Showing posts with label Map. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Map. Show all posts

Kobolds Ate My Baby Adventure: Snack Bowl

Posted by: Jason Silverain / Category: , , , , , ,



With 9th Level Games still lacking any support for KAMB beyond their paid content I've continued with creating further adventures in order to support the Kobolds Ate My Baby community.

While Kobolds Ate My Baby in Colour was used to design the encounters the adventure can easily be adapted for earlier editions or for the Home Brew Kobolds Ate My Baby (TG Edition) which is designed for play by post. For clarification like many publications by WOTC's or 3rd party writers italic paragraphs will sections to be read out to the players with alterations if needed while regular text is information for the Dungeon Master.

The maps in this adventure were created with the free online map maker of Ye Olde Map Maker.

Kobolds Ate My Baby Adventure: Snack Bowl


This short adventure is design for between 4 to 6 Kobolds but can easily support additional players in either Player V.S. Player scenario or players as a single team. The game should take approximately a hour to complete depending on how much trouble and chaos occurs, however with additional players this may increase.
 
This adventure contains several rule variants due to its unusual premise however each will be covered in the appropriate headings or after area descriptions.
Finally this adventure has been influence by Games Workshops Blood Bowl and like many KAMB adventures this is a parody work. 

Snack Bowl: Basic Premise

Snack Bowl is one of the few sports that kobolds enjoy been a combination of two of their favourite things, eating and inflicting violence to other critters (with another favourite; mating often taking place shortly after the game.. for the victorious survivors at least).

Snack Bowl is not just popular amongst kobolds as a spectator sport, its not unusual for the crowd to contain a variety of species from Goblins, Orks and Trolls to Humans, Halflings and Dwarves. While not as common various other races have been know to play against the kobolds on occasion.

The concept is simple (otherwise the kobold wouldn't be able to play it) two teams of either usually six to eight players line up on opposing areas of a field, a hollow ball stuffed with either a tasty meal or critter is then rolled between the teams by a referee who signals play to begin.
The two teams battle for possession of the ball attempting to capture it and take it to the far end of the opponents side of the field to score a Chow Down, when a Chow Down is achieved the scoring team gains points depending on what is inside the ball and the scoring player is allowed to eat it (along with anything/one else he was holding when he scored).    

After a Chow Down (and all the fights have been broken up) the teams return to their starting positions and play begins again. The game continues until either A) The games time runs out, B) A team forfeits by running out of players or C) There is nothing left to put in the ball.
It should be noted that C has never occurred when kobolds have hosted a Snack Bowl event partly due to their willingness to eat anything, their inventiveness in find food and finally a willingness to stuff other kobolds not playing into the ball.

Below is a example of a typical Snack Bowl Pitch:


 A: These are the teams dug outs where team coaches and substitute players can watch the game unfold from the sidelines, these dugouts are sunken into the ground with sheltered ceilings to protect them from objects thrown from crowds and kept separate to prevent brawling between the opposing team players (off the pitch at least). The door at the back leads to each teams locker room.

B: The scoring areas for a Chow Down.

C: Typically this is where the ball is placed before teams begin play, though depending what is inside the ball it may move out of place by its own actions.

The area surrounding the pitch is usually the crowd stands making it hazardous for any player knocked or thrown off the pitch. Finally given the scale of the pitch above a kobold can move up to 5 squares with a single move action.

The rules of Snack Bowl

While Snack Bowl at its heart is a organised brawl with the occasional fatality seen as just highlight to the game it does have several rules that enforced with a strong word, an iron stomach or giant tenderiser depending on the referees personal preference on mood.

  1. Obey the Referee for upon the pitch he is as Vor (The Big Red Angry God).
  2. Unless King Torg (All Hail King Torg) says otherwise or Vor smites him.
  3. All Players must have colours of their team clearly displayed.
  4. Teams will not bring weapons onto the pitch.
  5. All spell casting must be done on the pitch.
  6. Substitutions can happen any time and play will continue as they happen.   
  7. No eating the Ball or its contents before scoring a Chow Down, in the case of this the offending players team loses points and a FOWL Ball is declared.
  8. Chow Downs can only be done with the ball or its contents.
  9. If a opposing player is carried into a Chow Down with the ball he may be eaten for a bonus point.
  10. All fighting stops after a Chow Down.
  11. No entering Another Teams Dugout or Locker Room.
There are two final unwritten rules respected and understood by both the players and the fans of Snack Bowl; Firstly 'Its only cheating if you get caught.' and 'If you must cheat make it entertaining.'
Indeed cheating, bribery and dirty tactics are so common place that its really only the more obvious and boring cheaters that are punished harshly.

However even with all the power the referees processes on the field it is still a risky position, while distraction and bribery are common some teams are not above assaulting (and eating) a referee and indeed the crowd can often be a threat if they disagree with a ruling. As a result in some high stakes matches more referees than players are replaced.

A Typical Team

A typical Snack Bowl team consist of the following:

The Coach: Arguably the most important member of the team (or so they claim), responsible for the players training, feeding and that they turn up to the game on time, it can be said that the coach is the guiding hand (or fist) behind the team.

Dinesmen: The thin squishy front line the Dinesmen are named as such for often been the first players to eat another or be eaten themselves. Even in kobold terms the best Dinemen have short but often spectacular careers.

Munchers: Those kobolds with the sharpest teeth, strongest muscles or just lucky enough to find some proper armour survive long enough to become Munchers, their role is to guard the Rollers and the Flingers or to pummel the opponents who have the ball.

