September 7.
Kickstarter news.
I can say no more.
Author Archives: BRW Games
Call for Artists – Quick Turnaround Needed
Let the word go forth from this time and place, that I am hereby looking for artists to work on my next project – a book which is a blend of of Mythic China (including Chinese mythology, folk religion, and the like) and classic Wuxia movies. The book will be Kickstarted, and I’m looking for folks with a hole in their schedules for the first part of Q4 of this year.
This bit is important. There will be hard deadlines that must be met in October and November. You’ll get specific assignments in mid-September. If your workload will not allow you to make those deadlines, please do not apply. If you commit to a deadline and fail to meet it, you will not be paid. If I have to do without a piece of art on a page, I will do so, rather than let the project deadline slip.
Sorry to be such a hardass about this, but I need to get this book out in 2015 (which is a must, for tax purposes, if I collect a bunch of money via Kickstarter), so I have to get the books printed in December (again, taxes). That means I’m not waiting for art.
Art will consist mostly of quarter-page b&w line art (3.5″ width, 4.5″ height), and a couple of one-eighth page pieces (3.5″ width, 2.25″ height). There will be no full-page pieces. There will be a single 7″x7″ color cover. Obviously, this being a China-themed book, you’ll be expected to produce figures in Chinese armor and clothing, and etc. Please make sure you know the difference between Chinese and Japanese armor and clothing. No ninjas, no samurai.
Please email me at joseph@brwgames.com if you’re interested, include your rate for a the sizes of art you’re interested in doing (and link to samples of your work, if I haven’t already worked with you in the past), and please feel free to spread this out to all your artsy friends.
Secondary skills in Adventures Dark and Deep
One thing that I’m discovering as I’m writing the Mythic China/wuxia book is just how flexible and powerful the secondary skills are. As they appear in Adventures Dark and Deep, they’re an expansion of the skill system that Gygax wrote for the Castles & Crusades game (specifically for use with his Castle Zagyg project), specifying relevant attributes rather than relying on “prime attributes” (which ADD doesn’t have), and dropping the categorization in favor of specifying an x.p. cost for each skill. In ADD, if your character’s highest attribute isn’t the relevant one for that skill, it’ll cost more x.p. to pick up a skill level.
The system works in general by saying, when you earn experience points, you have the option of spending them on learning a new secondary skill, rather than earning a new experience level. Once spent, those x.p. are lost, although a character can of course re-earn them in the normal fashion.
Adventures Dark and Deep uses this system to not only give a set of generalized skills that might be useful for adventurers, but also as a means to convert specialists such as blacksmiths, sages, etc. into game mechanics which suddenly become available to player characters, if they wish to spend the x.p. Some character classes, like the savant, automatically begin the game with a secondary skill (scholarship, which is based off the old AD&D sage rules).
In practice, the skill system works sort of like the 3E system of “taking a level in another class”, except the skills are very micro-targeted, rather than giving the character all the benefits of a multi-classed character. Advancement in the secondary skill is also optional; you can spend the x.p. to gain a skill level in espionage, but nothing says you need to spend more (twice more; x.p. costs are per skill level) to get a second level.
In the new Mythic China/Wuxia rulebook, I’m taking this to a whole other level. While there are, naturally, new secondary skills that are appropriate for a Chinese-based setting, the system as a whole is the basis of the new kung fu rules.
You want to learn kung fu? You spend x.p. to learn a particular style, and you’ll get access to benefits in combat, some of which require a skill check (based on the relevant attribute), and some that just give you an automatic bonus in combat. You want to get better at a particular style, and learn new moves that open up new possibilities? Just spend the x.p. Oh, and find a teacher willing and able to instruct you in the new moves…
I think this is incredibly elegant, and really demonstrates the power of Gygax’s original system, if taken to its logical conclusion. Kung fu moves don’t “stack”, unless you spend yet more x.p. to learn Kung Fu Mastery, which allows you to combine certain types of bonuses, so the risk of someone becoming some unbeatable killing machine is somewhat mitigated by both the need of spending extra x.p., as well as the specific restrictions. But the system in general allows you to recreate many of the really cool martial arts skills that you’ve seen in the movies, if you’re willing to forego advancing in level to be able to levitate or jump backwards over an enemy to strike him from behind.
It’s like feats, but fitted into a 1st edition aesthetic. And damn, it really works well.
Working on this book has really opened my eyes to the possibilities of the secondary skill system in Adventures Dark and Deep, and I daresay its one of the several things that really makes this game stand out in the pack of retro-clones.
