Hacks, Reskins & Descendents
Let's collect them! If you're working on a hack, reskin or descendent of Swords Without Master, or even just thinking about working on one, post about it in the comments below. I'm pretty excited by what I've seen thus far and I'm thinking about how to make space in the community for such endeavors.
Tuesday, September 30, 2014
Something that blew my mind when I did ran Swords without Masters:
Originally shared by T. Franzke
Something that blew my mind when I did ran Swords without Masters:
One of the phases in the game is the perilous phase. In this phase the GM will threaten the player characters with more and more threats that escalate quickly. The GM can not stop doing that. One of the players needs to take the dice and say "this phase is over now". You as a player can just decide that this is enough now and you want to do something else. My players didn't really pick up on that and I just realized it after a while. In some way this game still feels really trad just because you are doing classical sword and sorcery fantasy stuff. It also feels a bit like Dungeon World in that the GM is constantly making moves at you. So getting it into your mind that you as a player have the power and the responsibility to finally end that pressure can be really mindboggling I think.
I was literally sitting there and telling my players that they need to end this if they want me to stop. It took a while.
Something that blew my mind when I did ran Swords without Masters:
One of the phases in the game is the perilous phase. In this phase the GM will threaten the player characters with more and more threats that escalate quickly. The GM can not stop doing that. One of the players needs to take the dice and say "this phase is over now". You as a player can just decide that this is enough now and you want to do something else. My players didn't really pick up on that and I just realized it after a while. In some way this game still feels really trad just because you are doing classical sword and sorcery fantasy stuff. It also feels a bit like Dungeon World in that the GM is constantly making moves at you. So getting it into your mind that you as a player have the power and the responsibility to finally end that pressure can be really mindboggling I think.
I was literally sitting there and telling my players that they need to end this if they want me to stop. It took a while.
Monday, September 29, 2014
Here is the link to the pdf form of my SwM character sheet. Enjoy!
Here is the link to the pdf form of my SwM character sheet. Enjoy!
https://www.dropbox.com/s/o6nfazleq3bqt23/SwM_formulaire_en.pdf?dl=0
Le lien pour le formulaire pdf de ma feuille de personnage pour SwM. Amusez-vous bien!
https://www.dropbox.com/s/hifa6dinnsqf5g6/SwM_formulaire_fr.pdf?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/o6nfazleq3bqt23/SwM_formulaire_en.pdf?dl=0
Le lien pour le formulaire pdf de ma feuille de personnage pour SwM. Amusez-vous bien!
https://www.dropbox.com/s/hifa6dinnsqf5g6/SwM_formulaire_fr.pdf?dl=0
Sunday, September 28, 2014
Sunday PM Swords!
Sunday PM Swords!
In Epidiah Ravachol and Emily Care Boss' afternoon, and my and Flavio Mortarino's evening, another Sunday Rogues game was afoot!
The Rogues:
Jaylaram the Rover (Emily): http://www.pinterest.com/pin/503629170802417330/
Barton, Eye of the Hawk (me): https://plus.google.com/u/0/+RenatoRamonda/posts/azMiJ1xx1TL
Gmor the Canim (Flavio): http://fc04.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2011/168/a/1/alera_codex___nasaug_by_sandara-d3j50pu.jpg
I won't go in great detail, but sorcerous plans were afoot, a band of jolly men of the forest turned out to not be so jolly when beaten and held a grudge, a mighty Eelotter beast of the river was slain, the lost continent of the Canim was summoned, promised to a Frog God, and then sunk back in the ocean.
Some highlights (form our Motifs):
Our heroes, laden with treasure and gold, ambushed by the Jolly Men of the Forest. Jaylaram's bone horse smashed through them pretty hard...
A bridge over a distant rumbling river, leading to the burnt embers of the village where we would have to bring back the Frog statue.
A raft on the river, an army in pursuit, three arrows in the neck of the outriders triggering a chain lightning, discouraging the pursue.
Jaylaram's spear nailing the Eel-Otter monster of the river's delta, then a crazy ride on the wounded monster, dragging the raft to the shore.
Lucky the dog, playing happily on the shore, suddenly almost impaled by a Jolly Man's arrow: " First of all, bro, not the dog."
The lost Canim continent rising from the boiling ocean waters.
The Canim Warlock, challenged to a Dominance Duel by Gmor and losing. His blood, silently spilling on the beach, his canim followers turning their back to him, following a new leader.
The Sorceress holding the whole continent with her magic, straining. Barton, not amused at being used for schemes and games, smashing the Frog Idol.
The ritual interrupted, the Frog God not appeased, the continent sinking back with its ancient canim temples and palaces. The sorceress fleeing in one of them, swallowed by the waters.
In Epidiah Ravachol and Emily Care Boss' afternoon, and my and Flavio Mortarino's evening, another Sunday Rogues game was afoot!
The Rogues:
Jaylaram the Rover (Emily): http://www.pinterest.com/pin/503629170802417330/
Barton, Eye of the Hawk (me): https://plus.google.com/u/0/+RenatoRamonda/posts/azMiJ1xx1TL
Gmor the Canim (Flavio): http://fc04.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2011/168/a/1/alera_codex___nasaug_by_sandara-d3j50pu.jpg
I won't go in great detail, but sorcerous plans were afoot, a band of jolly men of the forest turned out to not be so jolly when beaten and held a grudge, a mighty Eelotter beast of the river was slain, the lost continent of the Canim was summoned, promised to a Frog God, and then sunk back in the ocean.
Some highlights (form our Motifs):
Our heroes, laden with treasure and gold, ambushed by the Jolly Men of the Forest. Jaylaram's bone horse smashed through them pretty hard...
A bridge over a distant rumbling river, leading to the burnt embers of the village where we would have to bring back the Frog statue.
A raft on the river, an army in pursuit, three arrows in the neck of the outriders triggering a chain lightning, discouraging the pursue.
Jaylaram's spear nailing the Eel-Otter monster of the river's delta, then a crazy ride on the wounded monster, dragging the raft to the shore.
Lucky the dog, playing happily on the shore, suddenly almost impaled by a Jolly Man's arrow: " First of all, bro, not the dog."
The lost Canim continent rising from the boiling ocean waters.
The Canim Warlock, challenged to a Dominance Duel by Gmor and losing. His blood, silently spilling on the beach, his canim followers turning their back to him, following a new leader.
The Sorceress holding the whole continent with her magic, straining. Barton, not amused at being used for schemes and games, smashing the Frog Idol.
The ritual interrupted, the Frog God not appeased, the continent sinking back with its ancient canim temples and palaces. The sorceress fleeing in one of them, swallowed by the waters.
Things that happens once upon a Sunday morning. #SundayAMSwords
Things that happens once upon a Sunday morning. #SundayAMSwords
Link to opening simulacrum: https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5002/5335876311_e234d88dc4_z.jpg
The City of Tides, its people oppressed. The Jackals of the Streets, whose sorceries summon ancient vehicles. A bridge between flooded buildings. Sinews of salvaged rope and cable, bones of pipe and girder and street sign. Our rogues on guard. A roar of boats. Jackal skulls strapped to heads and helmets. Boarders with grapples! Lord Malivrax falling and sinking. Kthoh-Arok climbing down the boarding ropes. The Scythian, weapons discarded, “helpless.”
Beneath the canal, Jackal-helmeted divers w/ underwater fire. Lord Malivrax striding toward the dark rituals. The Scythian’s Megatome as melee weapon. Kthoh-Arok netted and plunging. The divers’ ritual complete. The last plate glass window shattered. Lord Malivrax battered and pushed upstairs by the force of water.
Kthoh-Arok shredding Jackals through netting. A huge, winged fell beast of Tarathmane. Its wings robbing Kthoh-Arok of strength. The Scythian captured in ebon talons. Lord Malivrax’s Unbending Blade slicing the dark ritual’s fire-device.
The Jackals with hacksaws. Innocents herded to the middle of the unguarded bridge. The fraying of rope and cable.
The Scythian strapped to the head of a fell winged beast. Divining Tarathmane’s control of the fell beast. Risking soul to steer the beast.
Rooftop of skyscraper. Observation deck turned kangaroo court. Jeering crowds. The Master of the North Tower baring a totem of power made from an old gas nozzle. Lord Malivrax and Kthoh-Arok bound before his judgment. The bridge was a ward against peak sorcery! A dark figure in the crowd, unseen by nearly all. Tarathmane’s right hand. This Curséd One bears death in his hand. Only rogues dare see the prospect of death.
Northern Master stands to pass judgment. The fell beast plucking bound forms—from one grasp to another. Wings spread high against the blue sky. The Curséd One casually, inexorably strolling up the back of the beast. Lord Malivrax’s missing limb becoming an advantage against bindings. Kthoh-Arok breaking free of all that holds him—including talons. Lord Malivrax requesting death from The Curséd One as they fall. The fell beast’s wings folding to plummet afterward.
