Friday, November 30, 2018

2D20 Conan Extension 3.7 Update for MoreCore

Hi all,

Here is the latest info and updates on the 3.7 Conan Extension, for use with MoreCore and Fantasy Grounds.

Follow the links!




Tuesday, November 20, 2018

Weekly One Shot 2D20 Conan Games Starting Soon at Fantasy Grounds Collage!

Hi all,

For those who have been wondering what playing Conan 2D20 would be like on Fantasy Grounds, I am hosting demonstration games over on the FGC website. Starting Dec 9th, I plan on doing a weekly one shot adventure for anyone who is wishing to try out the Conan: Adventures of an Age Undreamed of RPG.


This game requires NO experience, and I will take newcomers and veterans alike!


I host games with the ultimate license, so ANYONE can join in on my games for free!! All you need is the free Demo version! So, even if you are not into this game, but know someone who is, feel free to point them in this direction!!



Now, here is the fun bit I am adding! Come sign up and use a pregen all ready to kick butt and take names or*make your own PC and use it in my One Shot. (if you do that, and you play again in another session.. your character can grow and get XP) But if they die, they are out!


My Pregens are a little different, if you play in one session, and live, and if you play in the very next session you get the option of 1st pick on that same character before other players. Allowing you to grow the Pregen how you want, but if the pregen dies.. its game over for that pre gen, never to be used again! (choosing that same character is always optional)


Kinda think of it as playing Diablo 3 in Hardcore mode.

Feel free to join my discord, and ask any questions you may like!

https://discord.gg/X9VQr5Z

My One Shot Sessions will be called Blood and Sand! So drop over the FGC and sign up!


http://fantasygroundscollege.net/eve...lood-and-sand/


Saturday, October 6, 2018

A Crown of Flame: A 2D20 Conan Adventure. Scene One


I have decided share one of my Conan 2D20 One Shots with all of you. Feel free to play it through, offer feedback good or bad. I tried to leave many of the details vague, to allow the user more flexibility to jimmy this into their current campaign. Feel free to change the locations to suit your needs. Bare in mind, that when I write my own adventures, the structure below is not even close to how I write it if it was just me. So this is my first attempt to write a structured adventure that is meant for others and not just me.

The thing I like the most about this 2D20 Conan system is the fact that this game is designed to play much like the stories written by Robert E Howard, which is episodic in nature. This allows GMs to get players quickly involved in a story. Each session is run as an individual episode and after several sessions, you can look back and see a series of short stories as if you were reading the Conan short stories that you had written yourself! Its a pretty cool feeling if you ask me.

A Crown of Flame

Somewhere in the northern portion of the Border Kingdoms near the border of Cimmeria in an area known as "The Great Salt Marsh" The player characters will find themselves in a small outpost community called Granite Lake which is under attack from a Cimmerian raiding party.



The starting scene opens as the village is under attack and the players are caught up in the life and death struggle from the raiding Barbarians!

During this time, Attalus,  a relic hunter who has been exploring the various ruins in the area approaches the players and ask them to help him escape from the village and head south towards Nemedia, protecting him and the strange but very important artifact which he found during a recent expedition of some old ruins found deep inside the great marsh. It needs to be studied and he offers a reward upon his return to safety.

After escaping from the village, the party finds themselves hounded and pursued day and night, by the very barbarians that attacked the village. The barbarian warlord that is leading this attack is in search of the very artifact that the Relic Hunter has "stolen"

This warlord is searching not just for the artifacts but for its rumored contents, a strange but powerful Lotus Powder which can give powerful visions to the user.

The problem being, is the artifact itself is made of a strange material, which causes a sickness to all those who touch or who is in close proximity to it over a period of time. And the cure to this malady can be found back at the ruins in which the artifact was found.

Do the players try and bring the item to the borders of Nemedia or do they try and solve the curse they find themselves under, and return to the ruins to find a cure?


 The landscape around this small village although beautiful in nature, is a desolate and brackish wetlands, with many bogs and  lots of open tundra. This small settlement of roughly 300 people makes a living of the lands collecting alchemist herbs and chemicals.  (Lowering the difficulty level for searching for ingredients by 1) Its main source of food is waterfowl and large game. (Caribou, Bear and Moose)


Read this to the players

In what would barely pass as a full fledged tavern in the more populated areas of the world, the old grey bearded individual, who introduced himself to you as Attalus, slams his mug down on the table and grins. "So we have a deal then! We shall leave here in two days and you will escort me to Belverus! Take that time, to gather what ever supplies you can from this damp and wretched town and we shall leave here the morning after next!"  He reaches under the table and draws a plain looking leather pouch "5 gold per person the day we leave, and 10 more each upon arrival" He shakes the pouch and you all can hear the clink of gold inside the bag.  
The players can then spend the rest of the day, shopping for equipment or gear. What every they want. Having all the rarities of equipment moved up by 2 difficulties, to the max of 5. Remember though, that all alchemist supplies are easier to find and are reduced down by 1 difficulty.   After what ever shopping and roleplaying the players do is done. Have them note down where all of their equipment is currently kept. Including any horses, carts or other forms of transportation is. (stables, etc) Thing to remember is if the players decide to carry all their gear on them at all times. Do not forget the encumbrance penalties. 

Read this to the players:
It is early the next morning, you are all awakened to a loud scream from outside of their current lodgings. "To Arms! To Arms! We are under attack!" The sound of trumpets are blaring, and the clashing of steel can be heard clearly from outside of the building. Sounds of impacts can be heard striking the outside of your lodgings. 
Doom Spend: Spend 3 doom, to force a player character to make a D2 dodge as a flaming arrow crashes through the window. Flamming Arrow: 2CD, Incendiary 2 , Persistence 2.  D2 to dodge.

