My Next Novella's Cover Has Also Been Completed...

This novella is set to be released in December and is another in the series of my quirky Mountain Man Monster Hunter Jed Isaacs, this was the first story I composed, first as a film script in around the year 2000 and then a novella in the fall of 2008. 

A LOT of Writing Has Been Going On

It has been over a month, or two, since I last posted here but in this case it is a good thing. I have been busy writing like a madman, and not just gaming materials but novels and related literature. As you know my newest adventure module 'To Kill a King' is now out and has had five star reviews instantly as a PDF before it was ever printed and sold at GenCon last month! The adventure was inspired by my favorite, albeit short-lived 'Castle' Rock band 'Rainbow', and I do have another inspired one from a song due out in a few months as well. Next and related, my next adventure module, 'Goblin Night' is in the early stages of being put together and focuses on the early original Celtic Halloween, thus its name taken from the Welsh 'Coblynos'. The story occurs near the villages of Hadrian's Wall beside the ghost-haunted woods of Coed Celyddon and involves, the Wild Hunt, druidic ceremonies, a mystery and terrible things to come if everything is not figured out before the third and final night of Halloween (the early original Celtic celebrations would last for three nights, 'Trinox Samonios' in Gaulish and 'Tair Nos Coblynos' in Welsh). In the history of gaming, this is the first time an adventure module has been written for, and about the holiday! I suspect it will get high ratings as well considering...

The Codex Nordicarum, which is the second codex in the series focuses on the Nordic myths and peoples is in early production and editing right now and should be ready for a mega-Kickstarter in October. It takes the ideas, layout and innovative things I did in the Celtic book to new places and now places those many myths and associated elements into gaming contexts for all alike to add to their games. It will kick gamer butt and prepare everyone for the next and related Codex Germanorum that should be ready by the end of the year. Following that will be the Codex Slavorum, Codex Classicarum and many more that places beloved myths, and the most obscure goodies from them into the hands of players and CKs. At the present the Slavic codex is halfway completed, and will be ready by October to be moved into place for the set of the Codices. I am also writing on the tenth adventure module, The Torc of Serpents, a very unique challenging story that takes place in Celtic London, when the Celts took over after Rome left. It will give many new opportunities to explore and to slay dragons...yes monstrous ones taken straight from Celtic myth.

In addition to all of this, I am about to complete book four in my Silent War Steampunk Horror series soon called Atlantica and finish the first part of it all, but before I do so I am writing a new Celtic adventure series based on my adventure modules, putting them into literature. The first book, The Sullen Queen, it taken from my prequel module A Sylvan Gambit, and is quickly growing into an amazing piece of literature. These books follow the main character, Rhun ap Maelgwn, on his early adventures straight up to his appearance in real history in succession of his famous (and real) kingly father Maelgwn of Gwynedd, one of the few actually documented 'Pendragons' in Celtic history. I cannot even begin to describe how incredible this story is becoming as I write it, as I have found another niche of mine that I am well-suited to writing (since it is my expertise!).

I am also outlining, halfway done, my next Weird West novel about Cage O'Brien called Cold Blooded, and will be a story far removed from the first, Bring Me the Head of the Preacher Man. It again honors Lovecraft and Howard, even more so than the first and takes place almost eight years later in 1901. It will not only be a gripping story of action, horror and adventure but a commentary on one subject I detest - politics. This will be a mind-twist of a tale and cause plenty of paranoia along the way, so be prepared. Soon I will start on it, likely around the holidays. Being released this month from my publisher Damnation Books are two of my works, The Axis of Shadows and Black Coach, High Midnight at the same time, one a novel and the other a novella. The first is the third installment in my Steampunk series and the other another tale in the life of my Mountain Man Monster Hunter Jed Isaacs. 

As I have more updates I will post them here for you, be sure to leave comments and your feelings on things for me as I take them all seriously! 

A Review on my FreeRPG Day Module! A Positive One as well!

Tabletop Review: A Pot of Broken Bones (& Halfling Broth) (Castles & Crusades)

by Alex Lucard on June 17, 2013

  

Broken Bones (& Halfling Broth) (Castles & Crusades)
Publisher: Troll Lord Games
Cost: FREE
Page Count: 16
Release Date: 06/15/2013

Saturday June 13th was Free RPG Day 2013, in which participating retailers were able to give away copies of various RPG samples. A few companies did quick start rules, other adventures, and some even did a tandem hybrid. A Pot of Broken Bones (& Halfling Broth) was Troll Lord Games’ offering for this year, and it was the product I was most interested in, as I like the system a lot. There are no quick start rules for the adventure, so you need someone who knows the C&C system to run it for you; preferably someone who knows the system well and can explain it to newcomers. As well, this particular adventure is for characters between levels 3 and 8, and there are four Level 4 pre-generated characters included. Between this and the lack of quick start rules, it does mean that everyone involved needs to have some prior understanding of how the C&C system works… which isn’t THAT hard, considering its an OGL system, but it does mean A Pot of Broken Bones isn’t the best thing to throw at a group of people completely new to Castles & Crusades. With only a cursory explanation of what dice to roll when, you should be able to have a really fun time with this adventure though.

The adventure itself if a lot of fun and very well written. It’s short, but with random encounters and a potential (and very unexpected) third act, it can really lengthen the adventure to two or more gaming sessions depending on how players handle it. I really liked the twist that players can run into if they play their cards right (wrong?) and it completely changes both the dynamics and expectations of the entire affair.

