2018 in Review: The Blog

"Studded Plate" is now four years old!

I started this blog in late 2014, and has been a weekly blog since early 2015. This time last year, I posted a brief review of what I had accomplished on my blog during 2017. In the interest of monitoring my own progress, and assisting any new readers I've acquired since then, I've decided to make this an annual tradition. 

To quote last year's review: "I write about roleplaying games, LEGO toys, and how I combine the two, with occasional forays into my other hobbies. I have a number of ongoing series that I add to as I find the time and inspiration. These include session summaries for the campaigns that I Game Master, reviews of RPG and LEGO products, and other subjects." Each item below includes a link to either the series index (if I've created a separate page for one) or to the most recent installment (which usually includes a list of links to earlier columns).

"Building the Bestiary" is my series on how I build LEGO miniatures for my tabletop role-playing games. It focuses on the first Pathfinder RPG Bestiary and the D&D 5E Monster Manual. It's my longest-running series here (19 installments plus the Index), but I only finished two new columns for it this year (Aberrations and Celestials).

I wrote more reviews of collectible LEGO Minifigures Series in 2018 than I did in 2017, covering The LEGO Ninjago Movie, The LEGO Batman Movie Series 2, Series 18: Party, and Harry Potter & Fantastic Beasts.

"Time of the Tarrasque" is a homebrew Pathfinder campaign that I started in January 2017. We had a hiatus of about a year due to some players moving away and others (including myself) having dramatic changes in employment, but we were finally able to start again in September with a smaller group. We've completed 17 sessions of this game so far, so I have finally made an index page for it.

I continued running Tales from the Yawning Portal (D&D 5E) for my wife and children. However, my kids are now playing in local Pathfinder Society games regularly, and "Time of the Tarrasque" has restarted, so we all have less time to devote to this game. That has seriously delayed us finishing The Forge of Fury, but I hope to fit that in soon so we can leave this campaign at a better stopping point while we wait for a good time to start the next adventure.

Speaking of Pathfinder Society, I've played nearly three times as many sessions this year as I did in 2017 (as of writing this, I have played or GMed 107 adventures in 2018). I also earned my first GM star (for running 10+ games) this year. I won't be able to GM as often now that Tarrasque has started up again, but I do plan to continue running occasional scenarios when needed. I rarely discuss those games here in my blog, but many of my "Building the Bestiary" models have seen use in those games (or originated in prep for them), and I recently posted photos of the iconic character minis that I built for PFS. 

I posted a couple of articles about Green Ronin's Fantasy AGE system towards the end of 2017, with the intention of doing more, but other games have taken up too much of my GM headspace to follow through with Fantasy AGE this year.

I did, however, continue my series of Freeport 5E articles. 2018 featured installments about using Volo's Guide to Monsters, Xanathar's Guide to Everything, the Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide, and Mordenkainen's Book of Foes with Green Ronin's Freeport setting; using the Book of the Righteous and Cults of Freeport together; and more reviews of new "Unearthed Arcana" and "Plane Shift" material. In addition, I backed four Kickstarters for third-party 5E products this year: Mini-Dungeon Tome (AAW Games), Tome of Horrors (Frog God Games), Strongholds & Followers (Matt Colville), and Pirate Campaign Compendium (Legendary Games). Once I receive my print copies of the last two, I plan to give them similarly Freeport-focused reviews. (I backed the first two at the PDF level only, so might or might not do the same with them.)

I participated in #Drawloween in 2016, but worked far too much overtime in October 2017 to do so that year. This year, I didn't care for the list of prompts for #Drawloween (too many weird, overly limiting puns), so instead decided to try #Inktober (which used single words). I posted those drawings in small batches here in the blog, but you can also see the whole set at my DeviantArt gallery.

During my 35+ years of gaming, I've almost always drawn portraits of my RPG characters, but for some reason, I went over two years in Pathfinder Society without drawing any of those PCs. I drew my first one during #Inktober this year, and drew and posted another (Cassilda Tillinghast) soon after. I've drawn a third PFS PC since then, and plan to do more, but I haven't decided yet how I want to share them here on my blog. (Meanwhile, I'll be posting them to DeviantArt as I finish them.)

#RPGaDay2018: Days 24-27

WEEK FOUR [continued]: WHICH...
24) ...RPG do you think deserves greater recognition?
This time last year, I would have said Fantasy AGE, which I finally made time to try out for a couple short adventures late last year. However, with the release of the Modern AGE RPG, and the resounding success of Green Ronin's recent Kickstarter for The Expanse RPG, it seems that the AGE system is receiving quite a lot of attention.

25) Name a game that had an impact on you in the last year.
I first tried Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition back in 2014-2015, but it was a little over a year ago that I started running Tales from the Yawning Portal for my wife and children. I've enjoyed those games a great deal, which has led me to investing more in the system, and blogging more about it here (as attested by my Freeport 5E series).

With all four of us heavily involved in Pathfinder Society, it's become harder to make time for D&D these past several months, but I hope to return to and finish The Forge of Fury soon.

26) Your gaming ambition for the next year.
Two things come to mind: 1. I want to have my "Time of the Tarrasque" campaign running regularly again by 2019, and 2. I hope to finally make it back to GenCon for the second time.

WEEK FIVE: SHARE...
27) ...a great stream/actual play.
I have watched only a handful of actual play streams, and never live. It's just not my thing--I'd rather be playing a game myself than watching other people getting their gaming fix on. (It must be a generational thing, at least in part. My 13- and 14-year-old are perfectly happy to watch YouTubers playing video games I've never heard of for hours on end. That would make my eyes and ears bleed.)