Read this to the players:
The acrid smell of smoke stings your nostrils as you clamor outside carrying what ever belongings you could. The visual site is one full of chaos and death. Heavy fur cloaked beings are pouring through the town gates and into the square. The town militia are all but overwhelmed. Numerous fires are burning uncontrollably!  All around you, people are locked in mortal combat as they fight off the invaders. But your instincts tell you, that due to the swiftness and the ferocity of the attack, Granite Lake is already lost and the defenders just do not know it yet.
Give your players sometime to figure out what they are going to do. Their horses are still in the stables, and belongings could either still be back in the now burning inn or stored with their horses as well.

When the players decide to act. Read this to them.
 "Over here!!" You hear the yell over the din of combat! Looking across the small town square, you can see your current employer slumped up against a side of a small building. He seems to be holding his side with blood dripping through his fingers.
If the players decide to head over to Attalus, have them nominate a leader to lead the group over to him. After the person is nominated have him make a Group D2 Observation Skill Check. I would recommend not telling the players what skill is required till after a leader is picked. (of course, after finding out what skill is required, they can assist as normal) A failure of this roll will have the party come face to face with a group of savage warriors, hell bent on killing them. (The GM may then spend doom as per the normal rules at this point allow the hoard to attack first. Which I recommend)
If the party succeeds, they can spend momentum to reduce the over all total of the barbarians. Two Momentum per Berzerker. (Conan the Barbarian Source Book or Conan Core)






The party will face 4 Toughened Berserkers.

GM TIP
The GM at this point should really use as much doom as he can in the fight to really put the players on their heals. The town is lost and will soon be over run by the horde. Having this fight with the bersekers should install a sense of urgency to leave the town in all haste. There is a high chance that the berserkers will place a few wounds onto the players.

If the group decides not to head over Attalus, or takes to much time trying to make a decision. They will notice that Attalus has disappeared in the chaos, and they have drawn the attention of the attacking barbarians. They will end up facing 2 mobs of  5 Barbarian Minions (Use the default Savages Minions from the Core Book. But arm them with Battle Axes, Medium Shields and Short Spears)

If the players do decide to head to Attalus, (I used the stats for Kallian Publico from Conan The Thief Book, pg 83) But have his current Vigor marked down to 6 and his Resolve 4 to represents the his wounds.  After making their way over cross the street and facing the Berserkers. (Kallian is a Toughened NPC, with Max 12 Vigor, Max 8 Resolve and can take 2 wounds.

Read This
"By the gods! you must get me out of here" Attalus said, holding his side tightly, blood dripping from between his fingers. "If you get me out of here and to my destination ill throw in a purse full of gems!"  (Value of 50GP) He coughs weakly, blood spit out as he used his free arm to wipe his face.  "Quickly, we must hurry before we are discovered!"

It is now that the players have a choice to try and escape.

There could be several locations in the town that they decide to go, if they have their gear spread out. But to get to each location the group will need to make a D3 Group Observation Check (With people assisting if they want) to be able to navigate there way to each location. Or individual players can do a D3 Stealth check. But if you do a stealth check, no one can help you and you can not assist others. Any failure will result in running into 2 mobs of 5 savages (minions) for every complication, rolled. tack on one Berserker with the initiative.  Momentum and can be used to reduce the minions on a 1 for 1 basis, while two momentum will remove a Berserker.

GM TIP: Some suggestions on where the group can go.

Stables: to get their horses and travel gear. Or steal some horses perhaps?
Lodgings: If they needed to run back to their lodgings, if its not burned to the ground (GMs call)

If they lost sight of Attalus, they can go search for him. Same rules as above but is now a D4 Observation check. If they find him, he is currently being dragged off by a mob of 5 savages. Momentum to reduce the number of those savages is a 1 for 1 basis. And Attalus will also now have sustained 1 wound.

They will have time to check out one location before they will be ultimately surrounded and captured. They could split the party and try to get to multiple locations at once.

GM TIP: 
Stress to the players that time is running out. Stress that if they stay to long, they could very well become surrounded and captured. Use doom, to make them loose items, or throw barbarians at them.  

North or South Gates: To sneak out of the gates they will need to make a group stealth roll, as they are being watched by the hoard on the outside. Pick a leader to make the roll, others can assist as the GM see's fit. But if they get spotted, they get spotted by 2 Mobs of 5 Savages who are outside the gates
Jump the wall: Less people watching the walls. This is a D2 acrobatics check per person. Failing here, the person will fall and will suffer 3CD damage with stun.
GM TIP 
Doom or complications can be used to bring up a minion or two on the wall.. 

At any point, the group can surrender. Doing so will result in them being captured by the Horde. If they lost contact with Attalus already. They will end up being tied up with him and become the the barbarians prisoners.

Various Doom Spends/Complications
3 - A mob of 5 savages.
2 - A single berserker.
3 - A random flaming Arrow. (see above)
1 - A fleeing horse, D2 to dodge, 2CD with knockdown.
1 - A character drops an item.

If they escape the town with Attalus, they will begin the next stage of the adventure. If they did not escape with Attalus, they could attempt to rescue him. Maybe? who knows what the players will come up with!?

But all of that will be in scene 2.


Sunday, September 30, 2018

MoreCore Conan Extension Update 3.6


Hey all..


