Art by Jee Hyung Lee.

Originally shared by Adam “Bison Court” D

Art by Jee Hyung Lee.
http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/93/a6/19/93a619ce5d0fb19c536f68f954755578.jpg

Folks!

Folks!

Originally shared by Anselmo Formolo

If this dripping-with-atmosphere webcomic has not been linked before, you may now consider yourself both blessed and...

If this dripping-with-atmosphere webcomic has not been linked before, you may now consider yourself both blessed and damned. If it has been linked, then doubly so.

Reach heaven by violence, fellow Rogues.
http://killsixbilliondemons.com/?comic=ksbd-4-69

I had forgotten to post this as a perfect eidolon.

As you may recall, I missed last week's #SundayAMSwords and I'll in all likelihood not going to make tomorrow's.

As you may recall, I missed last week's #SundayAMSwords  and I'll in all likelihood not going to make tomorrow's. However, once 2015 starts, I'll be right back in the saddle, riding into adventure yet untold.

In fact, I'm going to make it a personal goal of mine to play 51 sessions of any combination of tabletop games in 2015, and regular Sunday Morning Swords is going to go a long way towards getting me to that goal. #51in15

So guess what? I decided the time was ripe to bring something special to my Swords Without Master experiences...

So guess what? I decided the time was ripe to bring something special to my Swords Without Master experiences...

...may have to debut this Rogue in a Sunday Morning Swords game, when I finally come back to it...

All the Glum you could ever want! And it's gorgeous!

All the Glum you could ever want! And it's gorgeous!
https://austinwintory.bandcamp.com/album/the-banner-saga

I have been trying to put together a new phase for Six Guns Without Master.

I have been trying to put together a new phase for Six Guns Without Master. It's hard. I talk about my struggles and what they might mean at the blog link below.
http://keithstetson.wordpress.com/2014/12/21/hacking-a-new-phase/

Hey, just a general procedures question for Overplayers and players alike.

Hey, just a general procedures question for Overplayers and players alike. This is something I've been curious about because, left to my own self-instruction reading the SwoM text, I've made my own calls that may be completely different from Epidiah's and others'. It doesn't help that I haven't jumped in on any of these Sunday Morning Master games!

So, in the Perilous Phase, when you've got Rogues slipping and struggling, what's your experience with the Overplayer narrating the threat in action? Have you found they really hone in on one rogue, hammering down on them relentless until the dice finally hit the table? Or have you found that - while still shining the bulk of the spotlight on one particular rogue - the Overplayer spreads the pain around, keeping the entire scene alive and not relegating any rogue's peril to an "off-screen limbo" in the interim?

I'm very curious.

Okay, I'm going to have to check out this webcomic.

Originally shared by Keith J Davies

Okay, I'm going to have to check out this webcomic.

http://jakewyattriot.tumblr.com/tagged/necropolispage/chrono
http://imgur.com/gallery/lp0iz

“Enemies and Emissaries of the Whale Wizards”

“Enemies and Emissaries of the Whale Wizards”
A tale of #SundayAMSwords

Opening eidolon: https://plus.google.com/u/0/109099786977811032250/posts/iubFiUnBimk?pid=6091980558431309858&oid=116135499235484497347

Tavli, priestess of the Ancients, emissary of the whale wizards. A fortune in pearls as a gift to an ally. The ship, an ancient submarine used as surface craft, with wooden deck and mast lashed on. Lord Malivrax, whole once more. Polytyrus, amphibian cyclops. Gammon, star wanderer.

Beneath the starlight, the storm raging and the behemoth attacking! The ship vertical on a wave. Priceless treasure spewing forth from hatches into the briny deep. Tentacles over the side. Sailors fleeing for the deeps. Lord Malivrax plunging into the waters. Gammon: “You won’t get out of your gambling debts that easily!” Using a tentacle to bind Lord Malivrax and keep him from sinking. Tentacle pulling him toward maw. Moral: When avoiding one abyss, beware that another does not consume you.

The beast singing the fighting song of the foes of the wizard whales. Gammon struggling with multiplying tentacles as they are cut. Tavli slipping free of being bound to mast, singing a chant made of ancient submarine commands. Taking her key-relic to the bridge. Torpedoes blasting into the beast!

The beach, after the fight. Lord Malivrax not to be seen. Treasure scattered on the sand. The ship beached like a whale. A village boy shouting excitedly about the treasure. Polytyrus hurling treasure back onboard, before the villagers can take it. Among the pearls, a cursed one, planted by the wizard-whales’ enemies! A green mist oozing through hallways, summoning the dead submariners.

Gammon wading in the surf, seeking Malivrax. Many octopi collecting scattered treasure. Octopuses bargaining a favor from whale-wizards’ emissary. Moral: Lending an arm always comes at a price; eightfold arms are an eightfold price.

The machinery within the ship roaring to life. One of the fifty-two machines of the deep that MUST not be allowed to awaken. Screw turning uselessly in air, flinging kelp and detritus. Tavli seeing the spirits of the ancients, and asking for orders. “We must make deep water.” Wizard Whale bone spur growing to Tavli’s song, righting the ship and pushing it into the water like a jack.

Gammon pulling Lord Malivrax from the depths. Lord Malivrax handing conch shell. “My debt is paid.” The shell echoing a secret song of the wizard-whales.