On the other hand, I have enjoyed some shows where the action at the table gets an aggressively professional editing job before it reaches the audience, such as Titansgrave on Geek and Sundry, and the couple of RPG-related episodes of Tabletop that preceded that series. I'm not sure if that counts as "actual play" as most people use the term, but I find that format to be a much more rewarding investment of my time.

2017 in Review: The Blog

2017 has been a momentous year, for myself, for my blog, and for our country. However, I try to avoid discussing politics here, so I'll keep the focus of my review of the past year on my own work. I started this blog in late 2014, and have managed to keep it going on a weekly basis for most of the time since then, which is an accomplishment I'm quite proud of.

For those new to this blog, I write about roleplaying games, LEGO toys, and how I combine the two, with occasional forays into my other hobbies. I have a number of ongoing series that I add to as I find the time and inspiration. These include session summaries for the campaigns that I Game Master, reviews of RPG and LEGO products, and other subjects. Each item below includes a link to the most recent installment; most of those pages include links to previous columns in that series.

"Building the Bestiary" is my series on how I build LEGO miniatures for my tabletop role-playing games. It focuses on the first Pathfinder RPG Bestiary and the D&D 5E Monster Manual. It's my longest-running series here, with 17 installments, and I added an Index this year to help readers quickly find specific monsters I've covered.

I also post reviews of the collectible LEGO Minifigures Series once I acquire enough of each new set. I only wrote one such column in 2017 (The LEGO Batman Movie Minifigures), but I anticipate doing one of The Ninjago Movie Minifigures series sometime soon, as well as the upcoming second The LEGO Batman Movie series.

"Time of the Tarrasque" is a homebrew Pathfinder campaign that I started in January 2017. This is a world that I've been tinkering with for years (decades, really), so was very pleased for it to see actual play. We are currently on hiatus due to many of our players having changes in jobs and/or residences this fall and winter, but we hope to resume again soon. The heroes have reached 3rd level and I hope to see them advance to 20th level (and possibly some mythic tiers) by the end of the campaign.

I also started running Tales from the Yawning Portal (D&D 5E) for my wife and children this past year. We have completed The Sunless Citadel, and started The Forge of Fury over the kids' winter break. I'll be posting summaries of our first two sessions of Forge over the next couple weeks. (We previously started Lost Mine of Phandelver with some friends, but had to put that game on hiatus. Yawning Portal has allowed us to move forward with a more regular game.)

I am a long-time fan of Green Ronin's Freeport setting. My long-running third Freeport campaign, which ended in 2016, used D&D v.3.5 and later Pathfinder, but I've been considering using D&D 5E for my next foray into that setting. My Freeport 5E articles include reviews of Wizards of the Coasts' "Unearthed Arcana" and Plane Shift articles, Green Ronin's Book of the Righteous, and other 5E titles with an eye to using them with Freeport. I recently acquired Volo's Guide to Monsters and Xanathar's Guide to Everything, so expect columns about them within the next month or two.

I am also making an effort to get more experience with Green Ronin's Fantasy AGE system, and have started posting my thoughts on that game. 

Fantasy AGE: Starting Adventures

I am posting next week's column early, because I expect to be traveling part of the holidays. Enjoy your own solstice celebrations, and I will see you here again next year!

[This column contains spoilers for the adventures "Choosing Night," "Children's Crusade," and "Drive for Justice."]

Character Creation in Fantasy AGE

Wildfire, halfling mage

I've been spending a lot more time with Green Ronin's Fantasy AGE recently. It's a fun, rules-light system that is easy to prepare adventures and new content for once you have a little experience with the system. It's also one of the games that Green Ronin is most invested in promoting right now, so improving my system mastery will give me more opportunities to work with one of the my favorite companies again.

Over the next few months, I'll be sharing some of my thoughts about the games and its rules. To start off with this week, I'll review the process of character creation.

First, ask your GM for some basic information about the world they will be using, and with that in mind, create a character concept. Keep this concept simple for now--you're only a 1st-level character, so you have yet to acquire any fame or fortune. Also, unless you're using some of the optional rules (in italics below), character generation involves a great deal of random chance, which might result in you deciding to modify your original idea.

Next, determine your nine abilities: Accuracy, Communication, Constitution, Dexterity, Fighting, Intelligence, Perception, Strength, and Willpower. You roll 3d6 for each ability--in order--and consult a table to get your starting ability, which can range from -2 (if you rolled a 3) to 4 (on an 18) , with 1 (9-11) being average.

You may then swap two abilities if you wish. It can be very useful at this point to skip ahead a few steps to see which of the three classes has primary abilities (the four most important to that class) that best match what you rolled. That way, you'll have a better idea which scores could be most useful to swap. For example, the Warrior's primary abilities are Constitution, Dexterity, Fighting, and Strength. If you have good scores in three of those, but a mediocre one in the fourth, you might want to swap that low one for a better score that you rolled for one of your five secondary abilities. (This randomness in character generation makes Fantasy AGE something of a throwback to early editions of D&D, in which you also rolled your six ability scores in order, then had to choose your race and class based on those results.) Thinking about your class at this point can also inform some of your choices in the next two steps, race and background.

Each ability has a number of ability focuses that indicate a special knowledge of one aspect of that ability. If you have a focus that applies to an ability test you make, then your ability is treated as 2 higher for that roll. At character creation, you will get access to a few ability focuses through your race and background (the next two steps). You will gain additional focuses as you advance in level.