Its been awhile, but I have made some minor adjustments to my 2D20 Conan Extension.
You can download the Extension directly from here..

If you want the doom tracker and the tokens and read the update log, swing by here to get those!

Ill see you all at the table!


Thursday, August 23, 2018

2D20 Conan Extension Updated! V3.5



Hey guys, great news.. you can now download the latest updated version of the Conan Extension
HERE You can also download the Doom Pit Tracker and Tokens as well. Below is how I set up the NPC and Character sheets.


Wednesday, August 22, 2018

2D20 Conan: Dreams of Darkness Update


Hey all!!

I am very happy to say that my current 2D20 Conan Game has been going successfully for over 6 months now.

I have been very fortunate to piece together a real good group of players for this campaign and it has allowed me to really hone in on my writing.  But more importantly my GM'ing style. But having a regular group of 6+ players in a given session has been awesome. And the fact that they are willing to be apart of it with my work schedule, such as it is. Gives me the drive to write up good adventures that they can enjoy!

I had some minor issues with my setup for streaming during my sessions, so the last several were not that appealing to watch. But I think I am finally starting to come to grips with what works best for my particular style. So only going to get better from here.

But I wanted post a quick recap on the campaign, so let me start it!

Session 1:
The group arrive in the capitol city of Argos, in hopes to meet a contact named Remauldo (A dealer in all things rare) to help them track down some stolen artifacts.

Session 2:
After rescuing the contact in the first session from a band of thugs, they are asked to break out a (in)famous sea captain named Alexander from prison. Who has been banished to the lowest level of the kings dungeon. Years earlier, he stole the Kings flagship and vanished. Only to be found several months ago adrift in a small boat stark raving mad.

Session 3:
While tracking down information, more artifacts were stolen but members of the local temple of Mitra have gone missing. Upon investigation they discovered that someone or something has unleashed an ancient evil from beneath the temple.

Session 4: Recovering from the ancient temple horrors, the group let their guard down with a night of drinking, only to wake to find assassins trying to kill them while they slept. During the battle, they discover that Remauldo was killed and his "collection" of rare items ransacked!

Session 5: Trying to recover from the loss of their friend, the group decides to use Remauldo's business as a front, keeping on with the investigation of the missing artifacts. The group decide to head to the local market, only to witness a public execution. One of which was a suspect on the missing artifacts and a girl/love interest of one of the players. Turns out, the love interest was actually a twin of  his love interest. The evil twin betrayed her sister and the suspect, making away with the missing artifacts. Needless to say, the public rescue attempt did not go as planed and the suspect was killed in the escape attempt! (of course they did how ever save the girl.)

Session 6: After jumping on a departing ship, the crew sail the coasts and discover stranded ship adrift. Its crews missing, but a cargo hold full of slaves left on board. The players decide to rescue the slaves by taking the stranded ship and sailing it back to shore. Only to discover that the ship was a lure in a trap to capture sacrifices for the great god under the sea!

Session 7: The players, with a new ship and a crew set sail looking to track down a lead on a fleeing vessel rumored to contain the stolen artifacts. Following the last known heading the crew arrive at a island, but in need of food supplies they head ashore. Only to stumble upon a fearsome group of crazed warriors.

Session 8: In a desperate battle, the party manages to survive the assault but many of them take serious wounds!

Session 9: After escaping the crazed warriors, the group are lead to a small hidden village, where they discover an Argosian sailor, Cirrio. He explains how he sailed with a man named Alexander, who was sent to this very island to search for something. Alexander then killed his crew, leaving this one sailor left for dead. The party is then asked to help the native king with a problem of more missing people, in return he will resupply their ship. The crew set out to a deep underground temple.. and begin their search.

Session 10: Will be September 15th!!


Sunday, June 24, 2018

Conan 2D20: Dreams of Darkness - Still Waters


What a great game day today!

Lured on to a sailing vessel crewed by cultists of the Dark God of the Sea. Our band of heroes find themselves, besieged by dark alchemy both in the physical and the mental realms. @Modiphius #2D20 #Conan @FantasyGrounds2 #ttrpg #roleplaying #iwritemyown



Saturday, June 23, 2018

Tree of Woe Audio Intro FG Daze June 23 2018

For shits and giggles, on the fly I recorded an intro to the FG Daze event I am running over at Fantasy Grounds today. I am running an adventure I wrote using Modiphius's 2D20 Rules, called The Tree of Woe

I heard this music in the background and just started to make up an intro.. turned out pretty good on my first try I think.



Thursday, June 21, 2018

Death IS the New Pink

Hi All!

Something I am been working on in the background is some content for Tabletop Simulator. As my ultimate goal is to play RPGs on that.

So, here is a peak at my current little project!



Saturday, June 16, 2018

Working on an Idea. Savage Tron: Beta 1.0


Savage Tron

Its time to become a digitized gladiator!!



A Tron RPG setting is something I always wanted to play in. And seeing Savage Worlds is the go to setting for making anything by anyone. I figured I take a stab at it and see how it turns out.

Over the next little while, I will be posting portions of the rules, and when I am done I will compile everything into one format. Much like what I have done with my Savage Battlestar.

Capturing the Feeling of TRON


The first thing I wanted to do was first capture the iconic feeling of Tron, and that in my mind would be its light cycles, and Light Ribbon Vehicle combat (LRV). So below is the basics of how I would manage it.

LRV Combat:





Using the standard chase rules found in the Savage Worlds Deluxe Rule Book with the following additions. Please note, in everything I ever watched, light ribbon combat is deadly.. and this is meant to be just that.

