you what. You like the brew, too, dont'cha? You look like you like the brew too much. Haw! Li'l Soniahs will set you up for half a Count. Music's good, too.
19. Any legendary lost treasures I could be looking for? -- Hells, the whole place is littered with wot tech we need to get offa this soggy rock. Throw a stone out in the sticks and you're bound to hit some old treasure or doodad.
20. Where is the nearest dragon or other monster with Type H treasure? -- Type 'H'? I an't that learned about nothin' ceptin' Small Unit Repair, and a bit about Ecologies and Apex Predators my folks taught me. > nearing < You did say treasure, right?

Thanks Bahb, Manyx, and Throq.

I have read the eight comments on the previous post after having tweaked this and another booklet's cover. Here is a second go, although nothing is dead-final:



As to the nearness of release, I cannot speak from any certainty, and as others have said, it is best to deliver on promises --therefore no promised release dates. In short: It'll be released when it is meets my compromise between perfection and reality of what a first print, first edition product can be.

I will tell you that the product is not (in all likelihood) what you think it will be, and I look forward to reading the strong opinions about it when it is released.

Work on the final draft of the Referee's Manual will begin soon after the main release, and the cover artwork for that book is stunningly beautiful. It is difficult to contain my excitement. :D


I'd like to take this time to clarify something:

My 'devil's advocate' stance in the OS discussions should never be construed as one of antagonism towards the authors themselves. Like most of you, I have strong opinions, and when I am not with the stated majority, I imagine I am more of a grain of sand in the OS oyster than its shiny pearl. Yet, that's from whence pearls originate: an irritating grain of sand chafing at the soft underbelly of the creature. ;)

If I don't care for you, like Florida weather, wait a few minutes, as it'll often pass. If not, you'll know.
--If you don't like me, may I suggest you use your energy more effectively by doing your own thing more strongly to offset my Annoyance Factor. That'd be like producing a pearl out of a pesky grain of sand. :D


:: Best to all of you out there in Gaming Land

At the suggestion of scottsz, I have incorporated the Logo with the Mullen Cover:

It is a transparent background, that is why the text appears 'so dark'.
--It would be sharper against a white background.

Click it to see.

I was thinking of all of the adventures I can remember gaming on Urutsk, as well as fiction I have written for it, and came up with these locations and time periods:

The Marnharnnan Continent: From the Fall of the Ancients, through the Vrun Colonial period, and the years of play in Latter Autumn, and into the surrealistic dark-fantasy of the Winter Era.

The Vrun Continent: Pre-history, Spring Era, Summer, Autumn, and bits of Winter (7,000 years of history). From the Crystal Pyramid through hunter-gatherers; from the standard fare of 'mediaeval fantasy' through Sci-Fantasy of the war against the Aelbaan; Late Summer and Early Autumn's mass-warfare campaigns, cults, disease and famine; The Humanoid and Frontier Campaigns; the pseudo Napoleonic gatling-gun and cannon period of Consolidation; the rise of the Vrun Continental Authority and highlights of the First Tyrrhean War with its necroborgs and gas-masked cavalry sorties; Latter Autumn's Second Tyrrhean War and the urban malaise of capitulation to the People's Automatic Union; all the way into Winter's madness and desperate subterranean scramble.

The Black Crown / Marnharnnan Yirinn Empire of Bereme Oykh: Autumn and the Departure, and Winter's Discontent.

The Chaos Isles: Scattered incidents throughout Autumn.

Tuliri / Lhoman Border region: Late Summer and throughout the Autumn Era, especially during the Second Tyrrhean War. Hours and hours of miniatures wargaming took place in this region, as well as a religious insurgency on the Tuliri side of the border. Martial Arts action, Pulp adventure involving serpent men, and the rise of an Immortal.

The Durn Continent: Early Autumn's visitation by the contemporary Playtest Party as well as a one-off with a Big Game Hunter, his trusty sidekick, and a powerful Durn Holy Warrior versus Guild Council slavers; Latter Autumn's challenge to modernise, and the Durn Maximist Covenant's polite refusal of the PAU's invitation.

All of the above is but a small percentage of the total gaming done in the milieu, and fails to touch upon the exploration and colonisation of Aqmlk, the Red Planet, and its latter eras; the entire span of the Space Age with its Hyperspace Shunt Network and Dragon Wars; Alien worlds crawling with unspeakable horrors and confounding alien technology; and the actual Sphere of Stars built around the galactic core; and other bits and bobs throughout these past 26+ years of my cultivating this wild and wending garden.

What adventures will you have here?

