NEW U-Con Event Submission Extension MONDAY SEPT. 19TH, Plus A Bonus for GMs Putting In Overtime

Gamemasters! U-Con’s event submission deadline is Monday the 19th at 11:59p. Submit your events at: https://www.ucon-gaming.org/reg/gcs/gm/submit.php

As always, Gamemasters earn their badge refund for running 6 hours of events at U-Con. However, now gamemasters who go above and beyond by running a total of 16 hours of games can earn a Play Games All Weekend Ribbon.

We can always use more events on every track, including ConTessa and the OSR track!

Special Announcement For U-Con! We will have ConTessa! Plus a new incentive for ALL U-Con GMs!

This morning +Stacy Dellorfano made a special announcement regarding ConTessa. ConTessa will be coming to U-Con! Yep. It's pretty awesome. So, Stacy will be featured as the OSR Guest of Honor and also be heading up ConTessa. You can read her entire announcement here: ConTessa @ U-Con 2016: Call for GMs. Check it out, then come back here for a bit more...

 

 

Now that you've read Stacy's post you know about registration, which I will repeat here:

 

"Pre-registration event deadline for sign-up is September 15th, so get your games in ASAP! To register, head to the U-Con Event Submission Form, and provide all the information necessary for your event. It'll ask you things like your name, address, and so on, plus a title for your game, description, and how many players you'd like. 

Under the portion that reads 'Comments for event coordinator', let them know that you'd like your game to be added to the ConTessa track. Your game can be part of multiple tracks, so if you see another track it could also belong to, let the coordinator know. 

You'll get three choices for your scheduling preferences. Schedule your game for whatever works best for you, but I'd avoid Saturday morning so you can attend your breakfast!"

 

Now, if you are already registered as a GM this year at U-Con AND identify as female AND want to be tagged on the ConTessa track, email me personally and I will make sure that the change get's made to your events. My email is luxfaust@gmail.com. When you email, include the name you are registered under and events that you have registered to ensure that I can find them and make sure you are part of ConTessa at U-Con!

 

As an additional announcement for ALL U-Con GMs, this year you have a new incentive. If you run 16 hours of events at the convention, you will not only received compensation for your badge to enter U-Con, you will also receive a "Play Games All Weekend" ribbon!

 

So, G&G is an OSR blog, and as you likely know, I organize the OSR events for U-Con. If you can here to find out what qualifies for the OSR Track, check right here: Event Registration and OSR Event Qualifiers.

 

See you at U-Con!

 

 

 

UPDATE: U-Con 2016 Event Registration

I am including my initial post on U-Con event registration below, along with the official message that was sent out to previous U-Con GMs. You can find both below. If you plan to run games at U-Con in November, please do not hesitate to register now.

Dear Gamemasters!

Event submission for U-Con 2016 is underway, and we need your events! 
  Please submit all of your events at:  https://www.ucon-gaming.org/reg/gcs/gm/submit.php

Or you can email us at events2016@ucon-gaming.org with all the events 
you have planned and we will add them to our schedule.

We ask all gamemasters to run 6+ hours of events.  Also note that 
running events for some of our special guests may allow access to 
special events with those guests.

Guest of honor, industry insider, and special guest announcements are 
underway.  See them all as we announce them at  https://www.ucon-gaming.org/program/guest-of-honor/

Pre-registration will open next month, so the earlier we receive your 
events, the better your chances of getting your preferred times AND 
the better your chances of having your events filled.

Thank you, and see you there!

Sincerely,
U-Con 2016 Staff

Well, this is a long over due post. I haven't posted in a solid 2 months. I'll talk about that another time. As for right now, it's time for an announcement.

 

It's announcement time folks! It's official. The OSR Track at U-con in Ypsilanti Michigan is set to go this year! I will, again, be filling the roll of OSR Track Coordinator. 2015 was a tremendous year for the track, and this year is shaping up to be even better! In the coming weeks (post Gen Con) I will be posting info for all of the "VIPs" that we have coming this year. This looks like it could be the biggest year for the track yet, and I'm looking forward to it. That said, we now have event submission open. You can submit your events (OSR or otherwise) right over at the event submission page. Make sure to list which track your game will run on (if it is an OSR game tag it with OSR, if it is a Board Game tag it with Board Game etc.) when submitting you events.

