All posts by Rodney

Hi there, I'm Rodney. Writer, Game Designer, Editor, Kitbasher, Skateboarder, and Ork 'Ed Banga. But Nothing Without Christ!

ICON 2014

ICON 2014 is just around the corner! As always, this year promises to be a great one for all.

My module, Where Heroes Stand, a Pathfinder adventure set in mysterious Japan, will début at the con. Where Heroes Stand is the first part of the Kamen, Land of Masks Campaign Series. I’ve put a lot of work into making this a great adventure, my play testers loved it and I know you will too. 

I’m Not Going to PaizoCon Sale!

PaizoCon is just around the corner, but if you’re not going, don’t worry. The “I’m Not Going to PaizoCon Sale” is here.

Two of our products are part of the sale, Lunatic Labyrinth and the Pewter Tankard Tavern.

The sale runs through July 8th, so get some amazing savings now!

Lunatic Labyrinth in play
Lunatic Labyrinth in play, using black and white laminated map tiles, which are included in the PDF. Miniature for scale, not included.

African Tales goes Traditional Japanese

My latest project is a Kamishibai, or “paper drama”, featuring a great story inspired by Nick Greaves’ book, “When Hippo Was Hairy”.

Here are two panels from the story, featuring Cheetah and Tsessebe, as well as a rather panicked warthog:

The Creator wondered, “who is the fastest of my animals?”

Cheetah and Tsessebe were both really fast. They decided to have a race!

I’m really happy with how everything came out, especially with the limited time I have to finish this. There’s a really African feel to these images, and the two characters worked out really well.

All images © Rodney Sloan.

Claustrophobia Combat Update

An intense round of Claustrophobia play testing is underway and bearing fruit. Today we’ve got new combat rules for you. Instead of team based combat, the new rules let individuals shine and make sphere choices much more intuitive.

 

Combat

 

The steps for combat are:

  1. Choose a sphere.
  2. Determine Advantage
  3. Attack and Defence
  4. Determine Hits and Deal Damage

GrettaComeNGetta

Choose a Sphere

The Sphere you use in combat is determined by what you’re trying to do. You should have a good reason for using the sphere, and the DM always has the final say.

Physical: you’re trying to wrestle, punch or otherwise physically harm your opponent. Use this when fists are flying and your goal is to capture, wound, knock-out or kill your enemy.

Mental: you’re trying to confuse, outwit or mentally outmaneuver your opponent. Use this sphere if you’re engaged in a hacking war, trying to beat your opponent at a puzzle or strategy game, or racing a rival scientist to a breakthrough.

Social: you’re trying to negotiate, intimidate or in some way rise socially above your opponent.

 

Determine Advantage

Choose a sphere secretly with your sphere cards. This does not need to be the same sphere as the sphere you are using for your attack. Every PC and NPC then reveals their sphere card.

Physical: you are using muscle to gain the advantage, such as sprinting to a vantage point, throwing sand to distract your enemy or charging them.

Mental: you are using cunning to gain the upper hand, luring them into a trap, surrounding them in a clever cross-fire or using some other ruse.

Social: you are using social manoeuvring, diplomacy or intimidation to gain the upper hand in the coming fight.

Each character rolls and puts aside any successes. Total the value on these successes to determine the order of advantage (highest advantage goes first). If you get no successes, you go in the total die score order after characters with successes. Ties should dice off separately. Any 1’s rolled to determine advantage don’t count as losses.

Example: Two gnomes are fighting a flamingo. Gnome one rolls a 5 and 3 and gnome 2 rolls a 5 and 2. Their total is both 5. In this case gnome 1 goes first. If the flamingo rolled two dice, with a 4 and a 4 (2 successes), it would go first.

 

Attack and Defence

Choose a target for your attack. You may roll as many dice as you have listed in that sphere, or less, but you must roll 1 die. Your opponent must use the same sphere and rolls defence in the same way.

 

Determine Hits and Deal Damage

Roll and compare. You score 1 hit and 1 wound for every success you score over what your enemy scored. Any ties go to the defender. Any ones rolled which are left unmodified are wounds taken by the target of the attack. The winner describes how their attack succeeds.

Distribute the removal of dice randomly between the losers stats, either by rolling dice or by using the sphere cards.

If the defender gets more successes, they score no hits on the attacker.

Combat then moves to the character with the next highest advantage.

 

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Claustrophobia Role Playing Game Ad

Recycled Dungeon

I made a little trip down to the local second hand shop and look what I found.

Recycled Dungeon Good

The elf and dwarf are for scale.

The steampunk stuff is from the movie Steamboy. You can buy the models in blind boosters (some are available on Amazon.com.)

The barrel and raft came from a weapon display rack (the raft was the rack, easily repurposed). The small crates were from a model scooter.

 

Large stone idol

I have no idea where the scary statue guy comes from, but I bought it as is. He’s perfect for the dungeon. And what’s more, the pillars of flame detach, so I can use them on their own.

Amazing what you can find when you look in the right places.