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GameKnightReviews.com and RPG.org posted their reviews of my adventure The Tribute. I thought I'd share... Review of The Tribute at GameKnightReviews.com Review of The Tribute at RPG.org Thanks to both parties for taking the time to read the adventure and give feedback. If you have any thoughts on the adventure, I'd love to hear them. -Carl
After some hard but enjoyable work, I've released The Tribute, an adventure for 7th level characters. Text from the back cover: "After traveling through a land of rugged hills, dark forests and deep fjords, you arrive midday in the village of Honningstad. Today the locals are celebrating the Feast of the Dragon and you are welcome to join them. On this day each year the village awaits the return of an envoy sent to deliver a tribute of strong ale and hard-earned gold to the dragon in Fangcrag Keep. It is this tribute that keeps the dragon appeased, and for over 30 years the village has known peace. As you enjoy the music, dancing, fine food and wonderful spirits, a member of the envoy staggers into the village, battered and bloodied. He says the envoy was attacked by giants and the tribute never reached the keep. Some men fought and were slain, while others were less fortunate. Rayn Brekston, nephew of Dame Margarete Brekston, ruler of these lands, was among those captured. Men and women take up rusty spears and weathered shields intent to rescue their comrades, but you know these villagers, mostly farmers, brewers and fishermen, are not seasoned warriors and have little hope of success. Will you aid the folk of Honningstad by slaying the giants? If so, the dragon may awake and find his tribute not delivered. He would surely descend upon the village. But if you plan to barter with or slay the dragon, the giants' captives may suffer a horrible end. Plan well brave adventurers, for the lives of many rest in your capable hands." The Scroll of Omens A unique feature of this adventure is the Scroll of Omens. In the beginning of the adventure, the characters are given two difficult choices and little time to solve either dilemma. As they progress through the adventure, the conditions elsewhere in the world deteriorate. They are continually reminded through the use of omens, making them doubt their choices. This creates wonderful tension and gives a sense of urgency to everything the characters do. The adventure plays perfectly well without the Scroll of Omens and is not required. Full-Scale Maps Also included with the .pdf of the adventure are .jpg maps scaled for use with various virtual tabletop programs. I look forward to any comment or questions you might have. Thanks! -Carl
I would also like to add that this adventure has an interesting 'doomsday clock' option to it called the Scroll of Omens. Not necessary to play the adventure, but it does impress a sense of urgency on the players and shows there are consequences to their choices and actions.
Heya gang! I have an adventure that's going through play-testing and wanted to see if anybody around here would be interested in having a look, giving me some feedback and perhaps taking a group through some or all of it. I've posted a short preview of it on DriveThruRPG.com, but here's the text from the back cover: "After traveling through a land of rugged hills, dark forests and deep fjords, you arrive midday in the village of Honningstad. Today the locals are celebrating the Feast of the Dragon and you are welcome to join them. On this day each year the village awaits the return of an envoy sent to deliver a tribute of strong ale and gold to the dragon in Fangcrag Keep. It is this tribute that keeps the dragon appeased, and for over 30 years the village has known peace. As you enjoy the music, dancing, fine food and wonderful spirits, a member of the envoy staggers into the village, battered and bloodied. He says the envoy was attacked by giants and the tribute never reached the keep. Some men fought and were slain, while others were less fortunate. Rayn Brekston, nephew of Dame Margarete Brekston, ruler of these lands, was among those captured. Men and women take up rusty spears and weathered shields intent to rescue their comrades, but you know these villagers, mostly farmers, brewers and fishermen, are not seasoned warriors and have little hope of success. Will you aid the folk of Honningstad by slaying the giants? If so, the dragon may awake and find his tribute not delivered. He would surely descend upon the village. But if you plan to barter with or slay the dragon, the giant’s captives may suffer a horrible end. Plan well brave adventurers, for the lives of many rest in your capable hands." If you're willing to help out, I'd certainly recognize you in the credits and get you a free copy of the final product. My website is www.timelessadventures.com. Thanks in advance! -Carl Bussler
Hold your flagons high and celebrate our podcast's one year anniversary with us! Throughout the month of September we’re running a contest on Twitter in which you share creative names for fantasy themed beers, taverns or even toasts! What seedy dockside taverns do your adventurers frequent? What dark stout will be shared at the dwarf king’s table? What’s a goblin toast sound like? Just add the hashtag #flagonshigh to your tweets. You can enter as many times as you like. The hosts of the show will go through all the submissions and pick three that we like the best. When the contest is over, we will contact the winners for addresses. NOTE: Contest open only to continental U.S. and Canada residents. If we discover that shipping isn’t too awful, or if somebody is generous and gives us some digital prizes, we will open the contest to the other parts of the world. The prizes: 1st Place: A Flagons and Dragons dice bag from Dragon Chow Dice Bags, some Flagons and Dragons beer coasters and a limited edition swing-top bottle with a Dragon Smoked Porter label. 2nd Place: A Flagons and Dragons dice bag from Dragon Chow Dice Bags and some Flagons and Dragons beer coasters. 3rd Place: Some Flagons and Dragons beer coasters. Also, when the contest is over, we’re going to post all the entries as a free PDF for you to use in your own games. Spread the word and be sure to follow-us too. Our Twitter handle is @flagonsdragons. The contest ends on September 30th. Let’s see your imaginations at work! -Carl, host of Flagons and Dragons
We're baaaaaaaack! After a long holiday break, we shook off the dust and we've released a new episode. The topic of discussion is Character Death. We had a near TPK (total party kill) in our last Pathfinder RPG game and thought it would make a good topic of discussion. It's a short episode, but we hope you enjoy!