The Scythian stepping into The Curséd One’s dreams. A crying boy clutching wilted flowers—yearning for his beloved, whose torn soul was infused into Kthoh-Arok. More fell beasts seek the first son of Tarathmane, the only one who can rise against him, Kthoh-Arok. Lord Malivrax allowing the fell beasts to break his fellows’ fall, then slicing fell leg and riding downward.
A jungle island amidst the ruins. Thick branches. Dank, dark leaf canopy shielding from relentless pursuit.
LInk to Virtual tabletop: https://docs.google.com/drawings/d/15ejSS0xd44mg-g6GzPHc7p5W7ogHs84GgzJUX4OINK0/edit?usp=sharing
I was Overplayer. Players were Epidiah Ravachol Aaron Feild Sean Smith . Richard Rogers observed for a time.
https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5002/5335876311_e234d88dc4_z.jpg
Link to opening simulacrum: https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5002/5335876311_e234d88dc4_z.jpg
The City of Tides, its people oppressed. The Jackals of the Streets, whose sorceries summon ancient vehicles. A bridge between flooded buildings. Sinews of salvaged rope and cable, bones of pipe and girder and street sign. Our rogues on guard. A roar of boats. Jackal skulls strapped to heads and helmets. Boarders with grapples! Lord Malivrax falling and sinking. Kthoh-Arok climbing down the boarding ropes. The Scythian, weapons discarded, “helpless.”
Beneath the canal, Jackal-helmeted divers w/ underwater fire. Lord Malivrax striding toward the dark rituals. The Scythian’s Megatome as melee weapon. Kthoh-Arok netted and plunging. The divers’ ritual complete. The last plate glass window shattered. Lord Malivrax battered and pushed upstairs by the force of water.
Kthoh-Arok shredding Jackals through netting. A huge, winged fell beast of Tarathmane. Its wings robbing Kthoh-Arok of strength. The Scythian captured in ebon talons. Lord Malivrax’s Unbending Blade slicing the dark ritual’s fire-device.
The Jackals with hacksaws. Innocents herded to the middle of the unguarded bridge. The fraying of rope and cable.
The Scythian strapped to the head of a fell winged beast. Divining Tarathmane’s control of the fell beast. Risking soul to steer the beast.
Rooftop of skyscraper. Observation deck turned kangaroo court. Jeering crowds. The Master of the North Tower baring a totem of power made from an old gas nozzle. Lord Malivrax and Kthoh-Arok bound before his judgment. The bridge was a ward against peak sorcery! A dark figure in the crowd, unseen by nearly all. Tarathmane’s right hand. This Curséd One bears death in his hand. Only rogues dare see the prospect of death.
Northern Master stands to pass judgment. The fell beast plucking bound forms—from one grasp to another. Wings spread high against the blue sky. The Curséd One casually, inexorably strolling up the back of the beast. Lord Malivrax’s missing limb becoming an advantage against bindings. Kthoh-Arok breaking free of all that holds him—including talons. Lord Malivrax requesting death from The Curséd One as they fall. The fell beast’s wings folding to plummet afterward.
The Scythian stepping into The Curséd One’s dreams. A crying boy clutching wilted flowers—yearning for his beloved, whose torn soul was infused into Kthoh-Arok. More fell beasts seek the first son of Tarathmane, the only one who can rise against him, Kthoh-Arok. Lord Malivrax allowing the fell beasts to break his fellows’ fall, then slicing fell leg and riding downward.
A jungle island amidst the ruins. Thick branches. Dank, dark leaf canopy shielding from relentless pursuit.
LInk to Virtual tabletop: https://docs.google.com/drawings/d/15ejSS0xd44mg-g6GzPHc7p5W7ogHs84GgzJUX4OINK0/edit?usp=sharing
I was Overplayer. Players were Epidiah Ravachol Aaron Feild Sean Smith . Richard Rogers observed for a time.
https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5002/5335876311_e234d88dc4_z.jpg
Sunday Morning Swords
Sunday Morning Swords
#LeftCoastEdition 9am Pacific time, weekly!
Good morning!
Comment below to play, and mention if you have played before. Also mention if you're comfortable being Overplayer. Non-left-coasters and new players welcome.
I'll start a Hangout about 9:15 Pacific and invite everyone who commented. From there we can work out different groups if needed. Feel free to enjoy some breakfast while we play.
Also, use the hashtag #SundayAMSwords should you desire to chat about your game on the social medias. Visit http://www.worldswithoutmaster.com/blog/2014/7/14/sunday-morning-swords for more info and tips.
Swords Without Master
Originally shared by Sean Smith
Swords Without Master
Name: Kthoh-Arok
http://fc07.deviantart.net/fs44/i/2009/152/1/9/Baboon_Warrior_Wip_by_SkaraManger.png
Cursed by the vile and powerful sorcerer Tarathmane, this once animal, now savage half-man-half-monster, seeks revenge for his cruel transformation and torture.
Glum – The brooding evolved mind of a mutated half-man brings confusion and anger in a world that does not understand.
Jovial – The sound of the jungle, the thrill of the hunt, the primal, raw energy of the beast.
Tarathmane – A dark and twisted transmuter, powerful in the magical arts, able to bend the form of all things, and destined to alter the world to become his new realm.
Bone Armor of Arathon – Ancient bones of a fell demon, twisted and retooled, an aegis against the magical forces of the cosmos.
Omen – The great winged beasts seeking to relocate the favorite plaything of their dark master, always on the hunt, never resting, never stopping, ever howling their sinister cry in the night.
http://fc07.deviantart.net/fs44/i/2009/152/1/9/Baboon_Warrior_Wip_by_SkaraManger.png
Swords Without Master
Name: Kthoh-Arok
http://fc07.deviantart.net/fs44/i/2009/152/1/9/Baboon_Warrior_Wip_by_SkaraManger.png
Cursed by the vile and powerful sorcerer Tarathmane, this once animal, now savage half-man-half-monster, seeks revenge for his cruel transformation and torture.
Glum – The brooding evolved mind of a mutated half-man brings confusion and anger in a world that does not understand.
Jovial – The sound of the jungle, the thrill of the hunt, the primal, raw energy of the beast.
Tarathmane – A dark and twisted transmuter, powerful in the magical arts, able to bend the form of all things, and destined to alter the world to become his new realm.
Bone Armor of Arathon – Ancient bones of a fell demon, twisted and retooled, an aegis against the magical forces of the cosmos.
Omen – The great winged beasts seeking to relocate the favorite plaything of their dark master, always on the hunt, never resting, never stopping, ever howling their sinister cry in the night.
http://fc07.deviantart.net/fs44/i/2009/152/1/9/Baboon_Warrior_Wip_by_SkaraManger.png
Sunday Morning Swords: 28 September 2014
Sunday Morning Swords: 28 September 2014
#PostWilWheatnMentioningDreadHangoverEdition
Good morning!
Here's our organizational thread. Comment below if you're interested in playing this morning and mention if you're comfortable being an Overplayer and whether or not you have play Swords before.
When we get an Overplayer and three or four Rogue Players, those players will run off and start their hangout. For now, let's focus on getting everyone into a group. We'll probably wait until 9:15 or 9:30 EDT to start the last group. I will be a swing player, jumping in where needed to fill out the final groups so we can make sure we have 3-4 Rogue Players in each group.
Feel free to enjoy some breakfast or brunch while playing. I know I'll be having some coffee and hashbrowns, myself.
Also, feel free to use the hashtag #SundayAMSwords should you desire to chat about your game on the social medias.
P.S. Got some tips on how to do this and links to useful files here: http://www.worldswithoutmaster.com/blog/2014/7/14/sunday-morning-swords
http://www.worldswithoutmaster.com/blog/2014/7/14/sunday-morning-swords
#PostWilWheatnMentioningDreadHangoverEdition
Good morning!
Here's our organizational thread. Comment below if you're interested in playing this morning and mention if you're comfortable being an Overplayer and whether or not you have play Swords before.
When we get an Overplayer and three or four Rogue Players, those players will run off and start their hangout. For now, let's focus on getting everyone into a group. We'll probably wait until 9:15 or 9:30 EDT to start the last group. I will be a swing player, jumping in where needed to fill out the final groups so we can make sure we have 3-4 Rogue Players in each group.
Feel free to enjoy some breakfast or brunch while playing. I know I'll be having some coffee and hashbrowns, myself.
Also, feel free to use the hashtag #SundayAMSwords should you desire to chat about your game on the social medias.
P.S. Got some tips on how to do this and links to useful files here: http://www.worldswithoutmaster.com/blog/2014/7/14/sunday-morning-swords
http://www.worldswithoutmaster.com/blog/2014/7/14/sunday-morning-swords
Saturday, September 27, 2014
I'm somehow unable to add a picture to the previously posted album, so here is Magi max's rogue sheet.
I'm somehow unable to add a picture to the previously posted album, so here is Magi max's rogue sheet.
