Car Chases for Libra

Libra is a (shockingly incomplete, in retrospect) modern occult GLOG hack I made late last year. Now that I've started a campaign in the system, that incompleteness has become glaring, and so I'm working on a short series of posts to fill gaps in the game, possibly culminating in a second edition.

First is a system for car chases heavily based on this system by Ten Foot Polemic.

Cars & Their Stats

All cars have three stats, ranging from 1 to 3. These stats are:

Speed (SPD) - both the car's top speed and its acceleration. SPD does not affect the car's speed in overland travel.

Handling (HND) - the car's ability to turn and brake quickly, avoiding obstacles.

Durability (DUR) - how resistant the car is to damage and how effective it is when ramming.

When you roll a check using your car, pull Zener cards equal to the stat and have the driver guess one card that was pulled. To roll an opposed check, or to determine things like ramming damage or movement per round, pull Zener cards equal to the stat and read them (Circle = 1, Plus = 2, Waves = 3, Square = 4, Star = 5).

If you're using a regular system with dice for normal people, either use the stat as a bonus to a d20 roll, or add 10 to it and use it as a target for a roll-under system.

The Chase System

Chases have two groups - the Pursued and the Pursuers. The Pursuers start at the START point on the board, and the Pursuers start 1d6 spaces ahead.

On a turn, you pull Zener cards or roll d6s equal to your Speed and move that many spaces, either forwards or backwards. If you end up on a space with a !!!!, the GM rolls an Obstacle. If you land on a space with a line on the top, you follow that line to the arrow. (Both the line and arrow are at the top of their respective spaces - for example, landing on space 10 brings you to space 19).

If you are in the same row or column as the other group, you have line of sight, and everyone in the car can also take combat actions. You are 100' away for each space in between you and the other group.

If the Pursued make it to the END or START spaces, they escape and the chase is over. If the Pursuers land on or pass over the space the Pursued are on, they catch up. The same happens if the Pursued turn around and drive past the Pursuers.

If the Pursued are NPCs, they must immediately check Morale when they're caught up to. If they fail, they come to a stop and the chase is over. If they succeed, the Pursuers must disable their vehicle to end the chase. If the PCs are being pursued, it's their choice (though car crashes are dangerous enough that they may want to stop).

Disabling Cars

When you shoot at a car, either (if playing Libra) invert its DUR (3 turns into 1 and vice versa) and draw that many cards for the hit check, or (if playing standard OSR games), double its DUR and add 10 to determine its AC.

If you hit, a random passenger is damaged.

When you use heavy weapons such as explosives or anti-material weapons against a car, it is destroyed immediately.

When you ram a pedestrian with a car, draw both SPD and DUR (or roll that many d6s) and deal that much damage. When you ram a car with a car, make an opposed DUR check. The losing car is disabled, and all passengers take twice the excess in damage. 

Obstacles

When the PCs land on a space with an obstacle, roll 1d8 on this table to find what they're confronted with. These obstacles are meant to be avoided - the PCs are free to act in any way they wish to avoid them, whether that means skill checks, psychic abilities, or use of equipment.

1. A red light. You cannot move on your next turn, unless you want to drive through cross traffic.

2. Potholes. Draw one less SPD card next turn.

3. The bridge is out. You cannot move next turn, and your movement after that must be in the other direction, as you look for another route.

4. DUI checkpoint. You cannot move next turn, and the car will be searched by the police.

5. A car accident's blocking the road. Draw two less SPD cards next turn.

6. A drunk, tired, or distracted driver veers into your lane. If you don't do something, you'll crash.

7. Traffic jam. Draw only 1 SPD card for the next 1d4 turns.

8. You're stuck behind a truck carrying gravel, pipes, or other badly-secured items. Until you pass them, there's a 1-in-10 chance each turn that something falls from the truck (treat as a gunshot into the car).

Depending on your game, you might add extra obstacles - for example, supernatural events (awakening the Road Dryads, who must be persuaded to allow you onto the road) or post-apocalyptic disasters (pre-War minefield).

Sunless Horizon Play Report #3 (Campaign 2 Session 1)

At the start of summer, I started a campaign the newest edition of Sunless Horizon. It's currently on hiatus, but we managed to play a couple sessions first. This is a slightly newer edition than the public one, but everything should still make sense. The campaign started with the Response Engine, a funnel-style campaign start.

As a warning, this play report includes depictions of the following: body horror, torture, brainwashing, and violence.

The Players

The Instrument - Kahva

I - Mihau

You - Mister Kent

The Meddler - Xenophon of Athens

The four characters dropped into a humid, brightly-lit metal room, with dozens of large tubes attached to the ceiling and a heavy coating of thick, reddish-brown liquid on the floor. However, they hadn't dropped into the same humid room.

I and the Instrument had landed in the eastern Growth Chamber, along with a few other clones, while You and The Meddler had landed in the western with a couple more clones and something else - the Hanged King; a pale crawling creature the size of a bus and with a single immense arm, gnawing desperately on something they couldn't see.

While they choked and spat the growth medium, words projected into their eyes: Please move to the Activation Chamber for infohazard injection and psychological testing. An arrow pointed them south, to a metal sliding door.

While the Instrument and I followed instructions, moving towards the Activation Chamber, the Meddler entered a dilapidated side hallway. 

The Activation Chamber was a large room, with a + carved into one wall. Their headsets played another message: Please give the + your full attention. Both of them complied as a hidden projector played an infohazard, filling the room with images of authority and punishment, centering around a single fact: Keter loves you, and you love Him. He knows what to do, and will instruct you. The Instrument's mind opened like a flower, and closed around the idea. I kept looking, but their subconscious resisted the instruction.

A tube on the room's ceiling dropped two sugar cubes. Thank you for your cooperation.

You and the Meddler continued through the ruined hallway, only to find it leading into their version of the Activation Chamber. Both of them covered their eyes as the infohazard played. They could, just barely, hear someone screaming in their Growth Chamber.

All four of them then begin the second stage: cognition tests. A set of circles appears on the wall:

O

OO
OOO
OOOO

along with a one minute timer. After a minute of panic (and obstinacy on the part of the Meddler), culminating in the Instrument shouting "Ten!", they failed the test, and their headsets administered punishment: an electric burning sensation shooting across their faces.
As the second test (O + O, OO + OO, O - O, OO - O) began, You and the Meddler heard an immense crash as something tried to break through the Activation Chamber's door. Both groups passed the test, and were given another cube as the headsets instructed thank you for your cooperation. please face forwards for Registration and every wall flashed white.

The doors unlock, and both groups move into the single Assignment Chamber, meeting each other for the first time. This is also when Mihau's character decides that now that there are four of them, they need names: they name themselves I, Kent's character You, Kahva's character (now muttering constant praises to Keter) the Instrument, and Xenophon's troublemaker the Meddler.

Unsurprisingly, having a character named I and a character named You has wreaked havoc with my narration.

