Review of Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea

Astonishing Swordsmen and Sorcerers of Hyperborea has just got a formal release after its successful Kickstarter back in December, so I decided to give it a look.

ASSH, as it will now be called, is written by Jeffrey Talanian and put out under North Wind Adventures. It pens itself as a game of 'Swords, Sorcery and Weird Fantasy.' The tag of Weird Fantasy was what really drew me to the game, as I am an adamant fan of Lovecraft stories, and I haven't found that good system to integrate them into fantasy games.

ASSH is a pretty weighty PDF product. It comes with 6 files: The Player's Manual, the Referee's Manual, the Box Art (the game will be printed in a box set), a map of the setting, Hyperborea, and a two-page character sheet. The two manuals combined offer up about 500 pages, but the text is rather large, so the page numbers just seem to flit past.

In terms of the mechanics, its hard to mask my disappointment, honestly. I came expecting a very brutal rules set to reflect the deadly nature of weird fantasy, but all I got was an almost identical clone of AD&D 1e. Sadly, it's not even a very elegant clone; there are still all those warts from AD&D, such as disparaging task resolution, complex ideas such as weapon reach and combat tables, and different phases of combat. It even has the feel of a reference manual, with the table of contents listing Tables instead of topics. There is not even a detailed description about madness or sanity, which seems kind of contrary to weird fantasy. There is a system, but it is basically 1e's madness system. There is a fairly meaty Advanced Combat section if you like that kind of thing. If you like AD&D, then this is no problem, but for someone like me who started with 3e, I don't find very much appeal.

The game is class based, with the four traditional classes of Cleric, Fighter, Thief and Mage. There are also some pretty cool sub-classes, such as the Pyromancer, Ledgermainist (a slightly magical thief), and the Cataphract. There are no demi-humans in Hyperborea, but there are human cultures based on real world cultures, such as Celtics and Vikings. The max level is 12, which is kind of a strange number.

Spells are standard D&D fair, though the magician gets less spells than more high fantasy games. There are rules for Strongholds, Aerial Combat, Mass Combat and Naval Combat, but they all have that feeling of first edition rust on them.

The Referee Manual is a bit better. There is a bestiary, which is basically the 1e Monster Manual with some Lovecraftian monsters thrown in. The Treasure section is still pretty high fantasy, with things like +2 Fire Swords and Bags of Holding. The bright spot, though, is the setting. The setting is rich, detailed, and pretty creepy. Gods range from the ever graceful Apollo to the Lovecraftian Ithaqqua or Kthulu. I mean, even the lunar calendar is well detailed. It's a shame the system does not particularly back up the great setting.

The art in the books is really great, however. Ian Baggley is the sole artist, and he is a trained traditional artist. All of his work is done in charcoals, and its very dark and foreboding. The monster illustrations are pretty great, with the Elder Thing being really stand out.

Overall, ASSH has, what I feel, is a lot of failed potential. It's not a bad game by any means, and if you like 1e, it should hit a lot of sweet spots. I just don't feel like it accurately portrays Weird Fantasy in the rules, and is instead "D&D + Cthulhu", which you can do pretty easily by yourself. If the game was produced solely as a supplement for something like Labyrinth Lord, which would have the setting and additional classes, I would be much less disappointed. Granted, the entire 500 page product is only $10, so it's a pretty good steal and I don't really regret buying it.

I give ASSH a 7/10, mostly on account of the fantastic art and setting material. Though the mechanics are more than usable, I think they could have been so much more than they are.

You can buy ASSH through RPGNow or DriveThruRPG for $10.

Pulpwood! now has a followers bar!

Don't know why I didn't have this before. Now, on the right hand side underneath the Blog Archive, you can follow the Pulpwood! blog on Blogger. Oh boy!

Quick Errata for Heroes of Lore

I just found out from John Stater that Thieves actually do get Open Locks as a skill. Thus, part of what makes the Tombraider variant unique is gone.

So, instead of gaining Open Locks, the Tombraider instead gains Break Down Doors, representing the fact that some tomb doors just refuse to open, even after some convincing.

Heroes of Lore- New File in the 'Games I've Made' section

Like the post says, I have a new file over to the right in the 'Games I've Made' section.