We've posted the our first Actual Play session, which is our first attempt at running through a Gamma World adventure. The Brockman-Fokker Salvage Co. attempt to trade with some Badders. Hilarity and bloodshed ensues! http://www.flagonsanddragons.com/ Enjoy. -Carl
We recently posted an episode where we talked about Gamma World, and then somebody suggested we post the entire play session, so we did. If you're curious to see how the Brockman-Fokker Salvage Co. got it's start, stop by! http://www.flagonsanddragons.com/ You might find it entertaining or informative. -Carl
I don't think it's really meant to be for a big arching epic campaign, really. It's designed almost head to toe for one shots. I mean, I personally wouldn't run a full campaign of Paranoia. I can see it going both ways. It all depends on the GM and the players. In our last podcast episode we ran through character creation for the first time and then ran a session of it. http://www.flagonsanddragons.com/ I can totally see the Brockman-Fokker Salvage Co. running multiple sessions, but not necessarily having a grand over-arching plot. More like how TV show I guess. We're a salvage company (horse and wagon!) roaming the world to buy and sell goods, but we always manage to get in trouble. Like Sanford and Sons meets Scooby Doo. *chuckle* -Carl
The guys from the Flagons & Dragons Podcast have put together the Gaming Gear Giveaway. Stop by our website to see what groovy gaming loot you could win!
As a Vermonter, I heartily approve of the most recent beer break, featuring Vermont's own Woodchuck cider. Even if poor Carl had to drink alone. :( *chuckle* Thanks Jagyr! You correctly identified the Carlos the dwarf reference, but I already finished the editing of the podcast. I mentioned you on the blog post, and I'll get you in the next podcast. Also: Nuts and Bolts Episode 3: Gamma World Unboxing/Walkthrough is up and ready.
I've just uploaded Nuts and Bolts Episode 2, which is a VIDEO podcast. I walk-through the Hero Lab software using the Pathfinder rules to create Carlos the Dwarf. If you send an email to carl@flagonsanddragons.com correctly identifying the reference to Carlos the dwarf, I'll give you a shout-out on the next podcast. Don't post it here! =) The video podcast is on iTunes and YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/flagonsanddragons You can also download the mp4 from our website. The video player on our website should be working fairly soon. I need to re-encode the mp4 with Streaming enabled. My bad. http://www.flagonsanddragons.com/ Cheers! -Carl
Today's educational lesson: I think the mainstream commercial beers from most countries are about the same... flavorless. The masses don't want flavor impeding the direction of alcohol to the brain. But in truth, it's quite hard to make a nearly tasteless beer. There's a good amount of science involved in making that happen. In traditional ales and stouts, things like dimethyl sulphide can be masked by hops, malts and toasted characteristics. Commercial export beers don't have any of that. I'm not a fan of most large commercial breweries. Thankfully for those in the U.S., we have a thriving homebrewing hobby so we can make our own beers. We can all thank President Jimmy Carter for that. The UK's restrictions were lifted in 1963, Australia's in 1972 and the USA's in 1978. We also have a plethora of small craft breweries. Some are good, some are not so good. Samuel Adams was a craft brewery which has gone mainstream. It's my go-to choice when I'm a chain restaurant and the only other options are Bud and Coors. For those of you who have never tried a homebrew, I highly suggest you find a friend and give it a shot. It's not that expensive ($60 plus ingredients?) There is nothing fresher or with more flavor than a beer made at home. End today's lesson. -Carl
LOL! I'm glad you guys have a good sense of humor. =) I'm equal opportunity and I'm sure I'll get around to the Brits (half my family is English), the Germans, Americans, etc. And don't get me started on major commercial American lagers. *shudder* Most countries have us beat in that arena, although I can't understand the popularity of beers like Budweiser abroad. I'd certainly choose a Foster's over a Coors, Bud or Miller. It's our small craft breweries that are the blessing of the U.S.A. As for Australian beers, Hahn Premium is good stuff. Designed by an American! *chuckle* I've had Cooper's Best Extra Stout (yum!), but aside from that, I have little experience with Australian beers. Maybe I'll have to fly down for some games and beers. And watch some rugby. I played in college. You guys have some fearsome rugby league players. Cheers!