Can't wait to see this trio at the battle for the City of Jasper!
Thursday, September 25, 2014
Bastien Wauthoz and Rahyll Zephyr have been making rogues for a game on Sunday night.
Bastien Wauthoz and Rahyll Zephyr have been making rogues for a game on Sunday night. I sense something of a graphic design competition going on... :)
I ran a cyberpunk hack of Swords Without Master earlier and it went mostly quite well though there were bits of...
I ran a cyberpunk hack of Swords Without Master earlier and it went mostly quite well though there were bits of unevenness that increased towards the end of the game. Jackson Tegu, David Redcorn, Robert Bruce and Orion Canning were the Punks in our game.
The tones were
Street - Loud, Lively, Organic, Urban, Squalid, Gritty, Criminal, Analog, Violent, Passionate, Melancholic, Familiar
Corporate - Cool, Distant, Digital, Antiseptic, Lifeless, Cynical, Efficient, Cybernetic, Ominous, Minimalist
And the game was a Tale of Betrayal and Intrigue, played with the Ritual of Interlocution.
So, the biggest issue to be addressed was technobabble getting away from us and muddying the fiction. We had slightly different ideas about what cyberpunk should be that made the last leg of the game drag a little bit. The proposed solutions were to pre-define the tech so that we all had a common baseline we couldn't deviate too far from (I'm not too much a fan of this option), to invoke the ritual of the Weird exclusively for tech descriptions, or to make the game a "Tale of Near-Future Tech" in which a description of some cyberpunk technology or its impact on the world should be an element on each motif. This last option is what I will try next time I play Cyberswords without Cybermaster
Overall, though, I felt the game was successful and I am very pleased with how well the new tones worked for establishing the right mood.
The tones were
Street - Loud, Lively, Organic, Urban, Squalid, Gritty, Criminal, Analog, Violent, Passionate, Melancholic, Familiar
Corporate - Cool, Distant, Digital, Antiseptic, Lifeless, Cynical, Efficient, Cybernetic, Ominous, Minimalist
And the game was a Tale of Betrayal and Intrigue, played with the Ritual of Interlocution.
So, the biggest issue to be addressed was technobabble getting away from us and muddying the fiction. We had slightly different ideas about what cyberpunk should be that made the last leg of the game drag a little bit. The proposed solutions were to pre-define the tech so that we all had a common baseline we couldn't deviate too far from (I'm not too much a fan of this option), to invoke the ritual of the Weird exclusively for tech descriptions, or to make the game a "Tale of Near-Future Tech" in which a description of some cyberpunk technology or its impact on the world should be an element on each motif. This last option is what I will try next time I play Cyberswords without Cybermaster
Overall, though, I felt the game was successful and I am very pleased with how well the new tones worked for establishing the right mood.
Wednesday, September 24, 2014
Here's the final pictures!
Here's the final pictures!
Originally shared by Andy Hauge
I made a thing! #SwordsWithoutMaster
Originally shared by Andy Hauge
I made a thing! #SwordsWithoutMaster
Monday, September 22, 2014
Hey! Who wants some spiffy-looking Threads?
Hey! Who wants some spiffy-looking Threads?
https://www.dropbox.com/s/8q3ex1g8xas124j/Morals%20and%20Mysteries.pdf?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/5onogsozmirg09n/Motifs.pdf?dl=0
Fonts are Seven Swordsmen (From BlamBot http://www.blambot.com/license.shtml) and Nyala.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/8q3ex1g8xas124j/Morals%20and%20Mysteries.pdf?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/5onogsozmirg09n/Motifs.pdf?dl=0
Fonts are Seven Swordsmen (From BlamBot http://www.blambot.com/license.shtml) and Nyala.
Sunday, September 21, 2014
Damo, He Who is One With the Winds
Damo, He Who is One With the Winds
#SeptemberChallenge
All that deserves a name:
The Six Winds: the nomadic spirits that govern the harsh lands from which Damo hails and with which he communes.
Ungula: the claws embedded under Damo's fingertips .
The Silence: its form is unknown, but its coming is feared.
Feats (Anti)Heroic:
Jovial: Arab on Radar - #5
His claws tearing forth from his fingertips, Damo spins across the field of battle with the swiftness and dexterity of the west wind, opening holes in his enemies through which the wind itself may blow.
Glum: Arab on Radar - #3
Whispering sweetly to the wind spirits, Damo draws forth the air from his enemies lungs.
Trick:
Destiny: The winds whisper to Damo and their whispers foretell that which is to come. On each Motif, fill in one element before the first Overtone is rolled.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJ3n3k48ESQ
#SeptemberChallenge
All that deserves a name:
The Six Winds: the nomadic spirits that govern the harsh lands from which Damo hails and with which he communes.
Ungula: the claws embedded under Damo's fingertips .
The Silence: its form is unknown, but its coming is feared.
Feats (Anti)Heroic:
Jovial: Arab on Radar - #5
His claws tearing forth from his fingertips, Damo spins across the field of battle with the swiftness and dexterity of the west wind, opening holes in his enemies through which the wind itself may blow.
Glum: Arab on Radar - #3
Whispering sweetly to the wind spirits, Damo draws forth the air from his enemies lungs.
Trick:
Destiny: The winds whisper to Damo and their whispers foretell that which is to come. On each Motif, fill in one element before the first Overtone is rolled.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJ3n3k48ESQ
Darn. There's another great eidolon for the #SeptemberChallenge
Darn. There's another great eidolon for the #SeptemberChallenge
I need to start actually making these Rogues.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NtIfXRLuEKM
I need to start actually making these Rogues.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NtIfXRLuEKM
#SundayAMSwords
#SundayAMSwords
Link to opening simulacrum: https://plus.google.com/photos/117516100985204134844/albums/6058910984237885665?authkey=CLTnvPiKiaOqWg
A thick, thick forest. Canopy blocking out the sun for days. Insect exuviae nearly the size of a man. The intense whining behind—besides—all around. Hundreds of scintillating wings. The attack! Dario lights a torch. Smaller insects dive in and burst into flame. The suit of armor tackling Dario and smacking him to put out the flames. The leaf litter alights! Scythian flees, but her moon is swarmed and left behind. Grost is covered, pointed legs biting through flesh. Dario duels giant flying bugs with a cape like a Matador. Dario and Lord Malivrax pulled aloft. Grost infusing them with green energy, changing their eyes to green. The smoke and fire spreading. The Scythian finding a small stream for cover. Diving in, all fall into the deepest of slumbers.
Awaking on a rocky river bank. There is a waterfall behind them. Windows carved into the cliff beneath the falls. The bugs were commanded to wipe the trees and all life from this swath of land. Water coming out of Lord Malivrax joints while coughing. Also coughing up the ring which commands an armory of ancient destructive power. Scythian finds the room behind the waterfall. Hundreds of scintillating jars full of bugs.
Dario plays the four notes of opening jars. Grost glimpses the ominous figure in yellow, the Saffron Queen.
Half-insect/half-human with swords. Shattering jars. Sticky pink fluid getting into Lord Malivrax joints. Dario using music to twist the air and become invisible to strange senses. The small swarms of razor sharp wings. Grost turning a razor swarm against the insect/men. Saffron Queen: “Not this time.” The Scythian’s captured moon streaking out of the darkness to strike Grost. Lord Malivrax not looking before he dives, sharing the blow and shattering his armored left arm. Scythian and Grost, back to back, striding through the swarm with lit moon and magic in hand. Getting swarmed and taking the Saffron Queen with them.
Four rogues in four jars, slowly filling in pink ooze. The Saffron Queen at a panel of buttons and levers. Grost: “Release me and I will swear fealty of crag-lord.” Saffron Queen: “Decant him!” Dario’s dog barking from outside. The bark of the trees growing through the rocks, cracking the stone. The river rushing in and boiling on contact with the pick ooze. Washed out into the river and pulling each other upon the banks.
Link to today’s virtual tabletop: https://docs.google.com/drawings/d/1UzqLY_vsT2WGTmP6PPj0l6vh3VW_8mkFyPAs2jLUTpo/edit?usp=sharing
And our awesome cast: Epidiah Ravachol Miguel Zapico Andy Hauge Aaron Feild
https://plus.google.com/photos/117516100985204134844/albums/6058910984237885665?authkey=CLTnvPiKiaOqWg
Link to opening simulacrum: https://plus.google.com/photos/117516100985204134844/albums/6058910984237885665?authkey=CLTnvPiKiaOqWg
A thick, thick forest. Canopy blocking out the sun for days. Insect exuviae nearly the size of a man. The intense whining behind—besides—all around. Hundreds of scintillating wings. The attack! Dario lights a torch. Smaller insects dive in and burst into flame. The suit of armor tackling Dario and smacking him to put out the flames. The leaf litter alights! Scythian flees, but her moon is swarmed and left behind. Grost is covered, pointed legs biting through flesh. Dario duels giant flying bugs with a cape like a Matador. Dario and Lord Malivrax pulled aloft. Grost infusing them with green energy, changing their eyes to green. The smoke and fire spreading. The Scythian finding a small stream for cover. Diving in, all fall into the deepest of slumbers.