 

Where and when is U-Con this year?

 

 

What qualifies as an OSR event this year?

 

Official D&D:

All TSR Era D&D qualifies,

OD&D

AD&D

B/X

BECMI

AD&D 2nd Edition

Rules Cyclopedia

 

Other TSR Era Stuff:

Gamma World (TSR editions)

Boot Hill

Metamorphosis Alpha

Star Frontiers

Gangbusters

Top Secret

Alternity etc.

 

Other Early Era RPGs/Supplements:

Arduin

Early Chaosium products (RuneQuest 2nd Edition, Elfquest, Sandy Petersen era Call of Cthulhu etc)

RuneQuest (yes I know I mentioned it before)

Tunnels & Trolls (all editions)

Dragonquest (all editions)

Traveller

Chivalry & Sorcery

Pacesetter System Games (Chill, Time Master, Crypt World etc.)

Middle Earth Role Playing (I.C.E.)

Rolemaster

Spacemaster

The Complete Warlock

Rapier & Dagger

Cyborg Commando (Did he really just say Cyborg Commando?)

WEG D6 Star Wars

WEG D6 Ghostbusters

The Fantasy Trip

007

Pre 2000s Palladium Games (TMNT, Palladium RPG, early RIFTS etc)

 

If I missed your favorite, contact me and make sure, but it will likely be fine to run.

 

Retro-Clones:

Swords & Wizardry

OSRIC

Cryptworld

Labyrinth Lord

Mutant Future

Dark Dungeons

Delving Deeper

Blueholme

For Gold & Glory

Spellcraft & Swordplay etc.

 

Near Clones:

Dungeon Crawl Classics

Adventurer Conqueror King

Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea

Castles & Crusades

White Star

The Hero's Journey

The Black Hack

Adventures Dark & Deep

Lamentations of the Flame Princess: Weird Fantasy Roleplaying Game etc.

 

As always, this list is hardly exhaustive regarding all of the great Old School RPGs in the world. If you have one you want to run and it isn't here, just let me know. Let's make this thing huge. I want to give your favorite Old School game a place to live and breathe.

 

Special Request:

 

This year is the 40th Anniversary of Judges Guild! With that said, I would like to request that we run some classic JG products in the OSR Track. I myself will be running a "Hangin' In the City State" event along with one other Judges Guild module. In addition to that, I already have confirmation that Bill Webb will be in attendance and running a 20 player foray into Tegel Manor! Come help us celebrate Judge's Guild's 40th anniversary at the U-Con OSR Track.

 

 

 

 

 

Power: A New Attribute For OD&D!

Optional Attribute

Power

My Optional Rules contain several optional attributes that have been created or harvested from various sources and honed to fit the game. Power was chosen to be presented for this work as it is directly related to the nature of magic.

Power

Roll 3d6 for your character's Power score. A high Power level means that your character is in tune with the subtle forces of magic, ley lines, power source and the barriers and veils between the many planes of existence. As an optional attribute it is not the prime attribute of any class. The Power score might also measure the power of the character's mystical aura.

There are several ways in which the Power attribute can be applied in the game. The first of these is as a modifier to Saving Throws vs. Magic, per the Power Table below. This may be because the aura of the character is strong and deflects the magic being used upon her or because the sixth sense of the character picks up on the magic being used, causing other defenses to begin working.

Second, since power measures a character's sensitivity to magic, the referee might rule that an attribute check might be able to be made to determine magical auras, as per the Detect Magic spell. This might only apply to those with a high power score, or it may merely require a check. The way in which such a check is made is up to the referee. It may entail rolling lower than the character's ability score using 3d6 or 1d20. Furthermore, as a house rule in the creation of this attribute, the power of the magic in question is taken into account. The “level” of power of the magic is deducted from the score of the detector and this creates the target number to roll in order to perceive the magic. For example a character with 15 Power has a chance to detect an assassin that has been rendered invisible. Mind you that the character will not innately know that there is an invisible assassin, but will know that something magical is afoot. We will presume that the spell Invisibility was used on the assassin. Invisibility is a 2^nd Level Magic-User spell. Thus the referee subtracts 2 from the character's score of 15. The target number to beat will be 13. The player is told to throw 1d20, but not told why. 13 is rolled on the nose. The character realizes that something magical is afoot, and that roughly where it is, but not exactly what it is.