LRV Combat uses the 5 round chase rules.

LRV Attack: A person can make an LRV attack against anyone who he has the advantage over. He would then make his piloting/driving roll opposed to his targets piloting/driving skill. The attacker then counts his successes including his raises, and tallies them up and calls them Turns. If at the end of the 5 rounds the target has at least 1 Turn against it, the target crashes at top speed into the ribbon taking regular damage for that speed.

LRV Defense: A person can try and reduce the number of success a person has against them. Regardless of if the target has the advantage over the defender or not, they must make opposed LRV Combat roll. The defender may remove 1 Turn against them for each success and raise they have.

Example
NPC 1 targets NPC 2 and makes a LRV Attack ends up have 1 success and a raise and gains 2 turns on NPC2
NPC 2 decides to reduce the turns, so make a LRV Defense against NPC 1 and removes only 1 turn against it.
This sequence goes back and forth several times until 5 rounds of the chase is completed. At the end, if a NPC 2 has at least 1 turn left against it. He crashes into the light ribbon!

Any one who fails to make their piloting/driving roll while using a LRV, will not draw any action card same as in the regular chase rules, but is also forced to deal with a minor complication. A failure, the vehicle is assumed to have struck a Light Ribbon and takes damage at half the top speed.

TRON LRV Edges



Light Ribbon Vehicles (LRV): Novice: When making a piloting roll for an attack using a light ribbon producing vehicle add +2 to your skill, This skill is also used as a defensive maneuver. Add this bonus to any attack or defense roll using a light ribbon vehicle).

Light Ribbon Vehicles Expert: Seasoned. Agility D8. LRV. With this talent, during a LRV Attack, a success will give you a bonus of 1 extra Turn against your target, or if in a LRV Defense, remove 1 extra Turn against you.


Notes:
A person who wins the initiative a lot in LRV combat will have a distinct advantage in combat. Piloting skills are very important!


I have only play tested these rules a few times so far, but they do the job and are pretty deadly. The way I like it.

Next I will be focusing at rules for Trons Deadly Disc's!!



Thursday, May 31, 2018

Dreams of Darkness Story Summary



One thing I have not really been doing is keeping a log of the adventures generated by the party in my 2D20 Campaign named Dreams of Darkness.  After seeing Wrath of Zombies blog update on his Barbarians of the Ruined Earth Campaign, it inspired me to do the same!

Session 0: Dreams of Darkness - Awakenings
  • In this session, the group came together in search for a holy relic that was stolen from the temples of Mitra in Terantia, the capital of Aquilonia. And had manged to track it to the city of Messantia of Argos. The plan was to meet up with a contact, a dealer of all things perverse named Remauldo. Their arrival could not have been sooner, as they discovered that Remauldo was being attacked by a group known as the Eyes of Yezud. 
Session 1: Dreams of Darkness - Dungeon of Despair
  • After saving Remauldo from a slow and terrible death, he asked the party to help break one of his formal business associates out of the kings dungeon. A known buccaneer who stole one of the kings greatest ships a few years ago, only to have been captured in Argos after being discovered raving mad in a small row boat drifting into the harbor of the great city. What horrors did this man witness?

Session 2: Dreams of Darkness - Visions of the Serpent
  • With rumors of mysterious back alley trades with shadowed Stygian Priests and Argosian nobles, and reported aggressive behavior shown towards the temples of Mitra, the party are approached by a member of the church of Mitra to investigate a dark and evil presence that was somehow unleashed in the holy sanctum.

Session 3: Dreams of Darkness - Daggers in The Dark
  • The Eyes of Yezud strike again, this time in the safety of the lodgings provided by Remauldo. The party each wake up in their own rooms to face assassins hell bent on putting cold steel through their chests. After they manage to save themselves, they were to late to stop the murder of Remauldo and also stop the apparent theft of some of his most prized belongings! With only vague clues to why Remauldo was targeted and what was stolen, the group was left to mourn their loss.

Session 4: Dreams of Darkness - The Empress of the Damned
  • After dealing with the loss of their close patron and finding a new patron, the group decides to regroup and get back onto the trail of tracking down the lost relic that brought them to Argos.  Only to be thrown into disarray when a public execution reveals that a potential witness to the stolen relic is about to have his head lopped off, worse yet, a young women, a past love interest of one of the players is also about to be dispatched for treason and attempted murder of the king. In heroic like fashion, the group rescue the girl and flee to the dockside and jump aboard a departing ship.. Leaving Argos behind them on the horizon.    

Session 5: Dreams of Darkness - Still Dark Waters...
  • Coming soon. But in this chapter the party will find adventure on the high seas as they deal with an evil so vile they may go insane long before reaching dry land again.


Tuesday, May 29, 2018

Adventures In An Age Undreamed Of. My thoughts on writing adventures for 2D20 Conan.


Hi all,

So I have been playing 2D20 Conan by Modiphius pretty constantly since the books were first announced on the kickstarter. And I need to say, its been a wild ride.

Overall, I am very happy with the books, the rules and the feeling of satisfaction that I get when I write an adventure for my current group of R.E. Howard Conan players. First, let me clarify something with you all. I am not one of these self proclaimed R.E. Howard scholars who knows what he was thinking or, what he meant with his massive amount of  prolific writings. What I am though, is a fan of his ability to write separate, individual adventures, and tie them all together in a way that makes each story a part of a great overall setting and world.