Awaking on a rocky river bank. There is a waterfall behind them. Windows carved into the cliff beneath the falls. The bugs were commanded to wipe the trees and all life from this swath of land. Water coming out of Lord Malivrax joints while coughing. Also coughing up the ring which commands an armory of ancient destructive power. Scythian finds the room behind the waterfall. Hundreds of scintillating jars full of bugs.
Dario plays the four notes of opening jars. Grost glimpses the ominous figure in yellow, the Saffron Queen.
Half-insect/half-human with swords. Shattering jars. Sticky pink fluid getting into Lord Malivrax joints. Dario using music to twist the air and become invisible to strange senses. The small swarms of razor sharp wings. Grost turning a razor swarm against the insect/men. Saffron Queen: “Not this time.” The Scythian’s captured moon streaking out of the darkness to strike Grost. Lord Malivrax not looking before he dives, sharing the blow and shattering his armored left arm. Scythian and Grost, back to back, striding through the swarm with lit moon and magic in hand. Getting swarmed and taking the Saffron Queen with them.
Four rogues in four jars, slowly filling in pink ooze. The Saffron Queen at a panel of buttons and levers. Grost: “Release me and I will swear fealty of crag-lord.” Saffron Queen: “Decant him!” Dario’s dog barking from outside. The bark of the trees growing through the rocks, cracking the stone. The river rushing in and boiling on contact with the pick ooze. Washed out into the river and pulling each other upon the banks.
Link to today’s virtual tabletop: https://docs.google.com/drawings/d/1UzqLY_vsT2WGTmP6PPj0l6vh3VW_8mkFyPAs2jLUTpo/edit?usp=sharing
And our awesome cast: Epidiah Ravachol Miguel Zapico Andy Hauge Aaron Feild
https://plus.google.com/photos/117516100985204134844/albums/6058910984237885665?authkey=CLTnvPiKiaOqWg
Sunday Morning Swords
Sunday Morning Swords
#LeftCoastEdition
9am Pacific time, weekly!
Good morning!
Comment below to play, and mention if you have played before. Also mention if you're comfortable being Overplayer. Non-left-coasters and new players welcome.
I'll start a Hangout about 9:15 and invite everyone who commented. From there we can work out different groups if needed. Feel free to enjoy some breakfast while we play.
Also, use the hashtag #SundayAMSwords should you desire to chat about your game on the social medias. Visit http://www.worldswithoutmaster.com/blog/2014/7/14/sunday-morning-swords for more info and tips.
Sunday Morning Swords: 21 September 2014
Sunday Morning Swords: 21 September 2014
#GroggyEppyEdition
Good morning!
Here's our organizational thread. Comment below if you're interested in playing this morning and mention if you're comfortable being an Overplayer and whether or not you have play Swords before.
When we get an Overplayer and three or four Rogue Players, those players will run off and start their hangout. For now, let's focus on getting everyone into a group. We'll probably wait until 9:15 or 9:30 EDT to start the last group. I will be a swing player, jumping in where needed to fill out the final groups so we can make sure we have 3-4 Rogue Players in each group.
Feel free to enjoy some breakfast or brunch while playing. I know I'll be having some coffee, myself.
Also, feel free to use the hashtag #SundayAMSwords should you desire to chat about your game on the social medias.
P.S. Got some tips on how to do this and links to useful files here: http://www.worldswithoutmaster.com/blog/2014/7/14/sunday-morning-swords
Saturday, September 20, 2014
I don't have a Pintrest, but can somebody pin this one?
I don't have a Pintrest, but can somebody pin this one?
Because it's an awesome take on an awesome show.
http://artmagix.deviantart.com/art/Of-Science-and-Magic-270307714
Because it's an awesome take on an awesome show.
http://artmagix.deviantart.com/art/Of-Science-and-Magic-270307714
Thursday, September 18, 2014
So!
So! This weekend, I'm planning on putting together a boxed set for Swords Without Master, so that I have a one-stop "pick up and take to wherever" instant Swords game! (This site: http://www.templatemaker.nl/ will be incredibly valuable.) Ultimate objective: something portable that lets me pop it open and start running Swords under any circumstance!
Here's what I'm planning so far:
• The main box will be a "Match Box" from that page, only much larger than most matchboxes, depending on the size of a couple components below...
• There'll be a card box with small-size eidolons/simulacra. These will mostly be Magic cards (because I have a few random packs of those), small-size pictures printed out, and some evocative scraps from literature. (Suggestions are more than welcome!)
• There'll also be some postcard-sized eidolons/simulacra, mostly for the Overplayer to use to begin play.
• Two totally awesome dice. I want to find some sweet Q-Workshop style dice in a local shop, but if I must, I'll order online. It's just pretty steep ($7 for shipping!). I've already isolated a few Q-Workshop sets that would work awesomely: Dragons (ESPECIALLY SO LOOK AT THESE http://q-workshop.com/Dragons ), Runic, and Classic. I may, in fact, just shell out the shipping money to get the Dragons dice, because they're basically perfect.
• Glum and Jovial cards printed out
• A trifold of the Phase/Threads/Tones handout, although I'm thinking maybe I should just print it out on the back of the box or the back of the drawer or something. Save space!
• Rogue sheets
• A bunch of Ritual of the Neophyte cards
• Motif slips (each has room for three motifs)
• Mystery/Moral slips (each has room for a single Mystery/Moral)
So yeah! Maybe I'll even put some sample Feats Heroic on the back of the box or something. Lots of whitespace I can use!
I love having a print shop nearby. I can probably get this all done for under $15, unless I order the dice direct from Q-Workshop (and have to deal with shipping). Mainly, I'll be figuring out how big my boxes need to be, and seeing how small I can make this. The only components I'll be relying on the players to have will be pencils. Everyone's got pencils, right?
If you've got ideas for Eidolons/Simulacra I can use, they're welcome! Also, brainstorming how I'll decorate the main box. I'm thinking really minimalist, just using the monochrome black sword-and-skull. Possibly finding a good font for the title.
Here's what I'm planning so far:
• The main box will be a "Match Box" from that page, only much larger than most matchboxes, depending on the size of a couple components below...
• There'll be a card box with small-size eidolons/simulacra. These will mostly be Magic cards (because I have a few random packs of those), small-size pictures printed out, and some evocative scraps from literature. (Suggestions are more than welcome!)
• There'll also be some postcard-sized eidolons/simulacra, mostly for the Overplayer to use to begin play.
• Two totally awesome dice. I want to find some sweet Q-Workshop style dice in a local shop, but if I must, I'll order online. It's just pretty steep ($7 for shipping!). I've already isolated a few Q-Workshop sets that would work awesomely: Dragons (ESPECIALLY SO LOOK AT THESE http://q-workshop.com/Dragons ), Runic, and Classic. I may, in fact, just shell out the shipping money to get the Dragons dice, because they're basically perfect.
• Glum and Jovial cards printed out
• A trifold of the Phase/Threads/Tones handout, although I'm thinking maybe I should just print it out on the back of the box or the back of the drawer or something. Save space!
• Rogue sheets
• A bunch of Ritual of the Neophyte cards
• Motif slips (each has room for three motifs)
• Mystery/Moral slips (each has room for a single Mystery/Moral)
So yeah! Maybe I'll even put some sample Feats Heroic on the back of the box or something. Lots of whitespace I can use!
I love having a print shop nearby. I can probably get this all done for under $15, unless I order the dice direct from Q-Workshop (and have to deal with shipping). Mainly, I'll be figuring out how big my boxes need to be, and seeing how small I can make this. The only components I'll be relying on the players to have will be pencils. Everyone's got pencils, right?
If you've got ideas for Eidolons/Simulacra I can use, they're welcome! Also, brainstorming how I'll decorate the main box. I'm thinking really minimalist, just using the monochrome black sword-and-skull. Possibly finding a good font for the title.
Monday, September 15, 2014
Nerding about swords moment: learn about blades "bendyness" and you'll probably be able to add some richer details...
Nerding about swords moment: learn about blades "bendyness" and you'll probably be able to add some richer details the next time you describe a sword!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GuZwgqI06Qk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GuZwgqI06Qk
Sunday, September 14, 2014
Gammon, He Who Whispers To Relics
Gammon, He Who Whispers To Relics
All that deserves a name
Reliquary: The battered box that holds the sacred instruments I use to coax the spirits of the past from their slumber.
Senet: A state of blessedness the world will reach when we adopt the wisdom of the Ancients and surpass them in might.
Tavli: The priestess who saw my six-fingered hands and tiny, twitchy frame as signs of the favor of the Ancients. She saved my life and set me on the path of Senet.
