January 20, 2023 by juddthelibrarian

Loving the Love Letters

I don’t see folks mention Love Letters enough out there in the online wasteland. They are such a sweet piece of RPG-tech. Maybe it is because they are stuck in the Advanced Fuckery section of Apocalypse World.

Here are the letters I wrote up for our game later this afternoon:

Pic: Low earth orbit pic with green borealis light glowing

Text: LOVE LETTERS

Dear Lup,
You've done violence all over the L.E.O. Are there any consequences waiting for you in Luna City? Roll +Aggro:
On 10+ Your violence benefited those in power.
On 7-9, Someone is pissed but they are in a compromised position; they still might take their shot if the opportunity presents itself.
On a miss, hoo-boy, someone is pissed and they are in a position of power.
.
Love,
The M.C.

I considered digging in to the fact that Lup stepped directly INTO the Psychic Maelstom during their time on Olde Earth but I’m going to be patient and let that Weird marinate a bit.

LOVE LETTERS

Dear Bastet,
You solved the jetpack pirate problem with jingle and no violence. How'd that feel?

It felt pretty good: Cool, take +1Forward when you try to solve a problem by using your words but take +1Damage if you get into a tussle because your guilt is going to put you in the line of fire.

Felt weak and dumb: Cool, take +1Forward when you do violence but take -1 when you try to Read a Sitch because all you see is RED.
.Love,
The M.C.

Low Earth Orbit

PIC: Earth from orbit with green borealis light glowing

Bastet made a decision that was not only interesting but a bit out of character. The surly operator who in the first session fired a weapon from her spaceship into a tea room on a satellite paid some jetpack pirates to stand down and hired them as muscle while she’s in Luna City.

So good.

Moves don’t need die rolls; I forget that sometimes.

We’re playing this game later this afternoon, 1pm EST. Join us in the chat if you’d like. Link under the image below.

Apocalypse World: Burned Over
Low Earth Orbit Index — https://githyankidiaspora.com/apocalypse-world-burned-over-l-e-o-index/

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December 20, 2022 by juddthelibrarian

A couple Youtube AP Playlists.

Thank you, Sean, for migrating our VOD’s from twitch to youtube. Below are the playlists.

Into the Borgenwold is us playing an idea from this blog post, using an Into the Odd-like game to play The Beast of Borgenwold. I’ve got the playlist on my Into the Odd: Play, Creation, Hacks, etc page.

Thrilled that the screenshot was my coughing into my elbowpit.

Made an index page for our Apocalypse World: Burned Over Low Earth Orbit game.

Tune in for the talk of maple syrup and dogs, stay for the amazing play.

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https://shopofjudd.threadless.com/designs/bastion-free-library

https://shopofjudd.threadless.com/designs/the-floating-skulls-a-fictional-band-we-made-up-in-a-gaming-session

https://shopofjudd.threadless.com/designs/heraldric-beast-that-is-displaced

https://shopofjudd.threadless.com/designs/guilt-free-t-p-k

https://shopofjudd.threadless.com/designs/talk-sh-t-roll-crits-d20-edition

https://shopofjudd.threadless.com/designs/psychic-tiger-fodder

December 16, 2022 by juddthelibrarian

Low Earth Orbit Threats

Aaron and Jay – you don’t want to read beyond the line.

Continue reading →

November 28, 2022 by juddthelibrarian

Choose Your Apocalypse

Preparing to play Apocalypse World: Burned Over with Jay and Aaron. Their playbook choices are kind of rootless, so I’m offering up some setting choices.

PIC: Skull with flaming top of head icon

TEXT: APOCALYPSE WORLD: BURNED OVER

make the post-apocalypse seem real
make the PCs’ lives interesting to you
and play to find out what the PCs make of their world

Red and Yellow gradient in text, crumpled poster texture over it all — https://lumpley.games/burnedover/

Here are a few ideas:

The Simple Desert: There are a few places where people dwell but it is all highway and desert in all directions. Where are you on an olde world map? Who knows? Who cares? Where are you getting your next drink of water?

Empirepocalypse: Eastern Seaboard, raise the sea level by 30 feet or so. Start in NYC, where people are surviving in skyscrapers, boats, remaining bridges and that ole decommissioned aircraft carrier/museum parked there.

Too close?

The Underground: Whatever happened on the surface, only people who retreated underground survived. The world is a series of tunnels and underground highways linking old mines to old missile silos to old government vaults.