Inside the Assignment Chamber are dozens of opened lockers, and a single breaker box marked with a lightning bolt. The Meddler immediately proves how much they deserve their name by opening the box's front panel and flipping each switch, plunging the room into darkness and opening every door. Then, they sprint to the lockers and loot them as the others try to find their bearings, grabbing a set of clothes and a bottle-sized square battery. As I lunges for the breaker box, the Meddler moves through the southern door into a garbage-filled room. When I turns the power back on, the doors close and a snap echoes through the Response Engine as a door shuts on the Hanged King's arm.


You, I, and the Instrument continue to loot the lockers, finding three sets of paper-like clothes along with a gray nutrient bar and two 30 foot lengths of rope. The Meddler sees that the room he entered is dominated by an immense nest of skin, plastic shards, and rotting meat. Shattered crates, larger than a person, lie strewn around the room.

Another message appears: the Response Engine will be reaching a Black Zone in 3 hours, 2 minutes, 32 seconds, 21 milliseconds. please decelerate the monorail using the control center on the upper level.

The three in the locker room start to hear scratching, and a coughing voice.

"in... i-in, let in. cold, let in, alone?"

They recognize that this is the Hanged King, and are absolutely certain they're never going to open that door again. At this point, I makes an odd decision, climbing on top of the Instrument to give themselves a safe place to stay.

The Meddler continues to wander through the Engine, finding a room marked "Liquid Oxygen Storage" then returning to the nest room as the other PCs arrive. They continue south as they hear a crunch - the Hanged King shattering its own bones to fit through the halls of the Engine. This new room is covered floor to ceiling in sketches of stick figures giving offerings to an immense, one-armed thing. The ground is covered up to their ankles in rotting, maggot-infested meat.

Meddler begins to poke at the Instrument - who is Keter? What does He actually want? However, the Instrument evades the questions.

Looking south shows a message:  area off limits to A section subjects.

Unsurprisingly, Meddler took this as a challenge and walked right through the door. They could barely see more lockers as a burning, electric pain clouded their vision. This Assignment Chamber was damaged, however - a small hole in one of the walls led to the hallway with the two staircases. Both of them had blood dotting the first and third stairs, so the Instrument stepped on the second as Meddler looted the second Assignment Chamber.

The Instrument had, sadly, made the wrong decision and the stair snapped under his foot, dropping his leg into a small spike-filled pit. (The second stair wasn't bloody because it gets replaced every time the trap goes off. The first and third don't, so the blood stays on them.)

I and the Meddler rush to bandage the Instrument's bleeding leg, as the Meddler takes the lead upstairs into cramped hallway illuminated by a buzzing light. They check both doors - one has footsteps behind it, and the other has a crude drawing of a spear. They choose the second, finding another staircase leading upwards and a mural of stick-figures, armed with spears, fighting against masked people twice their height.

They creep up the stairs, finding another sliding metal door at the top. Behind it, they can hear the soft crackling of fire. They search their meager inventories for firefighting tools, then open the door. The room is covered in a carpet of skin and hair, with a dying fire and hammered pot in the center. 

After planning to contribute whatever food they could find to the stew, they listened at the other doors, hearing breathing from one, and a mechanical whirring from the other. They choose the whirring door, finding Driver B: a set of wheels in a torn-open casing, screeching as they drag the Engine down the track. There's two other doors and through one they could hear an argument. They check the unoccupied room first, finding a staircase, then pick up their weapons, breathe deeply, and knock on the arguer's door.

They could hear as someone placed something on the ground (a pole, used to stop the door from opening), and then it slid, revealing three Ghouls - fragile, scale-less, and bipedal. Two of them point spears at the PCs while the third, wearing a crown of foil and wearing an engraved sword on her hip, barks orders they don't understand.

In the room behind them is a computer console, covered in talismans and maps drawn on skin.

When a guard sets down their spear and moves to arrest the PCs, grappling the Meddler, the Instrument dodges past them both, grabs the spear, and hands it to I. A fight breaks out, where both the Instrument and I attack the leader, stabbing her in the sword arm with the spear and punching her in the face.

The Meddler pulls out his wrench and cracks his captor over the head with it, while You first attempts to grapple the other guard, fails, and overclocks his metabolism to act again, shifting his grapple into a quick stab to the temple.

The leader nicks one of the Instrument's arteries with her sword, causing them to bleed, while the still-armed ghoul cuts You's cheek with his spear. The unarmed guard continues to grapple with the Meddler, hoping to pin them. 

Round 2 begins: the Instrument goes to grapple the leader, but she manages to stab them in the arm before being immobilized. Then, I stabs the unmoving ghoul in the eye, fatally.

The Meddler continues to grapple with one of the guards, until they break free and crush his skull with their wrench. You lunges forwards with their knife, clipping the last ghoul in the arm and getting a stab to the leg in return. 

In the last round of the combat, I leaps from his vantage point to avoid the final ghoul's stab, as the Meddler hits him in the back of the head and the Instrument drives their spear fatally through his ribs.

As the adrenaline fades, the Meddler, the Instrument, and I come to a realization: they just killed someone. I lies unmoving in the corner as the Instrument gazes, catatonic, into the leader's empty eye socket. 

The Meddler walks slowly to the console, and listens to their headset as it instructs them on how to bring the monorail to a safe stop. Then, they bandage their wounds, and think.

The Instrument breaks the silence. "I thought... I thought He would reward us, and provide further Instruction. Upon completion."

I shakes their head. "I don't think the instructions were meant as a reward. I think instructions are provided only as long as service is needed."

The whine of the wheels slowly falls silent.

False Elf (GLOG Class)

(if i wasn't such a coward i would've titled this post "earaboo")

Flip Templates are a new piece of GLOG class design, where a single level gives you two template abilities, but you can only access one after using the other. So, this class has template A1 and A2, and you must use the A1 ability before the A2 ability, and then must do the A2 ability in order to use A1 again.

This is a Flip Template wizard, based off the four seasons. However, the flip does not come with the seasons themselves. True Elves will do that, but you are no True Elf. You are a thief, so envious of their power that you snuck in while they slept and stole their power.

Instead, you change because of the characteristics of the seasons.

Official 5e Art

A: Switching Seasons, +1 MD

B: +1 MD

C: +1 MD

D: Pinnacle Spells, +1 MD

Switching Seasons

Each of the four seasons has its Activation, its Cantrip, three Spells, and one Pinnacle, unlocked with the D template.

When a season is activated, it stays active for one week. If you have an active season and would activate another one, you can choose whether or not you want to switch.

If you have no active seasons, you are Neutral and cannot cast spells.

Winter

Activation: get frostbite or hypothermia.

Cantrip: your body temperature naturally equalizes you with your environment, preventing creatures that seek heat (which may or may not include Darkvision) from perceiving you in that way.

