Expedition to the Forbidden Zone - An Apes Victorious / Mutant Future Mashup (Part 1)

I have been enamored with Goblinoid Games's Apes Victorious roleplaying game ever since it came out last year and have been dying for  chance to take it for a test run, I mean... good god! An OSR "Plant of the Apes", and from Goblinoid Games no less! Count me in!

I'm also an avid post-apocalypse roleplaing fan since the 1st Edition Gamma World era, so I've been in love with Goblinoid's OSR post-apocalyptic Mutant Future game for years. When I first read through Apes Victorious, I immediately wanted to mix it with Mutant Future into some far-flung, post-apocalyptic earth, much like what you can find in Mutant Future, with the Apes from Apes Victorious running the show as the dominant intelligent species.

I haven't been able to find much of a local gaming scene where I live, and a medical condition makes driving unsafe for everyone involved, so I took to Goggle+ to hunt down players for Expedition to the Forbidden Zone,  an online play-by-post style game mashing up Apes Victorious and Mutant Future. The response was so quick that my poor group had to wait patiently as I played catch up to give this adventure the prep and excitement it deserves,

I have been known to enjoy a good dungeon crawl, especially over cold beer or decent bourbon, and some themes and genres lend themselves exceptionally well to a mission or assignment style format. By far, though, my favorite - as both player and GM is a sandbox, explored or otherwise, full of exciting locations and opportunities fir adventure. In the past, one trouble I've had with sandbox style scenarios like this (granted you have some objectives and a limited selection of routes) is not coming up with enough detail before it gets underway. I know it sounds nuts... a sandbox should be the easiest to improvise, right?

As it turned out, I was still trying to find the right balance of information. Not having enough prepped, or using only the broadest strokes to define setting elements, always made for exciting and liberating GMing, but it was also causing me some problems. In the past, I have usually waited until the characters engage with these locations and creatures before giving them more than the briefest descriptions and/or maps and stats in my GM notes. This is usually a good way for me to prep tabletop games. It eliminates too much unnecessary prep and won't tempt me to railroad my players to some extent so they don't miss whatever amazing things I've prepared. This also helps to slay the "quantum ogres". The problem I have had over the years is that I am never fully prepared for these encounters, and the game slows to a crawl or just stalls out forever while I prep the specifics of the situation.

For Expedition to the Forbidden Zone, the initial map the PCs have access to , along with its description, took very little time, aside from some trouble with my map making program (which persists still - apologies for that. I would have preferred a nice old school hex map, or even something artistic and hand drawn, but the vagueness of the one the PCs have now is fitting for the adventure). So I have my adventure intro and concept, a sparsely annotated and potentially inaccurate map, and a handful of locations, creatures, and other elements 

I wanted to exist.

The locations listed on the characters' map have all been detailed. Not to the extent of a published module, but I have maps, notes, NPCs, and more all ready to go as soon as the group hits those locations. I have also, in my own GM map, made note of many other locations the group can find ruins, geographic oddities, strange tribes, lairs of deadly beasts, etc..

I've always been more partial to larger and more well explored sandbox locales, but the smaller size and the incredible amount of biological and geological diversity within the area has enabled me to pack quite a lot into this setting. 

The smaller number of known locations has enabled me to do more prep for those key spots, and in less time than if I were giving less attention to three times as many locations. My GM notes contain enough information about the other hidden locations, lairs, and encounters that I can run those encounters without having to do much more than roll for some variables.

Also,  for the first time in far too long, I have been writing random encounter tables. I have a general encounter table that can apply to pretty much the entire map, and I also have random encounter for specific locales. On these tables are animals and plants (more on that in a moment)  but strange weather activity, NPCs whose primary goal is not to kill the PCs, potentially lethal natural hazards, and more.

Lastly, I would like to discuss monsters. Running a mashup of Apes Victorious and Mutant Future means that I have a basically unending supply of monsters, dangerous plants, sentient species, telepathic beings, or whatever else I might want. The Mutant  Future and Apes Victorious books have some great, evocative monsters. I like to create setting specific monsters as well. If the old imagination fails me, I can lift and re-skin pretty much anything from any OSR game meant to emulate BECMI mechanically, which in turn means I can hack up stat blocks from d20, 3.5, 5th edition, Mutants and Masterminds, and so much more. Yesterday, I needed Apes Victorious stats for a creature I ended up finding in a Pathfinder book. The Pathfinder version is a lot less twisted than what I wound up turning it into, but it took less than five minutes to pare down the Pathfinder stats and make the changes to unleash something terrifically horrid into my world.