Rather than needing to create an entire sub-class for some specific function in a particular setting, a GM could simply create an appropriate secondary skill and decree that members of the Royal Guard in his setting need to learn it. In that instant, he has created not only a mechanical device to add distinction to the royal guards (who might be experts in the use of the one-handed halberd, or whatever), as well as providing an in-game roleplaying mechanism (you can’t learn the skill unless you can find a teacher, and you can’t become a member of the King’s Guard without it, so you better find a way to learn it from someone if that’s your character’s ultimate dream). I could see race-specific skills, too, being defining traits of sub-races and the like. It’s really a powerful system, and it really works smoothly.
Talking About Games reviews
A few weeks ago, Abraham Zetina of the Talking About Games YouTube channel asked for some review copies of the Adventures Dark and Deep books.
I dutifully sent along the pdfs, and he’s come out with a series of very nice, in-depth reviews of the three core rulebooks. He’s got quite a number of other informative and interesting videos on the channel as well; I recommend checking it out.
In the meantime, here are the three reviews collected in one place for easy viewing…
Christmas in July Sale
Right now, all BRW Games titles are on deep discount over at RPGNow.com.
But probably the best deals of the bunch are:
Adventures Dark and Deep Deluxe Hardcover Bundle, $99.95
Castle of the Mad Archmage Hardcover Bundle, $44.95
That’s crazy low. In fact, I’m pretty sure I screwed up the pricing when I set the titles up for the sale, so if you were on the fence about checking out anything in the catalog, now’s the time because it’s very likely they will never, ever be this cheap again.
Now Available: Castle of the Mad Archmage Level 3E expansion
The first fourteen levels were only the beginning!
Confound your players with a whole new level to add to your Castle of the Mad Archmage™ adventure. Level Three East describes the wonders of the Mad Archmage’s own museum, which contains curiosities and treasures from all over the multiverse, and the challenges of the Watery Caves, which are a series of living caves connected by an underground river.
This module features 74 new encounter areas and 6 new monsters, a full two-page map, plus new magic items, new rumors, an explanation of how this module fits into the whole Castle structure, and the impact it will have on the inhabitants of the central third level of the dungeon. There are also tips for game masters who would like to run this level as a stand-alone adventure.
Levels in the dungeon roughly comport to suitable character levels, to this module is best suited for PCs of approximately 3rd level. However, there are (intentionally) some encounters that only more powerful characters can expect to handle.
Note: This is an expansion of the original Castle of the Mad Archmage™ megadungeon adventure. Although it can be run on its own, you will greatly add to your enjoyment of the module if you also have the original Castle.
Castle of the Mad Archmage is written using the Adventures Dark and Deep™ rules, and is compatible with most Old School type rules with little or no conversion needed.
Click Here to Buy The Museum and the Watery Caves: Level Three East
Designer’s corner: wuxia rules
I’ve got a long way to go before it’s done, but I’ve recently had a spurt of inspiration and energy for my wuxia/Chinese folklore supplement for old-school gaming, and I thought I’d post some of my thoughts on how it’s going to be organized, and what sort of stuff will likely find its way into the book.
First off, it’s completely China-focused. One of the things that was both baffling and annoying about the original Oriental Adventures book was its mish-mashing of Chinese, Japanese, and other Asian material, with a decided focus on the Japanese. There will be neither ninjas nor samurai in this book. That’s not to say it’s an historical game; far from it. But the influences will come solely from China.
Secondly, it draws inspiration from two sources; wuxia film and literature, and traditional Chinese mythology and folklore. In the same way that Gary Gygax took inspiration from European and Biblical folklore and literature for a lot of spells, magic items, and character classes, this book will draw from Chinese mythology and folklore. I’m also adding in a healthy dose of wuxia tropes and themes, most specifically in the introduction of rules for kung fu.
Building on a mechanic of the core Adventures Dark and Deep rules before it, this Chinese supplement will treat kung fu abilities as secondary skills (which in turn were inspired by Gary Gygax’s rules for skills written for the Castles and Crusades game), kung fu skills are learned in three stages. Each stage costs a set amount of experience points per level, with the amount of xp required decreasing if your character’s highest attribute is relevant to the skill in question. Once you “spend” the xp to learn that level of a particular kung fu style, they’re forever lost, but you can of course earn more xp to replace them. Spending them does require that the character find a teacher that is both able and willing to instruct the PC, naturally. Monks, by their nature, start off with a level in one kung fu style.