The dead crew riding the bodies of the villagers, boarding the ship to steer her. “Dive! Dive!” Gammon sucked into the ballast tanks. “No, rise! Rise!” Inscribing the symbol of the Or-bittar. Submarine rising and floating into the air, becoming the eighteenth ship of the skies.

The wizard-whales have gained a sky ship for the cost of one of the fleet of the deep. Crafty wizard-whales.

Featuring Epidiah Ravachol  as Lord Malivrax and Polytyrus. Me as Gammon and Tavli. Emily Care Boss  as the Overplayer.

Link to virtual tabletop: https://docs.google.com/drawings/d/1edznN3Yh_dqXBeP_12bdLe9ddthWhie7OP-Q3Tt93ZA/edit?usp=sharing

Sunday Morning Swords: 14 December 2014

Sunday Morning Swords: 14 December 2014
#WizardHasSnifflesBadlyEdition    

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 leftovers, 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

I have been thinking about randomness in games a lot lately and that brought up some thoughts specifically about my...

I have been thinking about randomness in games a lot lately and that brought up some thoughts specifically about my favorite game. I am certainly interested in Epidiah Ravachol's answers to these questions but I am also very interested in everyone else's answers!

Why is the Overtone randomly determined? Why are the individual Rogues' tones randomly determined? Why are the outcomes for the tones equally likely? If a Rogue may lean more toward Glum or Jovial, why not have them add a +1 to the appropriate die? Why use dice to randomly determine the tones? Why use 2d6 instead of a d6 for an unlikely tone and a d8 for a likely one? Why list all these questions without even a line break?

Randomness - it's fascinating!

I want to see Rogues take this on!

I want to see Rogues take this on!

Originally shared by Ralph Horsley

Any Port…

Oils on primed illustration board.
Approx 18" x 24"

Interior Illustration for theDungeon Master’s Guide, 5e..

Original artwork for sale.

Original Art Shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/RalphHorsley
Print Shop: http://ralphhorsley.zenfolio.com/
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/Ralph.Horsley.Art?ref=hl
Google+: https://plus.google.com/+RalphHorsley

©WOTC

Swords Without Master has been out and associated with sword & sorcery long enough that people no longer ask me if...

Swords Without Master has been out and associated with sword & sorcery long enough that people no longer ask me if it's a game about ronin based on the name alone. So I suppose it's safe now to admit that Samurai Jack was a huge influence.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samurai_Jack

It's not entirely clear yet whether or not I can make this week's #SundayAMSwords, but if I do, I have a hankering...

It's not entirely clear yet whether or not I can make this week's #SundayAMSwords, but if I do, I have a hankering to tell a holiday ghost story.

A fellow of near infinite jest.

A fellow of near infinite jest.

Sunday Morning Swords: 7 December 2014

Sunday Morning Swords: 7 December 2014
#TheInfamousDayEdition    

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 leftovers, 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

Holy flip!

Holy flip! Check out these sword wielding gals & dudes! Plenty more over at Elliot Alfredius' tumblr! http://elliotalfredius.tumblr.com/
http://40.media.tumblr.com/6071e9a3e2df7a7d2a0ae30034027e4e/tumblr_n9uc7gQuyH1rt0j1mo1_1280.jpg

Sunday Morning Swords: 23 November 2014

Sunday Morning Swords: 23 November 2014
#TheWizardIsSwampedEdition    

Good morning, rogues!

Unfortunately, I will not be able to do #SundayAMSwords  today, as I am up to my nostrils in work. But feel free to use this thread as an organizational one. 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.

Feel free to punt to a later time should that work out for more of you.

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

Trying to diagram out some thoughts about the creative interplay of Swords.

Trying to diagram out some thoughts about the creative interplay of Swords.

Red lines are inspiration/constraint from external sources, that is, not another player.

Green lines are primary creative input from one person to another.

Blue lines are secondary creative input, that is, creative reactions to green lines.

Purple lines are tertiary creative input, or reactions to blue lines.

Brown is 4th-level reactions to purple lines. The Discovery Phase gets pretty involved!

Hi everyone, i am running SwoM for the first time on Saturday.

Hi everyone, i am running SwoM for the first time on Saturday.

How does the game scale up to 5 players? Do you have any tips in particular?

Thanks,
R.

The Healing Process

http://goatz.deviantart.com/art/The-Healing-Process-188057757

http://sorcerersskull.tumblr.com/post/103561351060/art-by-grimbro

http://sorcerersskull.tumblr.com/post/103561351060/art-by-grimbro

Another take on those heroes much-beloved by the Sunday AM Swords community.
http://sorcerersskull.tumblr.com/post/103561351060/art-by-grimbro

Ever edited mentally your description because you felt that a rapier should be a light, darting dueling weapon?

Ever edited mentally your description because you felt that a rapier should be a light, darting dueling weapon?

Think again!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=efZLw-tlIOs

2014 Nov 23 (Gammon)

2014 Nov 23 (Gammon)
“Queen of the Painted Wastes, Part One”
A tale of #SundayAMSwords

Opening eidolon: https://m1.behance.net/rendition/modules/48469937/hd/01352bb5d06fbb8b559c6c7fee1f7326.jpg

The painted wastes. Flora is beautiful, but drives those who eat it to endless throes of babbling ecstacy. Three thirsty rogues. Beneath the rock overhang, a swirling prismatic pool. Liquid colors never mixing. How did Amahia know which part was safe for her 6-legged steed to drink? The swirls formed words in her script identifying orange as the color of life. Prismatic swirls in a pool forming ephemeral words. A potion that never has the same effect twice.