Spells

Vanish

R: n/a T: self D: [dice] minutes

Become a flurry of snow, vanishing from sight and flying low across the ground at walking speed for [dice] minutes (this flight is affected by wind), reconstituting at the end of the duration. You cannot be damaged by anything except fire, and if you are damaged by fire the spell ends immediately.

Freeze 

R: touch T: an object or person D: instant

At a touch, lower an object's temperature by [sum]*4 degrees or deal [sum] damage to a target.

Halt

R: 60 feet T: a 20' radius, or one object or creature smaller than an elephant D: variable

This spell can either target a radius, a single object, or a single creature.

If this targets a radius, all creatures within the radius have their movement speeds halved, and act in initiative order only after all creatures inside the radius have acted. Any moving object moves at half speed. This lasts for [dice] rounds.

If this targets a single object, it is frozen in place for [dice] minutes. This works on objects in midair, which will hover. When the duration ends, the object does not keep its prior momentum (a fired arrow will fall, not continue to fly). 

If this targets a single creature, it must Save with a -[dice] penalty. If it fails, it is completely immobilized and unable to act for [dice] rounds.

Pinnacle: Cataclysm

R: N/A T: [dice] mile radius D: [sum] hours

At one MD, the temperature within the radius reaches below freezing, and snow begins to fall.

At two MD, the temperature reaches into the negatives (negatives in Fahrenheit, or about -20 degrees Celsius) while freezing rain and snow cover the area.

At three MD, the temperature continues to descend, causing hypothermia and frostbite within minutes. The wind picks up, turning the rain and snow into a blinding blizzard.

At four MD, the sun vanishes from the sky. The temperature hits levels only found in space. Lightning strikes down through the whiteout.

Spring

Activation: create a lasting object that requires effort or money (building a chair or writing a poem counts, stacking two twigs or writing "hello" on the ground do not).

Cantrip: 

Spells

Heal

R: touch T: one creature D: instant

A creature you touch gains [sum] HP. If two [dice] are invested, this can instantly remove a minor Wound (broken bones, etc.) or cure an illness instead of restoring HP. With three [dice], you can regenerate mangled limbs and cure diseases. With four, you can regrow limbs and organs.

Bolster

R: 30' T: one creature D: [dice] minutes

For the duration, a character is supernaturally invigorated, gaining [sum] bonus HP and adding [dice] to their AC. This does not restore lost HP.

Animate Plants

R: 100' T: [sum] small plants or [dice] trees D: [sum] minutes

[Sum] small plants or [dice] large plants or trees spring to motion. They can be commanded verbally.

Pinnacle: Garden

R: 100’ T: N/A D: 

In a 100' radius around you, plants grow uncontrollably, no matter how difficult: in a desert, cacti spring up. Within a dungeon, moss spreads over walls and hardy plants punch through stone floors. The more MD are used, the larger the plants become: in a forest, one MD causes grass and flowers, two will begin to grow saplings, three will create trees, and four grow mythical plants that tower into the sky.

Jim Bahn

Summer

Activation: catch on fire.

Cantrip: if you wrap your hands around an object, it catches fire. 

Spells

Silence Weather

R: N/A T: one mile radius D: [sum] hours

For the duration of the spell, all weather effects stop, replaced with a vaguely-uncanny perfect average (partly cloudy, warm-ish, no precipitation).

Light

R: N/A T: N/A D: [dice] hours

A small pale yellow orb hovers over your head, shedding light as a torch.

Melt

R: Touch T: one object D: Instant

Steel, and anything with a lower melting point, melts as you hold it.

Pinnacle: Fireball

R: 200' T: 20' radius D: instant

Does [sum] fire damage to everything inside the radius.

Autumn

Activation: destroy a lasting object that required effort or money to create (kicking through a door, tearing apart a book).

Cantrip:

Spells

Shatter

R: 30' T: one object D: instant

An object smaller than your head, made of something no stronger than wood, breaks apart. Every added MD allows you to increase the size and durability of an acceptable target.

2 MD: an object smaller than a person, made of something no stronger than stone

3 MD: an object smaller than a car, made of something no stronger than iron

4 MD: an object smaller than a house, made of something no stronger than adamantium.

Feather Fall

R: N/A T: self D: [dice] minutes

For the duration, you fall at a leisurely 10 feet per round.

Gust

R: 30' cone T: N/A D: Instant

Objects in the cone, with a weight of up to [dice]*100 pounds, or half that weight if they are firmly attached to the ground, are thrown at [sum]*[dice] miles per hour.

Pinnacle: Fatal Touch

R: Touch T: One creature D: Instant

At your touch, a living creature takes [sum]*[dice] damage. If this kills the creature, it is reduced to dust.

Mishaps

1. You catch fire.
2. Frostbite covers your fingers and toes.
3. The wind picks up, throwing objects and pushing people.
4. All MD used on this spell are expended.
5. For the next day, MD only return on a 1 or 2.
6. You lose your current season, becoming Neutral.

Dooms

1. The True Elf you robbed is on your trail. They have cursed you, hoping to put you down and repossess their gifts afterwards. Animals (except dogs) roll 1d6 instead of 2d6 for Reaction Rolls.
2. The curse has a second layer added. You can almost feel it in the center of your heart. If you spend more than an hour near a plant, the plant becomes hostile and attempts to kill you. Trees will fall on you, grass will grow into your nose and mouth, poison ivy will slither into your hands.
3. The True Elf has arrived, as has their Hunt. Fight, or die.

Flip Template Adept (GLOG Class)

wow, that whole "one post a week" thing sure is going well, isn't it?

Flip Templates are a new piece of GLOG class design, where a single level gives you two template abilities, but you can only access one after using the other. So, this class has template A1 and A2, and you must use the A1 ability before the A2 ability, and then must do the A2 ability in order to use A1 again.

(Also Flip Templates are cool and I'm going to be making more classes that use them.)

This is an unarmed fighter, with some MD-based resource management.

A: Gather // Release

B: Durability // Agility

C: Block // Counter

D: Invincible

A1: Gather

Every fight you win without being hit, gain 1 Momentum Die (d6, depletes on a 4+, Cramps on doubles and Atrophies on triples), up to your total Adept templates. With ten minutes of stretching, Flip this template.

A2: Release

You cannot gain MD, but can roll them to increase an unarmed attack's to-hit by [dice] and damage by [sum], or improve a STR, DEX, or CON check or save by [best]. When you Rest, Flip this template.

B1: Durability

While you have Gather, attacks that deal less than 4 damage don't count as hits for gaining Momentum Dice. Attacks that deal 1 damage do no damage. When you Flip Gather into Release, Flip this template.

B2: Agility

While you have Release, you can run across walls as long as you don't stop, jump twice your height from a still position, and sprint at twice your normal speed. When you Flip Release into Gather, Flip this template.

C1: Block

When you are hit by a melee attack, you can spend MD to reduce its damage by [sum]. Then, Flip this template. If you take no damage, this does not count as a hit for the purposes of gaining Momentum Dice.

C2: Counter

During your turn, or when hit by a melee attack, you can make an unarmed attack for free. Then, Flip this template.