The Feats Heroic
Glum: Despite the cacophony of battle, Gammon stills his mind to hear the words of his teacher, “The Yellow-striped green worm honors the earth …”
Jovial: “It was but a plaything in times long past, but even the merest toy of the Ancient Ones is a cornucopia of wonders. Tremble before the power of the Psi-mon!”
Trick
Ill Fate: Those who seek the secrets of the dead learn that they were buried for good reason.
Sunday Morning Swords
Sunday Morning Swords
#LateRiserEdition starting 9 Pacific!
Good morning!
Here's our organizational thread. Comment here if you'd like to play this morning. Also mention whether you might want to be an Overplayer, and whether you've played Swords before.
When we get an Overplayer and three or four Rogue Players, those players will run off and start their hangout. For now, let's focus on getting everyone into a group. We'll probably wait until 9:15 or 9:30 PDT to start the last group.
Feel free to enjoy some breakfast or brunch while playing.
Also, feel free to use the hashtag #SundayAMSwords should you desire to chat about your game on the social medias.
P.S. Got some tips on how to do this and links to useful files here: http://www.worldswithoutmaster.com/blog/2014/7/14/sunday-morning-swords
Sunday Morning Swords: 14 September 2014
Sunday Morning Swords: 14 September 2014
#ReturnOfTheWizardEdition
Good morning!
Here's our organizational thread. Comment below if you're interested in playing this morning and mention if you're comfortable being an Overplayer and whether or not you have play Swords before.
When we get an Overplayer and three or four Rogue Players, those players will run off and start their hangout. For now, let's focus on getting everyone into a group. We'll probably wait until 9:15 or 9:30 EDT to start the last group. I will be a swing player, jumping in where needed to fill out the final groups so we can make sure we have 3-4 Rogue Players in each group.
Feel free to enjoy some breakfast or brunch while playing. I know I'll be having some coffee and hashbrowns, myself.
Also, feel free to use the hashtag #SundayAMSwords should you desire to chat about your game on the social medias.
P.S. Got some tips on how to do this and links to useful files here: http://www.worldswithoutmaster.com/blog/2014/7/14/sunday-morning-swords
Saturday, September 13, 2014
#gnoccocon2014
#gnoccocon2014
The Blood and the Gold
A story of Dreams and Undeniable Fates.
Featuring Captain Ryan Bluetooth, pirate; Alessandro Capanna the Italian WWI air knight and Tarask of the Dunes the old gladiator.
Flavio Mortarino Paolo Cecchetto Nicola Urbinati
Tuesday, September 9, 2014
I don't know if I'll get a chance to Rogue this song up for the #septemberchallenge , but anyone who wants to...
I don't know if I'll get a chance to Rogue this song up for the #septemberchallenge , but anyone who wants to should totally give it a go. This song demands to be an eidolon.
Awake, my masters!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUhVCoTsBaM
Awake, my masters!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUhVCoTsBaM
So! I know I blathered on a little about a Mythender hack. Here's some preliminary work on that.
So! I know I blathered on a little about a Mythender hack. Here's some preliminary work on that.
Myths Without End (wink, wink)
In Myths Without End, the Rogues are all in pursuit of a unified goal: to steal enough Mythic power from the land of Norden to become Mythenders and slay the gods. As they drift closer and closer to becoming Mythenders, they slowly resemble the rest of humankind less and less.
(Note: Myths Without End is a sort of prelude to Mythender. Rogues are not quite as mythic as Mythenders are. The foes you fight are, accordingly, a bit scaled down--something like the Einherjar from the Mythender tutorial is an example of a bigger Peril you'd face in MWE.)
The Moods
Mortal: Humble, frail, heartfelt, quiet
Legendary: Brash, loud, totally badass, remembered in song
All That Deserves a Name
Your list of Named must include one of the following:
• The Myth whom you desire to end
• The Blight which follows your footsteps
• The Dream of your future Mythhood which haunts you
The Mythic Mood
When the game begins, set a large d6 on your Rogue's sheet; this is the Mythic die. (As a particular note for Mythender players: each Rogue gets their own Mythic die.) As you rip more Mythic Power from the land, the Mythic die will increase. When it reaches 6, you become a Mythender, and the Rogues' life is no longer for you. Your Mythic Heart drives you onwards to bigger, grander, more awful things. Like brutally murderating Myths.
Mythic: Vicious, METAL, beyond superhuman, earth-shaking
There's only one way to achieve the Mythic mood: if the Mythic die is your highest die (between Mortal, Legendary, and Mythic). Since you never roll the Mythic die, there's only one way for this to happen: your Mythic die has to increase.
How does that happen? The Mythic die increases during any roll where the Legendary die was equal to or less than it. So if your roll was 4 Mortal, 2 Legendary, and the Mythic die was at 1, it wouldn't advance. If you rolled 5 Mortal and 1 Legendary instead, that would increase the Mythic die to 2.
If this makes the Mythic die greater than the Legendary die, your tone escalates into Mythic! Your power possesses you and you do something beyond compare!
Reversing Mythic Corruption
If you don't feel like going full Mythender (a questionable stance, but understandable), you can lower the Mythic die by taking advantage of your Rogue's moments of human weakness. When you are stymied or suffer a Moral, you may lower the Mythic die by 1. This isn't mandatory.
Becoming a Mythender
I literally have no idea what this entails, exactly. It has to account for a Rogue potentially going Mythender in the middle of the game. Perhaps there's some role they can yet play in the game as they depart? Or maybe it's their last venture before leaving to fight a Myth.
Myths Without End (wink, wink)
In Myths Without End, the Rogues are all in pursuit of a unified goal: to steal enough Mythic power from the land of Norden to become Mythenders and slay the gods. As they drift closer and closer to becoming Mythenders, they slowly resemble the rest of humankind less and less.
(Note: Myths Without End is a sort of prelude to Mythender. Rogues are not quite as mythic as Mythenders are. The foes you fight are, accordingly, a bit scaled down--something like the Einherjar from the Mythender tutorial is an example of a bigger Peril you'd face in MWE.)
The Moods
Mortal: Humble, frail, heartfelt, quiet
Legendary: Brash, loud, totally badass, remembered in song
All That Deserves a Name
Your list of Named must include one of the following:
• The Myth whom you desire to end
• The Blight which follows your footsteps
• The Dream of your future Mythhood which haunts you
The Mythic Mood
When the game begins, set a large d6 on your Rogue's sheet; this is the Mythic die. (As a particular note for Mythender players: each Rogue gets their own Mythic die.) As you rip more Mythic Power from the land, the Mythic die will increase. When it reaches 6, you become a Mythender, and the Rogues' life is no longer for you. Your Mythic Heart drives you onwards to bigger, grander, more awful things. Like brutally murderating Myths.
Mythic: Vicious, METAL, beyond superhuman, earth-shaking
There's only one way to achieve the Mythic mood: if the Mythic die is your highest die (between Mortal, Legendary, and Mythic). Since you never roll the Mythic die, there's only one way for this to happen: your Mythic die has to increase.
How does that happen? The Mythic die increases during any roll where the Legendary die was equal to or less than it. So if your roll was 4 Mortal, 2 Legendary, and the Mythic die was at 1, it wouldn't advance. If you rolled 5 Mortal and 1 Legendary instead, that would increase the Mythic die to 2.
If this makes the Mythic die greater than the Legendary die, your tone escalates into Mythic! Your power possesses you and you do something beyond compare!
Reversing Mythic Corruption
If you don't feel like going full Mythender (a questionable stance, but understandable), you can lower the Mythic die by taking advantage of your Rogue's moments of human weakness. When you are stymied or suffer a Moral, you may lower the Mythic die by 1. This isn't mandatory.
Becoming a Mythender
I literally have no idea what this entails, exactly. It has to account for a Rogue potentially going Mythender in the middle of the game. Perhaps there's some role they can yet play in the game as they depart? Or maybe it's their last venture before leaving to fight a Myth.
Monday, September 8, 2014
Relevant to the semptember rougue challenge.
Relevant to the semptember rougue challenge... I know nothing of this band, but all their titles sound like SwM adventures.
Originally shared by Rafael “Francisco” Chandler
Top ten Bal-Sagoth song titles:
As the Vortex Illumines the Crystalline Walls of Kor-Avul-Thaa
Behold, the Armies of War Descend Screaming from the Heavens!