Lord Malivrax, oblivious to the feathered eel in the pool. Why were feathered eel hunted nearly to extinction? Their venom can inoculate men to the poisonous miasma of the Saffron Queen’s troops. Local warlords pay peasants handsomely for the eels.

Atop the overhang, The Scythian viewing plants. Who gardened plants into geometric shape? The shape is this: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e6/Radiation_warning_symbol_2.svg/600px-Radiation_warning_symbol_2.svg.png. Gardened by the metallic minions of the Saffron Queen. Minions spy The Scythian. “A high place gives a good view to you and your enemies.”

Lord Malivrax and the Queen’s robots both shouting DANGER.

Attack of the Harvester of Souls! (like this, but 3 stories tall, with blades and spiked flails, and stuff: http://www.wd-bearing.com/upload//201307/12/20137121409170.all.jpg) Amahia sending swirling sands highlighting air currents. Tangled chains diverting harvester into the small column supporting large overhang. Rockfall on Lord Malivrax. A specifically arranged pile of stones. Stones form the sigil of the Saffron Queen and glow with energy, corrupting the swirls of sand. The defiling action of poison.

The Scythian’s flying mount unable to land upon the Harvester. “How can we get through the harvester’s shield?” The Scythian diving and drinking deeply of the pool. A scream and convulsing form. Lord Malivrax pulling helm, one arm, and torso up on top of the rocks. Hurling his sword, the Unbending Light, into the heart of the Harvester. Silence.

A long, narrow room: http://www.vectura.sk/sk/files/7.jpg Lord Malivrax in pieces on a slab. The Scythian sweating and twitching in a cage. Amahia’s hands chained to wall. Amahia stretches feet toward the Megatome, her hand slipping free. The Scythian vomiting rainbows. Her form stretching and twisting unnaturally, still confined.

The Saffron Queen atop the metal box, rallying troops. A cityscape with a broken arch: http://wearemoviegeeks.com/wp-content/uploads/dystop.jpg “All will know their place. There will be order, like the Ancients had. Not one will stand against me, all will kneel.”

A text in a language none can read: “DANGER: Radiation Hazard” 

Lord Malivrax’s theme plays: Black Sabbath-Neon Knights(1980) The Unbending Light slices the metal box in half. Purple light seeping through ill-fitting armor. The robot wearing his armguard bent before him. His armor whole once more.

The Scythian glowing with the Saffron Queen’s power. Melting robots left and right.

The Saffron Queen summoning and boarding an ethereal train. Amahia failing to stop her steed from drinking the purple potion of death.

The Scythian, contemplative, atop the broken arch, seeing where the Saffron Queen fled to. “We can find her, and stop her.”

Starring Aaron Feild  as The Scythian, Keith Stetson  as Amahia, and Epidiah Ravachol  as Lord Malivrax.
https://m1.behance.net/rendition/modules/48469937/hd/01352bb5d06fbb8b559c6c7fee1f7326.jpg

Sunday Morning Swords: 23 November 2014

Sunday Morning Swords: 23 November 2014
#TryingToGetTheNextIssueDoneEdition  

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 cinnamon toast sans crunch, 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

For tomorrow's #SundayAMSwords

For tomorrow's #SundayAMSwords

Baern, the Second-Last

All that deserves a Name

The Hungry Sprite: As Baern lay dying on the battlefield which claimed his kin, this small living flame breathed life into him on the orders of a long-forgotten god. The flame burns neither flesh nor coal, but memories, leaving Baern's past a slowly crumbling fortress. The one memory it will never burn away is the terms of their arrangement: to be rid of the sprite which drives him ever onwards, he must sire a child in the dead god's name.

Unwell: His father's sword, or so he assumes. The blade is broken at the halfway point, but remains ever-sharp and free of rust.

Hoferth the Keeper: The first man Baern remembers meeting in his second life. Hoferth runs the Mead Hall at the Center of the World, whose taps are fed by the golden bounty of the Conqueror Bees, defeated and bound in servitude until their Queen's rebirth.

The Feats Heroic

Glum: Staring into the hungry sprite's flames, searching for something he can't possibly know the nature of.

Jovial: Laughing at the top of his lungs and casting his weapons aside, challenging his enemies to kill him once more.

Rogue Trick
Older than Memory–Once during the game, before a phase begins, you may make the next phase a Rogues Phase and the Overplayer must start it by demanding to know how you deal with a place you do not remember, but which very clearly remembers you.
http://peter-ortiz.deviantart.com/art/Valkyrie-57333708

We play Swords Without Master by Epidiah Ravachol.

Originally shared by Aaron Feild

We play Swords Without Master by Epidiah Ravachol. Come learn to play and experience a sword and sorcery short story in the space of a couple hours! Right through your magic computing machine. No experience necessary. 9AM Pacific, 12PM Eastern, 5PM UTC.

