Piles of Downloaded Files... #3: more treasures from the Unsorted folder

I’m reviving my old series, Piles of Downloaded Files, in which I delve into the bottomless Unsorted folder of RPG-related PDFs. See the previous installments under this tag. 

 

Micromaiden Spirit Grid by Evlyn Moreau

It is a two-sided pamphlet dungeon, with Evlyn’s trademark art. One side has the map of the dungeon, which is a complex semi-anthropomorphic computer circuit. Each node gets a title and one or two keywords (for function/condition), e.g. Cyber Maintenance Unit [In Use] [Possessed] or Sensation Module [Patched] [Cyber Fauna].

It is evocative, but definitely a toolbox. I feel you need to get into a specific mindset to be able to fit all this together – but then it can provide a super interesting game world. I’d love it if someone made a computer game with the art from this pamphlet. A top-down dungeon crawler of some sorts.

Link: https://evlyn.itch.io/micromaiden-spirit-grid

 

Salo’s Glory by Glynn Owen Barrass

I used to subscribe to the Stygian Fox Patreon. This was one of their monthly adventures, back in 2020. It’s a Call of Cthulhu 7e scenario… IN SPACE! A megacorp sends an exploratory vessel outside the Solar System. The scenario goes for that sci-fi horror vibe that you get in the Alien franchise, like in the comics. Hell, it has stats for power loader exoskeletons! It also comes with quite good floorplans for the space ships and shuttles – definitely a reusable resource for any sci-fi game.

The adventure is written in the usual CoC style: lots of text, not skimming-friendly. But overall, it feels like a solid offering for CoC/Mothership/Alien RPGs.

Link: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/309908/salo-s-glory-a-sci-fi-call-of-cthulhu-scenario-set-in-interstellar-space

 

Bonus mystery entry!

“original-colony.pdf” is a single-page file. It’s labeled “Original Drawing of the Ant Colony”. And it has a side-view section map of an ant colony. Pretty good map, I gotta say!

Reverse image search leads to a Something Awful topic I cannot access.

However, next to this file in my folder, I have:

Percent in Lair: Ant, giant by Justine Rogers / Angrymog Games

Turns out, the colony map was made for this project. This is a 10-page-long brainstorm on Giant ant colonies in fantasy adventure games. It contains the aforementioned map. Adventure hooks – why are we delving into an ant colony? And all kinds of Giant ant variants. Weird ecosystems, fungi, psychic ants, gem-encrusted ants… This is actually not bad!

Link: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/150281/percent-in-lair-ant-giant

How I prep

Joining Weird Writer’s blog challenge.

So, how do I prep?

First, I stock up on weapons, ammo, first aid essentials, canned and dry goods. Next, I transport it all into my rural fenced-off compound and store it in my underground vault. Then I post a shelfie on the survivalist forums…

What?

Oh, this is about RPG referee prep.



Sure, here are a couple of disjointed ideas. I don’t have a system and, well, just don’t run games regularly enough nowadays, but when I do, I like to do as many of these as possible.

I’m only covering pre-session prep here, not campaign prep.

• I write a lot of random game content, adventures, random tables, etc. So before a session, I check back to see if there is anything useful or relevant or something I just want to try in my archive.

• I run 75% homebrew stuff, 25% published modules.

Notetaking, general:

• I often make flowcharts and relationship matrices. I write out important factions, NPCs, locations, McGuffins and draw lines and arrows between them, note their relationships or connections. To me, this is the best way to organize info.
• If the adventure has a monster summary, I print that out. If it doesn’t, I try to make one. Stats & special abilities on one page, so it’s all in one place, no need to look it up in the module or the bestiary.
• I might do a condensed key for dungeons. But that’s pretty time consuming.
• Print out the map separately! It also helps to annotate the map, add notes about room contents, etc.
• I like re-drawing maps. Esp. for bigger dungeons. You memorize the layout and note interesting things for yourself, AND if you run an online game, this can double as preparing a VTT version of the map.

Pre-session prep for ongoing games:

• Check notes, curse yourself for not taking better notes.
• Any dangling threads or cliffhangers that require resolution or extra thought? E.g. a character was bit by a werewolf, how do we handle this, setting-wise and also rules-wise (see next section)? An enemy ran away, are there consequences? Any restocking needed Is there anything that might come back and bite the players’ ass?
• Rules-wise, are there any complex situations that might come up? E.g. aerial combat, underwater adventuring, chases, mass combat, anything that I need to look up the rules for or make rulings on.