The plot of A Pot of Broken Bones is a short and simple one, which makes it perfect as a quick freebie to entice veteran gamers to try a new system or to reward long time fans of the system. A Halfling village has been ransacked by a pair of trolls, and the three that haven’t been captured, killed, or eaten hire the player characters to take out the trolls and free what remaining brethren they might have. Players have a variety of options on what to do about the trolls. They can use brute force to slay them, Stealth to sneak past, or guile and charisma to perhaps befriend or barter with the trolls into letting the Halflings go. I really enjoyed that, even as a simpler adventure, A Pot of Broken Bones didn’t play out as a simple hack and slash dungeon crawl. I loved that the text offered nonviolent solutions to the problem, although the adventure does admit most players will take the more direct route of sticking sharp things through soft things that scream and bleed.

The adventure also takes place under freezing winter conditions, meaning players with have to deal with the chill and snow in addition to two powerful antagonists. Of course, the troll’s lair has potential dangers besides the gruesome twosome, so players will have to be prepared for that as well. Of course, players won’t see the huge twist coming if they encounter it (it’s possible to run the entire adventure without triggering it) and as I said earlier, I was blown away by it. This alone turns a simple adventure for new gamers until a highly memorable affair.

One odd note about this adventure. I found the cover ink came off on my hands and fingers very easily – a problem I haven’t had with any of the other products I picked up on Free RPG Day. I’ve never had that problem with a physical C&C release before either, so I’m not sure if I just got an odd cover or if this is an issue with all the C&C Free RPG releases this year, so just a head’s up in that regard.

Out of the sixteen pages in the adventure, ten are actual content, one is a map of two locations, one is the OGL license and title page, two are product ads and two are the four pregenerated characters. There are two small drawings, each of a troll in the text, but otherwise the piece is mostly art free. Not surprising, as this is a free giveaway. I really like the cover art though.

All in all, I loved this adventure. A Pot of Broken Bones (& Halfling Broth) is something worth paying for, so to get this adventure for free is an amazing deal. It is well worth playing through as veterans of RPGS and/or C&C will love this thing, and the twist will throw them off their guard and then some. For younger or newer gamers, this adventure may well turn them into big time Castles & Crusades fans, leading them to purchase the core handbooks and many an adventure. I know it would have piqued my interest enough to invest in the system had I not already owned much of what’s out for it. Whether you’re new to Castles & Crusades or have only ever heard about it from reading my reviews, try and track down a copy of A Pot of Broken Bones (& Halfling Broth). You won’t regret it. I normally don’t pick up physical releases for RPGS these days, but this adventure was well worth driving to a participating game store and then some.

I Will Begin the 'Codex Slavicorum' Next...So Be Ready!

My 'Awen' (Inspiration) is propelling me to continue on writing the next Codex in the series even though I want to finish my fourth Steampunk Horror novel, it is weird how creative energies work though. Since I am on a roll and these are becoming a deeper interest of mine than they already were, I will start on the fourth Codex, the 'Codex Slavicorum' - putting the many myths and tales of the Pre-Christian Slavic world into gaming terms for all. If you have this ancestry it will be a chance to place it into a game now and then some!

I have it set up and laid out ready to go now, slowly I am revving up to begin on this next Codex and it will be fun!

Codex Germanorum is Now Absolutely Finished!

I know for months we have been saying that the German and Viking codices were 'finished', they were in a manner of saying. After many months I spent time fine tuning them, specifically the German Codex because it was the unfinished book by former TSR Game Designer Robert Kuntz going back to 2002. In the wake of the publication of my own old project that became the 'Codex Celtarum', now every book that follows in the series must be as good or better since it is a hard success to top if the books were to be sub-standard - and these are not! They are amazing!

I do not know when production starts on the next Codex but be ready for the news, it will be shake the many worlds when it is time and it can stand beside the Codex Celtarum in the gaming shelf proudly. There is so much useful stuff packed into these codices that gamers will have to take time figuring out what to do first! Keep in mind that this German Codex is purely my own creation and composition and not derived from Kuntz's own early drafts, I do not think they still exist after all of these years really. Steve couldn't find them in his archives. In this you can emulate Beowulf, Siegfried and other classic Germanic heroes and tales at the table.

Next it will either be the Classical (Greek/Etruscan/Roman) Codex or the Slavic, I am not sure yet, but whichever it will be mythic and epic and ready to be added to your collection and gaming soon...

Black Coach, High Midnight is Nigh....

This is the official cover for my new upcoming novella 'Black Coach, High Midnight' due out soon! This cover is made by Dawne Dominique, who has done all of my covers with Damnation Books/Eternal Press since I first signed on as an author!

The Teutonic Furor is Coming Soon! (Codex Nordicarum et Germanorum)

The final 10,000 words on the Codex Germanorum is taking place this week, and gamers won't be disappointed! If my Celtic book has made an impression, I think this will be complement it and the Nordic Codex as well. Once this Codex is finalized and done and sent off to the Head Troll Lord to be readied, I will begin on the next in the series.




What culture I am not sure yet, either Slavic or Classical (Greek and Roman), but this will put the initial part of this series through a large part of ancient Europe and prepare everyone for some truly unique, and never written or published in gaming history, cultures (Native American, Mesopotamian/Egyptian, Meso-American, etc).



Each Codex has more monsters, character classes, magic and items exclusively taken from those cultures and translated into gaming terms using a minimalist system for rules. I am extremely proud and honored to be the author in these works and hope that the response by gamers everywhere is as positive as it is for my Celtic book as they come out. Don't worry, I will use the same system of writing, research and design as I had in my initial 20+ year project to keep the consistency and approach identical!