Journey to the Isle of Mists (Over the Moonless Depths of Night-dark Seas)
The Splendour of a Thousand Swords Gleaming Beneath the Blazon of the Hyperborean Empire
To Dethrone the Witch-queen of Mytos K'unn (The Legend of the Battle of Blackhelm Vale)
Into the Silent Chambers of the Sapphirean Throne (Sagas from the Antediluvian Scrolls)
The Splendour of a Thousand Swords Gleaming Beneath the Blazon of the Hyperborean Empire (Part: III)
In the Raven-haunted Forests of Darkenhold, Where Shadows Reign and the Hues of Sunlight Never Dance
And Lo, When the Imperium Marches Against Gul-Kothoth, Then Dark Sorceries Shall Enshroud the Citadel of the Obsidian Crown
The Dark Liege of Chaos Is Unleashed at the Ensorcelled Shrine of A'Zura Kai (The Splendour of a Thousand Swords Gleaming Beneath the Blazon of the Hyperborean Empire: Part II)
Sunday, September 7, 2014
The things that occurred on a Sunday Morning, with Michael Miller, Andy Hauge, Aaron Feild, Miguel Zapico, and...
The things that occurred on a Sunday Morning, with Michael Miller, Andy Hauge, Aaron Feild, Miguel Zapico, and Charlie Vick.
Taryb, Grost, The Scythian, Arah and Dario found themselves on a treasure laden ship borne upon a storm tossed sea. Huge, menacing forms glared out from beneath the waves with their doom-lit eyes. Propelled by these creatures, a huge column of water shot the collapsing vessel aloft. Taryb enclosed the rogues in a bubble of color drawn down from a slim rainbow as the boat finally fell apart.
The five shipwrecked rogues stumbled toward the city of Eevesdown where Quince, captain of the Thieves’ Guild, awaited his cut of the treasure that now rested on the ocean floor. Quince has never been known for his compassion towards those in his debt. Fortunately, The Scythian discovered that the rogues had something else of worth – their stories. The Eldritch Elder who dwelled in the top of the tallest tower would compensate those who came to him for the power of their tales.
Taryb,for the sheer joy of it, decided to trade in a lie: the story of how the rogues defeated the glowing eyed forms beneath the waves. The Eldritch Elder said that all spoken in his chamber was truth, so this story must become truth as well. The shadowy forms emerged from the corners of his tower room as seawater poured in from none knew where. Thinking quickly, Dario the bard began recounting a new story of how the rogues defeated the mounting threat and as he narrated it, it came to pass.
All the rogues traded in stories to the weird merchant – all except Grost who discovered he could not part with his memories of Lennay. He also discovered the reason for this and for why he was spared the destruction that befell the rest of his homeland: he was to re-form it. Arah the mindbender looked into the mind of the Eldritch Elder and discovered that the tower dweller was one with the God of Sea & Slumber, who wished to see our rogues abdicate their vibrant ways and achieve eternal calmness beneath the waves. And though she descended below the sea’s surface, Taryb did not find calmness. In fact, she found nothing. Taryb managed to spend every coin she earned by tale telling to launch an expedition to recoup the coins lost to the sea bottom, yet failed to find a single one. Oh, the life of a rogue is such.
Taryb, Grost, The Scythian, Arah and Dario found themselves on a treasure laden ship borne upon a storm tossed sea. Huge, menacing forms glared out from beneath the waves with their doom-lit eyes. Propelled by these creatures, a huge column of water shot the collapsing vessel aloft. Taryb enclosed the rogues in a bubble of color drawn down from a slim rainbow as the boat finally fell apart.
The five shipwrecked rogues stumbled toward the city of Eevesdown where Quince, captain of the Thieves’ Guild, awaited his cut of the treasure that now rested on the ocean floor. Quince has never been known for his compassion towards those in his debt. Fortunately, The Scythian discovered that the rogues had something else of worth – their stories. The Eldritch Elder who dwelled in the top of the tallest tower would compensate those who came to him for the power of their tales.
Taryb,for the sheer joy of it, decided to trade in a lie: the story of how the rogues defeated the glowing eyed forms beneath the waves. The Eldritch Elder said that all spoken in his chamber was truth, so this story must become truth as well. The shadowy forms emerged from the corners of his tower room as seawater poured in from none knew where. Thinking quickly, Dario the bard began recounting a new story of how the rogues defeated the mounting threat and as he narrated it, it came to pass.
All the rogues traded in stories to the weird merchant – all except Grost who discovered he could not part with his memories of Lennay. He also discovered the reason for this and for why he was spared the destruction that befell the rest of his homeland: he was to re-form it. Arah the mindbender looked into the mind of the Eldritch Elder and discovered that the tower dweller was one with the God of Sea & Slumber, who wished to see our rogues abdicate their vibrant ways and achieve eternal calmness beneath the waves. And though she descended below the sea’s surface, Taryb did not find calmness. In fact, she found nothing. Taryb managed to spend every coin she earned by tale telling to launch an expedition to recoup the coins lost to the sea bottom, yet failed to find a single one. Oh, the life of a rogue is such.
So, in our #SundayAMSwords game this morning, we finished up with a "Roses & Thorns" feedback session.
So, in our #SundayAMSwords game this morning, we finished up with a "Roses & Thorns" feedback session. Charlie Vick suggested that baldly stating that a bunch of rogues were just together at the start of a game lacked in-fiction context. It didn't give a feeling of these being compatriots-in-arms with a past history.
What sprang to mind after the chat, was that you could introduce a Prologue to the story, or "That Which Has Come Before." You don't even need any new rules. Just use the "The Ritual of the Swift & Recurrent Blade" from the Advanced Techniques section, and set it up to take place before the opening scene.
It would certainly affect the pacing of the game, but it might address that specific issue.
What sprang to mind after the chat, was that you could introduce a Prologue to the story, or "That Which Has Come Before." You don't even need any new rules. Just use the "The Ritual of the Swift & Recurrent Blade" from the Advanced Techniques section, and set it up to take place before the opening scene.
It would certainly affect the pacing of the game, but it might address that specific issue.
Sunday Morning Swords: 7 September 2014
Sunday Morning Swords: 7 September 2014
#WhileTheWizardsAwayEdition
Good morning!
blatantly stealing Eppy's text
Here's our organizational thread. Comment here if you'd like to play this morning. Also mention whether you might want to be an Overplayer, and whether you've played Swords before.
When we get an Overplayer and three or four Rogue Players, those players will run off and start their hangout. For now, let's focus on getting everyone into a group. We'll probably wait until 9:15 or 9:30 EDT to start the last group.
Feel free to enjoy some breakfast or brunch while playing.
Also, feel free to use the hashtag #SundayAMSwords should you desire to chat about your game on the social medias.
P.S. Got some tips on how to do this and links to useful files here: http://www.worldswithoutmaster.com/blog/2014/7/14/sunday-morning-swords
http://www.worldswithoutmaster.com/blog/2014/7/14/sunday-morning-swords
#WhileTheWizardsAwayEdition
Good morning!
blatantly stealing Eppy's text
Here's our organizational thread. Comment here if you'd like to play this morning. Also mention whether you might want to be an Overplayer, and whether you've played Swords before.
When we get an Overplayer and three or four Rogue Players, those players will run off and start their hangout. For now, let's focus on getting everyone into a group. We'll probably wait until 9:15 or 9:30 EDT to start the last group.
Feel free to enjoy some breakfast or brunch while playing.
Also, feel free to use the hashtag #SundayAMSwords should you desire to chat about your game on the social medias.
P.S. Got some tips on how to do this and links to useful files here: http://www.worldswithoutmaster.com/blog/2014/7/14/sunday-morning-swords
http://www.worldswithoutmaster.com/blog/2014/7/14/sunday-morning-swords
Saturday, September 6, 2014
The Eppy's away, but we shall play!
The Eppy's away, but we shall play! I'll be up and ready for #SundayAMSwords tomorrow. 9:00am Eastern Time, US. Hope to see you there!
Friday, September 5, 2014
#septemberchallenge
#septemberchallenge
(I've been wanting to use this album and the associated music videos, and after seeing Charlie Vick's 80s video Rogue https://plus.google.com/u/0/104219282502793301924/posts/NfMQmL3M1Nr, I knew I had to write it up. I've picked out some particular songs, but really this whole album and the music videos for it are Glum in a great way. Whole album at http://youtu.be/Mc0Gcdi5b6g )
The Dead Rider
Testarossa: His steed. Red chestnut coat clad in red tack, bonded to him in death. He appears and rides her only at night, full speed, reckless. They have nothing more to lose, after all.
Jennifer: His lover. His only regret in death. His only purpose beyond speed. He writes her letters, leaves them in secret places for only her. He watches over her. She is scared of him, even when he protects her from the bandits and lifts her into the saddle for a final ride. Maybe she is right.
Saddlers Guild Journeyman's Surcoat: A promising young saddler, he was brought down while riding Testarossa on a treacherous road one stormy night, wearing this. Emblazoned with the symbol of the Guild on one breast, a white "K" on a red field, he is granted some authority by tradesmen and peasants. His glowing eyes quiet the rest.
Jovial: Odd Look
Kavinsky - Odd Look
He speeds through and past his enemy. When they turn to look, he is already behind them again, Testarossa rearing and bringing metal shoe onto their skull. Without slowing he rides down the next.