If you need to play 3 hours earlier, there's a game at 6AM Pacific, 9AM Eastern, 2PM UTC. Look in the SWM Community for the organizing post at that time.
https://plus.google.com/u/0/communities/104194230537983273846

More info:
http://www.worldswithoutmaster.com/blog/2014/7/14/sunday-morning-swords
#SundayAMSwords  
events/cbc3lm7t0m97j0q18cqmdq1orsc

Speaking as an ambitious and unqualified amateur, have there been any Star Wars hacks attempted for the system?

Speaking as an ambitious and unqualified amateur, have there been any Star Wars hacks attempted for the system? It seems to me that Light Side and Dark Side have enough wealth of character to substitute for Glum and Jovial, and the general system structure would do well at giving those who use the Force and those who do not equal narrative primacy (which, sadly, even Fantasy Flight's efforts don't seem to quite do).

I'd be interested to see if anyone else has thought the same, or if there is an ecological niche to fill.

Hello, everyone!

Hello, everyone! New to the community, and to Swords in general. Got pointed in this direction via Aaron Feild. Swords looks to be a very cool game, and I'd love to get in on a game and see what it's all about!

I don't suppose there's a #SundayAMSwords going on this Sunday, by any chance? :3

Just dropped my mug. But he story's actually kind of cool in fragments.

Just dropped my mug. But he story's actually kind of cool in fragments.

“Mission to Gearbury”

“Mission to Gearbury”
A tale of #SundayAMSwords

Link to opening simulacrum: http://danieldociu.weebly.com/uploads/1/3/0/0/13009351/8372412_orig.jpg

Night in the Ocean of Gears. Each gear its own city-state. Gears halt every night at 9:37PM. Rogues on Duke Agnes’ mission: Retrieve her stolen sceptre of power. Tracked to Gearbury.

The Bridge to Gearbury. Eternal clicking and ticking of the Clockwork Watch-hounds. Kthoh-Arok shattering the hound. Gammon: “These are not the sort of companions we had in the heavens.” Leaping over guards like rotoscoped astronauts.

Ballrooms on pulleys like the counterweights of grandfather clocks. Dancers chained to posts that click around the room. Four half-reptile men with curved swords: Hela monster, Horny Toad, Gecko, Crocodile. A corpulent man, lounging, brandishing the sceptre, bearing scars of battle. Gammon bouncing too high in the dance, spotted by the corpulent man. When a wolf dons sheep’s clothing, beware the appetite of other wolves. Two old servants at the fat man’s feet, reading his mind and doing his bidding, alerting the reptilian guards.

The reptiles—behind us! Battle is joined. The Scythian fending off Croc with a dancer’s chain. Toad facing Kthoh-Arok, A spurt of blood hitting with the force of a firehose. Gecko holding Gammon while Hela raises his sword. The Scythian striking Hela in the back, and throwing sword into Gecko. Kthoh-Arok hurling Toad across the room. Croc seizing The Scythian in its jaws—blocked by Megatome. Croc starts the death roll! Gammon plunging scongs into mechanism. The dancers’ chains retract, constricting Croc. The dancer’s arm caught in the tightening chain, breaking. When titans battle, it is the innocent who bleed.

Weightlessness for all. An entire ballroom in freefall. The ballroom nearing the fires below the gears. A calm, disembodied voice chanting the ancient mantra, “T-minus fifteen ... fourteen ...” The Scythian casting a spell from the Megatome—fires to halt the decent. Oppressed miners leaping for the ballroom, and plunging to their fiery doom. “That great leap would have been a small step among the stars.”

The corpulent man pulling down a massive chain. The ballroom slowly starting to rise. Kthoh-Arok hurling Toad into the corpulent man. Unmoving mountain of a man. When bathed in blood, be mindful of your balance. The Scythian breaking the dancers’ chains. Kthoh-Arok cutting the corpulent man’s belt to retrieve the sceptre. Gammon extending the scongs to Kthoh-Arok and The Scythian. Kicking Toad’s corpse. A final spurt of blood as the countdown reaches zero. A miasma of green energy and blood rocketing them up through the skylight.

THE END

In my mind, the corpulent man looked like this: https://38.media.tumblr.com/af2c04308883530209a69325d4885764/tumblr_nf18hlvkJT1rx5px6o3_1280.jpg

Link to our virtual tabletop: https://docs.google.com/drawings/d/1I5jOdjgZmuJP9iLkbVUm8-AhsnFfZTplB6taQATFyTQ/edit?usp=sharing

Featuring + Aaron as The Scythian, +Sean as Kthoh-Arok, +Eppy as Overplayer, and me as Gammon.
http://danieldociu.weebly.com/uploads/1/3/0/0/13009351/8372412_orig.jpg

Sunday Morning Swords: 16 November 2014

Sunday Morning Swords: 16 November 2014
#ABreakFromTheConsEdition  

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 maybe a pastry if I can find it, 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

Ooops. I may have completely rewritten my rogue for #SundayAMSwords

Ooops. I may have completely rewritten my rogue for #SundayAMSwords

http://fc07.deviantart.net/fs46/f/2009/233/f/4/Grey_Alien_Hybrid_by_umop.jpg

Gammon, Star Wanderer

All that deserves a name
Scongs: The strong, lightweight staff of the heavens, that lays low those who scoff at the wonders of the Ancients.  http://ids.si.edu/ids/deliveryService?max_w=300&id=http://airandspace.si.edu/webimages/previews/5225p.jpg

Huu-Stun: The most sacred, holy center of all the world. Once more shall it control the world’s mission.