Low Earth Orbit: There are enough space stations in orbit that the last of humanity is clinging to life while orbiting the tombworld called Earth. Moon-base, space elevator and a few space stations put up by the last of the space-capable powers before the apocalypse 50 years ago (India, China, Russia and the Vatican). Motorcycle gangs = jet pack gangs. Semi-truck = space shuttle. Interceptor Car = Orbital Fighter Jet.

We made a choice. An Operator and a Weaponized in Low Earth Orbit. Excited!

Apocalypse World: Burned Over title

Low Earth Orbit with funky, gritty, scifi fonts and cool green glow over a pic of the earth from orbit.

The Hard Zones are as follows:

The Olde Station – the piece of crap first floated into space. Often called The Tomb.

The Last Elevator – the last tether to Earth, used to grow food and transport those with the resources and the bravery to set foot on the ruined planet that birthed our species.

The Moon – our species’ first stop in space, now home to the closest thing to a city that remains and the defiled historical site of the First Landing.

The Highest Cathedral – the Vatican’s first orbital platform, an ambitious half-completed cross floating in space. The Jesuits produce some of the finest scientific minds left.

The Zhenbao-Damanski Station – Where Chinese and Russian clans play out the last pathetic breaths of earthbound political rivalries with Indian families trying to broker peace. The original name for the station is lost, now it is named after an island Russia and China fought over back on Earth.

I can’t WAIT to see their playbook decisions. They will say so much about the setting.

If you’d like to see more Apocalypse World: Burned Over Low Earth Orbit stuff, please check out the link to the Low Earth Orbit Index below.

https://githyankidiaspora.com/apocalypse-world-burned-over-l-e-o-index/

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June 18, 2021 by juddthelibrarian

Insight in D&D

NOTE: Trusted friends told me my math was off. Hence the crossed off numbers. This is a work in progress.

Your character meets an NPC and you don’t trust them, not one bit. They are hiding something but you aren’t sure what. Roll the dice, then role-play a bit and step out of character to ask the DM questions as they occur to you or role-play through and ask the questions at the end.

DC 5 – a little detail, if you are going against a skilled liar and they rolled better than you, it might be something planted to lead you the wrong way. The DM can ask 1-2 questions to get information that the NPC has picked up about you.

DC 10 7 – Ask the DM one question about the NPC you are evaluating but the DM may ask you a question because the NPC gets a read on you too.

DC 15 12 – Ask the DM one question about the NPC you are evaluating.

DC 20 17 – Ask the DM two questions about the NPC you are evaluating.

DC 25 22 – Ask the DM three questions about the NPC you are evaluating.

DC 30 27 – Ask the DM three questions about the NPC you are evaluating and they will tell you any remarkable statistics.

The questions should be things Sherlock Holmes could pick up about a suspect. The DM might ask you how you picked up such information from your interaction with the NPC; feel free to make up cool shit about how your character picked that up.

~~An opposed Deception roll can add to the DC and/or let the NPC pick up details on the character trying to learn about them.~~ (NOTE: A trusted friend says this opposed roll will make this endeavor all but mathematically impossible. Noting this here while we discuss it).

From Matt Weber:

So, here’s the deal. By RAW, to make an Insight check against an NPC, you roll their Deception against the PC’s Insight. Many GMs will also just use the NPC’s Passive Deception, which is 10+(whatever their modifier is). Either way is valid, but that of course is using a binary pass / fail model, rather than your more interesting gradations.

If you have a set DC *and* the NPC gets to add their entire roll to that DC, that’s “double dipping” because fixed DCs are essentially supposed to replace a roll of the d20+(skill mod). Many NPCs don’t have much in the way of Deception, it’s true, but those that are trained in it could easily have +9 or higher.

UPDATE: Rather than a Perception vs. Insight roll…

If the villain has Deception, roll to see how ensconced they are in the area. Their Deception check is an optional roll to get an idea of how well their lies are covered. A good roll could get local NPC’s covering for them or insisting that their lie is truth, depending on the context. You don’t need to roll for this kind of thing but if you are building this situation on the fly, it can help give background.

When the dice hit the table, the status quo is going to be upended, tables will be flipped and secrets will be spilled.

Inspired by Apocalypse World moves.

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April 6, 2021 by juddthelibrarian

Moons of Leviathan: Space Drugs

Inspired by the Visions of Death move in Apocalypse World: Burned Over in the Volatile playbook and in Apocalypse World 2nd Edition in the Battlebabe Playbook.

Moves are gained through using technology.