And this is what I think makes story telling for 2D20 Conan different then many other RPGs out there.  The rules system in how it is written is designed to capture that same feeling of these individualized stories but then tied as a whole after. And it is after you have several of these games under your belt can you look back and see the great world you are adventuring in.



2D20 Conan is a great system to play with. But for the fans of light, baby biscuit rules systems, 2D20 is not for them. Its just not.  I am not going to pull any punches here, but if you are one of these people who shows up and plays in a few games expecting it to be just a hack and slash style games you are not going to really see what the hype is about. Then there are those people who moan and groan over the complexity of the rules, and their inability to really enjoy it. Sadly this system is not for them either.  I feel, that to get the most bang for your buck, a player needs to invest some time to learn the basic rules. But this is also its strongest aspect. If you have players who invest a small amount of time in learning the rules in how it relates to their characters then it pays dividends in the enjoyment of 2D20 Conan as a whole.

The stories told by REH of Conan and his adventures are unique in the way that he never (to my knowledge) wrote a novel about Conan, but independent short stories. You start to read a story about Conan, and its takes place in a setting, just moments away from when the action was going to take place. The daily hum drums of walking through the market, looking for things to buy was just not mentioned other then in afterthoughts by the characters of the story.


2D20 Conan is designed to work in a similar way as the stories told by REH. In such that each adventure for a campaign is setup to run in a episodic nature. Even the GMs toolkit is designed with just that in mind. You write the adventure with the intent of capturing the feeling of playing in a story written by REH. What the players are about to experience is a snap shot in time, usually moments away before the action takes place. The setup to the adventure is primarily left to the GM. He sets the stage, and the players act it out.

The design of 2D20, strongly encourages the use of episodic play similar to the story telling of REH. The very nature of the mechanics makes this happen. In games that are strung out (for lack of a better term) sessions end, XP is handed out and then the next session begins usually right where you left of. This is not the case with 2D20 Conan. In Conan, adventures are separated by "Life In Between Adventures" This is also the time the player characters heal. Ill go more into this later. Where your characters get trained, get rumors, get fame and re equipped. What many people do not fully appreciate , this time period could be considered days, weeks and or months long. It is not the next morning. In 2D20 Conan, you can get yourself wounded during an adventure. And you can get yourself healed, but its only a temp fix. Until you character is given the proper time to heal during the between phases, any wounds your receive can potentially come back and bite you, and bite you hard.

Unlike most RPGs where you get wounded, you can not just drink a healing potion and get back into the action. Wounds in Conan are only patched up, until you get a chance heal properly. Essentially, if in a game session, you get your self wounded, you start to face negative modifiers. In the short term, you can get your self patched up again. BUT if you  take a wound again, you open up all previous wounds. The only way to get rid of the chance of these wounds re opening is healing during your down time. This adds to a very gritty nature of life in REH's Hyborea. Essentially, if you go out and get the crap kicked out of you on day one, then its in your best interests to take a few days off and heal up before getting right back into the thick of things.

It is also during this downtime that the player characters still have some adventures, but its not in the forefront at the gaming table.  This provides ample material to develop the characters back story and to give you the feeling that even when not fighting evil sorcerers, the characters are still living a life full of fun and adventure. Not only does this provide a chance for players to develop their characters on a personal level, but it allows GMs to use this information to develop their next adventure and to help capture that feel of a "new episode" for the player's enjoyment.

To help capture the feel of playing in one of REH's adventures. The GM should use the information provided by in between phase as potential story elements in his adventure. For example, in one of my recent sessions, a scrawny character managed to get caught up in a brief but torrent love affair with a noble, only to have it ended when she was spirited away. It was a story that was formed based on the outcome of the in between stages. Just background fluff he wrote to help give his character a sense of invested interest. Now, taking that information, I designed a scenario where a person matching the description of his love interest was about to be executed in the public square. The player suddenly found that his character's background story was front and center in that weeks current episode. Of course, there was a twist in typical REH fashion at the end which I was very proud of, much to the chagrin of my players.

So, when you take bits and pieces of every characters in between adventures you can really develop a episodic feeling in your sessions which mimic very well the spirit of REH and his writings.

This allows a GM to start off the adventure essentially any where he or she wants, and it doesn't have to follow some procession from the last weeks game. You were is the capital of Argos one session, the next you could be up to your knees in stagnate swamp water in the jungles of the back coast the next. But to tie the adventures together, you use the information provided in the In Between stage to get you to that point.

And this is what I mean when I say that 2D20 Conan is different when it comes to other sword and sorcery systems. 2D20 Conan is not just a system to play sword and sorcery, its a system to allow you to "capture" the feel of playing in REH's stories of high adventure.  And it captures this feeling of being played in an episodic nature very well.

I strongly feel, that a group will short change themselves on that feeling, if the GM and the Players do not utilize the "Life in between" portion of the rules. It really is a very important tool to capture that feeling.

In my design phase of writing my adventures for my group I try very hard to capture that feeling of being in an actual story in REH's world.  And I would like to think that I do that, but you will have to ask my players that one.

My closing statement is this..

If you just want to play a sword and sorcery game, then maybe 2D20 Conan is not for you. But if you want to play in a game that captures the feeling of being in a story written in the fashion of REH, then this is indeed for you. Do not design your adventures as long strung out stories, but design each session to be a short individual adventure to be experienced by your player's characters at a specific point.

Use the "life in between" portion to fill in the gaps. When you do this, and run a few games with a steady group, when you look back.. your story is going to consist of snap shots in time that captures the high (or low) points of the characters, with all the gaps filled in, and you make a great story filled with lore, laughs, and most importantly adventure that you can look back on.