Optional rule #1: With GM permission, you can roll your nine scores, then arrange them as you wish among the nine abilities. 

Optional rule #2: This second method gives you even more control over your starting abilities. All abilities start at 0, and you get 12 advancements to spend on increasing them (on a 1-for-1 basis). You can't increase an ability above 3, but modifiers for race (see next step) are applied after buying abilities. Unlike many RPGs with point-buy systems, you can't lower an ability below 0 to get more advancements to spend on other scores.

[In my own games, I started with the default method just to see how it worked out in play. I found that using random rolls to determine abilities tends to end up with approximately the same overall total as buying them, but characters will be less optimized for their class. On the other hand, the random methods have the potential (however small) for higher--and lower--results than you can buy, and the quirky results can inspire some fun roleplaying.]

Choose your race: dwarf, elf, gnome, halfling, human, or orc. Each race will give you a +1 bonus to one specific ability, give you a choice of one of two ability focuses, and will determine your starting languages, base Speed, and whether you have Dark Sight (the ability to see in darkness). In addition, you roll 2d6 twice on the race's benefits table; possible results vary by race, but are typically +1 to an another ability, an ability focus, or training with a Weapon Group.

Xerkanta, elf/gnome warrior

Optional rule: If your setting includes characters of mixed racial heritage, you can create one by choosing which race of the two races is dominant. You gain all the traits of that race, except that you only roll once on its benefits table. Instead, roll once on the other race's table.

Determine your social class and background by rolling 1d6 twice. The first roll's result will determine your social class, which determines which table you roll the second die on for background. Each background gives the choice of one of two ability focuses.

Optional rule: If you use the option for buying abilities, you can use similar rules for race and background. Instead of rolling on those tables, you get 4 advancements to spend on the options available to your chosen race and background. An ability increase costs 2 points, while any other benefit costs 1 point. 

Choose your class: Mage, Rogue, or Warrior. Your class determines your starting Health and the Weapon Groups in which you are trained (with Warrior knowing the most groups and Mage the least). You also gain the class's Level 1 powers, which include at least one talent and some other abilities.

Talents represent special aptitude or training, and include things like armor training, weapon styles, animal-related skills, and special advantages when using specific ability focuses. Each talent has three degrees (Novice, Journeyman, and Master) that add new capabilities as you gain more experience with them. All talents gained at 1st level are, naturally, at the Novice degree.

Warriors' starting talents include Armor Training (which eliminates the armor penalty to Dexterity) and two weapon styles (which give special benefits when fighting with the related weapon group, or with a shield).

Rogues start with a choice of three talents (Contacts, Scouting, or Thievery), plus the class-specific powers of Precise Strike (which adds bonus damage if your Dexterity exceeds your target's) and Rogue's Armor (which lets you ignore all penalties associated with leather armor).

Mages start with a choice of three talents (Chirurgy [medicine], Linguistics, or Lore) and two magic talents (which grant the knowledge of two spells each). They also gain Magic Points which are spent to cast spells, and a ranged attack with an arcane blast (which requires no Magic Points).

Hanamor, elf rogue

Basic starting equipment--such as how many weapons you start play with, and whether you gain armor or a shield--is largely determined by class. Each character also gets some starting money to spend as they wish, with the amount depending on their social class and a random roll.

Calculate Defense, which is 10 + Dexterity + shield bonus (if any). Only warriors with the Weapon and Shield Style talent can gain more than a +1 bonus from using a shield. Armor does not add to Defense, but instead penalizes Dexterity if you lack Armor Training. The benefit of armor is that it reduces damage from each attack.

Choose a name, some personal goals, and ties to some of the other characters, and you're ready to start play!

Campaigns Update

Due to many recent changes affecting my various gaming groups, it seems necessary to give a quick update on the various campaigns that I feature here on my blog.

Time of the Tarrasque (Pathfinder)

I noted in my last session summary that we have a couple players who are in the process of moving to another state. Since then, job changes have affected the short-term availability of another player in the group. I have also started a new job, which is absorbing more of my time and energy than expected as I settle into the new routine. Because of all these disruptions, I have decided to put the game on hold for now. Hopefully we can resume in a few months, once life becomes less hectic for most of us.

Lost Mine of Phandelver (D&D 5E)

School and other scheduling issues have kept this game on indefinite hiatus. We've only managed to fit in one session in the past year (in May), so I may as well pronounce this campaign over. Meanwhile, my kids and I still have Yawning Portal (below) available, which doesn't require coordinating schedules with anyone outside the household.

Tales from the Yawning Portal: The Sunless Citadel (D&D 5E)

I've just posted a summary of our latest session, from this past weekend. I think we will be able to finish The Sunless Citadel in one more session (probably this weekend). After that, we will either continue on to The Forge of Fury, or take a break for a different game. The kids and I would like to try out the AGE system, either Fantasy AGE or Blue Rose, so we may do that next.

Kickstarter and Me, Revisited

A little over a year ago, in "Kickstarter and Me," I listed the various Kickstarters that I had backed. At that time, The Book of the Righteous Kickstarter had just recently concluded. I received my copy of the book last week, so it seems to be an appropriate time to revisit that list.

First, the following projects have updates since that column:

Freeport: The City of Adventure for the Pathfinder RPG: Half of the six-part Return to Freeport adventure path is now available, and I've been told that Part 4 will be released later this month. (Green Ronin has announced a February 2018 release date for a print edition of Return to Ftreeport, but that omnibus is not part of the KS rewards.) The final backer reward, a Freeport Companion for the Fantasy AGE system, still has no scheduled release date.