Glum: Nightcall
Kavinsky - Nightcall (Drive Original Movie Soundtrack)
He holds Jennifer in his arms, silently and solidly withstanding the clubs and arrows. He looks over his shoulder, eyes glowing. Electricity flashes from him, and his enemies collapse and fall silent too.
Trick: Locus. He is drawn here. A rainy cliffside road, in deep night, traversed in such conditions only by those dead or those about to die. Goodnight.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qT0iQRjHbW4
(I've been wanting to use this album and the associated music videos, and after seeing Charlie Vick's 80s video Rogue https://plus.google.com/u/0/104219282502793301924/posts/NfMQmL3M1Nr, I knew I had to write it up. I've picked out some particular songs, but really this whole album and the music videos for it are Glum in a great way. Whole album at http://youtu.be/Mc0Gcdi5b6g )
The Dead Rider
Testarossa: His steed. Red chestnut coat clad in red tack, bonded to him in death. He appears and rides her only at night, full speed, reckless. They have nothing more to lose, after all.
Jennifer: His lover. His only regret in death. His only purpose beyond speed. He writes her letters, leaves them in secret places for only her. He watches over her. She is scared of him, even when he protects her from the bandits and lifts her into the saddle for a final ride. Maybe she is right.
Saddlers Guild Journeyman's Surcoat: A promising young saddler, he was brought down while riding Testarossa on a treacherous road one stormy night, wearing this. Emblazoned with the symbol of the Guild on one breast, a white "K" on a red field, he is granted some authority by tradesmen and peasants. His glowing eyes quiet the rest.
Jovial: Odd Look
Kavinsky - Odd Look
He speeds through and past his enemy. When they turn to look, he is already behind them again, Testarossa rearing and bringing metal shoe onto their skull. Without slowing he rides down the next.
Glum: Nightcall
Kavinsky - Nightcall (Drive Original Movie Soundtrack)
He holds Jennifer in his arms, silently and solidly withstanding the clubs and arrows. He looks over his shoulder, eyes glowing. Electricity flashes from him, and his enemies collapse and fall silent too.
Trick: Locus. He is drawn here. A rainy cliffside road, in deep night, traversed in such conditions only by those dead or those about to die. Goodnight.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qT0iQRjHbW4
Thursday, September 4, 2014
---------
---------
Simulacra
Jovial music: Sunset Blood Official Trailer (2013) [HQ]
Glum music: Stanky Old Wizard Eyes
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Naming
Arah, listener to thoughts, mind bender, rogue.
Blood Tea: brew of roots, bark, fungus, and the imbiber's blood. A few bitter quaffs and the world dims, leaving one to visions and dreams, healing and slumber.
Whispers in the Head: Arah can whisper her thoughts to anyone she can see or sense. Sometimes one cannot tell one's own inner voice from hers.
Glimmer: Meteorite metal, passed down from generation to generation in the form of a greatsword. Broken in half when her father died, fighting a group of slavers and their mercenaries at Rag's Gap. It would make a decent weapon in Arah's hands, if she could but find it.
Thoughtforms of the Gods: The Gods are all around us, as are their thoughts. Sometimes Arah sees them: indifferent or obsessed with humanity, beautiful and terrifying. Sometimes the thoughts command, sometimes they suggest, sometimes they merely want to watch us scurry about like scorpions in a sandbox. And sometimes they listen. It is well to watch one's choice of words when they listen.
Overminder's Temple: Stone rises up out of swamp and mire. Inside, people dedicate themselves to the ideals of selfless mental expansion. All power, no purpose.
--------
Feats Heroic
Jovial Feat: Light pours from her eyes, a maniacal laugh slips her lips, as Arah releases a scream psionic. Even mindless clods of the Urth cannot help but conform to her will.
Glum Feat: Your own whispering voice recounts your secret shame, or chatters on and on about your secret obsession, or describes past pain so clearly you cannot see your own hands before you. You grind your teeth, eyes leaking tears. When you look up, as from a daze, your companions seem to be arising from the same malaise. The woman with the weirding way, Arah, scourge and rogue, has left without a trace.
-------
Trick of the Trade
Your Mind Is The Scene Of The Crime: Arah can declare the next phase shall be a discovery phase, set in the mind of a character the rogues seek to understand or investigate. Scenes of the charater's past and imagined future play out as the rogues wander.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJlZ56CrMkI
Simulacra
Jovial music: Sunset Blood Official Trailer (2013) [HQ]
Glum music: Stanky Old Wizard Eyes
---------
Naming
Arah, listener to thoughts, mind bender, rogue.
Blood Tea: brew of roots, bark, fungus, and the imbiber's blood. A few bitter quaffs and the world dims, leaving one to visions and dreams, healing and slumber.
Whispers in the Head: Arah can whisper her thoughts to anyone she can see or sense. Sometimes one cannot tell one's own inner voice from hers.
Glimmer: Meteorite metal, passed down from generation to generation in the form of a greatsword. Broken in half when her father died, fighting a group of slavers and their mercenaries at Rag's Gap. It would make a decent weapon in Arah's hands, if she could but find it.
Thoughtforms of the Gods: The Gods are all around us, as are their thoughts. Sometimes Arah sees them: indifferent or obsessed with humanity, beautiful and terrifying. Sometimes the thoughts command, sometimes they suggest, sometimes they merely want to watch us scurry about like scorpions in a sandbox. And sometimes they listen. It is well to watch one's choice of words when they listen.
Overminder's Temple: Stone rises up out of swamp and mire. Inside, people dedicate themselves to the ideals of selfless mental expansion. All power, no purpose.
--------
Feats Heroic
Jovial Feat: Light pours from her eyes, a maniacal laugh slips her lips, as Arah releases a scream psionic. Even mindless clods of the Urth cannot help but conform to her will.
Glum Feat: Your own whispering voice recounts your secret shame, or chatters on and on about your secret obsession, or describes past pain so clearly you cannot see your own hands before you. You grind your teeth, eyes leaking tears. When you look up, as from a daze, your companions seem to be arising from the same malaise. The woman with the weirding way, Arah, scourge and rogue, has left without a trace.
-------
Trick of the Trade
Your Mind Is The Scene Of The Crime: Arah can declare the next phase shall be a discovery phase, set in the mind of a character the rogues seek to understand or investigate. Scenes of the charater's past and imagined future play out as the rogues wander.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJlZ56CrMkI
Is there any chance to get the City of Fire and Coin in an unformated way?
Is there any chance to get the City of Fire and Coin in an unformated way? I want to hack/adapt it but copying from the pdf document doesn't really work because of the 3 columns.
Wednesday, September 3, 2014
#septemberchallenge
#septemberchallenge
Dario, peregrino
He walks the same walk every year, always bringing a new story or a half composed new song . There are so few of us left who still stop to listen.
All that deserves a name
Trasto: That is how he calls his lute, and by the looks of it it is almost a compliment. Until he starts playing.
Maria: He wraps himself in this cape, and whispers a woman's name.
Chucho: A mutt that always trots by his side.
Feats Heroic
Fiesta (Jovial): Everybody is wearing their best shirt, and the lads and girls are looking at each other across the floor. The first notes are almost lost among the laughter.
Recuerdo (Glum): The dance floor is now empty. The old man is still sitting in the same place, and looks at him with a plea in his eyes. The first notes draw a sad smile across his face.
Trick
Locus The main plaza at a small village, the day after the harvest.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8bIoS_OzvU
Dario, peregrino
He walks the same walk every year, always bringing a new story or a half composed new song . There are so few of us left who still stop to listen.
All that deserves a name
Trasto: That is how he calls his lute, and by the looks of it it is almost a compliment. Until he starts playing.
Maria: He wraps himself in this cape, and whispers a woman's name.
Chucho: A mutt that always trots by his side.
Feats Heroic
Fiesta (Jovial): Everybody is wearing their best shirt, and the lads and girls are looking at each other across the floor. The first notes are almost lost among the laughter.
Recuerdo (Glum): The dance floor is now empty. The old man is still sitting in the same place, and looks at him with a plea in his eyes. The first notes draw a sad smile across his face.
Trick
Locus The main plaza at a small village, the day after the harvest.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8bIoS_OzvU
Six Guns Without Master
Six Guns Without Master
I've been bouncing it around in my brain for a while, so now it's time to bounce it around your brain. Weird West Sw/oM:
Your tones
Polished - swift, shining, decisive, refined, graceful, delicate,
Felling a foe with a single well placed shot, charming the barkeep into parting with information, conning the Wells Fargo man out of a deposit,
Gritty - grimy, difficult, forceful, methodical, practical,
Piercing a foe with a dozen stabs of a knife, wheedling information out by threat or intimidation, robbing the stage in broad daylight,
Additional Phase
The Dueling Phase - The Overplayer hands the dice to the Rogue that they deem most appropriate to act secondly. The other involved Rogue narrates what the Storm they are presenting to the Rogue who is holding the dice. As usual, the dice-holding Rogue may slip and struggle against the storm, but cannot make progress until they roll the dice. As soon as they do, the two roles flip and the other Rogue takes possession of the dice and begins to slip and struggle against the newly created Storm. Take care to hit your tones while creating these Storms. As in a Perilous Phase, the offer of death is always on the table for the Rogue who is willing to accept it.