Emissary of the Orr-Bittar: Ancients of the stars have strengthened my flesh, that I might take back the magics stolen by the wizard-whales.

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. Little did she know what potential I held.

The Feats Heroic
Glum: Closing his eyes and allowing the Tranquil Sea fill his soul, Gammon’s grey skin shimmers in time with the moonlight, hiding his passage

Jovial: Loping toward his foe in hops impossibly long, Gammon brings the Scongs to bear with shattering force.

Trick
Omen: Write down a Thunder: A calm, disembodied voice chanting the ancient mantra, “T-minus fifteen.” Before the Thunder is provided for a new phase, you may demand that it be this.

Canny Cognition: Pathway to knowledge: The stars are Gammon's old friends. When starlight falls upon the earth, it whispers secrets to him
http://fc07.deviantart.net/fs46/f/2009/233/f/4/Grey_Alien_Hybrid_by_umop.jpg

Fists Without Master Alpha

Fists Without Master Alpha

A gritty martial-arts hack by David Hertz, tom Fendt, and myself.

This design could use more work, but my co-designers are feeling weary. Perhaps we will return to it and improve Fists. Perhaps you will use it as the beginning of something you create...

More discussion can be found here: https://plus.google.com/u/0/112039504234839788974/posts/TppUaHzK4aP

An Anatomy

An Anatomy

I've started on a document outlining all the moving parts of Swords Without Master along with some design principles. I've found it helpful. It may be useful to others. Right now, anyone can comment, but only Epidiah Ravachol , Keith Stetson and me can edit. I'm happy to bring in other editors, just ask!

Fists Without Master Playtest

Fists Without Master Playtest

FWM is a hack for gritty martial-arts action, like The Raid. This write-up for Keith Stetson.

I was the Overplayer for my co-conspirators tom Fendt and David Hertz, and one other player.

* The tones of Pain and Elegance work overall.
* Having so many Perilous phases is tiring! We should either design around it, advise more rogues phases, or drive hard for very short sessions.
* Our new Ritual of the Companion wasn't used, can't yet evaluate it.
* It's helpful for the Overplayer to jot down a list of signature weapons, martial-arts styles, and locations for fight scenes.
* We used the Add/Ban mechanic from Ben Robbins' Microscope to flesh out our world a bit before play.
* Should the Discovery phase stay? We used it only once.

Characters
* Fushida, Japanese drug dealer
* Ismail Cane, Senegalese sumo wrestler/underground fight club manager
* Dr. Adi, Indonesian mob doc/hitman

Moments
* The wrestler grabs two police officers by the legs and uses them as manchaku.
* "Show us your absolute resolve to kill Juan Duarrez."
* A fight between our heroes and every officer at the Police Ball in the ballroom of a vast yacht during a storm.

So what Hacks have people actually tried running?

So what Hacks have people actually tried running? I know we like to do thought experiments with changes in tone, but I am wondering how well those would perform in actual play. During our fat-chewing session, Michael Miller and I agreed (I think we did, anyway) that hacking Swords was a much deeper level prospect than it originally first seemed. That is to say, changing tones is unlikely to be sufficient even if it is perhaps necessary.

Behold, the Alchemical Laboratory!

Behold, the Alchemical Laboratory!

In honor of Michael Miller​ and Keith Stetson​ playtesting their Swords descendants at #metatopia2014 , we're opening up a new section in the community dedicated to hacks, reskins, and other kin. A place to share everything from those two new tones you've been kicking around to completely rebuilt aberrations.

(Oh, I went through all the old posts and grabbed the ones I thought belonged here, but I might have missed a few. So if you find some that you think need to migrate, just plus me into them.)

Hacking Swords Question (which may necessitate a new section of our community).

Hacking Swords Question (which may necessitate a new section of our community).

I'm wondering how Epidiah Ravachol came up with the idea of having different phases with different rules and different intents. Beyond that, I'm interested in how the three main phases were developed. I think this discussion could help those of us who are hacking the game to look critically at which phases we need to keep, which we need to cut and where there may be a need for a new phrase.

I think Michael Miller also has something valuable to contribute about why he axed the Discovery phase for With Great Power...

After a fun but exhausting #Metatopia, it's nice to come home to find a receptacle waiting for me.

After a fun but exhausting #Metatopia, it's nice to come home to find a receptacle waiting for me. One capable of holding many fools' vile wisdoms.

Amahia (Uh-ma-e-uh)

Amahia (Uh-ma-e-uh)
Son of the West Wind
Child of the Trackless Sands

All that deserves a name:
The Six Winds: the nomadic spirits that govern the harsh lands from which Amahia hails and with which he communes.
Script: The writing of the Knowledgable, more notional than representational. A sort of written sign language.
Block: The writing of those who are not blessed or burdened with Knowledge. It cannot convey the same concepts as Script.
The Stillness: none know what the Stillness is, but all know that its coming is to be feared and that its coming it nigh. Some erroneously call it the Silence.

Feats Heroic:
Jovial: Amahia begins to dance, and the winds dance with him – or perhaps for him
Glum: Whispering sweetly to the wind spirits, Amahia draws forth the air from his enemies lungs.