Regards

 Jolly


Monday, May 28, 2018

The Videos! Jolly's Broadcasts

Over the years I've put together a fair amount of videos. Here they are in one place!
I broadcast everything to Twitch and YouTube. The later videos are mostly the 2D20 Conan Stuff! Check them out below!
All 61 of them!


Saturday, May 26, 2018

Prelude: The Empress of the Damned. Session 5 of Dreams of Darkness. Conan 2D20





Its a gray and overcast sky over Messanita, the storm had subsided for some time, but some clouds still lingered, as the gleaming marble pillars and spires of this great and majestic city beckoned to a new day .  The effects of the storm was not going to stop this cosmopolitan from doing what it does best, business. Even before the slaves were in the streets cleaning up the detritus, the merchants were already getting their wares ready for sale. Shudders were being opened, and objects for sale were being stacked meticulously on displays.

This was the first day of the new month , the start of 'Summer' which meant the market was going to be full.. On the docks, the traditions of celebrating the bounty of the sea was starting to ramp up in full effect. With many of the people, who were born on the sea, were making small shrines to the gods of the sea. Even if the local temples of Mitra forbade the open worship of these house gods, they did at times turn a blind eye on this particular event. Sailors were a superstitious lot, why make waves.

People from all over Hyborea were arriving in great sailing ships, with tall masts and bellowing sails arrived daily and at all hours they will sail into the bay in search of trade and fortune with their fine cargos of silks, spice and the more lucrative lotus from as far away as the black coast. (Game effect: due to the arrival of the trade fleets, all lotus availability is lowered by 1)

One of the most notable visitors are the Shemetic Slave Galleys full with chattel that bring these slavers great money and wealth. And the first day of summer has always proved to be the best day. The Nobles were always looking for fresh people to do their bidding, and had purses that were swollen of coin which needed to be spent hence, local thieves may steel it. The fleet, sometimes called the Black Ships of Shem were now just starting to anchor up at the Low Docks and have started to bring their living cargo to the market square.




Maybe due to the traffic and people flooding this great city from around the known world or maybe its due to the increased amount of open worship of the gods of the great sea, but what ever the reason is, the city guard with their great round shields, plumed helmets, and bronzed tipped spears are patrolling the city streets in greater numbers. But for the most case, if not up to no good, you were left alone to do your business in peace. (Game Effect, the GM can spend 3 doom to have a squad of 4, +1 squad leader to arrive on scene)

But most importantly, one the first day of summer, a Royal demonstration has been announced and will  be held in the Square of Anu. A message from the kings voice, this has drawn a lot of attention and will no doubt draw a lot of business to the square.

The Setting;

This bustling setting is where our brave group of adventures will be starting off.

Nevans, who was the leader of the group has gone silent and missing, as he was last seen investigating in the area of the low docks trying to track down the lead on the missing staff of Mitra, stolen from the great temple of Mitra in Tarantia, the capital of Aquilonia. With rumors that Stygian sorcerers are gathering such relics for nefarious rituals.

Alric, has just been released from the stockades after a slight miscommunication with the a local magistrate and his recent behaviors at local brothel.

Regan, new to the group has made friends and enemies in this great city in her short time here. Its been a few days since the altercation with Gunnbjorn, a notorious sell sword from Nordheim, but rumor has it he is out looking to even the score and repair his pride that she so easily stripped away from him.

Gaius, the priest of Mitra who has been the groups moral support and backbone is still spreading his message, helping those he meets, healing their wounds, both mental and physical. But with good intentions comes unwanted attention at times. Unwanted attention one of the local city fools, and despite his forward and direct conversations with the man, Gaius has been unable to persuade this man to keep away.

Septimus, has been struggling as of late with accepting his new role in the partnership of running his past patrons business. After spending several nights trying to find his fortune in the gambling halls, has decided to look for a new employer. He was last seen frequenting the many local establishments and has not been seen since last night.


Live play tonight at 00:30 GMT in TWITCH and YOUTUBE,


A 2D20 Interlude: Sword and Coin, A day in the life of Septimus

I would like to thank Will, for his submission of his interlude!

Sword and Coin


‘What a shame to have to put cold steel through such pretty flesh’, muses Septimus. But that is what you get when you awaken a Gunderman from a drunken slumber with a foul dripping blade in your hand. However, once seeing what their apparent leader did to that poor bastard Ranauldo, he can only imagine they will all be dining in the nine hells together for their deeds. His trusty short sword certainly dealt that fate for more than one of those devious devils.



‘So now we have become….Tavern Keepers?’, he thinks to himself, spitting on the ground. If Septimus had wanted that life, he would have stayed in Gunderland and put up his steel. But having a base of operations in Messantia does have it’s advantages. He certainly hopes Alric and Gaius don’t expect him to do anything more than enjoy the wine. A business man, he is not.

The day following the night attack, Septimus leaves the tavern to let the more learned members of his group to deal with the watch...and the cleanup. Having failed to protect Ranauldo secretly grates on Septimus’ pride. What if he had been quicker? What if he hadn’t been so deep in his cups? Could he have saved his patron? Regardless, Septimus realizes that the group will need another benefactor connected locally. He decides to spend the next several days trying to track down someone that could benefit from their particular set of skills, but also provide then with the backing, connections and local knowledge that is most lacking.