Pondering the moldy tomes

Searchers of the Unknown - pocketmod version

I really like Searchers of the Unknown, the super-minimal D&D by Nicolas Dessaux, where you just use the standard monster statline to represent any character. It's a one-page ruleset. So I converted it into a pocketmod.

Searcher of the Unknown pocketmod PDF for printing

I edited it a little bit to make it fit better. Then to PAD IT OUT, I added Monsters of the Unknown by Brent P. Newhall and a quick equipment list by me.

(Turns out, there is another pocketmod version out there, but I prefer my formatting)

Fight on!

Rules for pulpy barbaric solo/CYOA games

Quick resolution rules for solo games. With a pulpy sword&sorcery feel. Quite likely this is all based on a misremembered version of a choose-your-own-adventure gamebook I'd read as a kid.

You are a barbarian warrior

Your name, gender and appearance are all up to you.

You start with 3 Might and 3 Luck Tokens. Keep a record of your maximum and current Might and Luck Tokens. You maximum Might raises as you level up. You can never have more than 3 Luck Tokens.

You start with 0 Experience. You level up at 12, 36 and 92.

You can carry one Weapon. You start with a Spear (Weapon Rating 5). If you haven’t got a weapon, you fights with your Fists (Weapon Rating 6).

You can have one Mount, which is usually a tamed beast or a vehicle. You start without a Mount.

You can carry up to three Items, five if you have a Mount. Your Weapon doesn’t count towards this tally. You start with no items.

 

Facing Danger & Combat

Life-threatening situations and enemies have a Danger Rating.

Roll a number of dice equal to your current Might. Optionally, you can burn a Luck Token to add an extra die.

In combat, any die that scores equal or over your Weapon Rating counts as a success.

In non-combat situations, a 5 or a 6 is a success.

Compare the number of successes to the Danger Rating:

Over	Triumph! Choose one Reward, or two Rewards and take a Wound. Progress to favourable outcome.
Equal	Hard-earned victory. No Reward, or choose one Reward and take a Wound. Progress to favourable outcome.
Less	Defeat! Take a number of Wounds equal to the enemy’s Danger Rating. If you are still alive, progress to unfavorable outcome.

 

After resolving the situation

Lower your current Might rating by one for each Wound. A Wound can be negated by burning a Luck Token or losing your Weapon or an Item.

Add the Danger Rating to your Experience tally. If you reach a level-up threshold, raise your maximum Might and choose a Reward.

 

Rewards

Regain one Luck Token.

Regain one Might.

Gain Item or Weapon (if available).

 

Weapon Ratings

Unarmed combat	6
Common weapons	5
Rare and powerful weapons	4

There is no difference between ranged and melee weapons.

 

Items

Valuables. Catch-all category for all kinds of treasure & fancy objects. Each such Item can be used to barter for something else, bribe, reward or hire somebody, and so on.

Explosives/Magical Artifacts. Burn to achieve an automatic Triumph in a combat or use contextually.

Armor. Negate a single Wound after every combat. Only rolls of 6 count as success when resolving non-combat situations.

Shield. Burn to negate a single Wound after combat.

 

Foes & Danger Ratings

Regular foe, small group	1
Trained foe, medium group	2
Deadly foe, large group	3
Unusual power	+1

 

Approximate chance to achieve at least a Hard-earned victory:

Danger Rating	3 Might, WR 5	3 Might, WR 4	4 Might, WR 5
1	70%	87,5%	80%
2	26%	50%	70%
3	3,7%	12,5%	11%
4	-	-	1,2%

 

From "American Barbarian" by Tom Scioli

[Solo] The Prussian Infantry Marches to Carcosa, Turn 3: Dinner Invitation

Continuing the adventures of the Prussians on Carcosa. See Turn 1, Turn 2.

The Detachment:

• Captain Friederike “Freddy” Krüger, a woman who entered service disguised as a man, but is by now accepted as she is
• Brother Paul, Augustine monk and scholar
• Dr. Krowitz, field surgeon
• 20 disciplined Infantrymen with muskets

Turn 3

Day 2, dawn

Location: Hex 0410, Forest

Weather: 7, Neutral

Encounter: 1, Daytime: 58, 3 Mummies. Party surprise: 1, yes. Encounter surprise: 1, yes. Encounter distance: 100’. Encounter reaction: 7, Neutral

                    Soundtrack: "Mummified Fragment of Everyday" by Zofie Siege

With sunrise, the blackness of night first shifts into an indescribable blue iridescence, then into a purple haze. Light filters through the black leaves. The infantrymen lay wrapped in their cloaks, huddled together for warmth.