The Dueling Phase ends at the Overplayer’s whim after a Rogue has picked up the dice.
Additional Trick
High Noon - The Rogue player may use this trick to demand the next phase be a Dueling Phase and may name another Rogue which they wish to duel.
Who's up for a playtest?
I've been bouncing it around in my brain for a while, so now it's time to bounce it around your brain. Weird West Sw/oM:
Your tones
Polished - swift, shining, decisive, refined, graceful, delicate,
Felling a foe with a single well placed shot, charming the barkeep into parting with information, conning the Wells Fargo man out of a deposit,
Gritty - grimy, difficult, forceful, methodical, practical,
Piercing a foe with a dozen stabs of a knife, wheedling information out by threat or intimidation, robbing the stage in broad daylight,
Additional Phase
The Dueling Phase - The Overplayer hands the dice to the Rogue that they deem most appropriate to act secondly. The other involved Rogue narrates what the Storm they are presenting to the Rogue who is holding the dice. As usual, the dice-holding Rogue may slip and struggle against the storm, but cannot make progress until they roll the dice. As soon as they do, the two roles flip and the other Rogue takes possession of the dice and begins to slip and struggle against the newly created Storm. Take care to hit your tones while creating these Storms. As in a Perilous Phase, the offer of death is always on the table for the Rogue who is willing to accept it.
The Dueling Phase ends at the Overplayer’s whim after a Rogue has picked up the dice.
Additional Trick
High Noon - The Rogue player may use this trick to demand the next phase be a Dueling Phase and may name another Rogue which they wish to duel.
Who's up for a playtest?
Some Simulacrum/Eidolon fodder spotted via the Dungeon World community
Some Simulacrum/Eidolon fodder spotted via the Dungeon World community
http://www.gogigantic.com/explore/heroes/tytotheswift
http://www.gogigantic.com/explore/heroes/tytotheswift
Tuesday, September 2, 2014
I will be running this Hack/Mod of Swords without Masters at a Con next week and want to at least test it out before...
Originally shared by T. Franzke
I will be running this Hack/Mod of Swords without Masters at a Con next week and want to at least test it out before then.
So this will be a playtest session.
No former knowledge of Swords or Guardians needed.
events/crrut69ln00lkn6i4opac8r6fj0
I will be running this Hack/Mod of Swords without Masters at a Con next week and want to at least test it out before then.
So this will be a playtest session.
No former knowledge of Swords or Guardians needed.
events/crrut69ln00lkn6i4opac8r6fj0
My take for Guardians without Galaxies
My take for Guardians without Galaxies
Feedback is highly welcome
Feedback is highly welcome
Trick Question:
Trick Question:
I want to write a trick for Rocket for my Guardians hack.
Now the most matching thing would be that he can create a Rogues phase with laying out a plan. Would that be enough? I kind of want the player to have a moment of saying
"We need this, that and the prosthetic eye of that guy there"
And the other players having to go get these things/follow the plan.
Is that too much? Is just activating rogues phase enough? Any idea on how to word that?
I want to write a trick for Rocket for my Guardians hack.
Now the most matching thing would be that he can create a Rogues phase with laying out a plan. Would that be enough? I kind of want the player to have a moment of saying
"We need this, that and the prosthetic eye of that guy there"
And the other players having to go get these things/follow the plan.
Is that too much? Is just activating rogues phase enough? Any idea on how to word that?
Monday, September 1, 2014
Tiny spitball on how you'd do Doctor Who in SWM.
Tiny spitball on how you'd do Doctor Who in SWM. You could do Glum and Jovial as the tones, but here's another take that could be really interesting...
Human: Inspiring, clever, fallible, cruel
Cosmic: Vast, miraculous, dazzling, callous
Human: Inspiring, clever, fallible, cruel
Cosmic: Vast, miraculous, dazzling, callous
#SeptemberChallenge
#SeptemberChallenge
Eidolon: [Jovial] Madlax OST - Track 2 - Nowhere
Simulacra: [Glum] Coheed and Cambria - The Reaping
And now, for the rogue...
Dira, Daughter of the Salamander
All That Deserves a Name
Kruso, the dead sun of Dira's homeland, whose embers live in her
Yamanni, the homeland she escaped; now nothing remains but a void of night
Chalam, sister in arms and also martial rival to Dira; they test their strength each time they meet
The San'shalla, the prophecy of Kruso's rebirth into glory
The Sunbeams, two identical-looking swords with fiery letters forged into their surface
Feats Heroic
[Glum] Flare of Kruso: the fire of the dead sun glows once more, giving clarity, strength, and purpose, before it falls into the deepest slumber.
[Jovial] Dance of Fire: Dira closes her eyes and focuses for a moment, then dances through her enemies, blades spinning, lashing out with strokes of fire and bright fury.
Trick
Canny Cognition: Dira has learned the song of the flames, to probe them for answers to her questions. Before the Overplayer chooses a new phase, I may demand that it is a Discovery phase that will not end until I have demonstrated this insight.
Eidolon: [Jovial] Madlax OST - Track 2 - Nowhere
Simulacra: [Glum] Coheed and Cambria - The Reaping
And now, for the rogue...
Dira, Daughter of the Salamander
All That Deserves a Name
Kruso, the dead sun of Dira's homeland, whose embers live in her
Yamanni, the homeland she escaped; now nothing remains but a void of night
Chalam, sister in arms and also martial rival to Dira; they test their strength each time they meet
The San'shalla, the prophecy of Kruso's rebirth into glory
The Sunbeams, two identical-looking swords with fiery letters forged into their surface
Feats Heroic
[Glum] Flare of Kruso: the fire of the dead sun glows once more, giving clarity, strength, and purpose, before it falls into the deepest slumber.
[Jovial] Dance of Fire: Dira closes her eyes and focuses for a moment, then dances through her enemies, blades spinning, lashing out with strokes of fire and bright fury.
Trick
Canny Cognition: Dira has learned the song of the flames, to probe them for answers to her questions. Before the Overplayer chooses a new phase, I may demand that it is a Discovery phase that will not end until I have demonstrated this insight.
First time trying this:
First time trying this:
Peter Quill - Starlord
All that deserves a name:
Earth,
a planet of Outlaws
Super Awesome Mix Vol. 1, on a cassette and walkman
Milano:
his ship. Think Millenium Falcon but more shiny
Yandu and the Ravagers
Space Pirates, Thieves and Nomads. Would eat you.
Feats Heroic
Guardian: Starlord rallies everyone to keep fighting for this shit and they make a last heroic push.
Asshole: Recalls someone who still owns him and will get his head out of the noose
Trick of the Trade:
Something Good, Something Bad, a bit of booth
When you have done something heroic or douchey, you may explain your actual reason for doing it to flip everyone's perception to the opposite of their first reaction.
Peter Quill - Starlord
All that deserves a name:
Earth,
a planet of Outlaws
Super Awesome Mix Vol. 1, on a cassette and walkman
Milano:
his ship. Think Millenium Falcon but more shiny
Yandu and the Ravagers
Space Pirates, Thieves and Nomads. Would eat you.
Feats Heroic
Guardian: Starlord rallies everyone to keep fighting for this shit and they make a last heroic push.
Asshole: Recalls someone who still owns him and will get his head out of the noose
Trick of the Trade:
Something Good, Something Bad, a bit of booth
When you have done something heroic or douchey, you may explain your actual reason for doing it to flip everyone's perception to the opposite of their first reaction.
Behold! The September Eidolon & Simulacrum Challenge!
Behold! The September Eidolon & Simulacrum Challenge!
http://www.worldswithoutmaster.com/blog/2014/8/18/september-eidolon-simulacrum-challenge
http://www.worldswithoutmaster.com/blog/2014/8/18/september-eidolon-simulacrum-challenge
My dearest ravening wolves
My dearest ravening wolves,
Many of you are already members of the Patron Horde, but for those who aren't and those who've yet to open the latest issue of Worlds Without Master, I wanted to point out that the game in that issue, Sorceress Bloody Sorceress, is a sword & sorcery murder mystery hack of Swords Without Master. You may be interested.
Sincerely,
Eppy
http://www.worldswithoutmaster.com/bazaar/worlds-without-master-issue-5
Many of you are already members of the Patron Horde, but for those who aren't and those who've yet to open the latest issue of Worlds Without Master, I wanted to point out that the game in that issue, Sorceress Bloody Sorceress, is a sword & sorcery murder mystery hack of Swords Without Master. You may be interested.
Sincerely,
Eppy
http://www.worldswithoutmaster.com/bazaar/worlds-without-master-issue-5