As this requires a good deal of coin, Septimus also decides to try to enhance his already substantial purse in the gambling dens. Many of the proprietors recognize him and ask about his absence of late. But seeing that his purse is bulging, they are more than happy to affix false smiles and offer honeyed greetings to get him to spend at their tables. After all is said and done, Septimus is certain he comes out just a little worse than when he went in.

Oddly, while at one such establishment, some fellow stumbles up to Septimus and embraces him like a long lost friend. Clearly the man must have been mistaken, as he has never seen this man before.

‘But Inago, don’ you recognith me?’ the man asks with a slight slur to his words.

‘You have me confused with someone else, friend. Move along.’ Septimus replies. Making a point to double check his purse to make sure this is not some form of con, and simultaneously placing his free hand on the pommel of his short sword to get his point across.

The fool, seeing this with widened eyes, sobers a bit and moves away mumbling some form of apology and his not seen for the rest of the night.

Tiring of losing at the dice tables, secretly sure the house has them rigged, and weary of hunting for a new patron, Septimus decides to spend a few days with that comely Brythunian on the street of silks. Certainly she would like to hear of the exciting events of the night of daggers.

‘At least she should pretend to like it, since that is what she is paid for after all’, laughs Septimus to himself…

Thursday, May 24, 2018

Conan 2D20 Interlude: The Orchid Of the East!

Our next interlude comes from @WastelanderMary (Twitter), and here is her character's interlude.



Regan’s shoulder hurt. Her whole body was a bit sore, but her shoulder felt like it was on fire. That bitch! she thought angrily when a particularly sharp pain lanced through the stab wound when she moved her shoulder in just the wrong way. She sighed. Yet another thing that was going to cost her money. She came into town without much and it seemed she probably wasn’t going to leave with much.

The healer’s house wasn’t too difficult to find. Aside from some jostling as she made her way through the streets, she had made it unscathed and in relatively little pain. The woman poked her head out of the door suspiciously at Regan’s sharp knock. She only relaxed when Regan bounced her coin purse lightly, the slight jingling of money declaring she had coin. The door opened and Regan stepped through.

Following her treatment, Regan left the healer with strict instructions not to do too much with her shoulder over the next few days or risk popping some of the stitches. The bandages wound around her torso compressed a leafy concoction that wouldn’t gain her many friends due to the smell, but was at least keeping the pain at bay for the time being.

God, I need a drink, she mused, turning into the first tavern that crossed her path. She entered and let her eyes adjust to the dim, smoky interior. The bar had a few open seats and she chose one in a corner away from the other patrons while still being able to keep an eye on the door. She wasn’t going to make that mistake again.
The bartender walked over, glass in hand, cloth thrown over his shoulder, and asked, “What’ll it be?” His nose crinkled when he caught a whiff of the poultice on her wound.

“Just give me an ale.” He slid the flagon over to her when he’d filled it.

“What does this slant-eyed broad think she’s doin’ ‘ere?” The drunken, slurred voice belonged to a man tipsily rising from his table followed by two other men, both looking uncomfortable and clearly trying to drag their friend back to his chair. He shook them off. “Hey! I’m talkin’ t’ you!” He gestured emphatically at Regan. For the second time that day she sighed. Every damn time, she thought.

She turned fully and looked at the man. He stumbled over to her and placed his hands to either side of her on the bar, presumably to keep her in place. She sighed for a third time. This was going to cost her even more money.

Before the man could do anything, she brought her knee up sharply into his groin. His face turned a bright shade of purple and his hands flew from the bar to his most precious parts as he doubled over and let out a small squeal. When in range, she drove her knee into his face and felt his nose separate as a red spurt of blood landed on her pants. His hands went from cupping his bruised balls to cradling his broken nose. Using the bar as a prop against her back, Regan doubled both her legs up to her chest and kicked out with both feet, her heels slamming into his chest, which sent him sprawling across the table he’d just vacated. There was a loud cracking sound and the tabletop fell to cover the man now moaning on the floor. His friends looked unsurely between him and the woman that had just put him there in seconds. They thought better of trying anything and instead grabbed their friend under the arms and dragged him from the establishment.

Regan let out an explosive breath. She’d only won because she’d caught him by surprise. If the other two had decided to attack, she’d have been in big trouble with her shoulder in the state it was in. She turned back to her ale and instead saw a very unhappy barkeep tapping the bar with a finger. She sighed for the fourth time and dropped another gold, took a long swig of her ale, and left the building.

She took a winding course back to the inn. Along the way she dabbled in some gambling, figuring if she was going to lose any coin, she might as well lose it at something she had a chance at winning it back on. A few games here and there and she came away down one coin. Not too bad, considering. As it started to get later, she greased a couple of palms with more coins and learned some interesting rumors that may more may not result in more coin. She was desperately hoping for the former as she returned to the inn.

I just reached 100 followers on Twitter!

Thank you everyone!!!


Monday, May 21, 2018

Conan 2D20 Interlude: The Empress of the Damned. Dreams of Darkness

I introduce to you.. The Empress of the Damned.

The magic of 2D20 Conan is that the game literally can write itself. Below, is a short story written by +Frank Falkenberg after rolling his in between adventure rolls. I wanted to share this with you all, as I think its a real gem!

Carousing Event: 22 - Slumming Nobility

The Empress Of The Damned!
Carousing Event: 22 - Slumming Nobility
At times, the idle rich will don rough clothing and try to move amongst the common folk, seeing their forays into the lives of ordinary people as an adventure, a form of daring exploration, or even a means of avoiding notice. These nobles are often easy to spot, but just as often they find themselves in trouble because of whom they cross while slumming. The player character stumbles upon one of these nobles — whether a jaded youth seeking the rough-and-tumble world of mercenaries, or pursuing a tryst without courtship and decorum. How does the noble respond to this encounter, and how does it go wrong for them both?