Prospero's Price; A Lovecraft and Shakespeare Tale: This graphic novel is still in limbo. The authors have sent out brief updates once or twice a year to say they're making progress, but I have serious doubts whether I'll ever see this book.

Epyllion, a Dragon Epic RPG: I have received the book, and my kids are very curious about the game, but we've not yet made the time to try it out. (Between school, continuing our D&D 5E game, and my other GM duties, we simply don't have the time to try to teach them another system right now.)

Blue Rose: The AGE Roleplaying Game of Romantic Fantasy: This game has been released, and the book is both huge and stunningly gorgeous.

Spirit Island: This game (and its first expansion) shipped earlier this summer, and we've been able to play it a couple of times so far.

The Feminomicon: This book has arrived, and is solidly on par with Stoll's earlier book, A Natural History of the Fantastic. He has started new Kickstarter projects along the same lines as those two art books, but I've decided to save my money for more games instead. Those seem to give a bigger return for my investment.

Book of the Righteous for Fifth Edition: I've only just started reading this, but it's a very pretty book, and full of richly detailed pantheons. The new crunch for 5E is very intriguing as well, and I will definitely be writing one or more blogs about how to use The Book of the Righteous with Freeport.

I have only backed one new Kickstarter since that previous column:

Isometric Gaming Paper Rolls by Erik Bauer (October 2016): This project produced mapping paper with an isometric grid for drawing 3D or forced perspective maps. The product funded and shipped quickly, though the erasable isometric mats that some backers have only recently been produced and shipped due to difficulties finding a manufacturer. I did not choose that reward, just the paper map sheets. I have yet to try them out, but they would be perfect for something like the maps of Castle Ravenloft in Curse of Strahd.

Kickstarter and Me

Get Lucky and The Gamers: Hands of Fate

As I was waiting for the last day or two of the Book of the Righteous for Fifth Edition Kickstarter to count down this week, the following article appeared in my Facebook feed: "Old-fashioned boardgames, not tech, are attracting the most money on Kickstarter." This news did not really surprise me, as my own pledges have been primarily for games, particularly RPGs. And even those that weren't games themselves have tended to be tied to them in some way.

Here is a quick review of the projects that I've backed in the four years that I've been involved in Kickstarter.

Re-Creating my Art from S3: Expedition to the Barrier Peaks by Jeff Dee (March 2012): Jeff Dee was one of the more prolific artists employed by TSR in the early years of the D&D game. At some point, the company lost or destroyed most of his originals, so Dee has spent much of the past few years recreating those pieces for his portfolio, as well as producing some new pieces for gods, monsters, etc., that lacked art due to time constraints when the books were published. One of his first art Kickstarters was for "Expedition to the Barrier Peaks," one of my favorite 1st edition adventures. That was the project that persuaded me to try out this whole Kickstarter thing, and I now have a signed print of my favorite Dee piece from S3 (a mind flayer) displayed above my desk.

The Gamers: Hands of Fate by Zombie Orpheus (September 2012): I am a fan of The Gamers and The Gamers: Dorkness Rising, so happily contributed to this sequel. I didn't yet own the second movie at the time, so pledged at a level that included that as a reward.

Fate Core by Fred Hicks / Evil Hat Productions (January 2013): Fate is a system that I have had little experience with, but find intriguing enough to want to explore more fully. This Kickstarter provided an updated rulebook plus a staggeringly long list of stretch goals that are still being produced. Among the ones released so far are Fate Accelerated Edition (a streamlined version of the rules), Do: Fate of the Flying Temple (a Fate Accelerated setting), and the Fate Freeport Companion (for Green Ronin's Freeport setting). A friend of mine has recently started up a Do game, and I'm greatly enjoying a chance to finally learn Fate through actual play. And the Freeport book is a welcome addition to my sizable collection for that setting (I'm a bit of a completist there, as the next item will make more clear).

Freeport: The City of Adventure for the Pathfinder RPG by Chris Pramas: Green Ronin Publishing (April 2013): I've been a fan of Freeport ever since finding the first adventure, Death in Freeport, in my FLGS. My love of this product line prompted the start of what became Tim's Errata Archive, which in turn led to me becoming an official contributor to the setting (through revising the Freeport Trilogy to v.3.5, then writing, editing, and proofreading other titles). Green Ronin's announcement about this massive update to the setting persuaded me (and my players) to convert my most recent (v.3.5) Freeport campaign to Pathfinder. We ended up making that change well ahead of the book's completion, so I have not yet used as much of this book as I would have if we had been using it from the beginning of a brand-new campaign. But it's a solid resource that will ensure that I will return to Freeport for future campaigns.

The last few physical rewards for this Kickstarter (a miniature and a bookplate) finally shipped recently, but a few electronic rewards are still in progress. The first installment of the six-part Return to Freeport adventure path is now available, and the rest will be released over the rest of 2016. Green Ronin has promised to produced a Freeport Companion for their Fantasy AGE system, but that product is still in the very early development stages and does not yet have a release date. (Blue Rose for AGE--see below--has priority at the moment.)

Get Lucky, the Kill Doctor Lucky Card Game by Cheapass Games (November 2013): I have enjoyed many Cheapass Games, including the original Kill Doctor Lucky, since I first discovered the company quite a number of years ago. James Ernest reserves the deluxe color treatment for his company's very best games, so I was pretty confident of getting a good game from this project, and was not disappointed.