Trick:
Destiny: The winds whisper to Amahia and their whispers foretell that which is to come. On each Motif, fill in one element before the first Overtone is rolled.

Sunday Morning Swords

Sunday Morning Swords
#EveryWolfHasHisDayEdition

Good morning! Who wants to play? Comment below and I'll start a hangout when we have enough people. We'll start at 9:30 am Eastern, and again at 9:30 am Pacific. Mention if you've played before or if you want to Overplay.

Feel free to have some breakfast while we play. Talk about the game with the #SundayAMSwords . Read more at http://www.worldswithoutmaster.com/blog/2014/7/14/sunday-morning-swords if you're curious!
http://www.worldswithoutmaster.com/blog/2014/7/14/sunday-morning-swords

Is there anyone in or near the UK who could run a game for me to see how SWM works?

Is there anyone in or near the UK who could run a game for me to see how SWM works? I'm keen to run it myself but would appreciate a guiding hand.

Sunday Morning Swords

Sunday Morning Swords
#DayOfTheDeadEdition  

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 EDT to start the last group. We'll do a Pacific time edition today as well.

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

November Challenge!

November Challenge!
http://www.worldswithoutmaster.com/blog/2014/10/24/november-eidolon-simulacrum-challenge

I'll be missing the next two weekends of #SundayAMSwords due to travel and conventions, but don't let that stop...

I'll be missing the next two weekends of #SundayAMSwords  due to travel and conventions, but don't let that stop you!

Also, if you happen to be going to Metatopia, we should try to put together a live Sunday Morning Swords!

Built upon the innards of some ancient machine...

Built upon the innards of some ancient machine...

How would you tweak, hack, take away from, or add onto Swords without Master to play a game of Fantastic Four,...

How would you tweak, hack, take away from, or add onto Swords without Master to play a game of Fantastic Four, X-Men, or Avengers style comic book action?

I can think of a number of aesthetic tweaks I would make, just to keep a handle on tone and theme at the table. Glum and Jovial would be Iron and Gold (purely aesthetic, as I said), and I'd rename the phases a little (Rogue Phase is the Heroic Phase, for example). 

I can't imagine Morals or Mysteries needing any changes, as superhero comics are full of morals and mysteries as it is.

Share your ideas! SwoM is already a really decent engine for superheroics (as Tim Franzke's GotG idea basically indicates), but I'm curious what dials we could tweak to really focus the playstyle.

Necronauts

Necronauts
#OctoberChallenge

Eidolon or Simulacrum:
http://www.deviantart.com/art/The-Astronaut-s-Tomb-193767385

Floating as if untouched by gravity, the necronauts haunt the strangest of structures left from the old world.

They are ancient corpses wrapped in space suits that, when awoken,  seek to free themselves of this forsaken planet. They are purposeful in their actions, but mindlessly disregard the safety of those around them and will work to efficiently eliminate any who stand in their way. 

Thunders: Dust, debris and random objects begin to float as if weightless. Ancient klaxons and warning lights suddenly coming to life.

As seen on #SundayAMSwords
http://www.deviantart.com/art/The-Astronaut-s-Tomb-193767385

The Saffron Queen

The Saffron Queen
#OctoberChallenge  

Eidolon: http://www.city.funabashi.chiba.jp/kids/work/0007/p000477_d/img/002.jpg

Inscrutible behind her faceplate, The Saffron Queen dreams her dark dreams and charts her dark plans. Commanding the ancient might of ages past, she seeks to shape the future in her own image.

When ancient magics surface, can the designs of the Saffron Queen be far behind? Her minions, constructs, automata, and fleshier servitors scour the world, seeking the secrets of the past that lie long buried. It is said that all who have gazed upon her unshielded face have withered to ash at the sight.

Jovial becomes Poisonous when the Saffron Queen is present.

Thunders: Still-smoking bootprints burned into solid rock. The high-pitched buzzing of ancient devices.

As seen on #SundayAMSwords
http://www.city.funabashi.chiba.jp/kids/work/0007/p000477_d/img/002.jpg

The Price of Sorcery.

The Price of Sorcery.
A Tale Told in Sunday Morning Swords

Link to opening simulacrum: http://www.artstation.com/artwork/white-castle-1632dfa5-bce0-45ac-9fc4-d752b68591f6

Gammon blathering excitedly. “This was the gateway to the heavens. They brought back magic—and its price!” Umsa holding the lens of an ancient lighthouse aloft. A green light from the tower’s peak—a glowing beam from tower to lens, to a circle of green against the clouds.

The lone sentry joined by numberless fellows. Dario brandishing the symbol of ancient sky-travellers: http://www.soviet-power.com/pictures/KOL-5-11.jpg Gammon leaping “No! They fought in the Frigid War!” Gammon levitating towards the tower—riding the light. Umsa’s mighty steed Petril deflecting sentries’ crossbow bolts. Umsa falling to the ground.

Umsa & Dario bound to telephone poles with electrical wire. The sentries’ yurts and bonfire. Above, Lizard creatures chasing green light in the sky (like flying cats). Dario’s haunting whistle distracting enemies.

Dario & Umsa climbing the vines to the cockpit. Inside, strange chairs facing the heavens. Gammon, stripped of robe, carving ancient equations into his own skin. “The first price of magic is blood.”