When you take Trance before battle, roll your approporiate training:
On a 10+, name one person who will die and one who will live.
On a 7-9, name one person who will die or one who will live.
On a miss you see a vision of the monster you become as a result of this battle and the fell havoc your hand brings to the universe, take -1 for this battle and hold 3 moving forward after the battle is done.
[ ] +1 to a roll that brings this vision to reality.
[ ] +1 to to a roll that brings this vision to reality.
[ ] Roll this move again as if you were entering battle. Either retire this character as the destiny is made real or prove you have free will by changing the course of destiny.

True Sword, a networked blade with an AI embedded in its core.

“I live in an apocalyptic dream. My steps fit into it so precisely that I fear most of all I will grow bored reliving the thing so exactly.”
― Frank Herbert, Dune Messiah

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Dune Collection
Scifi Dune Font by Hydro74 / Joshua M. Smith over a sand dune — https://shopofjudd.threadless.com/collections/dune-collection

Science Fiction Collection
scifi Truesword — https://shopofjudd.threadless.com/collections/science-fiction

April 4, 2021 by juddthelibrarian

Training and Moves in Moons of Leviathan

Riding a wave of inspiration from Morgan, we’re playing Traveller(ish). We’re using the skills as a way to resolve conflicts using Apocalypse World moves. So far it is working

What about skill improvement?

In Book 2: Starships of the Traveller Little Black Box, it talks a bit about getting education and training. Easy enough to Apocalypse it up a bit. Here’s a different way to say something similar, drawing inspiration from ( or ruthlessly pillaging, depending on your POV) Apocalypse World and Burned Over:

“Muad'Dib learned rapidly because his first training was in how to learn. And the first lesson of all was the basic trust that he could learn. It's shocking to find how many people do not believe they can learn, and how many more believe learning to be difficult.”
Frank Herbert, Dune
When your character wants to train, either gaining a new expertise or improving an established skill, talk to the Referee about the people who offer such training.
Then the Referee will tell you 1 to 4 of the following:
[ ] It is going to take X weeks/months/years of consistent training
[ ] First, you will have to hire a tutor through [an in-game faction]
[ ] You will need X to help you with it.
[ ] It is going to cost dearly.
[ ] There is ancient tech that is said to condition the brain in this manner.
[ ] You’re already the best in the sub-sector; you’ll have to venture deep into the void or take on a massive under-taking in order to improve.
[ ] It is illegal to train the brain in such a manner; you will be risking imprisonment, excommunication or worse.
[ ] Those who safeguard these training methods are rigid in their orthodoxy and will guard them dearly but there are always rebels and heretics at the fringe of the worlds…
Once your training is complete you can add the skill to your sheet or increase the skill you already have. The Referee will tell you what you will need to do to keep this skill sharp so that this expertise does not become covered in rust and decay.

But, Judd, you ask, what about stats?

I like that we’re saying that the limits of the human body aren’t interesting to us. What you use to change the world is your training and in order to gain training you have to go out and interact with the world.

What about non-basic moves?

Non-basic moves are all tech. Maybe the True Sword, a networked blade with an embedded AI, gives you a move like the Gunlugger’s Not to be Fucked With, where you fight as a gang. Certain drugs give you access to psychic powers.

A science-fantasy True Sword and a cool way to show the end of the blog post — A True Sword and a cool way to show the end of the blog post

March 6, 2021 by juddthelibrarian

Moons of Leviathan, Session 1, Remembering Morgan

That game was special and strange. Thank you, Sean and the Actual Play team. Thank you to everyone in chat.

Thank you, Morgan, for the cool character and cool everything. Thank you for continuing to inspire us.

Exactly. Got to have a great eye/spot/storm on the gas giant to have as a backdrop for a dramatic fight on a space station orbiting past it.
— Morgan Ellis (@mc_ellis) October 8, 2020

That is exactly what we did, Morgan. There was a duel out on the ship’s hull, in the void of space under the baleful glare of the Leviathan’s eye.

I think you would’ve loved it. What you made and you inspired us to make was too cool for one session. We’re going back.

January 28, 2021 by juddthelibrarian

Revisiting Planescape

I’m running a Planescape game tonight using the Bingo XP Variant and Five Torches Deep and here’s what I sent to the players and a Portal move inspired by AW: Burned Over.

I have no idea if tonight’s game is going to work. It has been a minute since I’ve played a d20 D&Dish game. We’ll see! Thank you for giving this a shot with me.

Planescape was this cool setting where the game implied in the boxed set was this city at the center of all worlds and the players take part in these oddly philosophical factions as they venture out into the Outlands and adventure. The adventures in the Outlands were supposed to ripple out into the rest of the planes of reality.