Advanced Bestiary for the Pathfinder RPG by Chris Pramas: Green Ronin Publishing (December 2013): The original Advanced Bestiary, for v.3.5, is my favorite non-Freeport book from Green Ronin: its diverse collection of templates adds value to every other monster book you own. With my gaming group's shift from D&D to Pathfinder, I was eager to see this book updated to those rules. The new book has been expanded to include even more templates, some of which I've already put to very good use in my games.

Prospero's Price; A Lovecraft and Shakespeare Tale by J Kovach (March 2014): This graphic novel, which promises a Lovecraftian retelling of The Tempest, has suffered delays due to health issues and other obstacles. It's impossible to tell at this time when or if the book will be completed.

MUNCHKIN® BRICKS - Accessories for your miniature figures by Crazy Bricks (June 2014): This Kickstarter produced LEGO-compatible bricks based on Steve Jackson Games' Munchkin games. Of all the projects I've backed, this one probably delivered the most promptly.

IAmElemental Action Figures for Girls by IAmElemental (June 2014): This Kickstarter produced a series of superhero action figures designed to appeal to, and empower, young girls. My wife and I appreciated the project's reaction to the over-genderizing of children's toys, and backed it for a full set of the Series 1 toys. This past Christmas, we gave the set to our two children (a girl, 11, and boy, 10) to share, and they both seem to enjoy these toys equally. 

Iron Atlas: Digital Miniatures System for Roleplaying Games by by Lifeform Entertainment, LLC (July 2014): This is the one and only Kickstarter that I've pledged to that did not successfully fund. I was not nearly as invested in this one as most of the RPG books in this list, so was not heartbroken by its failure,

Epyllion, a Dragon Epic RPG by Marissa Kelly (May 2015): This premise of this rules-light RPG could be summarized as "My Little Pony, but with dragons." My children are obsessed with both of those things, so this Kickstarter was an easy sell for our household. The game is very close to completion: a PDF preview (with the full text but without the final editing pass or art) has just been released to backers.

Blue Rose: The AGE Roleplaying Game of Romantic Fantasy by Nicole Lindroos of Green Ronin (July 2015): I enjoyed the original True20 Blue Rose RPG, though I never had much opportunity to play it. The setting is based on the "romantic fantasy" of writers such as Tamora Pierce and Mercedes Lackey. As such, it was controversial for its inclusion of characters of sexuality and gender minorities. Green Ronin felt that the current state of LGBT politics, as well as the release of their Fantasy AGE game, made the time right for a new edition of Blue Rose, using those new rules. I'm intrigued by Fantasy AGE, and the tropes of Blue Rose match my children's (especially my daughter's!) tastes in fantasy quite well, so I look forward to trying out the new game with them. It's scheduled for release this summer.

A Natural History of the Fantastic by Christopher Stoll (July 2015): This art book is a bestiary of classic fantasy creatures, much in the style of Barlowe's Guide to Extraterrestrials. The author/artist gives his own unique twist on each creature, which frequently prompted me to think about how to adapt the material to use in an RPG. (I may do some of that in future columns, once the promised concept sketchbook reward is available.)

Spirit Island by GreaterThanGames (October 2015): This boardgame was created by a good friend of mine, Eric Reuss. My wife and I helped playtest an early version of the game, so we are very much looking forward to seeing and playing the final, polished version. (As an aside, I highly recommend Eric's game Fealty, published by Asmadi Games.)

The Feminomicon by Christopher Stoll (March 2016): This sequel to A Natural History of the Fantastic addresses female gods and monsters, presented in a format inspired by the fictional Necronomicon. The book is currently in production.

Book of the Righteous for Fifth Edition by Chris Pramas: Green Ronin Publishing (May 2016): The original Book of the Righteous, for D&D Third Edition, provided a highly detailed pantheon of gods, including full details on each god's mythology, religious organizations, and relationships to other priesthoods. It follows Green Ronin's modular approach toward gaming supplements, allowing GMs to drop as much or as little as they wish into their own campaigns, regardless of setting. The new book will update the mechanics to Fifth Edition, as well as expanding on the background information. I usually prefer to build my own worlds and cosmologies, so I never bought the original book, but have regretted that from time to time since. The new book will provide a wealth of new material for Fifth Edition, with new options for many classes besides just clerics. I have recently started exploring the new edition, so very much look forward to adding this to my (currently quite small) collection for it.

In conclusion, the Kickstarters that I've been most excited about involve games by people whose past work I enjoy a great deal, and who I want to see continue to make incredible stuff. I would love to have the freedom to pledge money to a wider spectrum of projects, in order to expand my horizons even further and encourage more new creators. But for now, my limited budget demands that I save it for projects that I can be confident about investing in from the beginning. So, for starters, expect to see Green Ronin continue to dominate my list of backed Kickstarters.

"The Lost Island" PCs for Fantasy AGE

As a sequel to my previous column converting the heroes of Death in Freeport to Fantasy AGE, I've decided to do the same with the party appearing in True20 Freeport: The Lost Island.

Because these characters are likely to level during the course of the adventure, I've also included notes about the most thematically appropriate specializations to choose at 4th level.

Spiradon the Wanderer

Spiradon is a priest of the God of Roads, but came to that vocation late in life. He therefore has the Wanderer background (Outcast) instead of Initiate.

At 4th level, Spiradon may choose the Elementalist specialization (favoring either air or fire).