The file is called Heroes of Lore, and it is a fan supplement for Blood & Treasure, made by John Stater. Blood & Treasure is class based, and one of the ideas in B&T is that of class 'variants', which function similarly to Archetypes in Pathfinder. I decided to create a butt-load more variants for you guys to use for the game, with 52 in total. That means there are four variants for all 13 classes!

I hope you enjoy it, and even though you can use them with mostly any fantasy game, I would appreciate it if you went out and purchased a PDF or physical copy of Blood and Treasure.

A quick note though, on the Oracle variant for Clerics. I mention that it uses the same mechanics at the Cyclopean race. However, the Cyclopean is in the forthcoming Treasure Keeper's Tome for B&T, so you do not know how it works. Here are the mechanics, though, so you can use the Oracle class immediately.

When you use your ability to see into the future, you have a 50% to see either a vision of Weal or Woe. The GM will determine exactly what you see, such as a friend springing a trap or a gilded treasure chest. After this happens, you are drained of energy, and have a -2 penalty to all your saves for the next hour.

UPDATE: I uploaded a new version of the file with some slight changes. I tweaked the Thug and Pugilist classes, and also added in the alignment when it is needed. I also added a copyright for B&T.

An Update

Sorry about the lack of chatter on the blog, but that doesn't mean I haven't been working!

In honesty, I've been busy with real life. Work, getting ready to move back to college, doing music and such. It happens, I won't lie.

However, Pulpwood! is pretty close to being in a playtest form. Yay!

I have a combat system whipped up, the Adventurer class talents and such are done, and the Adept is about 3/4 done. Then what's left before I release a playtest?

1. Finish the Adept class
2. Finish writing the general Talents out
3. Figure out character progression (base to hit and saving throws)
4. Write up an equipment table/section
5. Stat out some example enemies

And that's about it. Vehicle combat, the setting and other various flavorful bits won't be in the playtest version, but those can wait a bit. I hope to have the playtest by September. I'll be doing it on and off with my group, and you can run it with your group and give me lots of juicy feedback.

Starting a fantasy-based project

I have decided to throw even more projects on to my plate, but hopefully they will not take long.

If you are not aware, John Stater over at Land of Nod is going to soon release his awesome retroclone, Blood and Treasure. I had the good pleasure of editing this document, so I have some investment in it.

Well, I got to thinking: John's game, much like most D&D simulcrum, uses a world that is roughly based in Western European fantasy: myths from France, Germany, the UK, the Netherlands, and so on.

Very rarely, though, do these games cover more 'exotic' settings. The world is full of fantasy and myths, and it's not just relegated to Europe. Countries like Japan, China, India and Egypt all have rich histories and mythologies unique to their culture.


So I decided to produce the 'Worlds of Blood and Treasure'(name pending) supplements.


Each supplement will be, at most, 30 pages, and it will deal with a more 'foreign' fantasy setting: samurai fantasy, arabian nights, Native American totemic and so on.

My main goal with these is to NOT inject new mechanics into B&T. Things are going to be reflavored and molded to match the setting, but Barbarians will act like Barbarians and Fighters will act like Fighters.

I will end up reflavoring both races and classes, but I will also have a treatise on religion, mythology, monsters, cultures and magic items. Religion, mythology and culture will be relegated to a 'mini-setting' that will most likely take up the bulk of the supplements. The settings will be fictional and will mix culture, like how D&D combines together most western European cultures.

I have five supplements planned, with possibly more in the future. The first one is going to be The Empire of Red Blossoms, which will deal with Asian fantasy, with a strong focus placed on China and Japan, with hints of Mongolia and Southeast Asia as well.

Pulpwood!'s Magic System

We're gonna take a break from setting for a bit, and go back to mechanics

I have just finished the draft for the Powers system in Pulpwood, which is the magic system. It's pretty simplistic and easy to understand, but I'll have to see how it holds up in playtesting.