Via

Netherwerks blog

Reprinted from Chirine's Workbench:

Milestones, of various sorts...

This is post 200, the little meter tells me, and I'm delighted to be able to post the schedule for this coming weekend's event:“Havoc for the Holidays!”

The long and short of the situation is that the military cargo of the schooner cannot be offloaded nor abandoned under any circumstances, and so the paddlewheeler captain begged the party to flee while the other craft did its best to hold off the catamarans while help was sought from Fort UuTudel. As the paddler (laden with passengers, but having thrown overboard two slot-machines) lingered, a flak shell was launched and detonated close enough to all but destroy its wheelhouse. Kitsune was able to effect enough repairs as to operate the craft, and away they went. Zalder delivered a few well-placed firebombs again, and rejoined the paddler.

Nyqolas discovered that he was not regaining Alertness DP, but the cause was not disclosed for some time. Osyl, recovering with the aid of healers sent by Lady Arctise, became conscious as what appeared to be a 'zombie leg' was sewn onto the stump of her right thigh, and all manner of bizarre things put inside (twigs, leaves, etc.), including what Osyl thought was the skeleton of a weasel-like creature. Upon full consciousness (around the time the flak struck the ship), she felt the weasel stirring inside the hollow-seeming limb, and at one point, the thing appeared to pop out and chitter at the woman. Shenanigans involving trying to raise one of the healers killed by shrapnel by sacrificing the eldest of the lizard-girls was foiled by Osyl with a Frost-substituted (Void)-blast that was very convincing. Nyqolas, using his Inspire suite of powers, was able to draw DP from those that responded to the ruckus and raise the recently expired healer. The attempt to sacrifice the girl was not prosecuted at the time, given the gravity of the larger situation, and folks went their separate ways. One of the healers was able to see a glass creature (like a stirge crossed with a su monster and a beaker and flask kit) crawling upon Nyqolas' body, apparently drinking from his Dynamic Pool and preventing him from recovering one mote of pwer.

As sunlight was fading, Kitsune spotted something on the eastern horizon, but it wasn't until the craft neared that it was determined to be at least 40 12-person canoes of Dokirin origin, seemingly awaiting a signal to row from the Eleven Sons area towards the fort which was clearly already under attack. With no real hope of staving off a concerted warband in the damaged craft, it was decided to circumvent them and press on toward the lock. Soon, the signal was given in the form of a star-shell sort of munition deliberately aimed low to kindle fires throughout the otherwise stalwart fort atop stout rocky hills.

Reaching Noud Lehd, the party witnessed a desperate skirmish battle fought between lock engineers and Dokirin war-scouts. A few DiVinci-esque battle devices helped turn the tide and the PCs' presence tipped the scales in favour of the Vrun forces. With the drydock available again, the paddler was brought in for repairs with the goal to reach the tidal lake by high tide still in the realm of the possible. Disembarking, the Party scouted the area ahead of the passengers, and was informed that a hidden entrance to a tunnel leading to UuTudel was to be found in the cluster of ruins at the far end of the dock.

I had used a combination of Heroscape tiles, foamcore terrain tiles and paper boulders made by my sweetie, felt pads from Michael's crafts store, and a piece of store-bought terrain for the ruin, and then covered the table in a sheet so as to minimise the Players' knowledge of the battle scene's layout. We fought the lopsided battle for roughly two hours of gameplay, with Zalder suffering a downing and unconsciousness at the hands of a third-wave Dokirin group. One of these had a softball-sized glassy sphere in his off-hand, and utilised it to illuminate the outer reaches of its radius effect, while the bearer was barely lit (the outermost region was brighter than the inner, ya'see?). Zalder had backshot that one and with the bearer's demise, the light slowly faded, but gave Nyqolas the opportunity to spot the downed Zalder (floating in the water atop the air-sled), whom he fetched and woke.

The last of the on-table opponents was defeated and the effort to begin looting the dead was initiated. Nyqolas picked up the sphere and failed a Control Critical Test (a Spells Save in D&D terms), coming under the gaze of what appeared to be a one-eyed Abbekqorru shaman/sorcerer who then forced a second Control CT, which Nyq was able to deny, but went unconscious in the exertion (burning 8DP to boost his chance to succeed by 1d6). The object was then pried from the now-useless-rendered Nyqolas by Kitsune, with a dagger and with some blood loss. As Nyq lay unconscious, the female sorceress informed him that her glass homunculus (on the Plane of Glass) was siphoning his vitality and reconstituting her body.

The decision to stay with the craft, or make the perilous trip through the tunnel to UuTudel, faces the Party upon commencement of this scenario next time.