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Post by crusssdaddy on Jan 2, 2013 10:57:16 GMT -6
Any fun suggestions to reboot the campaign for 2013? I am considering implementing some or all of the following changes: - Switch from Chainmail combat to "normal" D&D combat (d20 vs. AC)
- No more "Carcosa crazy dice"
- Deemphasize large-scale mass combat
- More focus on sandbox-style hexploration and dungeon-crawling
- "Expurgated" sorcery rules (no grisly human sacrifices)
- 110% more weirder!
Thoughts/comments? All of these sound appealing.
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Post by crusssdaddy on Dec 29, 2012 15:12:58 GMT -6
The only other I would add that I do not see here is "Mythago Wood" by Robert Holdstock.
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Post by crusssdaddy on Dec 29, 2012 15:10:09 GMT -6
I recently finished reading "The Pastel City" by M. John Harrison. I now have the entire Viriconium collection and intend to reread Pastel and then continue with the remaining stories, but I have a feeling it will be added to my essential list.
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Post by crusssdaddy on Dec 29, 2012 15:05:21 GMT -6
It's Fated's turn? I think he's swimming around beneath the pier or something? If so...
Fated looks for a means to climb up the pier and rejoin his men. The men reload or fire, whichever it is their turn to do.
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Post by crusssdaddy on Dec 21, 2012 22:20:05 GMT -6
My only real criticism of Howard's early work was his overuse of adverbs. He had a nearly Stephanie Meyer-like love of -ly words. It doesn't grate as much to me as when Meyer does it, but I would be disingenuous to criticize her for it and not him. He could just as easily have written: Over shadowy spires and gleaming towers lay the ghostly darkness and silence that runs before dawn. Into a dim alley, one of a veritable labyrinth of mysterious winding ways, four masked figures slipped from a door which a dusky hand eased open. They spoke not but glided into the gloom, cloaks wrapped about them; as silent as the ghosts of murdered men, they disappeared in the darkness. Behind them a sardonic countenance was framed in the crack of the door; a pair of evil eyes glittered in the gloom.Just as much atmosphere and, IMHO, much tighter prose. You're certainly entitled to your opinion of Howard's writing, however fewer words is not always synonymous with "tighter prose," and I think the richness of the scene the author conjures is diminished by your edit.
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Post by crusssdaddy on Dec 17, 2012 19:32:51 GMT -6
I'd love to explore the published Carcosa map. I'm also still plugging away at a dungeon, so I may be able to give you a break if you want to swap places for a while. Or you could run it. Either way, I'm aiming to get it completed in the next couple months.
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Post by crusssdaddy on Dec 17, 2012 11:48:43 GMT -6
Count me among the haters, I'm not going to see the film until it shows up on TV. The franchise desperately needed a divorce from Peter Jackson; all potential for an acceptable film was eliminated when he forced out Guillermo del Toro.
Jackson is subject to no traditional restraint. You've got New Line and MGM nominally in charge, but they are no longer actual studios with production executives and production facilities and whatnot: they simply warehouse intellectual property. Warner Bros. is onboard solely as a distributor, for a fixed fee -- they have no say in production. So you just have Jackson running the show, with no counterbalance to say "no" or offer a different perspective. And he's squirreled away production down to his home, uses his own company for production and below-the-line services, and brings on his usual collaborators as co-writers (who have no Hollywood writing credits whatsoever other than Peter Jackson movies). Complete cocoon.
How long until the copyright expires on the book? That's when there's a chance to see a genuine The Hobbit film.
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Post by crusssdaddy on Dec 9, 2012 10:32:08 GMT -6
I do not advocate or encourage the use of Carcosa with AS&SH in any way shape or form. Jeff Talanian I agree unreservedly with this sentiment. Carcosa would only be diminished by such an association.