SPIRADON THE WANDERER (3rd-level Human Mage)

Abilities (Focuses)
2 Accuracy
1 Communication (Animal Handling)
1 Constitution (Swimming)
2 Dexterity
1 Fighting
4 Intelligence (Arcane Lore, Navigation)
2 Perception (Searching)
0 Strength
3 Willpower

Speed 12
Health 32
Defense 12 (14 with protective winds)
Armor Rating 0

Weapon / Attack Roll / Damage
Quarterstaff / +2 / 1D6+1
Dagger / +2 / 1D6+1
Arcane Blast / +2 / 1D6+3

Special Qualities

Talents: Air Arcana (Novice), Chirurgy (Journeyman), Fire Arcana (Novice), Healing Arcana (Novice)
Magic Points: 30
Spells: arcane lantern, flame blast, healing touch, protective winds, revival, voices on the wind
Weapon Groups: Brawling, Staves
Equipment: quarterstaff, dagger, arcane device (religious icon), backpack, bedroll, hooded lantern, oil flask, traveler's garb, waterskin

Grimwade Steele

Grimwade comes from a family of craftsmen and merchants, so has the Guilder background (Middle Class).

At 4th level, Grimwade may choose either the Berserker or Guardian specialization.

GRIMWADE STEELE (3rd-level Dwarf Warrior)

Abilities (Focuses)
1 Accuracy
0 Communication
2 Constitution (Drinking, Stamina)
2 Dexterity (Crafting)
4 Fighting (Bludgeons)
0 Intelligence
1 Perception
3 Strength (Climbing)
2 Willpower (Courage)

Speed 7
Health 47
Defense 12 (14 with medium shield)
Armor Rating 7

Weapon / Attack Roll / Damage
Maul / +6 / 1D6+6
Fist / +1 / 1D6+3

Special Qualities
Dark Sight: See up to 20 yards in darkness without a light source.
Talents: Armor Training (Novice), Unarmed Style (Novice), Weapon and Shield Style (Journeyman)
Weapon Groups: Axes, Bludgeons, Brawling, Spears
Equipment: heavy mail armor, medium shield, maul, miner's pick, sack, shovel, traveler's garb, waterskin

"Mad Pete" Willowbrook

"Mad Pete" has the Criminal background (Outcast). He is a skilled knife thrower, only changing to his crossbow when he runs out of spare blades, or needs to attack an opponents beyond throwing range.

At 4th level, Pete may choose the Assassin or Sharpshooter specialization.

'MAD PETE" WILLOWBROOK (3rd-level Halfling Rogue)

Abilities (Focuses)
3 Accuracy (Light Blades)
2 Communication (Disguise)
1 Constitution
4 Dexterity (Initiative, Lockpicking, Stealth)
0 Fighting
3 Intelligence
2 Perception
0 Strength (Climbing)
1 Willpower

Speed 12
Health 38
Defense 14
Armor Rating 4

Weapon / Attack Roll / Damage
Throwing Knife / +5 / 1D6 (+1 if thrown)
Crossbow / +3 / 2D6+3

Special Qualities
Pinpoint Attack: Once per round, add 1d6 damage to a successful attack if your Dexterity is greater than your opponent's.
Rogue's Armor: Ignore the Armor Penalty of leather armor.
Stunt Bonus: Perform Pierce Armor stunt for 1 SP.
Talents: Thievery (Novice), Thrown Weapon Talent (Novice)
Weapon Groups: Bows, Brawling, Light Blades, Staves
Equipment: heavy leather armor, throwing knives (x5), crossbow, quiver and 20 arrows, backpack, bedroll, belt pouch (x4), crowbar, lockpicks, rope (silk, 20 yards), traveler's garb, waterskin

Molly Quickblade

In True20, Molly Quickblade was an adept/warrior, combining some some minor combat powers with two-weapon fighting. This makes her difficult to convert to a single Fantasy AGE class, because she must lose either the magic or the weapon skills. I have provided two versions of the character below, one as a mage, one a warrior. Both have the Pirate background (Outcast).

As a mage, Molly is on the path to becoming a Sword Mage at 4th level. She will not be considered trained with any sword until that level, but the player may opt to replace her club with a short sword at 3rd level (taking the usual penalties for being untrained).

As a warrior, Molly is a skilled swordswoman. She may choose Mage Hunter at 4th level, or take a degree in a regular talent instead (perhaps mastering her Dual Weapon Style).

MOLLY QUICKBLADE (3rd-level Elf Mage)

Abilities (Focuses)
3 Accuracy (Arcane Blast)
2 Communication
1 Constitution
2 Dexterity (Acrobatics, Sailing)
0 Fighting
3 Intelligence (Fate Arcana)
2 Perception (Seeing)
1 Strength
2 Willpower

Speed 14
Health 32
Defense 12
Armor Rating 0

Weapon / Attack Roll / Damage
Crossbow / +3 / 2D6+3
Club / +3 / 1D6+1 [or Short Sword / +1 / 1D6+3 (x1/2)]
Arcane Blast / +1 / 1D6+2

Special Qualities
Dark Sight: See up to 20 yards in darkness without a light source.
Talents: Command (Novice), Divination Arcana (Novice), Fate Arcana (Journeyman), Linguistics (Novice)
Magic Points: 25
Spells: bloodhound, blood mark, hands of fate, puppets of fate, strings of fate
Weapon Groups: Bows, Brawling, Staves
Equipment: club, crossbow, quiver and 20 bolts, arcane device (TBD), backpack, bedroll, traveler's garb, waterskin

MOLLY QUICKBLADE (3rd-level Elf Warrior)