In the same example we can make things more interesting. The referee might rule that more information is gleaned, via the character's Power for each number below the target number that is rolled. Let us assume that that a 9 is rolled instead of a 13. The referee might now rule that the character is also aware of roughly how powerful the magic at hand is. Presuming that character roles lower, let's go all the way to a natural 1 on the roll, the referee might even give insight as to what spell is afoot!

A referee might also rule that highly sensitive characters, that is to say those with a high Power score, might also suffer in the presence of very powerful magic, if they are not used to it's presence. If this is the case a saving throw might be required when such a character is exposed to magic equivalent to spells above 6^th level. Ill effects for failing such a save may result in anything from being momentarily stunned and unable to act for a round to seizures that might result in the loss of multiple rounds and potential damage.

The third function that Power can be used for is to retrieve a spell that is cast. As is known, arcane magic functions by trapping a spell in the brain of the magic-user. The spell WANTS to be released. When the spell is cast it's effects take place and it is gone from the magic-user's mind. It is possible, using one's power, to retain a spell as it is being cast, allowing it's effects to take place, but effectively pulling it back into the mind of the magic-user.

A spellcaster may attempt to retain a number of spell levels per day equal to her caster level. At the time of the casting the magician must make a Power check less the spell level. If the check is made the spell is retained and may be cast again that day. If the check is failed the spell is lost as normal. If the check is failed the attempt still counts against the casters retaining attempts for that day. To give an example: a 3^rd level sorcerer may attempt to retain three 1^st level spells or one 1^st level spell and one 2^nd level spell.

Dice Mechanics For Morale And Loyalty In OD&D and Classic D&D

Continuing on with an idea I had for more simple dice mechanics, begun back in the Simple Dice Mechanics for Reaction Rolls post, I have come up with a system loosely based upon the one provided for troops in Swords & Spells for OD&D. You can see pages 19-20 of the aforementioned OD&D supplement to see my inspiration for this system.

 

For those of us who are avid Swords & Wizardry enthusiasts, +Matt Finch presents us with this in the complete rulebook, with regards to morale:

 

"Morale

 

Certain monsters, such as mindless or undead creatures, are fearless and always fight to the death. The majority, however, will not continue to fight a hopeless battle; they will seek to retreat, flee, or surrender. The Referee decides when monsters abandon the battle and retreat, based on the situation and the monsters’ intelligence. Keep in mind that the party’s own non-player-character allies might decide to flee if their prospects of survival look grim."

 

It's up to the referee. I love it. I love the simplicity. HOWEVER (yeah, you knew that was coming,) just like with the reaction rolls, sometimes I like things random. Sometimes I want the same surprise that my players get. I also don't always want to make every decision  for every creature that the players encounter. I have always used a relatively arbitrary 2d6 roll, based upon conditions, kept in my head for morale. That said, I've been feeling like it's time for a change. I've toyed with a few things, but re-reading the actual OD&D rules, including Swords & Spells, I was inspired to create what follows. Bear in mind, these rules will apply to henchmen, hirelings and troops used by the PCs just as much as they apply to enemies!

 

Rules! We've Got Some Rules Around Here!

 

I. Situational Examples For Rolling Morale Checks

 

In Combat

 

• Creature(s) drop below 50% HP
• "Leader" of group is slain/unconscious
• When opposed by superior magic
• When drastically outnumbered/out "gunned"
• "Elite" allies are slain or withdrawing from combat
• When the tide of battle turns against the creature(s)

 

Out of Combat (in the case of henchmen, hirelings and pack animals, this may result in desertion of the PCs)

 

• Creature(s) not being paid/cared for properly (including any abuse)
• Inclement conditions (anything from trap ridden dungeons to extreme weather)
• Consistent encounters with "otherworldly," eldritch or otherwise out of the ordinary creatures (ex. common men at arms encountering undead or demons for the first time, or consistently)
• Exposed to taboo locale, creature, power etc.