Made by me with Affinity Design, inspired by the map from the 3E Manual of the Planes Outlands map by Todd Gamble

It seemed to me that NO ONE PLAYED IT THIS WAY. Everyone was excited by this city and ended up being a bodyguard for a dwarf crime lord with fire for hair or doing security for an ogre opera house. I dig that but I’ve done my faction-minded fantasy crime saga stuff already. So, I’m trying to play it this way. – into the Outlands.

When folks go out into the Outlands in our game everyone knows. Word gets out. It is DANGEROUS out there. You could get dragged to hell – literally dragged to hell. In our game there is no money nor fame to be made in Sigil. Real fortune is made in the Outlands (and of course we’ll visit Hells or Heavens or Elemental Planes of Fire as needed). The cool thing about Sigil, the City of Doors, is that you can get anywhere from here. If you are interested in a world you learn about on your adventures, opening a gate is something anyone can do if they are willing to expend the will and time to do so.

When you get back from your adventure the philosophical factions will gather in a plaza near where you live and debate your actions with you. No judgment, just a spirited debate on how this made the planes better or worse. It is a big event. Everyone gets dressed up.

But first an adventure…

Thank you for playing.

Image by Peter H from Pixabay

When you want to find a portal to another world, sit down with your friends and figure out everything you all know about this place and how you learned it. Consider your sources. If anyone you know might know more, invite them to this palaver.

Names, anything made in that place. Lay it all out on the table. Where in the planes are you guessing this place might be? Make a map of the planes as you understand it and put your guess on the map.

NOTE: I’m not saying sit down and make up a place. I’m saying you must’ve heard of this place in-game. Sit down and discuss that before heading through the portal to otherwhere.

What do you have that could be a key to this place?

The DM will saying, “Sure, you could try to get there but…”

your guess as to where this place is in the planes is a little off, you’ll end up somewhere dangerous but nearby
you need more lore about this place, you’ve heard X knows about this or has info on it
you need an item/spell/artifact made from this place, in the Outlands, there is a place that you can get more
you need more items made from this place, it is going to cost you a devil’s ransom in gold
someone else in Sigil or beyond wants to go there too and you’ll need to pool your resources to open the portal

Inspired by Tinkering in AW Burned Over by Meguey and Vincent Baker et al.

I’ve got an adventure outline, taking what I’ve learned from a year of Trophy Gold incursions, written by me, written by others, adapted from modules and turn it towards Outlands adventures.

Incursions for Trophy Gold? Here ya go.

What the eff is Trophy Gold? We’ve got a podcast all about that.

Where’s Judd?

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These are the places you can regularly hear and/or see me talking about gaming or doing the thing and streaming some play. Links are both in the pictures and in the text beneath.

Here’s the link where I store my links.

You can find me on Mastodon

Daydreaming about Dragons Podcast

The logo for my podcast, Daydreaming about Dragons

In which I have a conversation with you about techniques that are shaking out at the tables where I sit and inspirational media.

The Sixth Ring, a Trophy Podcast

In which Jason and I discuss the Trophy RPG and in doing so end up talking about game culture and techniques that link up to all kinds of tabletop RPG’s.

I’m often gaming on the Actual Play twitchstream channel.

World of Dungeons, Twitch.com/ACTUALPLAY

Municipal Dungeon Delving in the fantasy city of Jaquays (pronounced Jake-Ways) in the wake of the Sorcerer-Kings, who have abandoned this world and have left their toxic labs, wyrd towers and feral pets all over the city-scape. More about the making of this game here.

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNuXiEYyM4ivzmFtoaSu6Nbtz2T05S6aZ

I’ve been honored to play so much on the Actual Play channel, a place where I’ve made wonderful friends and played wondrous games.

What am I regularly playing off-stream?

On Thursday evenings we play our Thursday night game, founded at the start of the pandemic. We are deciding what to play in 2023 and are playing Into the Megadungeon until we all can get together, put our previous campaign to a satisfying end and get behind something new.

At the bottom of most blog posts you might notice links to my Threadless shop. A few years ago I started combining my librarian’s passion for finding old out-of-copyright pics and general geekery with the Affinity Art Suite and this Threadless shop was born. I set up the shop so the proceeds that would go to me go to amazing organizations. Below is what the shop has earned as of 11/28/22 a total of $346.69 for organizations like Medshare India, Fair Fight, National Queer and Trans Therapists of Color Network, National Center for Transgender Equity and many more.