Invincible

If you win a fight without getting hit, gain 2 MD. Even if you get hit, you still gain 1 Momentum Die.

Cramps

1. Trip over your own feet. Flip every template you have.
2. Torn muscle. MD only return to your pool on a 1-2 for 24 hours.
3. Pinched nerve. Take 1d6 damage.
4. Slowing down. You cannot Flip any of your templates until you next Rest.
5. Broken toe. Your movement speed is halved until you next Rest.
6. Overextended. Every MD spent on this ability is exhausted.

Atrophies

1. You're going too fast, and something slips. Randomly choose one ability score (roll 1d6 if you're using the standards), and tear it off the page. You cannot make checks with that score and do not add its bonus to anything.
2. The speed is tearing apart your soul. Roll two more ability scores and tear them off.
3. You've been hollowed out. Tear off all your ability scores.

TeleGLOGela Archaeology

The TeleGLOGela was a crime against humanity perpetrated by the OSR Discord. Twice.

Somewhere, in theory, there's something playable in it. In this post, we're going to look through the original TeleGLOGela, which you can read here, if you hate yourself. 

We are not looking at the even worse second edition, which among other things has a set of rules for dentistry and also removed every J, L and C from the document. There is nothing worth taking from it, and it should be abandoned. However, at the end of this post will be screenshots of some especially surreal parts.

Remember that none of this (except some of it) is original to me. This is research, not authorship.

Names & Deeds

The TeleGLOGela's advancement system (or, at least one of them) is Names and Deeds, a player-driven variation of milestone experience. Every time a PC accomplishes something significant, they can choose to append a fitting Name to themselves. Each time they wish to append a Name, their accomplishment must be grander than the last.

With each new name, they can choose one of three bonuses: an HP increase or Mutation (if you pass a Blood check), a new class template (if you pass a Sweat check), or a new skill or language (if you pass a Tears check).

Deeds are where the player-driven component comes in: at any point, the player can swear to complete a Name-worthy task. If they succeed at this, they can choose two bonuses instead of one. If they fail, they lose "an ability" of their choice.

The book also recommends using Names as a type of currency - giving it away to demons or other things in exchange for power.

Sundering & Spellcasting

Along with the common Shields Shall Be Splintered rule, where a shield can be sacrificed to lower the damage of a physical attack by 1d12, you can sacrifice a Skill to add 1d12 to a Save against a mind-altering effect.

Spellcasting works on the same system. Once a spell is found (for they are all found, and never known), you cast it by choosing to sunder up to 4 Skills, gaining 1 MD for each skill removed. MD can also be gained from natural means such as ley line intersections, some specially-built architecture, and sacrifices.

Sacrifices must be done in a specific way. You must take two opposing things (fire/water, metal/plants, etc.) and give the lesser to the greater. Plunge your last torch into a pool of water, abandon your sword in the weeds. These sacrifices must be of something needed. You can't throw a sword away when you're carrying three more, because you didn't really need it.

Experience and Unlocking Classes

The TeleGLOGela also recommends that some classes must be unlocked during play. While its ideas of what unlocks classes are all surreal (destroying the moon, finding an orb, inventing a medical technique, and killing (N ^ 5) + 1 cops are all options), I've played some GLOG campaigns where this was in effect, and thought it worked very well.

Not only does it give your players something they will definitely want to do, it also lets you slowly ease players into weirder games: start off with a Fighter, Thief, and Wizard, let them unlock the Flying Psychic Eyeball Man.

Vows

The scattering of the Cleric class, and its replacement with a more accessible form of religious magic, has become a widespread idea over the last year, but it is rarely reinforced with mechanics. The TeleGLOGela not only has this reinforcement, but does it excellently.

It instructs vows to be given in 4 parts:

• the name of the god you are beseeching
• what you ask the god to do, right now
• what you vow to do in return, either immediately in the future
• your name

And divides them into 4 categories of effectiveness:

• Small things that could have plausibly happened without divine interferences (finding a lost set of keys)
• Medium things that are technically possible, but very unlikely (evading the notice of bandits on the road)
• Large things that aren't technically impossible, but would never happen (finding a weapon in a sack of potatoes, a locked door suddenly and randomly coming open)
• Impossibilities that only happen because of divine intervention (causing the blind to see, incinerating false idols, banishing demons).

It also comes with guidelines for the GM on how to handle different types of offerings for vows. It is by far the most complete set of divine intervention rules I've seen in any game.

Part 2: The Screenshots

sounds about right

give me the Egg

dibs on making the Pi Bug class

why

Very Leetle Mountain (GLOG Class)

This should be all the context you need

A: Geological

B: Very Leetle Birds, Very Leetle Landslide, Size Increase

C: Very Leetle People, Size Increase

D: Very Leetle Eruption, Size Increase

Geological

You are a somewhat pathetic mountain: two feet tall and about 260 pounds, dragged along the ground by thousands of tiny legs (as all mountains are) at half standard walking speed. You have no hands, but can communicate (slowly) by vibrating.

You are automatically hit by all attacks, and cannot wear armor. However, you are immune to poison, disease, most fire, and other things that wouldn't affect a rock. You take half damage from physical threats (claws, swords, etc).

Every template, your height & width increase by 1 foot, and your mass increases proportionately.

B Template: 3 feet tall, ~900 pounds

C Template: 4 feet tall, ~2000 pounds

D Template: 5 feet tall, ~4000 pounds

Very Leetle Birds

A swarm of birds, each about the size of a gnat, have started to live atop your peak. You can politely ask them to do things for you. Together, they can lift 5 pounds.

Very Leetle Landslide

You can sacrifice HP to do an equal amount of damage to a target if the target is either shorter than you or below you. This does not require a roll to-hit. 

Very Leetle People

A village has been built in your foothills. Together, all the villagers can lift as much as a human, build as quickly, and otherwise be treated as a single human. It would be polite to warn them before a landslide.

Very Leetle Eruption

You can sacrifice HP to do an equal amount of damage to a 30' radius, and cover the area in lava, if the area is below you. Of course, I expect there are many other things you could do with lava.

Orbiters Local 519 (GLOG Hack)

Edit 2/20/23: You can purchase Orbiters 2e on itch.io here - my Zine Quest 2022 project, complete with derelict generator, GM's guide, and expanded classes, tools, and bestiary.

Edit 8/3/21: Updated to Version 1.1, fixing errors, expanding the Pipe Contents table, retuning Supplies, and adding guidelines for computers. Added a link to Owlbears & Chickenhawks' OL519 content. Links to supplemental content will continue to be added, but not recorded in edit logs.

In this post about a derelict-crawling GLOG I said "This is just classes, and it probably won't go further than that". Well, it turns out I'm a liar.

Orbiters Local 519 is a GLOG hack using those classes, built for an open table or set of disconnected one-shots. In it, the PCs play a group of scavengers sent to recover delicate resources from wrecked starships. It has two important differences from your standard dungeoncrawl, however: one of them is simply the 0g environment, but the other is more interesting: destructibility.