A trapdoor in the floor of the small room opening. Below it, the distant promise of twinkling lights across a gulf of darkness. A thick white glove emerges—a bulky suit—a glass helmet, skull within: A Necronaut! Necronauts floating free of gravity’s shackles. 

Umsa & Gammon falling into the gulf of darkness. Dario clinging to the trapdoor’s edge. Dario and the box, adorned with yellow circle and three black trumpets. What did the ancients find which needed to be contained? A massive rumble from below.

Umsa seizing metallic arm and hurling up toward Necronaut, shattering cockpit. Green lizard winged things settling and chanting around a broken cockpit. Gammon at the bottom, dancing on a panel of lights. “My god, it’s full of stars!”

Petril lowering a vine for Umsa & Dario to escape. The bloom of green fire from beneath the tower. Gammon riding the gateway to the heavens.

Our players: Emily Care Boss  as Umsa, Miguel Zapico  as Dario, Epidiah Ravachol  as Opverplayer, me as Gammon. #SundayAMSwords  

Our virtual tabletop: https://docs.google.com/drawings/d/1ekxaJRoG-XFfr2N9cTxEGFoTX-CXJfyD0-O1jnbNOe0/edit?usp=sharing
http://www.artstation.com/artwork/white-castle-1632dfa5-bce0-45ac-9fc4-d752b68591f6

Sunday Morning Swords: 26 October 2014

Sunday Morning Swords: 26 October 2014
#TofuScramble  

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 tofu scramble, 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

From the recent Shut up & Sit Down news section. Check the bolded bit!

From the recent Shut up & Sit Down news section. Check the bolded bit!

AND FINALLY! Last week we mentioned that we loved the sound of upcoming miniatures combat game Conan: Hyborian Quests, but it turns out that an older Conan game, 2009 strategy title Age of Conan, is getting a new lease of life on Kickstarter.

You should care about this because as part of the Kickstarter the game's new publishers are creating a new, boxed expansion, Age of Conan: Adventures in Hyboria. And you should care about that because the expansion will come with a mood wheel, determining whether Conan himself is happy, melancholic, angry or that one mood where your friends want you to come out but you can't be arsed but you KNOW that if you do go out you'll have a good time.
http://www.shutupandsitdown.com/blog/post/games-news-131014/

Some great pieces for #sundayamswords

Some great pieces for #sundayamswords

Originally shared by Mark Delsing

Some great post-apoc-ish imagery amongst the other random brilliance here.

And that Rambo poster is pure gold.
http://abduzeedo.com/mesmerizing-illustrations-yuri-shwedoff

I wrote a love letter to Swords Without Master.

I wrote a love letter to Swords Without Master. I am sure I missed something wonderful about it, though, so go set me straight!
http://keithstetson.wordpress.com/2014/10/24/why-i-love-swords-without-master/

I just realized--I followed this guy on DeviantART a while ago, and his works are FILLED with eidolons/simulacra.

I just realized--I followed this guy on DeviantART a while ago, and his works are FILLED with eidolons/simulacra. Browse to your heart's content.
http://chris-garrett.deviantart.com/

Going back on my word to get all three of them in here.

Warmer or cooler colors?

Warmer or cooler colors?

(Last poll on the topic, I swear.)

Let's say, for the sake of argument, that you were designing the back of some cards for a game of murder and sorcery.

Let's say, for the sake of argument, that you were designing the back of some cards for a game of murder and sorcery. Which of these would most appeal to you?

Sunday Morning Swords

Sunday Morning Swords
#CarryOnEdition

Good morning!

Here is our gathering point. 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 Eastern 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.
http://www.worldswithoutmaster.com/blog/2014/7/14/sunday-morning-swords

Do not even think about using this as your eidolon or simulacrum. Just don’t.

Do not even think about using this as your eidolon or simulacrum.  Just don’t.

Tigtone - "The Begun of Tigtone"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-J3nJerAyQ

Y'know, SWM would make a great RPG for playing a game inspired by a concept album.

Y'know, SWM would make a great RPG for playing a game inspired by a concept album. You have ready-made eidolons/simulacra that have a sort of unity to them, and concept albums in particular are heavily about moving from one mood to another.

"Combat in 15th century armor"

"Combat in 15th century armor"
Lest you think heavy armor makes you slow or stiff! It seems the main trade-off is the stamina required before tiring.

This reminds me of a book I read where a modern man was transported to the 15th century, and observing some knights sparring on horseback, was amazed at the speed of their sword strikes and parries. He realized they train daily, for years, and get quite skilled at swordplay and moving in armor. A slow knight is soon defeated, after all.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hlIUrd7d1Q

I shall be away again this weekend and unable to play #SundayAMSwords

I shall be away again this weekend and unable to play #SundayAMSwords . That is, of course, unless I can get my mother-in-law to play a game on her birthday. She is saintly, but perhaps not that saintly. Carry on without me, rogues! And I shall soon return.

Our Record of Sins and Troubles

Our Record of Sins and Troubles
#OctoberChallenge  

A book cast in bronze, everchanging when no one's gaze is upon it.

Written by a lost colony of exiles, Our Record of Sins and Troubles is an account of their plight and crimes that are too terrible to speak of but too vile to let pass unremarked upon. They bound the record in a bronze book and hid it deep within the ground where it calls out to wanderers, seeking someone to unburden itself upon.