The rules also assume a max level of 10, which is a pretty huge downgrade from my original idea of max level 20. I changed this for a few reasons:

1. It's much easier to get to level 10 than level 20
2. Level 20 was too absurdly powerful, and was more in the realm of superheroes than pulp heroes

I may raise the cap up to level 12 (or something else around there), but I'll have to think about it. But anyway, back to the Powers section


Powers
Though few may see it, the world is actually full of magic. However, it is a very rare thing to harness. The potential for magic is locked in all things, but it requires a special kind of person to unlock it. 
Magic and its practitioners fall into four categories, and though how their magic works is basically the same, how they impliment it is different.
Arcanists are the traditional magicians, and they have a long history dating back to the height of Greece during its Hellenistic period. Arcanists study ancient texts and magical writing, and derive their powers from that. Some attribute the new abilities to define providence or contact with spirits, but it all lies within the scripts. Many Arcanists carry around chap books that contain the writings they pull their spells from.
Mesmerists harness the psychic powers of their minds. They have almost complete control over their minds, making it both a peaceful meadow and an iron fortress. All people, even some animals, have psychic potential, but the mesmerists were unable to unlock it through sheer force of will.
Gadgeteers actually build their powers in the form of inventions, creations that are years ahead of their time. Advanced guns, jetpacks, communication devices, invisibility cloaks and more all come from these often deranged or unhinged minds.
The final type of magic is extremely dangerous, evil, and off limit to player characters. It is known as sorcery, and dates back to primordial ages of paganism and occult worship. Sorcery is characterized by blood sacrifices, chants to evil spirits, self mutilation, orgies and other evil things. Sorcerers fear no man or god, nor do they have a reason to, as their powers can even dominate any supposed 'god'.

Potential and Power Ranks
Any character who has the Arcanist, Mesmerist or Gadgetter Talent start the game with 5 Potential. Potential is what fuels powers, and it represents different things to each type of caster: for Arcanists it represents the extent of knowledge they have with their texts, for Mesmerists it represents mental fatigue, for Gadgeteers it represents power charges for each invention, and for Sorcerers it represents bodily fatigue.
At levels 2, 3, 6, 7 and 10 characters that have Potential get 5 more Potential. At levels  4 and 8, they gain a new Power Rank.
Powers come in three ranks: Novice, Heroic and Legendary. These represent the varying effects that a Power can have. The more powerful the effect, the higher the Rank. Characters with Potential all start with the ability to use Novice Powers.

Using a Power
Using a Power is very simple. You first dictate what effect you want the Power to have, upon which the GM will work with you to determine a Rank and Potential cost. Once you reach an agreement, you pay the Potential, and then do an Academic Intelligence Action Roll. If the roll is successful, the Power works. If not, the Power fizzles away and you have wasted your Potential.

Regaining Lost Potential
Your Potential functions like your HP, in that it fully restores after a good nights sleep. Furthermore, characters can also use Second Wind to restore lost Potential in the exact same way as help. This would indicate pushing your brain a little farther, or overclocking your gadgets.

Where are the Powers?
Powers are extremely variable, and it is difficult to make a codified list that would cover all situations and ideas. However, below are some guidelines on both effects for each Rank, and suggested Potential costs.

Novice Powers
Potential: 1-3
Novice Powers are, of course, the least powerful. Many of these effects can be replicated with a piece of equipment, such as a pistol, a grenade, a med kit, or a radio. These are the Powers that should see the most use.
Effect Examples:
Blast that does 2d6 damage
Telepathic communication
Healing
Armor class bonus
Blinding/dazing enemies
Temporary skill boost
Detecting magic
Protection from environment
Temporary attack boost
Create a light source
and so on

Heroic Powers
Potential: 4-6
Heroic Powers start to get into the impossible things to do. These are the Powers that grant invisibility, flight, telekinesis and more. Still, a lot of these would just constitute really advanced 21st century technologies. These should see a good amount of use, but will be more situational than Novice Powers.
Effect Examples:
Burst (like a grenade) that does 3d6 damage
Flight
Invisibility
Creating barriers
Major healing
Forcefields
Summoning spirits
And so on

Legendary Powers
Potential: 7-10
Legendary Powers are extremely potent, and often extremely dangerous or miraculous. These are the kinds of things books are written about. These Powers will only be used sometimes, and most of these Powers should have a 'catch' to them to balance out their extreme effects.
Bringing things back to life
Controlling weather
Stopping time
Traveling through time
Travelling through dimensions
Create matter
Destroy matter
Instant kill
And so on