Generally, a dungeon will stay physically the same when the PCs enter to when they leave - maybe they'll kick down a door or two, but they won't be caving in rooms. In Orbiters Local 519, not only will they be tearing through walls, but the derelict will be falling apart on its own. Pipes explode, gravity falters, derelicts spin, and entire rooms can tear off from the structure.

Click on the cover to read the most recent version of core book's PDF (currently v1.1), and the links below to take a look at some example derelicts and expansion content. 

If you would like to look at Version 1.0 instead, here is a link.

Example Derelict One - EAS Aspen

A Navy railgun corvette was destroyed in a skirmish about 7 months ago. No survivors are expected, and sensors are picking up a radiation leak. Hopefully you can get in and out before the Navy realizes we're here.

Example Derelict Two - ISK Halamandaris

A biology research ship, destroyed by a power failure incident. The AI, Pythagoras, should still be online. Most of the habitat domes are still in one piece, and we have no idea what could be inside. We shouldn't be facing any competition for this one, feel free to take your time. As much as you can, anyway. 

Supplements

Piloted Asteroids + Wildcatter Class, by Owlbears & Chickenhawks (Supplement)

BUGS AND BLASTERS, by Lichesgetstitches (Hack)

LUCIDITY IS NOT A POSSIBILITY, by deus ex parabola (Derelict)

Orbiters 20 (Hack)

Very Heavy Cube, Redux (GLOG Class)

The old Cube Owner class may be the single worst thing I've ever written. It's a stupid uninteresting cliche combined with a... tungsten cube? So, I'm redoing it.

Very Heavy Cube Owner

Weapons technology marches onwards forever. In your case, the march of progress got lost in a dark alley. The cube has its benefits, you desperately think to yourself - it's much quieter than a gun, and it's not stopped by armor.

These justifications do not stop anyone from laughing at your cube.

A: THE CUBE

B: Multitasking

C: Overcharged Suit, +1 Cube

D: Fine Motor Skills, +1 Cube

THE CUBE

Your body is covered in a prototype Kinesis Suit. In theory, you should be able to use the suit to telekinetically grab people and objects. In practice, the suit only works on materials made of a specific alloy - for instance, your Cube. You cannot wear any armor while wearing the Kinesis Suit.

On your turn, you can use the Kinesis Suit to move the Cube. The Cube moves at 100 feet per round, but it can only be controlled if it stays within a 50 foot radius of you. When it comes in contact with someone during it's movement, roll to-hit with a -2 penalty. On a hit, the target takes 3d6 damage. The Cube stops moving after hitting something.

The Cube is exactly 1 cubic foot. The Kinesis Suit can impart enough force to keep it immobile with a person standing on it, but cannot move it. 

Multitasking

You have two Cubes, and can control both of them at once. You get another Cube with your C template and D template.

Overcharged Suit

The Kinesis Suit can move the Cube twice as fast, and can move it at normal speed with up to 300 pounds of extra weight atop it.

Fine Motor Skills

You can modify the size and shape of the Cube using the Kinesis Suit - elongating it, widening it into a shield or platform, or simply expanding it by turning it hollow. However, no matter what, your Cube is still square, and cannot be curved.

GLOG Impressions(?) - ENTHUSIASTIC SKELETON BOIS v 0.5, YAGH

To be honest, I'm not sure if these (or any of my earlier ones) are really reviews - they're mostly just descriptions, with a couple thoughts at the end. I don't think that's what's important though; my goal is to compile an overview of as many GLOG hacks as I can, with the review being secondary.

One important note - I haven't played any of these systems, I've only read them.

ENTHUSIASTIC SKELETON BOIS v 0.5

THE GLOG HACK – ENTHUSIASTIC SKELETON BOIS EDITION, hereby known as ESB (because I don't have time for that title, frankly), is a combination of ideas from the GLOG, Black Hack, EB, and other OSR systems, with some interesting ideas about resource management and combat.

Overview

• Basic roll-under d20, with Advantage and Disadvantage
• Four stats - Strength, Dexterity, Insight, and Willpower
• Combat is auto-hit, and characters deal damage based on their class (heavy weapons let them deal damage with Advantage).
• There are a few little extras to combat I think are taken from EB - attacks can be Impaired (dealing 1d4 damage) or Enhanced (dealing 1d12) by circumstances, and attacks from multiple enemies deal damage equal to the highest attack.
• Armor is unique (I think) - it has an Armor Value in d6s, which you can choose to roll to block damage equal to their sum.
• Inventory management is built around four items: Supplies, Torches, Camp Gear, and Tools. All of these use Usage Dice (called Risk Dice in ESB) and are drained by heavy use or damage (taking a Lunch drains Rations, walking through water drains Torches), but not by general use.
• Hirelings are also based off Usage Dice, rolled when they're put under stress or use some abilities (for instance, the Mercenary tests Usage to enter combat.
• ESB includes most of the generic OSR subsystems like Reaction Rolls and Morale, but has no dungeoncrawling or exploration rules other than a distance moved per round.
• Most classes are taken from Coins and Scrolls, however the original ones (especially the Monk) are quite interesting. (Seriously, look at the Monk). 

Conclusion

ESB is currently my top choice for a fantasy GLOG. Its simplified combat & inventory management make it one of the lighter games I've looked at in this series, and the hireling system is excellent. It also has good original classes, which I prefer to classless GLOGs.  

YAGH

Yet Another GLOG Hack (YAGH) is... weird. A somewhat normal set of classes is broken up by Spiderman, the visual design makes me feel like my eyes haven't loaded, and ability scores are decided with a single roll.

Overview

• A roll-over d20 base, with an assumed TN of 10.
• Three stats: Strength, Dexterity, and Mind. Your entire statline is determined by a single roll on a d6 table (for example, a roll of 4 is 0 Strength, 4 Dexterity, and -4 Mind).
• Combat uses Attack and Defense, but since it's roll-over it's a lot easier for me to figure out than MRoS or similar: 1d20+Attack vs. 10+Defense to attack or 1d20+Defense vs. 10+Attack to defend. It also keeps Stealth and Move as secondary stats.
• A Death and Dismemberment table is provided - every time a character takes damage past 0 HP, check that damage on the table.
• No classes use standard GLOG magic. Instead, the Shaman draws spirits into themselves, while the Summoner manifests them physically. Both of them are a lot less versatile than standard GLOG wizards.
• There are no subsystems (exploration, etc.) - just character creation, checks, and combat.
• Rules for conversion between standard OSR systems and YAGH are provided.

Conclusion
YAGH is a very standard GLOG, with few things to steal. The classes are mechanically interesting, but may not fit in most settings without conversion. Playing YAGH may require subsystems added from other OSR systems, but the rules provided for conversion are nicely in-depth. The tone is strange - some standard fantasy classes, an Old West duelist, Spiderman, and others.