So what's my point? What am I yammering on about?

I think I may have discovered - if only for this one campaign - the perfect amount of sandbox prep. Granted, prepping this still took longer than I wanted, but I think I've discovered a new workflow and some new creativity tricks.

Creating this area of the Forbidden Zone has been and continues to be insane, ridiculous fun. If my players have half as much fun on their expeditions, I will consider my efforts successful!

The Theocracy of the White Ziggurat

So it is Told

(An excerpt from the soon to be ready for publishing The Theocracy of the White Ziggurat.)

The people of Agaran were once primitive barbarians, living in poverty and in constant fear of attack. Their valley was a frequent target for raiders and would-be conquerors, and despite their greatest efforts there came a day when their future had never looked so dark. Drought and famine plagued the land, children died in the womb, and herds of livestock began to fall ill. The people begged the gods for salvation, and only one heard their cry. Ashun, wisest of the gods, took pity upon the people of Agaran and made wells and springs flow anew. Fields flourished, diseases vanished, and in return Ashun commanded the people to build a temple unto him which would become the cradle of their new nation.

In time, their work was done, and they looked up and beheld the fruit of their labor, and the glory of Ashun. An immense ziggurat, cut from stone of gleaming white, rose from the barren floor of the valley, and at its very top stood the oldest and most wizened of priests. The voice of the people rose as one and the heavens opened up, spilling light and thunder from the sky as Ashun gave his blessing to this new and glorious center of civilization.

Armies were formed to secure the borders of this new realm. People spread out in all directions, armed with new weapons with which to battle the atrocities which awaited them in the wilderness. New and fertile farmlands were discovered, as well as veins of precious metals and other resources. Villages soon rose up and the common folk began to rise above the squalor they had known for so long.

But all is not as well as it would seem. Horrific beasts stalk the land, and nefarious cults gather to pay tribute and sacrifice to foul and impure demons. There are many who desire the new found wealth of Agaran. Tribes of warlike humanoids gather in the wastes, and bandits and raiders plague villagers and travelers alike. Horrific and unnatural creatures walk the earth. Reports from individuals and communities who have encountered such abominations vary widely. Others tell of tentacled horrors, multi-headed beasts, twisted giants, and other creatures that defy description. It is said that many of these beings are in league with Demons, or are Demons themselves in corporeal form.

The high priests of The White Ziggurat claim to be doing all that they can, but even as villages petition them for aid the priesthood continues to order the construction of enormous and costly temples. The common folk are beginning to question their motives, but those that speak of such things too loudly are often sent to labor camps, never to be seen again by honest folk.

The Gods

Ashun

“He of The Many Eyes”

Considered to be the most powerful of all the gods, Ashun is depicted as a sun whose surface is covered with unblinking eyes. He keeps watch over the earth, seeing all but rarely intervening except on behalf of his most loyal and obedient servants. It is Ashun who decided to pass the knowledge of the gods on to man. The people of Agaran consider Ashun to be vastly superior to the other gods, and forbid the worship of any deity but him.

Zulga

“The Eater of Souls”

Some believe that those who die must stand before the gods and receive their judgment. It is Zulga who enforces this judgment. The souls of the worthy will ascend to the heavens in her arms, and the souls of the damned will spend eternity in the hellish torment of her belly. Zulga is depicted as either a beautiful yet completely hairless young woman or as a vast and amorphous blob, depending on what role she must play, and it is said that when a man approaches death she will come to him in dreams, revealing his eternal fate through her chosen form.

Rigam

“The Banished One”

Rigam is worshiped only by mysterious, exclusive orders and secretive bands of cultists. He appears in the form of various common beasts, a punishment bestowed upon him by the other gods for a crime which mortal men are neither capable nor worthy of comprehending. Doomed to walk the earth for all eternity, he causes trouble and wickedness wherever he goes. Some believe he possess the secrets of ancient and destructive magic, while others say he has lost all of his power save for his immortality, but in general he is considered the bringer of bad luck in all of its forms.

Inara

“The Mouthless Crone”

Inara is said to appear to the devout as a mouthless old woman, hunched and frail. She is said to know every secret kept by mortals, and because she has no mouth she can never be forced to reveal them. Instead she keeps them to herself, using her knowledge to mysterious ends and granting it to those who pray to her in visions and portents.

Mogram

“The Tormentor”

When the people have displeased the gods, it is Mogram who often carries out their punishment through disease, earthquakes, pestilence, drought, and other tribulations. Keeping in his good favor is said to cause him to focus his wrath elsewhere, and when disasters befall the land the people will often pray for his mercy. If he listens, they will be spared the worst of things.