Well, it went down this way...
I was hanging around at Peg-Leg Penny's tavern near the harbour, bragging a bit about the strange and frightening adventures I had of late in the Temple of Mitra, when I noticed the attention of a sweet girl in a short dress. She looked young, even younger than me, but kids grow up so fast around these seedy parts of town, so you never know how long she was already working for her living.

We got a bit closer and then I knew what was wrong with her: she smelled good! Too good. Too good for a typical tavern wench working in Peg-Leg Penny's seedy den. And her clothes, though simple, were of very high quality, not second or third hand often-mended stuff people around here usually wore.

I was just about to feel out whether her skin would be as smooth as her dress, when all of a sudden two expensively armored men, obviously men at arms or such, entered Peg-Leg Penny's, took a look and pointed towards my new acquaintance. She immediately paled, her big eyes looked at me for help, and I immediately dove under the table we were sitting at.

In the moment of me diving out of sight I knew that trouble would be unavoidable. So I used the girl as bait and drew my trusted dagger. As soon as the first of the thugs neared our table and said something like "your father and your fiance are looking for you, mylady", I stabbed him from under the table in the groin. He was spurting hot red blood all over the tavern floor, while he went down not to get up ever again.

The other one was a bit smarter and kicked a stool under the table which got me square in the face, the bastard! He then drew blank his huge sword and adressed the girl "don't get in the way, mylady, I'll squash the bug and then I'll escort you back to your father's estate".

As my aunt Agatha used to say: "If you want to kill, kill, don't talk." So I got up on the other side of the table and threw a couple of throwing knives at the big-mouthed meathead. He actually managed to parry away the first one, when the second one went right into his throat.

I wasn't much inclined to wait how he liked that, so I grabbed the girl and dragged her behind me through the kitchen and out of the backdoor of the tavern.

(I actually came back next day to pay Peg-Leg Penny for cleaning up the mess. She was gruff, as usual, but nice enough to return my throwing knives, freshly cleaned, to me. - This tavern is simply the best!)

Well, I moved the girl away from the harbour district towards a silk import warehouse which I used for spying on the open harbour area before. The night was warm, but she was shivering, which was probably not due to her short and revealing dress. Always the gentleman I kept her warm by offering her my jacket, and then a place to spend the night overlooking the harbour from the top floor of the silk warehouse.

She was well-educated. Especially in things to please an inexperienced young man used to the services of copper bits whores. Time flew and too soon it was morning.

She excused herself, she said, she needed to leave. I was so distracted that I actually didn't ask about her father and her fiance and the two thugs. But before she joined the morning crowd on the streets I asked her her name. She hesitated, obviously wanting to give me a made up one, but then with more resolve said: "Xilandra".

"Don't try to follow me, don't try to find me. This night was nice, but probably my last night of defiance towards my father's plans for me. Live well, Alric!" she said and vanished in the crowd.

Three days later, in the merchant district, I was snooping around to get more information about those pesky Stygians doing shady business in town, a handful of guards were accompanying a huge, expensive litter that was carried by some slaves. Though the slaves were sweating like an Argossean merchant prince over counting his gold, I got a whiff of a very distinctive, sweet and comforting smell from the litter. I'm sure this smell is so unique, that it must have been her!

I was about to follow the litter, when "Honest" Phaikos, an ex-pirate, still a traitor and blackmailer, and one of my more reliable contacts approached me to give me my well spent gold's worth of information about the Stygians.

Her smell disappeared to soon, overwhelmed by Phaikos' old, rancid garlic breath. - Will I get the chance to meet her again?

Saturday, May 19, 2018

So, You wanna make Battle Maps for 2D20 Systems?

Ok, we all know that the 2D20 game system uses an abstracted mechanic called zones, and if you were apart of the Kickstarter, you got cool zone maps!

So, what if you have a cool idea, but you can not find a cool map to play your epic battles on?

Well, if you happen to own Conan: Exiles (like I do) and play 2D20 Conan, then you are in luck.

Open up your Exiles, and enter the admin mode.. make yourself invisible, turn on the Fly option and look for cool screen shot materials.

After a few minutes, I had a few great screen shots for my adventures, and then a few minutes later (with the use of Gimp) I had what I think is a pretty cool battle map for Conan.


The Original Picture 

Zones added!


Now this can work with any 3D rendered game, just find an area that fits the need and Zone it up!!


Here are a few more!


Dreams of Darkness Character Into: Septimus


In this video, I introduce to you. Septimus, played by +Wm Both



Thursday, May 17, 2018

Raise the Doom at Your Conan Tabletop RPG

So.. Trying to specialize my tabletop experience in my local games.

How is this for Doom Pit ideas?


Wednesday, May 16, 2018

2D20 Conan: A Introductory Game

Hi everyone..

I will be hosting a beginner Conan game for those interested in trying the game out on Fantasy Grounds.

See below for more details. Any and all welcomed.

Tuesday, May 15, 2018

MoreCore Conan Extension Updated.. Version 3.5


Version 3.5 Extension Here
Updated to 3.5 August 23rd 2018

Monday, May 14, 2018

Conan 2D20 Screen Shots.

Just cleaning up  some space on my drives, and figured before deleting these images, I can post them here.

Here are a few screenshots of some of my Conan Games held on Fantasy Grounds