Abilities (Focuses)
2 Accuracy (Light Blades)
1 Communication (Persuasion)
2 Constitution
3 Dexterity (Acrobatics, Sailing)
3 Fighting
1 Intelligence (Military Lore)
1 Perception (Seeing)
1 Strength
2 Willpower

Speed 14
Health 47
Defense 13 (14 with Dual Weapon Style defense)
Armor Rating 4

Weapon / Attack Roll / Damage
Short Sword / +4 / 1D6+3
Throwing Axe / +3 / 1D3+1
Crossbow / +2 / 2D6+2 (+1 within 6 yards)

Special Qualities
Dark Sight: See up to 20 yards in darkness without a light source.
Talents: Archery Style (Novice), Armor Training (Novice), Dual Weapon Style (Journeyman)
Weapon Groups: Axes, Bows, Brawling, Light Blades
Equipment: heavy leather armor, short sword, throwing axe, crossbow, quiver and 20 bolts, backpack, bedroll, traveler's garb, waterskin

Some thoughts about using Fantasy AGE

I recently picked up the Fantasy AGE Basic Rulebook by Green Ronin Publishing. This new game takes the Adventure Game Engine (AGE) that was first developed for the Dragon Age RPG, and adapts it into a more generic fantasy rules set. This is the system that was used for Wil Wheaton's Titansgrave: The Ashes of Valkana web series, which I heartily recommend to anyone who wants to see what a RPG campaign is actually like in play. (Chapter 0 provides a good, if very brief, overview of the basic mechanics.) And if you want to play those adventures for yourself, or create your own set in the same world, the Titansgrave sourcebook is now available in game stores.

I'm not a videogamer, and I only rarely play SF games, so I'm less interested in Dragon Age or Titansgrave than I am in the AGE system itself. Green Ronin recently concluded a Kickstarter to produce a new edition of Blue Rose for AGE, and one of the promised rewards for their Freeport: The City of Adventure Kickstarter is a Fantasy AGE Freeport Companion. I bought the Basic Rulebook in order to learn more about the system while I wait for those two books to be produced.

The AGE system seems like just the right level of complexity to try out with my kids, who have been clamoring for more RPG time. They're 11 and 10 now, and been playing occasional games with us for a few years now. So far, we've tried D&D v.3.5, Earthdawn, and Pathfinder, because those are the systems that my wife and I know best. They've enjoyed all these games, and beg for more, but a simpler system would be a better match for their attention spans. Also, my kids haven't quite reached the point in their RPG careers of wanting to read the rulebook for themselves, but when they do, the Fantasy AGE Basic Rulebook will be a more attractive choice. At a mere 80 pages for the Player's Guide chapters, it will be far less intimidating than, say, the Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook.

The Blue Rose Kickstarter provided much of the impetus for me considering AGE as a new system to explore with the kids. I loved the original True20 edition, but the system and setting never caught on in my gaming group. However, the tropes of the setting--shining knights, magical animals, justice for the oppressed, etc.--line up very well with my children's tastes in literature and film. (To give just one example, they are huge fans of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, which could easily be reinterpreted as an all-rhydan Blue Rose setting.) I was considering the possibility of running a Blue Rose campaign for them even before this Kickstarter was announced, and now it seems almost a certainty that I will do so once the new book is available. Meanwhile, we can learn the basic Fantasy AGE system together. Preparing adventures should require less time with this system--which will be a big help with juggling my regular "adult" campaign with game time for the kids.

The Freeport Companion for AGE won't come out until after I conclude my current Freeport Pathfinder campaign. My next planned game will be a long-term campaign set in a completely different world, so I probably won't be running Freeport again for some time. When I do, it will probably be a one-shot using a different system--just for a change of pace--rather than a full-fledged campaign. I own the Fate Freeport Companion, so that system is one possibility. But if the Fantasy AGE Freeport Companion lives up to the high standards I expect of Green Ronin, then that system will be my first choice for the experiment.

For now, though, I've helped my kids create their first Fantasy AGE characters, and I will be running the Basic Rulebook's sample adventure for them (and a couple of my regular adult players) sometime soon. I will almost certainly post afterwards about how that went.

Freeport Iconics for Fantasy AGE

Whenever I learn a new RPG, I like to create several practice characters in order to see how the various options for character creation work together. I also have a few favorite player characters from old campaigns who I eventually try to rebuild in the new system. And in recent years, I've made a habit of converting the original pregenerated party of adventurers from Death in Freeport into each new fantasy RPG that I learn. I've done this with Pathfinder and D&D 5th Edition in previous columns, and now it's time to try it with Fantasy AGE.  

Note: For Health Points, Magic Points, and starting cash, I've assumed average results for all die rolls (3.5, rounded up to 4 for 1d6, rounded down to 10 for 3d6). 

THORGRIM

Thorgrim was the most challenging of the four party members to convert to Fantasy AGE, because d20 clerics can cast spells in armor without penalty, but AGE mages cannot. Here, I've compromised by giving him the lightest possible armor (which will cost him 1 strain on any spell he casts, but not impose any other penalties) plus a light shield (which gives the maximum +1 bonus allowed without Weapon and Shield Style). His magic focuses on bolstering and healing his allies, and his Chirurgeon talent lets him remain a useful healer even when low on Magic Points. As a dwarven war-priest, he has the Initiate background (Middle Class), and he chooses his stunts carefully to give his side a tactical advantage.