Four sentries sit, leaning on their rifles. The last shift was trying, the alien forest full off invisible insects and bizarre whispers. But they persevered – driven by discipline… or fear? 

///

But something else stirs in the forest.

Three dark, gaunt, sickly thin figures stalk between the trees. Their joints seem bloated, yet their movements are fluid. Ribbons and thin veils float behind them. Their gazes are trained downwards. From time to time they examine the leaves of certain trees.

[Solo] The Prussian Infantry Marches to Carcosa, Turn 2: Prussians in the Mist

Continuing the adventures of the Prussian on Carcosa. See Turn 1 here.

The Detachment:

• Captain Friederike “Freddy” Krüger, a woman who entered service disguised as a man, but is by now accepted as she is
• Brother Paul, Augustine monk and scholar
• Dr. Krowitz, field surgeon
• 20 disciplined Infantrymen with muskets

© Helene Schmitz. Alabama Fields. Digigraphie, 108 x 134 cm

Turn 2

Day 1, dusk to night

Location: entering Hex 0410, Forest

Weather: 7, Neutral

Encounter: 11, None

                    Soundtrack: "Aqua" by Edgar Froese 

Time seems to move in an unnatural way. The march towards the forest takes much longer than anticipated, the dark mass of vegetation seems just a few steps away, then snaps back into the unreachable distance the next heartbeat. Strange mirages flicker and the air vibrates around the Detachment. Perhaps a trick of the uncanny light emanated by the multitude of celestial spheres that chase each other through the sky.

Finally, the violet sun sets. The skyline lights up with an orange glow, then goes black. One of the twin moons rapidly wanes into just a narrow segment. The air grows colder and moist.

It is under the cover of this sudden darkness that the Detachment reaches the forest.

But what a strange forest it is. Lush, dense. Roots, branches, vines. The abundance of growth doesn’t feel healthy and natural: it’s a forest choking under its own weight. And this is only the edge of it; it seems to get denser in the deeper parts, but it is hard to make it out in the darkness.

Friederike leads the way, slashing at vines with her sabre. Her blade gets stuck. When she grabs the branch to pull back the weapon, the bark feels spongy and rugose.

However unlikely that seems, they eventually reach a clearing. For some reason, the trees don’t grow in this depression, just crowd around it somberly like mourners around the uncovered grave.

A fine white mist covers the ground.

“Careful, men. Probe ahead of you with your rifles,” Friederike warns her troops.

But it’s too late. The silence is broken by a scream as one soldier slips and disappears. There is an audible crack of bone breaking… Then the screams resume, coming from deep down.

[Solo] The Prussian Infantry Marches to Carcosa

I played a solo session today. A Prussian infantry detachment is somehow transported to Carcosa circa 1810. I was very much inspired by this cool session report by Underground Adventures: an Into the Odd one-shot for a single player, about a group of Napoleonic soldiers on Carcosa.

The Detachment:

• Captain Friederike “Freddy” Krüger, a woman who entered service disguised as a man, but is by now accepted as she is
• Brother Paul, Augustine monk and scholar
• Dr. Krowitz, field surgeon
• 20 disciplined Infantrymen with muskets

(Carcosa art by Rich Longmore)

How I play:

I rolled a random starting hex (0311).

Procedure: 1 Turn = 1 Day

For weather: 2d6 Reaction roll

Wandering encounter: 2-in-12 chance, 1 is daytime, 2 is nighttime

Turn 1

Location: Hex 0311, Wasteland

Weather: 7, Neutral

Encounter: 11, None

...Once the electrified mist disperses, the Detachment finds itself in a strange landscape, a purple wasteland. A violet-crowned sun hangs menacingly above and twin moons race through the light blue sky. The soldiers are nearly blinded by the alien hues.

Friederike checks her compass. The needle whirls around like a madman. It’s useless. So Friederike tries to get her bearings by the strange celestial objects.

d30 eerie/weird garage rock bands

This is a supplement for the d50 Delinquent Werewolves from Outer Space post. Because your Delinquent Werewolves need some sick tunes to blast in their cars and clubhouses.