The creator has since released a second GLOG hack, Mall Rats, that hits a more consistent weird 90's tone, though it seems to be mechanically identical. Unlike YAGH, Mall Rats is being expanded with monsters, but I'd like to see more of both - sample adventures in particular are a good way to demonstrate a game's tone.

Edit: about a week after this post, Walfalcon added exactly that for Mall Rats.

Derelict-crawling GLOG Classes

EDIT: updated versions of these classes can be found in Orbiters Local 519, my new derelict-crawling hack.

Since I am extremely boring, I absolutely love easy-to-run dungeoncrawling games. Throw together a Suspicious Location, drop a few people into it, and go. Sewer Rats is one, Sunless Horizon was originally one before it got way out of hand, and this is (sort of) another one.

What is the setting? It doesn't matter. Perhaps the Company rules this section of space,  or the Empire has just rolled through, leaving only ruin in their wake. The only solid fact is that there are ruined starships, whether modern or ancient, and they're worth obscene amounts of money.

This is just classes, and it probably won't go further than that, because it doesn't need to. Grab your GLOG of choice and drop them in, then you're done.

Just take care out there, OK? The void isn't one to take prisoners.

Destiny concept art

Controller

The Controller's mechanics are inspired somewhat by cyberchronometer's wizard.

A: Hacking Device

B: +1 Program Slot

C: +1 Program Slot
D: +1 Program Slot, Recalibration

Hacking Device

Your hacking device has one Program Slot, which can be filled with a Program before the start of a mission. Each time you use a Program, you must roll 1d6. On a 4 or 5, the hacking device misfires and burns out that Program Slot, preventing you from using it. On a 6, not only does the hacking device misfire, but the remnants of the derelict's countermeasures go off, and you must roll on the Countermeasures table.

Programs

1. Lock or unlock a door. 

2. Take over a camera.

3. Activate or deactivate a turret or other security system.

4. Activate or deactivate the gravity.

5. Rotate the derelict.

6. Scan a room of the derelict for motion. 

7. Download documents or other pieces of information.

8. Create a map of the derelict.

Countermeasures

1. Lockout - The system has recorded your information. Every future hacking attempt in this derelict automatically rolls a 6.

2. Alarm - A blaring alarm and flashing red light fills the derelict.

3. Imprison - Every door into the room the Controller is currently in closes and locks.

4. Biofeedback - take 1d6 damage.

Recalibration

Once per mission, you can exchange one Program in your Hacking Device for another. 

Observer

Duskers

A: Camera Drone

B: Sensorium
C: Combat Readiness
D: Automation

Camera Drone

You start each mission with a number of hand-sized flying drones equal to your Observer templates. Each one has 1 HP, 10 AC, and an inbuilt flashlight. They can only see in the visual spectrum, and cannot hear. You must pilot your drones, and cannot move or act while doing so.

Sensorium

Your drones' basic cameras are replaced with an advanced set of sensors. Your drones can hear, see in both ultraviolet and infrared, and zoom in up to 10x magnification. It still has its flashlight.

Combat Readiness

All of your drones now have 1d6 HP each, and you can outfit each one with one of these devices per mission.

1. Flashbulb - If triggered in a dark area, all creatures in a 30' cone are blinded for one turn, and animal-intelligence creatures must make a Morale save.  

2. Self-destruct - the drone is destroyed instantly, and everything in a 50' radius takes 3d6 damage, with a Dexterity save for half.

3. Lure - emits a spectrum of light and a set of varying tones intended to be visible and audible to as many creatures as possible, attracting animal-intelligence creatures to the drone.

4. SMG - 2 attacks on separate enemies or one attack at +2 to-hit, 1d6 damage.

Automation

You can give your drones basic commands: "move to this room and scan everywhere", "come back", "follow me". 

Sentry

https://www.artstation.com/artwork/lzw4V

A: 3D Printer, 2 Spools
B: +1 Advanced Design, +1 Spool
C: +1 Advanced Design, +1 Spool
D: +4 Advanced Designs, +1 Spool

3D Printer

The Sentry can expend spools of plastic and metal feed material to print defenses from their backpack-mounted 3D printer. Each of these basic designs costs one spool, and takes 1 exploration turn to print.

Basic Designs

1. Barrier - a waist-high, 10-foot wide metal barrier that provides cover to anyone behind it.

2. Sensor - detects movement in the room where it's placed.

3. Remote Charge - when detonated by the Sentry, explodes in a 50' radius, dealing 3d6 damage with a Dexterity save for half. 

4. Shield - takes one hand, but can absorb 6 damage before shattering.

Advanced Designs

Upgrading your 3D Printer has allowed you to create more complex objects. Each of these advanced designs cost 2 spools, and take 2 exploration turns to print and assemble.

1. Turret - must be operated by a person. +4 to-hit and 2d8 damage, or 1d8 damage in a 20' radius with a Dexterity save for half. Comes with enough ammunition for 3 bursts.  

2. Turret Ammunition - 6 bursts of turret ammunition.

3. Camera - automatically detects movement, and can be looked through by the Sentry.

4. Mine - detonates automatically upon sensing movement, dealing damage equal to the Remote Charge.

5. Electrified Wire - barbed wire connected to an electric charge. Halves movement speed and deals 1d4 damage each round to everyone inside. Enough for a 60' line or a 20 foot radius clump.

6. Smoke Charge - when detonated, fills a 60' radius area with smoke. Attacks into, out of, or through the smoke are at -4 to hit.

All three of these classes are meant to fit together (the Observer locates enemies, then the Controller manipulates them into a trap set by the Sentry). If you find this restrictive, feel free to add more classes: deus ex parabola's Spacer as a jack-of-all-trades, my Psychic to add some supernatural strangeness, or Lexi's Mechwarrior for people who want a more direct solution. Any of these would help you break up the close fit of the defaults.

Invoker (GLOG Class)

this is not all there is

The world of the supernatural has layers & scales, just as the world of the natural. There are bacteria, and animals, and people, but none of these things are these things. Clerics, reaching up to the divine, brush their fingers against the largest beings of the supernatural.

But there are many things further down - nature spirits, long-dead tyrants, minor demons. The Invoker has, through time and ritual, become able to hold on to these Entities. They bring them from the spirit world into themselves, becoming almost possessed by the thing they've summoned. The stronger they become, the further from reality they can reach.

A: Invocation, +1 MD

B: Ritualism, +1 MD

C: Participation, +1 MD

D: Separation, +1 MD

Invocation

You are able to summon Entities and bind them into your own body. Any Invocation lasts until the next dawn or dusk, and you are able to access any of the Entity's abilities for free while they are Invoked. You cannot Invoke two Entities simultaneously.

When you perform an Invocation, roll your MD and [sum] the result on the Entity table.

Ritualism

With every hour up to [templates] spent on a single Invocation, you can move [sum] by one.

Participation

When you perform an Invocation, you can place the Entity in a willing participant. You cannot place two Entities into the same person.