Demon Worship

It is believed by the people of Agaran that demons were once mortal men who committed unspeakable crimes against humanity. Their deaths came none too soon, and their souls agonized for countless centuries in the belly of Zulga before the goddess could stand the taste of them no longer. She spit them out onto the earth, where they now conspire to corrupt and destroy all that they see.

Men who worship these diabolic entities come in many varieties. Cults have been discovered consisting of soldiers, farmers, and all manner of common folk. They are commonly led by sorcerers and priests, who seek to use the demon for their own nefarious agendas. Demon cults gather in ancient ruins, remote canyons, and other out of the way places where there will be no witnesses to the dark blasphemies they commit in service to their masters.

Shield Walls

I've been working on some OSR compatible rules for using shield walls in an upcoming rules hack I am planning.

I see the issue as having a few factors:

1. The actual combat bonuses, defenses, advantages, etc. of being a member of a shield wall.
2. The actual dangers and potential discipline/morale experienced by members of the shield wall.
3. The conditions under which a shield wall can be broken.

So, poking round some OGL sources, I found some rules that might be appropriate. Here they are, presented stripped of their 3unnecesary .5/Pathfinder details and boiled down to their OSR essence.

For the record, emulating huge shield walls is not the goal of this system.These rules are designed for smaller groups and to simulate phalanx styled fighting as well. I may add another section regarding phalanx fighting, or just add a little bit to what I have here and call it a day.

Shield Wall

Many tricks and techniques have been developed to ensure mutual safety in combat, but few have proven as effective as the shield wall. By drawing up close to one another and facing the enemy whilst locking shields tightly together, a small group of warriors may hold off opponents who greatly outnumber them with relative ease. 

Forming the Shield Wall

At least three characters are required to form a shield wall and all must have a large shield. When three or more team members are standing in a straight line and wielding shields, they form a solid line of defence. t takes a standard action for all participating to form a shield wall and a leader must be nominated from amongst their number to co-ordinate the actions of all. This leader must make a Charisma check by rolling less than or equal to his CHA on 1d20. Failure will result in the shield wall being formed incorrectly and without sufficient coherency – no bonuses will be gained.

Benefits of the Shield Wall

Characters behind a shield wall may fight normally across the line, provided they have weapons with reach or range. A shield wall may be dissolved at any time by the characters forming it. Characters within a successfully formed shield wall will gain a +11 morale bonus to all attack rolls and a+2 morale bonus to all Will saves and their Armour Class so long as the shield wall is maintained. Each character will also take up half the space he normally does, thus allowing greater numbers to fight along a narrow frontage.Each shielded member in the line has cover against r.melee attacks (+2 bonus to AC) ranged attacks (+4 bonus to AC). This applies even if one or more members in the line are threatened by an opponent, so long as at least one in the line can see the ranged attack coming and yell “shield wall!” 

Breaking a Shield Wall

A shield wall is automatically dissolved if less than three characters are present within it.

In addition, any member of a Shield Wall receives a +4 synergy bonus to Strength checks when resisting a Bull Rush attack, or to Strength checks (but not Dexterity checks) when blocking an Overrun attempt. - d20 OSR Source, needs converting to OGL use.There may need to be another way for cobatanats to break through a shield wall, although perhaps dropping the number of shield wall participants to less than three may be sufficient.

Toughts? Opinions? Should more cobatants be required to make a shield wall? Should the number be linked to rge actual square footage of the area? Are the bonuses to high?  Should smaller shields be alllowed to work in a shield wall?

Thanks for reading!

Free RPG Design Handbook from Hamsterprohecy

I discovered a great blog just a few hours ago. Although it's been inactive for a few years, but the Hamsterprophecy blog has some interesting tidbits of information in its archives. As a game designer, I was immediately drawn to the RPG Design Handbook pages.

Check out the The Power 19, which bills itself as a 19-question framework for game design. I've been spending the past hour or so going through my works-in-progress and doing my best to answer every question. It has been helping me clarify the focus and priorities of the games, which is what I expected it to do.

What I wasn't expecting is that the questions have been helping me to come up with new ideas and mechanics that hep to reinforce the themes of the games. I'm not trying to weigh in on the whole "the system must match the setting" argument; all I am saying is that if you do want to design with that paradigm in mind, The Power of 19 is a great way to get your thoughts in order and come up with a solid design strategy.