Something new this week. Our first 'Nuts and Bolts' episode. It's a big episode as we do a complete walkthrough of the Kingmaker kingdom building rules. We go phase by phase and build the kingdom we're running in our own Kingmaker campaign. Be sure to stop by the website and download our Kingdom Turn Reference Sheet as you follow along. As I said, it's a big episode and not part of our regular series. http://www.FlagonsAndDragons.com/. Thanks for listening, and enjoy! -Carl
So, I should make my Will save to avoid reading this? *chuckle* No, go ahead and read it. I'm not putting any spoilers on there for players. Just teasers. :)
I recently started writing an adventure for our gaming group using the Pathfinder RPG. I decided to put the progress into my blog, and I thought I'd share it with you guys. http://www.TimelessAdventures.com/ The adventure is titled The Ivory Throne. It's not set specifically anywhere in Golarion, so it can be dropped anywhere there is a jungle, and with some minor tweaks, in any forest. If you find it interesting, let me know. Thanks for looking. -Carl
Your nicknames for each other are actually your character names. Seriously, this happened to me in college. "Heya Grun." "Yo Fitz, what's up?" "You see Drubin yet?" "Nah, he's probably in the Union building." I'm not sure how it started, but we never skipped a beat. Maybe I've shared too much.
Sounds interesting, especially if I can look at the tracking sheets as I listen.Soooo...you want a copy of the draft tracking sheet? Not sure if Carl put it on the podcast site, but I can always send it to you. Just get me your email address. I'll post that on the website at the same time I post the podcast. I'll also start a thread on it in the forums. We may want to make some tweaks to it before we post it.
I started a FREE service you can check out called AdventuringParty.com Setup your own gamer blog, gaming session calendar, photos, etc. Let me know what ya think. http://www.adventuringparty.com/ Join the party. Join the adventure!
I've been playing RPGs since about '85. I've burned-out about 3 times since then. It happens, and for me, it happens big. Taking 6 months to a year off from gaming is not unusual. When I came back though, I came back in a big way. Remember, this is a game, and it's supposed to be fun. If it isn't fun, don't do it! *chuckle* RPGs and other games aren't going anywhere. Try something new in a totally different hobby. Try hiking, geocaching, or building lunchboxes out of Legos. This might make a good podcast topic. Hmmm...
That link as written doesn't work. Try:
Before you read on, I mention religion in this post, but I am in no way trying to start a heated discussion on religion. Take a breath, read on, and you'll see that it's all good. Back in 2nd Edition we ran an epic campaign from 1st - 21st level over the course of 4 years in college. My roommate had never played D&D and is a very devout Christian. I eased his fears and introduced him to the Paladin class. My roommate was, and still is, Lawful Good to this day. His character, Israel of the Dalelands, paladin of Selune, drew much of his background and theme from the Bible. The entire campaign was a Shar vs. Selune struggle. Israel was a fisherman who was prophesied to do some wonderful things. Among his initial tasks were to find and recover the Armor of Selune, which is a reference to the Armor of God in the Bible. The Armor in the Bible and the Armor in the game were almost identical: Sword (Belt) of TRUTH
I can't remember what they all did, but the sword was a holy avenger. Overall, it was an amazing campaign and I have many fond memories of it.
This weekend most of the hosts are off punishing their livers at The Kennett Brewfest. Scott and I, however, are going to be free on Sunday, so were toying with the idea of recording a Bonus Episode. We thought we'd run through the Kingmaker rules of building a kingdom using our newly made turn tracking sheets, and discuss using the rules outside of the Kingmaker adventure path. I think if Scott and I actually go through the process it might make more sense to me. The initial examination made my eyes cross a little. No promises, but it could happen. Thoughts?
Who gave that shout out there at the end? Scott = Aberzombie
Ok gang, Episode 3 is on the website and available through iTunes. You may need to manually update to get the new episode. If you have any suggestions or questions, please send me an email, carl@flagonsanddragons.com Enjoy!