Separation

You can place two Invoked Entities into a single person, including yourself.

Entity Table

The first 12 of these entries are spirits known to humanity. They are cooperative, though perhaps not friendly, and their will is easily crushed by an Invoker. Past where the spirits reside are the 6 Elemental Planes, which can be dangerous to open as their power is barely contained in the body. 

The last 6 are residents of the Outer Planes, great things beyond the understanding of mortals. The first time you contact them, you can hold them back, barely. The second time, they are prepared, and burst through their bonds, permanently possessing the Invoker even if the Entity was supposed to rest within another participant. They don't care about anyone else. They need you.

1. Young Crow - only just born, but already wandering. While Young Crow is Invoked, you are able to fly at your walking speed.

2. The Stars - always watching, like a man standing over a pond. You can see perfectly in the dark.

3. Leviathan - the size of a continent, buried somewhere under the sea. You can breathe water.

4. Beria, the Martyr - incinerated by dragonsfire. You've heard that the Church keeps a bone of his in some cathedral you've never seen. You cannot be damaged by fire.

5. Imperious Lord Alsebeth - once conquered the world, now lies in an unmarked grave. Your Strength is set to 20 or doubled, whichever is greater.  

6. The First Ghoul - killed thousands of years ago, perhaps. Still hungers. Your hands extend into claws, dealing 1d4 damage and requiring a Save against paralysis.

7. Last Queen of the Elves - she will reign someday, far in the future. You can talk to all animals.

8. Astarii - a minor demon of paranoia. Allows you to read the surface thoughts of anyone within 60' of you.

9. Five-sided Square - don't look at it don't look at it don't look at it. You can teleport within 60' to anywhere you could walk to - you don't have to see your destination, there just has to be an unblocked path.

10. Echo - trapped and afraid, whispering to no one. Whenever you speak to someone, you may choose to make them Save against fear.

11. Black Glass Demon - hates all this noise, all this movement. Within 90' of you, all magic has the highest-rolling MD used in its casting discarded. 

12. An Angel - perfect, holy, silent. Your touch allows people to make new Saves against disease and possession, and deals 2d6 damage to spirits and demons.

13. Opens a hole into the Plane of Fire. The character affected takes 1d8 damage an hour unless immersed in water, but can breathe a 2d6 damage 30' cone of fire [dice] times.

14. Opens a hole into the Plane of Water. You can walk on water, but need twice as much water per day.

15. Opens a hole into the Plane of Earth. The character affected gains +4 AC, but has halved movement speed and sinks in water.

16. Opens a hole into the Plane of Air. You weigh only 10 pounds. This is both a benefit and a drawback.

17. Opens a hole into the Plane of Light. The character affected emits light in a 240' radius, but can barely see, gaining disadvantage on attack rolls and Wisdom checks for perception.

18. Opens a hole into the Plane of Darkness. The character affected can hide perfectly in darkness, but takes 1 damage per minute spent in light brighter than a torch.

19. The Eternal Fates - they pull the strings of the world . You can reroll any die that does not involve you - another PC attacking a monster is fine, but you attacking is not.

20. Seventh Hand - placed all the stars in their places in a single moment. You gain 5 ethereal arms. In a single turn you can make 3 actions, along with any other benefits from having a load of arms. 

21. Sun-in-Splendor - the envious life-giver. You glow like the sun. Your touch melts stone and deals 6d4 damage.

22. He Who Is Bound in Red - he lays deep in your blood. No matter how much damage you take during this period, you cannot die. You can still be hacked apart, burned to ash, etc., but you won't die from any of it, until he leaves your body.

23. The Worm Behind the World - it's so cold out there. You can shapeshift into any humanoid perfectly.

24. The Jade Throne - who wrote the first laws: gravity, conservation of energy, the speed of light. Everything you say is followed unquestioningly.

The Response Engine (Sunless Horizon Intro Dungeon)

Since I released the Sunless Horizon beta last September, I've run it through another short playtest and have been working on the next beta. That's been going much more slowly than I had hoped, however.

To take a bit of a break from it, I've polished up the dungeon I used for the playtest into a fully usable adventure. It's heavily inspired by Lair of the Lamb, taking its core concept (you start in the dungeon with no equipment and have to break out) and the earliest section (being chased around by some horrible thing you can't kill).

It also borrows part of the Activation Chamber test from Dan's Minimodule 2: FIRST CONTACT PROTOCOL.

I expect that the most divisive thing about will be the lack of random encounters - instead, the dungeon is almost entirely full, and time pressure comes from the Response Engine moving towards a Black Zone, with the PCs (hopefully) managing to escape before it reaches it.

Click for the PDF

Zine Quest Interview 4 - Ava

My interview series continues with renewed fervor now that Zine Quest has begun. If you have an active or upcoming ZQ project and would like to schedule an interview, feel free to contact me through email or Discord, both linked on the sidebar.

Archon: Would you like to introduce yourself and your project?

Ava: Yeah, sure. I'm Ava, I am barely a person, but I have spent the past 5 years noodling on a little game called Errant and it has now been unleashed upon the world. It's a pretty classic fantasy RPG, but where it differentiates itself I think is in the wide range of procedures it gives you for dealing with game situations like chases, duels, lockpicking, domain management and downtime in ways that are fast, simple, meaningful, and fun.

Archon: Do you have an example of one of these procedures that you think exemplifies the system?

Ava: I think lockpicking is a fairly good one. Instead of just rolling a skill check, players open locks by selecting one of three options (Tap, Turn, Twist). A lock requires 3 correct actions to pick; no two actions are ever used in a row. If you pick a wrong action, the lock gets Stiff, and your next wrong action will make it Jam, rendering it unopenable.

Archon: How modular are these procedures? Like for lockpicking, does Errant have advice or options on how to make more complex locks?

Ava: Yeah, it does give ways to make more complex locks. I think most of the procedures are pretty modular; the book explicitly call out adjusting or removing things based on the needs of your game. The Downtime Turn procedures though give the game a lot of its specific flavour, in my opinion, so I reckon those are worth giving a shot out of the box as is. Some things that I describe as procedures, like tracking different types of turns and rolling an Event Dice each turn to see what happens (e.g. if there's a random encounter, if you need to rest, if you use up some supplies) are pretty core to the game and changing them would have knock-on effects throughout the whole system. I go into this pretty in-depth in my last blog post, the second in my series of deep dives into the design of Errant.

Archon: It's interesting to see someone discussing the reasons and goals they have when designing a game, like you do in those blog posts. Do you think that made it easier to work on Errant?

Ava: The blog posts are largely retrospective, I don't think they've shaped the design of Errant much at all. Just describing my thought processes and specific decisions I made.

Archon: Ah, alright.

Some old RPGs that could be described as "procedure-heavy" are now often seen as overly-complex and disconnected from themselves - like a dozen minigames with no connective tissue. Does Errant do anything to address this, or was it not a worry during development?