 

II. The Morale Check

 

When a morale check is made, roll 1d20 comparing the result to the following tables. If the result is equal to, or lower than the desired number, the check is a success. If it is higher, then the creature(s) fail the morale check and attempt to flee, in combat, or desert the situation if outside of combat.

 

Base Morale Check

 

Creature's HD            Check

Below 1                         5

1 - 2                               6

2+ - 3                             7

3+ - 4                             8

4+ - 5                             9
5+ - 6                             10

6+ - 7                             11

7+ - 8                             12

8+ - 9                             13

9+ - 10                           14

10+ - 11                         15

11+ - 12                         16

12+ - 13                         17

13+ - 14                         18

14+ & Higher                19

 

NOTE - There is always a chance of failure, except in extreme cases as determined by the Referee. If any modifiers raise morale to 20 or above, on a roll of 20 a second roll is made. If the second roll also results in a 20 the roll is failed.

 

Morale Bonuses (all applicable bonuses are added to the Base Morale Check)

 

Loyalty Rating 13 - 17   +1*
Loyalty Rating 18          +2*
Leader CHA 13+            +1*
Strong Resolve (Dwarf,  +1
Human etc.)
Superior Resolve (Elf,    +2
fanatic etc.)
Rallied (via a leader's     +1 - +3 Referee's discretion
speech, bard's tale etc.
Well cared for/rested**  +1
Trained for situation       +1
Paladin present applies   +3
to lawful only
Advantage (winning       +1 - +3 Dependent upon scale of advantage
battle etc.)

Morale Penalties (all applicable penalties are subtracted from the Base Morale Check)

Loyalty Rating 4-7         -1*
Loyalty Rating 3-           -2*
Leader CHA  7-             -1*
Weak Resolve (weak     -1
goblinoids etc.)
Inferior Resolve (gob-    -2
linoids fighting in day-
light etc.)
Leader flees                    -1
Leader slain                    -2
Shaken                            -1 - -3 Referee's discretion
Ill cared for/tired**        -1
Untrained in situation    -1
Disadvantage (losing     -1 - -3 Dependent upon scale of disadvantage
battle, wounded etc.)   

* -These bonuses and penalties do not stack. Use the best possible bonus/penalty applicable.
** -cumulative over time

Loyalty Ratings

When a henchman, hireling or military unit is acquired a roll will be made to determine how loyal they will be to the PC. This is done the in the same manner that attribute scores are determined. Rolling 3d6.

This can also be done, if needed for the loyalty that an army, unit etc. has toward it's leader. An example might be that the PCs want to hire away some of a local merchant's guards. A roll should be made to determine how loyal the NPCs are to their "leader" and a morale check should be made based upon this with modifiers based upon the PC's CHA and what the PC is offering.

Similarly loyalty ratings can be applied to ideals, jobs etc. where NPCs are concerned, if the referee wants a random factor added to a situation. How much do these guards really care if the treasure they are guarding in route to the castle comes up light when they arrive? Is this thief really dedicated to his guild, or will he give up secrets signs and passwords for the right price?

Loyalty Rating Modifiers (all applicable modifiers used to adjust the loyalty rating)

Same race as Leader/Master   +1
Same alignment                      +2
Same religion                          +1
Leader CHA 13+                    +1
Common goal/aspiration        +1
Leader/Objective reputable    +1
Leader/Objective deplorable  -1
Opposite alignment                -3
Opposed religion                    -3
Leader CHA 7-                      -1
Opposed goal/aspiration        -1

There you go. I hope that this is helpful.

Simple Dice Mechanics for Reaction Rolls in OD&D and Classic D&D

Reaction rolls are something that many modern games have gotten rid of, or are at least ignored by most Referees of said games. There may be some encounters in which reaction rolls could be ignored, especially those crucial to the adventure, after all, the dragon guarding her hoard shouldn't looked favorably upon adventurers coming to take it from her! Still, for lesser encounters, and random encounters, reaction rolls are a boon to the Referee, and can add interesting twists to the adventure.