It's not very visible. It's under the Facebook thing on the right sidebar. The default CSS for that is ... meh. I should make a graphic or something for it. Thanks for pointing that out. As for equipment, here's what we're using: 1. Mixer - Alesis MultiMix 16 USB. The new USB 2.0 can record in stereo. This one is just mono. With this we can have up to 8 hosts/guests each with their own mic. 2. Mics - Shure SM58 3. Recording device - HP Pavilion dv8t with Audacity. 4. Editing software - Cakewalk Sonar 8 This isn't a beginner setup though. I don't think I'd spend this much if I was just getting started. I manage the multimedia and tech for the company I work for and some of this is left-over from my days in a rock band. So, I have access to it all. If you're interested in doing a podcast for one or two hosts, I can suggest some very affordable (free!) stuff that will do a fine job. Send me an email at carl@flagonsanddragons.com -C
Thanks Vaz, glad you like it. In order to make the website more interesting, we've just added Polls to it. This week's poll is "How many hours a week do you game?" It's down the right side of the page. http://www.FlagonsAndDragons.com Have fun! -C
This weekend's episode veers away from Pathfinder in topic, but the game session outros will be from our Kingmaker campaign. We'll be talking instead about the new edition of Warhammer Fantasy, and why some people play miniature wargames and some don't. Should be interesting because some of us play only role-playing games, and some of us play both. Also, our Top 5 for the next episode is probably going to be The Top 5 Heroes in a Fantasy Novel/Series. Stay tuned!
We actually did record something this past Saturday night, but I think the sound got messed up a little (i.e. too much background noise). It might end up as some kind of bonus episode instead of a new one. Yup. We recorded at a new location, were down one host, had two guests, and tossed in a new segment. Largely an experiment. It's not 'bad', but the sound quality isn't on par with the previous two episodes. If this was podcast #65, I'd feel less concerned about releasing it, but with only two episodes out, I think we'll wait and release it as a bonus episode or some such at a later date. We're getting back together this weekend and should have the entire crew. Thanks for understanding. Just want to put our best feet forward.
I agree with Steve Geddes above. Like it or not, Pathfinder is a hefty tome and probably a little intimidating to new players, 4e gamers or not. A Pathfinder fast play adventure with simplified rules would be a great introduction to Pathfinder that doesn't require a person to read a 500 page tome. Like it or not, a huge market is coming up in age every day and 4e is tapping that with their Essentials line. Pathfinder is not. A fastplay adventure would be a great start and probably not a terribly huge investment for the Paizo staff. You could even use an existing adventure, such as the Into the Woods-style adventure that they included in the box of goodies or one of the free PDFs such as Hollow's Last Hope. I don't know a single game group that plays only one system, from grognards to teenaged players, a wider and wider number of games seem to being played. We talked about this in our last podcast (Flagons & Dragons). The book is a beast, and I'd feel bad dropping that on some new players foot. If I had the money, I'd probably give 4E another shot. As we discussed, it's a different game, not necessarily a bad game. Back when 4E was announced I felt blindsided and generally disenfranchised by WoTC. I didn't even give the game a chance. Paizo's Pathfinder was a no-brainer at the time. I keep hearing about this 4E/Pathfinder war, but haven't seen evidence of it in our local area. Our group at least plays a number of systems, both RPGs and wargames. But getting new players... people who have no connection to gaming... into the hobby? WoTC may have an edge at the moment. I'd love to see some stripped down adventure/rules set. Not that I can't do that on my own, but it'd be nice to hand the new players something that wouldn't scare them off. We'll be talking about new players and such in our next podcast. Personally, when I'm introducing new players to D&D or Pathfinder, I give them only the most minimum of rules. Forget Attacks of Opportunity. Forget Grappling. In their first session their going to move, swing and roll for damage. Outside of some skill checking, that's about it. If they haven't had fun by the end of the night, then gaming probably isn't for them. Just my two coppers.
Sorry for not friending you on Facebook! :) Busted. *chuckle*
Will try to tomorrow, someone please remind me. Ask and ye shall receive. Reminding you to give it a go. =)
Episode 2 of the Flagons & Dragons podcast is up, and now finally on iTunes. They give their thoughts on the Pathfinder RPG after playing it for awhile. Visit www.FlagonsAndDragons.com for their info.
Episode 1 of the new podcast is up! In this first episode the hosts discuss the problem of absent players and the lack of players. They also discuss character backgrounds in role-playing games. Enjoy! |