Seeker of Our Record (Glum Mark)—The sibilant whispers of Our Record reach out through the earth to invade the unquiet mind.

Thunders: Books, scrolls and other writings going missing when they are most needed. Strangers confessing their sins to any who will listen.

It looks like I'll be traveling this Sunday morning and will be unable to join you fine rogues for #SundayAMSwords...

It looks like I'll be traveling this Sunday morning and will be unable to join you fine rogues for #SundayAMSwords  this week. I leave the tradition in your capable hands.

I must admit to being a little jazzed about the new poll feature on Google+, and it's got me pondering uses for it...

I must admit to being a little jazzed about the new poll feature on Google+, and it's got me pondering uses for it in the community.

*Once upon a #SundayAMSwords *

*Once upon a #SundayAMSwords *

Link to opening simulacrum: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/368943394447008467/

Moving through successive townhouses to gain admittance to the Oracle. The supplicants pleading for insight. Peeled feather-like strips of living tissue used as strips of divinatory wisdom. Gammon hearing the whirr of fans and hard drives. The smell of small burnings. Lord Malivrax adorned with trophies crafted of ancient, forgotten baubles.

Yakoné’s finger to the Oracle’s beak: “What gives you the authority?” The peeled feather wrapping Yakoné’s eyes. “The powers that made your tattoo inks have empowered me.” Blindfolded Yakoné swinging axe devastatingly through the supplicants. Blood feeding grooves and carvings on the ground. Lord Malivrax cradling a fallen attendant. Yakoné cocooned by the wings of a bird-like Oracle. “Wizards are at least honest in their evil—priests couch theirs in pretty lies.” Backhand shield-punch to the beak. The peeled skull, freed from its wrappings, proving too fragile. Glowing yellow liquid oozing from the shards.

Yakoné’s climbing up the statues and rotunda—Gammon on back, Malivrax hanging from axe. Blood nearing the whirring machine. Gammon abseiling down voltmeter wires—grabbing drives and motherboards before sacred spirits of volts and fluids, launch another battle in their war eternal. Lord Malivrax on ladder platforms. Guardians fall before the never-bending light. Malvrax falling into a crowd of angry cultist arms. Escaping, but at cost of another armor chunk.

Yakoné peering at the glowing yellow and purple mist within Malivrax’s chest cavity. The supplicants reverse engineering the Neon Knight from a trophy taken from his armor. Gammon communing battery and motherboard and else. “It doesn’t work. I failed the rites.” The device forgotten for weeks.

Weeks later, we stand over the just-defeated corpse of the goatsucker: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/368943394447008459/

A muttered three-syllable sound from the forgotten device. An amalgamation of armor pieces, bits of skull, a single wing: The “little brother” Neon Knight, come to best his progenitor. Gammon enveloped and snipping from within. Glowing yellow fluid burning runes into Gammon’s face. Lord Malivrax drawing and facing the mockery. Will it be strong enough to end his tenure as the last Neon Knight? Staring. Raising swords. Charging. A single pass. The mockery falls.

Speaking the ancient funeral rites over the pyre. Reattaching the bit of armor. Ruins of pyramid and tower, palace and stardust ahead. Arguing over which type of music to conjure from the motherboard.

Link to the virtual tabletop: https://docs.google.com/drawings/d/1BCoxp7iwsW9078hyApINLLiRrGPcd_woY8ujg8RWmB8/edit

Players: Epidiah Ravachol  (Lord Malivrax), Jim Crocker  (Yakoné), me (Gammon), Keith Stetson  (Overplayer)
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/368943394447008467

Sunday Morning Swords: 5 October 2014

Sunday Morning Swords: 5 October 2014
#Hashbrown  

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

Came up with an amazing new hack brainstorm...this is after seeing an RPGGeek thread about playing as robots.

Came up with an amazing new hack brainstorm...this is after seeing an RPGGeek thread about playing as robots.

Rogue Robots (or something like that)

Moods: Mechanical (harsh, forceful, technological, powerful) and Emotive (human, cheery, gloomy, agitated, surprising)

Rename "Feats Heroic" to "Subroutines". Use lots of spiffy sci-fi eidolons and simulacra.

Sharing again for ocober challenge

Sharing again for ocober challenge

Originally shared by Lenny Pacelli

Perils: Carumuri
It is known that several citizens from the city of Splendors are afflicted by a singular sickness: The Carumuri.

Like a plague, those demonic parasite infest their host's body till they are strong enough to leave. Those who bear the plague are marked by a languid look, like melted flames.

Thunders
Jovial - behind a door a man screaming in pain, and soon after a frenzied scratching on the door.

Glum - people dancing and feasting in a public garden, but their passion and euphoria it is ephemeral. On their faces they carry the cumbersome shadow of their inescapable destiny.


(It is the first time I try to do something like that, forgive me if it is lame!)

October Eidolon & Simulacrum Challenge

October Eidolon & Simulacrum Challenge

Let's build our own Book of Perils. Monsters!
http://www.worldswithoutmaster.com/blog/2014/9/29/october-eidolon-simulacrum-challenge

Hacks, Reskins & Descendents

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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

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

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!

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.

Here's the final pictures!

Here's the final pictures!

Originally shared by Andy Hauge

I made a thing! #SwordsWithoutMaster  

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.

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

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

#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

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

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

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.

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

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

#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

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

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.

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)