A rally and an announcement:

A rally and an announcement:
Henceforth at 9 AM Pacific time (noon Eastern), I'll make a post here for Sunday Morning Swords. Reply to that post if you're around, and I'll invite you to the hangout! That way you don't have to get up quite so early. At least few people said they are interested for next week, so I expect we'll get a game on then.

If at least two people want to play today, I could still play.. Comment below before 9:30 PST! Otherwise, see you next week.

Also here's a peacock girl.

2015 Jan 4 (Gammon)

2015 Jan 4 (Gammon)
“Sacrificed to the Vul-Twin”
A tale of _#SundayAMSwords_

A raucous celebration of the New Year. Frogfolk throat-singing the songs to the first moon of the new year. Taryb, in gilded cage, bearing a sea green sash with salt-encrusted lock. Frogfolk winching the gilded cage up a massive pole towards the moon. At top of pole, a massive vulture with two snake heads: THE VUL-TWIN!

Gammon, drunk, singing the true song of the moon that he learned on the moon. The Scythian climbing the pole to rescue Taryb. The two snake-heads menacing Taryb from either side. She is (nearly) eaten from both ends, like a long piece of spaghetti. Taryb’s flute, bringing slumber to all who hear. The sleeping, massive snake-heads twisting and wrecking the cage.

A caravan of ancient homes, sleek in form, lugged on crude wooden wheels. The caravan leader Abra, a stout woman with curly red and silver hair. Abra plying Taryb with vermillion liquor. The Vul-Twin’s shadow across the moon. The stars are wrong, and the moon moves in the wrong direction! The workings of heavenly bodies are amiss.

The Scythian, awaking in comfort, crawling to the front of the caravan. Abra bears the signs of serving the Frogfolk. 

Gammon, examining the treasure room. Disdainfully breaking a carved wizard-whale. Gems of successively larger sizes, the last filled with life. Within the gem, two tiny snake-heads and a pair of wings stirring. Gammon lifting the jewel-egg. Look with your eyes, not with your hands!

Frogfolk clinging to the outside of the caravan. Lashing at Gammon with sticky tongue. Gammon eaten from one end, like a long piece of moon-person. The frogman biting off more than he can chew.

Flashback: Beneath the sea, a meeting of frogfolk and wizard-whale. What morsel would the gods of sea and slumber offer to the frogfolk? Taryb, of course.

In the caravan, Abra bears a salt-encrusted key, a relic of the gods of the briny deep. Only it will open the lock ‘pon Taryb’s sash. Taryb chokes Abra with the sash.

The Vul-twin lands, menacing Taryb and Abra with venom-dripping fangs. The Scythian lifting Abra as an offering. Taryb refusing to let her go, even as she is swallowed. Why wouldn’t Taryb let go to save herself from the Vultwin?

Massive frogman with wicked trident chained to wrist. A hurl towards Gammon’s heart. Deflection, and Gammon running up the chain. Enraged, the frogman’s fury brings its own trident back on itself. The jewel-egg falling and shattering. Beware that your victory is not so extravagant that it robs you of  your prize.

The Vul-twin strking at The Scythian. Guardian moon shattering in defense. The other head, swallowing Abra, Taryb, The Scythian all. Taryb diving down the throat after the key. The Scythian’s sword, beheading the beast from the inside. Taryb, The Scythian, and the head fall to the ground. Corrosive venom dissolving the skin, leaving them in a cage of snake-bone, like the gilded cage.

Players were Epidiah Ravachol​  as Overplayer, Aaron Feild​  as The Scythian, and Keith Stetson​  as Taryb and me as Gammon.

Link to virtual tabletop: https://docs.google.com/drawings/d/1kTdqrtZhkuXLiFiY_pkoCcuRvY1iCvw8Wb4z7lqEUCs/edit?usp=sharing

Sunday Morning Swords: 4 January 2015

Sunday Morning Swords: 4 January 2015
#RingingInTheNewYearEdition    

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 EST 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

There's been some redesigning going on at WorldsWithoutMaster.com which included giving each of the games that have...

There's been some redesigning going on at WorldsWithoutMaster.com which included giving each of the games that have graced the ezine's ethereal pages their own splash page.

Check them out:
A Scoundrel in the Deep: http://www.worldswithoutmaster.com/a-scoundrel-in-the-deep/
Enter the Avenger: http://www.worldswithoutmaster.com/enter-the-avenger/
Sorceress Bloody Sorceress: http://www.worldswithoutmaster.com/sorceress-bloody-sorceress/
Swords Without Master: http://www.worldswithoutmaster.com/swords-without-master/
_Wolfspell:_ http://www.worldswithoutmaster.com/wolfspell/
http://www.worldswithoutmaster.com/swords-without-master/

Oh yeah.

Oh yeah.

Originally shared by Josh Mannon

Artist: http://www.artstation.com/artist/renfray

Ht trey causey

So I've run Swords twice now, and after the last one, one piece of advice that my friend and longtime...

So I've run Swords twice now, and after the last one, one piece of advice that my friend and longtime multiple-system GM Jon gave was to put together a kit with everything needed to play, as having feelies helps get you in the right headspace.

I have a list of things to include, and would like suggestions for other things I might have missed, as well as any thoughts on form factor to carry the thing around in.

» Rogue Sheets
» Full print copy of the rules
» Phase quick reference sheet
» Glum die
» Jovial die
» Overtone card, two-sided
» Moral cards (Marked as such)
» Mystery cards (Marked as such)
» Motif cards, bullet points marked
» Title cards, oversized
» Floating Rogue Trick card, oversized
» "A tale of..." cards (One of each genre)
» Blank index cards
» Writing implements
» An art book or two
» X-Card

I recently ran Swords Without Master for my home group (first time running; I'd played once before at a con).

I recently ran Swords Without Master for my home group (first time running; I'd played once before at a con). It went pretty well overall, though I had a few too many players (which is a pretty good problem to have) and allowed the game to get a little too bogged down in building the mythology of the world. But mostly it was incredibly fun.

I let the players choose their eidolons from the art cards from Everway, which seemed to suitably inspire the players. It may have worked too well, in my case, as I kept looking through the cards and imagining new rogues I wanted to play. Now it's unlikely that any of my players will want to GM (OP?) Swords any time soon. Not until I run it a few more times, at least. And I don't currently have the technical capability to get in on some of those exciting Hangouts games. Which brings me to my question: Has anyone ever tried running Swords without an Overplayer?

It seems like it wouldn't require too much hacking to work. Slightly tweak how to end the phases when passing dice, require the player it is passed to at the end of a phase bring the Thunder and choose the next phase. In the perilous phase, rogues without the dice show their rogue slipping and struggling but also have the responsibility to increase pressure on the rogue with the dice in some way. Maybe some rules about how other players have to describe your named foes or the dangers to your other named stuff. A little tweaking of the Discovery Phase (whoever you ask your loaded question of gets to describe something they know or discover and ask a loaded question of someone else next?). And so on, like that.

So my questions: has anyone tried this? If so, how did it go? Whether you have or not, do you see any potential pitfalls or problems? Any other ways you would tweak the rules, subtly or broadly?