THORGRIM (1st-level Dwarf Mage)

Abilities (Focuses)
1 Accuracy
0 Communication
3 Constitution
1 Dexterity
2 Fighting
2 Intelligence (Evaluation, Religious Lore)
1 Perception
2 Strength
2 Willpower

Speed 9
Health 27
Defense 11 (12 with shield)
Armor Rating 3

Weapon / Attack Roll / Damage
Battle-axe / +2 / 2D6+2

Arcana Blast / +1 / 1D6+2

Special Qualities
Favored Stunts: Skirmish, Defensive Stance, Skillful Casting
Dark Sight: See up to 20 yards in darkness without a light source.
Talents: Chirurgeon (Novice), Healing Arcana (Novice), Heroic Arcana (Novice)
Weapon Groups: Axes, Brawling, Staves
Magic Points: 16

Spells: healing touch, hero's inspiration, hero's might, revival
Equipment: Light Leather, Light Shield, Battle-Axe, Arcane Device (holy symbol), backpack, bedroll, belt pouch, 3 torches, traveler's garb, waterkin, whetstone, 15 sp

ROLLO

Rollo is a small warrior who packs a surprisingly hard punch. Note that in the rules as written, small races such as gnomes and halflings have no size-based limitations on equipment use, so I chose to give him a two-handed maul as his signature weapon. This replaces the exotic gnomish hooked hammer he wielded in d20. The Soldier background (Lower Class) was the most obvious choice.

ROLLO (1st-level Gnome Warrior)

Abilities (Focuses)
1 Accuracy (Brawling)
0 Communication
2 Constitution
2 Dexterity (Legerdemain)
3 Fighting
1 Intelligence
1 Perception (Hearing)
3 Strength
1 Willpower

Speed 9
Health 36
Defense 12
Armor Rating 4

Weapon / Attack Roll / Damage
Two-Handed Maul / +3 / 2D6+6

Short Bow / +1 / 1D6+2

Gauntlet / +1 / 1D3+4

Throwing Axe / +3 / 1D6+5

Special Qualities
Favored Stunts: Knock Prone, Mighty Blow, Threaten
Dark Sight: See up to 20 yards in darkness without a light source.
Talents: Archery Style (Novice), Armor Training (Novice), Two-Hander Style (Novice)
Weapon Groups: Axes, Bludgeons, Bows, Brawling
Equipment: Heavy Leather, Two-Handed Maul, Short Bow, quiver and 20 arrows, Throwing Axe, backpack, bedroll, belt pouch, crowbar, flint and steel, 3 torches, traveler's garb, 18 sp

MALEVIR

Converting Malevir from a d20 sorcerer to a Fantasy AGE mage required putting his best ability in  Intelligence, which leaves him feeling more of a wizard than before. To preserve some of his former charisma, I left him with a good Communication ability and a focus that will insure he'll be the party's "face man." As the one Upper Class party member (he's an Apprentice), he has quite a bit of cash left over to spend as the player desires. (Sharing some of his good fortune with his companions would, of course, be an easy way to cement their loyalty!)

MALEVIR (1st-level Half-Elf Mage)

Abilities (Focuses)
2 Accuracy
2 Communication (Persuasion)
1 Constitution
3 Dexterity
0 Fighting
3 Intelligence (Arcane Lore)
1 Perception (Seeing)
0 Strength
2 Willpower

Speed 15
Health 25
Defense 13
Armor Rating 0 (3 with stone cloak)

Weapon / Attack Roll / Damage
Morningstar / +2 / 1D6+3

Arcane Blast / +2 / 1D6+2

Special Qualities
Favored Stunts: Skillful Casting, Lasting Spell, Magic Shield
Dark Sight: See up to 20 yards in darkness without a light source.

Talents: Earth Arcana (Novice), Lore (Novice), Power Arcana (Novice)
Magic Points: 16

Spells: arcane awareness, rock blast, spell ward, stone cloak
Weapon Groups: Brawling, Staves
Equipment: Morningstar, arcane device (amulet), backpack, bedroll, belt pouch, ink (black, 1 vial), paper (10 pages), quill, sealing ring (custom), sealing wax, traveler's garb, waterskin, 34 sp, 2 cp

ALAINA

As a 1st-level character, Alaina will not be able to use the original character's two-weapon fighting style immediately. (However, Dual Weapon Style would be an excellent choice for her new talent at 3rd level, and she already has the Strength necessary to wield two short swords.) Apart from that, she is the easiest of the four heroes to convert to Fantasy AGE, as she was always built as a stereotypical sneak-thief.  Her Criminal background (Outcast) leaves her with very little spare cash at the start of play, giving her all the more motive to seek out more loot!

ALAINA (1st-level Human Rogue)

Abilities (Focuses)
3 Accuracy
1 Communication (Deception)
1 Constitution (Swimming)
3 Dexterity (Lock-Picking)
1 Fighting
2 Intelligence
1 Perception
1 Strength
1 Willpower

Speed 13
Health 30
Defense 13
Armor Rating 3

Weapon / Attack Roll / Damage
Short Sword / +3 / 1D6+3

Crossbow / +3 / 2D6+2

Special Qualities
Favored Stunts: Rapid Reload, Pierce Armor, Taunt, Lightning Attack
Pinpoint Attack: Once per round, add 1d6 to the damage of a successful hit if your Dexterity is greater than your opponents.
Rogue's Armor: Ignore the Armor Penalty of leather armor.
Talents: Thievery (Novice)
Weapon Groups: Bows, Brawling, Light Blades
Equipment: Light Leather, Short Sword, Crossbow, quiver with 20 bolts, backpack, flint and steel, lockpicks, rope (20 yards), traveler's garb, waterskin, 10 sp