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Post by crusssdaddy on Dec 6, 2012 1:57:33 GMT -6
Geoffrey, if you have your ears on on I'd love to hear how you kicked off your campaigns. Was it just sort of hand-waved as "this is the way things are on Carcosa" or did your players demand a more naturalistic explanation of the setting? Remember that when I started my Carcosa campaign, not all the stuff in the rulebook (such as the racial antipathy) was there. I kind of groped my way, gradually, towards what was ultimately published. As such, the players began with various skin colors for no other reason than that it was cool, metal, and swords-and-sorcery-ish. More often than not, the PCs are (in AD&D terms) lawful evil. They tend to be sorcerers, and they travel the continent in search of material components for their rituals. I imagine sorcerers as typically being too canny and learned to place much stock in racial prejudices. An Orange sorcerer, for example, knows that another Orange sorcerer is no more nor less likely than a differently-colored sorcerer to need an Orange sacrifice. In other words, another Orange sorcerer presents the exact same potential threat as does a Jale sorcerer. Thus sorcerers of different colors will not hesitate to work together. Further, sorcerers are too learned (and perhaps experienced!) with Cthulhoid entities to think that a man's skin of a different color is weird or repulsive. One glance at (for example) the Lurker amidst the Obsidian Ruins will forever after make all men (even Bone Men) look positively pedestrian! Did your players engage in "domain play" at atypically lower levels? The setting seems to invite this, with 3-6 level NPCs leading villages, castles, and citadels in Wilderlands-fashion. Having them set up their own little operations seems like a solution to likely poor reception a wandering group of sorcerers would receive from the typical village. Someone had a Carcosa play report a while ago in which the 1st level PCs took over a village and turned it from law to chaos...
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Post by crusssdaddy on Dec 5, 2012 14:49:55 GMT -6
Geoffrey, if you have your ears on on I'd love to hear how you kicked off your campaigns. Was it just sort of hand-waved as "this is the way things are on Carcosa" or did your players demand a more naturalistic explanation of the setting?
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Post by crusssdaddy on Dec 5, 2012 12:21:22 GMT -6
The rare presence of caravans is one idea. As they traverse the world and lose guards/servants/teamsters they don't have time to go home for new ones: they add new guards from the nearest communities, regardless of color. Some are hired on and intend to return to their home after a short period of service. Some join up looking for a new life or to escape persecution. Others are pressed into service. I conceive that caravans are a rare thing (2-3 times/generation) and may have ulterior motives (good or bad), but the overwhelming majority of communities are happy to see them and understand why there is a mix of races present. So, the PCs begin as part of a multi-racial caravan -- sticking with the caravan can be the adventure, or at some point they decide to strike out on their own. Getting multi-racial PCs together seems less a problem for me than figuring out how to provide them with some structure in the world at large and safe bases for rest/resupply between adventures. Another idea I had, and this is partially related to the Restorative Orders thing, is that "guest is God" is a common outlook among most Neutral communities, and even some Lawful and Chaotic ones: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atithi_Devo_BhavWanderers and the desperate are provided shelter, opportunity to heal, basic sustenance, etc. for a time. Local prejudice may mean Bone Men, Dolms, whoever are discriminated against, but by and large even mixed-race groups that can find a Neutral community can have a safe harbor for a week or two. Of course there are limits and the men of CARCOSA did not survive by being idiots. Strangers encased in plate armor, bearing abundant weaponry, or displaying distasteful symbols will be shunned -- PCs are advised to hide their gear nearby and offer themselves as poor and lost wanderers in need of shelter. A gift or tribute will be expected of obviously well-to-do groups. There are numerous rituals and taboos that shelter the community at large from visitors and the guest quarters are segregated. Any hint of treachery or ill intent will get you burned alive inside your guest hut (part of the reason the guest area is segregated). Trying to talk to that pretty local girl over there will get you pin-cushioned. Overstay your welcome and you will wake up from a lavish feast to find out you are now married to the ugliest chick in the dump, with all of the responsibilities that entails. In the end, the rules do not provide any mechanical distinction between the races so choosing colors is only an aesthetic concern. You may experiment with asking the PCs to choose one color for the group and then providing some other way, within their single race, of bringing some distinction to each character. This CARCOSA PbP had skills and a "star sign" attribute that gave each player a couple goodies in chargen (scroll to second entry on this page): odd74.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=bert&action=display&thread=2286&page=2If you start distinguishing the races further (Purples are all barbarians, Yellows are dervishes, Blues are technology-inclined) then it starts to really get complicated.
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Post by crusssdaddy on Dec 3, 2012 20:28:39 GMT -6
Fated sends a sad thought regarding brotherhood and whatnot to Snarf, to ease his presumably short-lived torment within the Kraken's maw. Then he Phelps it back toward the pier, hoping to cling inconspicuously to a piling.
"Shoot something!" he cries out desperately to his men.
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Post by crusssdaddy on Nov 29, 2012 19:12:48 GMT -6
Open mike during feeding at the reptile exhibit, slowed down 61% and with a theremin in the back.