 

 

OD&D and gives us this rule for reaction rolls:

 

 

"...the Referee may roll 2d6 to determine whether the monsters will attack if they surprise the adventurers. On a roll of 2-6, the monsters will be hostile and attack; on a roll of 7-9, the monsters will withhold judgment and wait to see if the adventurers are hostile; on a roll of 10-12, the monsters will have a positive initial reaction to seeing the adventurers, and might even be convinced to offer some help – if they are well paid, of course!"

 

That's OK...

 

Looking at a later edition, Moldvay gives us this option:

 

Reaction Roll Table (2d6+Charisma modifier)

Roll	Result	Explanation
2 or less	Immediate Attack	The monsters are so offended that they attack immediately.
3-7	Unfavorable	The monsters do not like the player characters, and will attack if they may reasonably do so.
8-11	Favorable	The monsters will consider letting the player characters live if they choose to parley; it does not necessarily mean that the monsters like the player characters.
12 or more	Very favorable	The monsters (or perhaps only the monster leader) do, in fact, like the player characters; this does not mean that the monsters will just hand over their treasure, but it does indicate that they may choose to cooperate with the player characters in mutually beneficial ways.

Both have merit. I think we can do a good job at using the best of both rules while making the rule simpler and more simulationist at the same time. In fact, I need to track my source, but I'm pretty sure that Uncle Gary gave us another method. See, the above rule for OD&D might have never been used at his table. Again, I need to check the source, but I believe it was in the 1E DMG that Gygax stated that he had a poker die with all four card suits on it. The heart was marked on one side, diamonds on two, clubs on two and a spade on one. According to memory in the DMG Gary said that he used this die for reaction rolls. The heart was very favorable, the diamonds we somewhat favorable, the clubs were cautious/suspicious and the spade was hostile. This is the basis that I use for my reaction rolls. I use a Gamescience "averaging die," which is a d6 marked 2, 3, 3, 4, 4 and 5. It is essentially the same thing as the die that Gary is talking about. That said, it's not like you need the novelty of either of these dice to get the same sort of results out of a normal d6. So, without further ado, here is my method as slightly altered from Gary's.

 

Ruling on Reactions

 

Reaction Check, roll 1d6.

 

Roll                Result                 Explanation                                                               

 

    1               Hostile                   Creature is hostile toward the PCS and attacks         

                                                   The creature(s) is suspicious or untrusting of the

    2/3  Unfavorable/Suspicious  PCs, it will take little to provoke it.                           

                                                   The creatures trust, or have reason to trust or like 

    4/5    Favorable/Trusting        the PCs. They could be cautious but are favorable    

 

    6    Very Favorable/Friendly  The creature(s) is very favorable and willing to help

 

 It's clean. It's simple. It simulates real possibilities. It's also scalable based upon the environment. It is very easy to knock of one extreme or the other and scale thing back. Take this variant as an example.

Recent Wild Fires Cause Food To Be Scarce; Animal/Monster Reactions:
 

Roll                Result                 Explanation                                                               

 

    1/2               Hostile                   Creature is hostile toward the PCS and attacks      

                                                     The creature(s) is suspicious or untrusting of the

  3/4/5  Unfavorable/Suspicious   PCs, it will take little to provoke it.                         

                                                   The creatures trust, or have reason to trust or like 

     6      Favorable/Trusting        the PCs. They could be cautious but are favorable   

PC Attempts To Affect Reactions:

PCs can attempt to alter the reactions of creatures they encounter. The PCs can attempt to move influence the creature's reaction either in their favor, or provoke the creature toward hostility, if they believe this to be a smart idea! This is done with a Charisma attribute check. This can be done using any rule that the Referee chooses for attribute checks. If the check is successful the creature makes a saving throw. A failed save results in the creature's temperament moves in the intended direction by one number. If the save is failed by a large margin, the Referee may deem that it's temperament moves more than one number. Of course, the referee may deem that the creature receives a bonus to their saving throw, depending upon conditions. If, on the other hand the PC fails the attribute check by a large margin, the Referee may move the creature's reaction in the opposite direction.


Happy Holidays From Appendix N Entertainment! The Gift of Wishbooks

 

Merry Christmas from out gaming group to yours.

 

As my gift to you, here is full catalog of all of those old Wishbooks you used to circle your D&D wishlists in. Click right here.