1. The Aztec Mummies
2. The Bad Vibrations
3. The Berenices
4. The Black Lagoon Divers
5. The Blowers
6. The Crypt Keepers
7. Doctor Tarr & His System
8. The Draculalas
9. The Eeries
10. The Frankenhookas
11. Gordon & His Flashers
12. Ilse & Her She-Wolves
13. Jack Chick & His Tracts
14. King Tut & His Curses
15. Las Máscaras
16. The Milkshakers
17. The Mortsafes
18. The Nudes
19. Los Pornados
20. The Quasi-Mods
21. The Reefers
22. Santo & The Vampire Women
23. Satan’s Fingers
24. The Saucerians
25. The Screamers
26. The Suburban Rejects
27. The Teen Wolves
28. The Tiki Twisters
29. The Torturers
30. Victor Noir & His Admirers

d30 generic items

I have a couple of all-purpose tables. One of them is the Amazing Inspirational Animal List (d30 animals...), which I've written about previously.

Another simple little table I always keep at hand is this list of 30 items.

For those "what's in its pocketses" situations. Players search the room/body/shelf/table, whatever, you just need something quick.

1. Alcohol
2. Blade
3. Book
4. Cards/dice
5. Charm/talisman
6. Coins
7. Cosmetics
8. Creepy
9. Documents
10. Drawing
11. Figurine
12. Fire-making device
13. Food
14. Handkerchief
15. Jewelry
16. Knick-knacks
17. Light source
18. Live creature
19. Medication
20. Mirror
21. Musical instrument
22. Pocket lint
23. Poison
24. Recreational herbs
25. Religious item
26. Sweets/treats
27. Time-keeping device
28. Tool
29. Twine/rope
30. Weird

This is a generic list, usable in any setting. However, it's also a cool exercise to try and come up with setting-specific reskins for all these items.

E.g., in a modern urban fantasy game, you would have

Alcohol → Fairy beer*

Card → The business card of a shady detective

Cosmetics → Vampire-attracting lipstick

...and so on.

* As elaborated during a discord convo, that's a regular IPA, but you burp rainbows after drinking it.

The Science Fantasy Frankentable

The Frankentable is an ever-growing multi-purpose random generator. 11,578 lines as of today. I’ve been maintaining and expanding it since 2020-2021, using Inspiration Pad Pro.

It’s gonzo science fantasy, sort of like Carcosa, but with even more stuff added in. I copied some stuff from my favorite PDFs and blogposts. I added tons of names from ancient civilizations. Lists of random adjectives and nouns... And wrote thousands of lines of custom content.

I love it, because it’s finetuned to how my brain works and always inspires gameable ideas... And it’s just fun adding stuff to it. I used to to run solo hexcrawls (session 1, session 2), then a randomized hexcrawl for my friends, use it all the time when I’m creating dungeons (to come up with fresh ideas), generate settlements. I used it to make pre-gens for a recent pick-up game.

Unfortunately, I cannot share it, sorry! It has copyrighted material in it alongside my own stuff. But I can only recommend creating your own Frankentable! Either as a digital tool, or, who knows, maybe as a bunch of index cards?

 

Just a sampling of raw results:

Seeds:

• regular sisterhood going to polluted inn
• android (Mawia, Sovereign of the baggy Pterodactyl-infested standing stone) telling bad news regarding lucky spaceman
• brigand (Mardonius) and archaeologist (ruby warlock Pro-Consul) searching for runaway lover Pharadates (the vigilante)
• cart-pusher (Urshanabi, Chief of the fountain) going to helipad
• motley cult embarking on expedition to mist-covered stone circle

 

Objects:

• stone flower
• stone staff, imbued with the power to poison
• oversized cape
• fake bottle, rumored to hold the power of invincibility
• glowing pharmacon, imbued with the power to overcome fear

Buildings:

• narrow bakery closed
• ancestral cairn is actually a front for something sinister (connected to hierarchic cult)
• bustling bank under attack from monarchist herald
• stucco-covered bakery rumored to hide secret knowledge
• decrepit carpentry rumored to hold treasure

 

Locations:

• (10 hexes west from here) windswept volcano is the hide-out of militaristic brotherhood
• (11 hexes west from here) poisonous Sabertooth-infested castle infested with vermin
• (14 hexes west from here) otherworldly garrison staked out by chimeric food-seller
• (5 hexes north-west from here) bowl-shaped sierra staked out by Giant Snake
• (3 hexes east from here) pleasent barrow hides buried treasure