Ava: I've tried to take some measures to unify things. There is a core mechanic in Errant which is a d20 roll equal to or under a given attribute and above a Difficulty Value. Then there are the 4 turn types: Travel Turns, Exploration Turns, Initiative Turns, and Downtime Turns. On all of these Turns except Initiative Turns you roll 1 or more Event Dice to determine what happens. So most of the procedures in Errant refer back to one or both of these foundational aspects of the game: something either takes a turn to do and/or requires a check of some kind.

Archon: That really does seem like it solves the problem to me.

Looking at your pitch, you seem to have a very large team (12 in all) for a Zine Quest project. How did you manage to get together so many people for what I think is your first Kickstarter?

Ava: I am lucky to be part of a fairly tight knit community of creators and friends who have graciously offered to help me along with the project for next to no compensation. As Nick, my layout designer put it, "small art only survives because small artists help one another."

Archon: That's wonderful. I'm happy you're getting the help your project needs to be how you want it.

And speaking of help, Exalted Funeral is running distribution for Errant. Do you have any advice for people who want to work with a publisher or distributor?

Ava: Truth be told getting to work with Exalted Funeral is entirely the results of the efforts of my publishing partner, Chris Mennell. But from what I've seen: just email people, it never hurts to try.

Archon: There's still more than a week left in your campaign, and it does look very well-run, but do you think you've learned anything important from it yet?

Ava: One thing that seems completely obvious in retrospect but I didn't realise was possible was to partner with multiple distributors to better serve international customers. Going forward that's definitely going to be my M.O.; it hurts seeing how high non-U.S. shipping prices are.

Archon: Errant has already gone far past your goal - will this motivate you to aim higher with your next project?

Ava: I have very lofty ambitions for Errant volumes 3 and 4, which will likely have to be brought down to reality at some point, but yes. I'm aiming to take whatever money from this that doesn't go into the hands of artists, editors, designers, and consultants on this project and put it towards making future Errant products as crassly and absurdly gorgeous as they can be.

Archon: That's all the questions I have - is there anything else you'd like to talk about?

Ava: There may or may not be a bonus Errant adventure involving a Goose dragon in the works...

If you want to hear more, come down and chat in our community discord!

Archon: Thanks for your time, have a good evening.

Zine Quest Interview 3 - kahva

My interview series continues with renewed fervor now that Zine Quest has begun. If you have an active or upcoming ZQ project and would like to schedule an interview, feel free to contact me through email or Discord, both linked on the sidebar.

A: Good afternoon! Would you like to introduce yourself and your project?

K: Sure! I'm kahva. I've been playing OSR games since about 2018, particularly GLOG and Into the Odd - or something in between the two. My project is Boots Full of Mud, an overland travel procedure accompanied by two topographic maps.

A: What are the basics of that travel procedure, and what do you think it gives a game that a standard crawl doesn't?

K: The foundation of the procedure is the watch - a unit of time roughly equal to four hours. Each watch has three phases: weather, planning, and resolution. The party can accomplish one activity per watch - think things like trekking, resting, or delving into a dungeon. My focus has been on creating rules that are simple, easy to remember, and easy to reference when that's necessary; while still taking advantage of all the information afforded by topographic maps.

Compared to other travel procedures the most obvious difference is the ability to take advantage of all that information. I've always been fascinated by maps, to the point of approaching them like art pieces - displaying them on my walls like you would a painting. Hexcrawls and pointcrawls have never scratched the same itch that examining a detailed map of a region and plotting your course does.

A: Speaking of those maps - if you aren't using hexes or points, how does your system track distance?

K: All the maps include a scale - 1 centimeter is equal to 5 kilometers, for example. When using physical maps I like to get a piece of string and mark it in appropriate increments. If playing online, the best solution is to use a VTT that has a measuring tool (roll20 does, as do many others). 

I don't sweat the details much, though. Especially when playing online winding paths can be a difficult to measure accurately, so I'll usually just get a quick estimate and call it good.

A: Your KS has a tier with example maps, but is there anything in the zine itself to help people make their own?

K: No. There are some tools to aid in creating dynamic weather and encounter generation, but nothing for map creation.

It is worth mentioning, though, that the rules can be used with basically any map you pick up - be it a real world US Geological Survey map of your area, an atlas-style map of a region, or even a quick sketch you threw together 10 minutes before the game. 

You can even use this procedure with a standard hex- or pointcrawl with just a few tweaks.

Interior mockup not final and subject to change

A: That seems like it may be more helpful anyway.

About these maps - they're more of an endeavor than a lot of ZQ projects (where you're just mailing the zine and you're done). What made you decide you needed to release physical maps?

K: The maps are really the core of the project for me - I created the rules to support the maps, not the other way around. I love the experience of rolling out a big map of an unfamiliar place and making sense of it, plotting your course, making decisions. I wanted to bring that to my RPGs, so the maps came first. Then I needed to create rules to support them. The big challenge there was making the rules smooth enough they wouldn't bog down play, while still making use of all the detail a topographic map provides.

A: In that case, let's keep talking about the maps.

Unless you reach your stretch goal, you're making 2 to release with the Kickstarter - what are they?

K: The first is a sparsely-populated subarctic island. I imagine it could exist somewhere between the Faroe Islands and Iceland in our world.  It's got a spine of tall mountains, lots of rivers, and a few mostly disconnected settlements. It's pretty close to final - I'll rename things, tweak some topography here and there, maybe adjust some colors - but nothing too major.

The second is a humid equatorial island. I imagine it could exist somewhere in the Indian Ocean or off the coast of Central America. It's got broad river valleys carved into the mountains, dense cloud forests, and a smattering of settlements. This one is still being drafted - the topography is there but will be changed up a bit, as will the rivers, and the color scheme might be revamped.

Map not final and subject to change

A: These both also come with brochures, but your Kickstarter pitch says the maps are unkeyed. In that case, what's actually inside the brochures?

K: The contents of the brochures fall into 3 categories:

1. Weather and encounter generation tools tuned to the environment and ecosystem of the map.

2. Descriptions of a selection of landscapes found on the map.

3. Descriptions of the towns and villages found on the map. These are meant as a jumping-off point for referees, they're not fully detailed adventure locations. Slotting in locations from your favorite modules would be a great way to flesh them out a bit more.

A: And those brochures are being partially written by Jojiro - did you always intend to work with him, or was this a recent change?

K: The weather and encounter tools will be done by me, but yeah, all the descriptions will be written by Jojiro. It is a pretty recent development, and one I'm happy about. I enjoy writing mechanics and procedures, but the closer something gets to prose, the more difficulty I have. I'm happy to focus on the maps and mechanics and let Jojiro handle the text in the brochures.

A: I think it'll be great.

Before we wrap up, is there anything else you'd like to talk about?

K: Nothing comes to mind! If anyone wants to chat with me about the project - or anything else - they can find me on the OSR discord.

A: Alright! Thanks for your time.