To take one example, “Dragon Foot Style” allows characters to kick enemies back one foot per point of strength, and gain damage bonuses if using pummeling to kick, plus other bonuses as they buy new levels in it. A lot of the kung fu rules lean heavily on unarmed combat (naturally), and the Adventures Dark and Deep unarmed combat rules, which I think are a lot easier than those in 1st edition, will be included as an appendix. Other styles allow characters to fight blind, do backflips to get behind enemies, and even levitate and climb walls. It’s intended to really capture some of the cool moves featured in some wuxia films.
The traditional “Tolkienesque” fantasy races don’t feature prominently in a mythic China setting, but two new races are included; shanxiao (monkey-men) and gou ren (dog-headed people). Every character class is covered, even if it’s a perfunctory “this class doesn’t exist in a mythic China setting”, such as paladins and druids. New classes include monks, wu (shamans, a sub-class of cleric), and fangshi (a sub-class of mage). Naturally there are tons of new spells for both classes.
So far, I’ve got 67 new spells (plus all the original spells that the wu and fangshi can also cast), 43 new magic items, and 85 new monsters, including the various sorts of elementals (including meta- and quasi-elementals) that one would naturally expect when one adds elemental planes of metal and wood. All that from just reading books on Chinese folklore. Naturally, there will be entries for Chinese-style weapons and armor, and everything will be fully compatible with Adventures Dark and Deep, and, by extension, most old-school RPGs (with maybe a few tweaks here and there for some rules).
All in all, I’m really pleased with the way the book is going. It seems new to me, and it’s definitely a change from the Japan-centric “oriental adventures” books that have come before. There will probably be a Kickstarter at some point to pay for art and editing, once the text is done. I’ll keep you posted.
New Adventure: Bitterbark’s Circus
Hot on the heels of the best-selling Adventures Dark and Deep™ GM’s Screen, BRW Games is proud to announce the release of Bitterbark’s Circus, an adventure locale designed for characters level 8-9.
Because it’s written for the Adventures Dark and Deep™ rules, it can be used with most Basic or Advanced-compatible rules almost as-is. And for those people who are playing games that don’t feature a jester character class, the entire class (including lots of new spells) is included as an appendix. Jesters feature prominently in the adventure, and it only seemed fair to include the whole class for GMs who want to use the adventure using other rules.
Bitterbark’s Circus describes a sinister circus which can be inserted into most RPG campaigns with little effort. The GM is given a variety of different ideas and options for inserting the adventure into an existing campaign, and the adventure is also linked to the Castle of the Mad Archmage™ megadungeon, via a magical gate in the lower levels of the fabled and deadly dungeon. But it is also perfectly fine as a stand-alone adventure, and can add a layer of creepy mystery to any game.
The adventure runs 30 pages and is available for $4.95 in pdf format. Buy it today; your players will thank you. Well, probably not, because it’s an eerie and deadly place, but they’ll still have fun.
Player/GM Screen Now Available
Now available, an eight-page print-it-yourself Player/GM screen for Adventures Dark and Deep™. It’s a buck and a half, and has 40 tables, diagrams, and charts that you’ll want at your fingertips. And naturally, most of those tables are usable with most other OSR-type games.
Castle of the Mad Archmage switching to print bundle
As of December 1st, the three core Castle of the Mad Archmage™ books will only be available as a bundle.
Up until now, due to limitations in the OBS software, we weren’t able to offer the books in print as a bundle; you had to add each separately to your cart. As a result, from our sales reports we know that some of you only bought one or two of the three books in the series.
The three books are the Adventure Book (also available for Pathfinder), the Map Book, and the Illustration Book.
If you’ve only purchased one or two of the three, and you’d like to get the ones you missed for whatever reason, now’s the time to pull the trigger. Once December hits, you’ll only be able to purchase the books in the three-book bundle, as we had originally wanted to do when they were first released. They are intended to form a coherent whole, and we feel that not having all three robs you of some of the experience.
I cannot thank you enough for helping to support Castle of the Mad Archmage™ this year. The astounding success of the megadungeon has truly astounded me. And I can tell you that there are some expansions coming soon to help you get even more megadungeon goodness into your game. Because it wasn’t big enough already…
So bottom line, if you’ve held off getting one or two of the books in the series for whatever reason, now’s the time to “even out” your collection. Starting next month, they’ll only be available together (and that goes for print and pdf, I should mention).
Many thanks, and for those of you in the United States, have a great Thanksgiving.