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Post by crusssdaddy on Nov 28, 2012 0:32:26 GMT -6
Okay, I posted the first village write-up. Hope you guys find a use for this!
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Post by crusssdaddy on Nov 26, 2012 10:14:51 GMT -6
To quote Capt. Kirk, I take it the odds are against us and the situation is grim... sounds like fun!
Fated rushes toward the Kraken's maw on Snarf, dodges whatever he needs to dodge, chucks the foam canister into the Kraken's mouth, and then gets the frack out of Dodge.
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Post by crusssdaddy on Nov 26, 2012 3:39:03 GMT -6
[Can Fated see an eye or eyes or sensory apparatus on the Kraken? Does it have the usual beaked mouth thing? Do I still have 1 foam canister left?]
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Post by crusssdaddy on Nov 26, 2012 3:33:36 GMT -6
I have the preface up for a new series of CARCOSA locations I plan on spamming: short write-ups of villages, citadels, dungeons, towers, etc. The preface details some assumptions regarding men and society on CARCOSA that inform my take on the setting: thedoomedworldcarcosa.wordpress.com/2012/11/26/carcosa-locations/The first location is a village, which I'll post in the next couple days.
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Post by crusssdaddy on Nov 25, 2012 13:42:47 GMT -6
Fated clings to Snarf and tries to rouse him from his mania, kicking Snarf's flanks, tugging the reins, thinking intently very sweet thoughts of Fated and Snarf frolicking in sun-dappled forests, etc.
Fated holds his breath as they plunge beneath the waves.
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Post by crusssdaddy on Nov 23, 2012 13:49:34 GMT -6
Gotta wait to see the table of contents, but they appear eager to cast a very wide net: minis, boardgames, old school & new, etc. My own inclination is to support something more focused, like Fight On!
So far they're spending a lot of time paddling upstream. Announcement was not coordinated and leaked early. Kobold Quarterly and Fight On's own recent difficulties raise the question of whether print is a sustainable endeavor. All the ink so far is about the slap-fight with Gail. It's going to require a head-turning debut to redirect the narrative.
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Post by crusssdaddy on Nov 19, 2012 2:01:23 GMT -6
Fated directs Snarf to use ESP on the Kraken, see if we can learn anything from its thoughts. He directs his men to blast away at the ticks.
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Post by crusssdaddy on Nov 17, 2012 10:07:43 GMT -6
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Post by crusssdaddy on Nov 16, 2012 22:18:42 GMT -6
[What's Snarf looking at for psionic powers right now?]
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Post by crusssdaddy on Nov 14, 2012 21:54:46 GMT -6
Fated and his men mutter among themselves, what kind of freak show have they attached themselves to?
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Post by crusssdaddy on Nov 9, 2012 19:33:02 GMT -6
Fated asks of the visitor, "Friend or foe?"
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Post by crusssdaddy on Nov 8, 2012 10:53:38 GMT -6
I'm doing a hex right now with the tables. One consideration might be to merge "Places of Men" and "Travelers" on the Features List, and then weight that toward travelers. I'm getting lots of villages on my rolls and the hex is coming out a little crowded for my taste.
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Post by crusssdaddy on Nov 7, 2012 1:34:02 GMT -6
Fated daubs himself in mud, then finds a convenient pool. He dips into it, then rises from the water slowly and with purpose, like Martin Sheen in Apocalypse Now...
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Post by crusssdaddy on Nov 3, 2012 20:19:51 GMT -6
Fated's men indulge in gruesome horseplay: pike-wielding riders mount their fellows piggyback-style and charge the remaining zombies, the worms trampled beneath their stamping feet.
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Post by crusssdaddy on Nov 1, 2012 23:33:01 GMT -6
Fated's men attack the zombies that have slipped through and attempt to reform the pike wall.
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Post by crusssdaddy on Oct 31, 2012 11:01:09 GMT -6
Fated's men hurriedly kick away the zummi worms as they grab their pikes and set for the charge.
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Post by crusssdaddy on Oct 31, 2012 8:52:25 GMT -6
I'm shocked by what appears to be such a paltry price tag, only a little over half of what was paid for Pixar 6 years ago. The IP appears much more valuable than that and the add-ons substantial: the HQ in the Presidio, ILM's business, presumably Skywalker Ranch, a bucketful of patents in the digital FX realm...
With Marvel in the fold as well, Disney has assembled an amazing portfolio.
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