Rollers: Nimble, quick and able to focus on something other than food (or at least just focus on the food in the ball) the Rollers are the ball carriers or more often pushers, scoring Chow Downs as they flee for their lives from the opponent Munchers.

Flinger: Occasionally a kobold has some magical talent or a good aim that makes him more useful out of the messy melee, in those rare times the ball needs to be thrown its the Flingers job.The rest of the time they are happy to stand back and chuck whatever they can get their hands on at the other team, the crowd or even the referee.

Depending on the success of the team they may have several additional members of staff such as the all important team chief, various cheer leaders, a mascot or a band for example. Kobold teams or their coaches rarely invest in apothecaries as kobolds often have few people skilled in such areas and there are plenty of eager kobolds waiting for their chance to be a player.

GMing Snack Bowl

Due to its unusual style of play compared to a normal game of KAMB this section is to help give a breakdown of a game.

First of all Snack Bowl is a game of two halves with 8 rounds of play in each half meaning each player should 8 turns per half if there no interruptions. Play is only typically paused after a Chow Down or during a Referees interference e.g. Make a call, punish a cheater, replace the ball etc.

So a typical games flow would be:
  • Initial set-up And Roll Off.
  • 8 Rounds Of Play.
  • Half Time.
  • 8 Rounds Of Play.
  • Optional: Sudden Death!
During Half Time the players leave the pitch as a half time show begins, during this time the Kobolds can rest up, spend personal Victory Points or even substitute to another character.

For those players of a more diabolical nature they may wish to use the Half Time as a chance to sabotage the opponents team, lay traps on the pitch or enact other schemes, in this regard treat this like a normal KAMB game and use your best judgement on how long they would have to enact a plan. If the players are eager to get back on the pitch however don't feel forced to slow the game and just skim over the evens of half time.

On returning to the pitch the teams swap sides before resuming play and the game continues as normal.

Number of Players

A typical game of Snack Bowl requires 6 to 8 players on the pitch for each team, if you have only 3 to 4 players consider having the players control 2 kobolds each.
An alternative is to use the generic player stats for any additional kobolds required on a team and have a alternative player control them each round.

Snack Ball can be played as a Player V.s. Player adventure if your players are feeling competitive though this can make the game take longer so be warned.

The Ball & Scoring

In Snack Bowl the ball is usually stuff with some kind of tasty critter and come in 3 sizes:
  • Small: These grant 1 Point on Chow Down and can be easily carried in a single paw, usually contains a small meal such as a sandwich/mixed salad or a tiny critter like a Chicken, Cat, Giant Rat.
  • Medium: These grant 2 Points on Chow Down and are about the size of a kobold usually containing a critter like a large dog, goat, sheep or pig.
  • Large: Granting 4 points on a Chow Down, these heavy balls are the size of a human adult and need to be pushed (or carried by a Hefting kobold) these contain the largest/tastiest monsters the kobolds can find.      
If left unattended a ball with a critter inside will move 2 squares away from the nearest person except in the case of a big ball which will roll towards the nearest player in an attempt to crush them (treat as a attack from the creature inside).
If a kobold is inside the ball they can only move 2 squares but can direct the ball and use Fast to move an additional 3 Squares and attempt Brawn Checks at a 1 Die penalty to roll free of someone's grip if been carried.

The balls are rather robust but can be broken open with a 2 die Break Roll though each scoring area usually includes various tools (giant nut crackers been favour) that can be used for a 1 die bonus. Should a ball roll off the pitch it will be tossed towards the nearest player by the fans (treat as a Shoot attack).

Finally in order to score a Chow Down a kobold must be holding the ball in the appropriate scoring area for their team even if it is just clinging to the ball as it rolls over them it counts. If a ball is opened after scoring and the critter inside is eaten the team gains points equal to the critters VP (the player still gains VP) however the player could literally bite off more than they can chew if not careful.

For best affect don't let the players know what exactly is in the ball until it is opened.

For ease of use a quick play chart has been included:

Basic Ball Quick Chart
D6 Type Filling Dam Special
1 Big Adventurer Or Bear
4

- Big
- Bulky
2 Medium Dog 2 - Big
+ Bootable
3 Medium Sheep 2 - Big
+ Bootable
4 Small Chicken or Kobold 0 + Bootable
5 Small Giant Rat 0 + Bootable
6 Small Small Starter or Baby 0 + Bootable

 In the all too likely event that the ball is opened or smashed and the creature within eaten before a Chow Down the offending players team loses score equal to the creatures victory points and a FOWL Ball is declared.

During a FOWL Ball four chickens are released onto the pitch, two opposite each teams dugout is the typical pattern but occasionally they thrown in by the crowd of simply released in the centre of the pitch. Only one of these chickens is marked with a small black spot on its breast and counts towards scoring while the others serve as a distraction, should this chicken also be eaten the offending player is tackled by the referees and is placed inside the next ball.
The poor kobold in question now risks been by not only the opposition but his own team mates as well. 

The other method to score points is to Wrassle opponents into the scoring area while scoring a Chow Down, this allows the players to gang up on the unfortunate souls without interference and the team gain a point for each opponent slain and eaten in this manner.
    
If the teams have matching scores by the end of a game then either Sudden Death! begins or a Tie is declared (which can be worse depending on the crowds reaction or their coaches temperament).
In Sudden Death! play continues until either a player is killed causing that ex-players team to forfeit or a Chow Down is scored. 

Cheating

Inevitably someone will cheat but this shouldn't be discouraged (unless they are breaking KAMB rules rather than Snack Bowls), in fact for every unique method of cheating the players succeed at then the first time the player gains 1 VP however they also take a Horrible Death Check unless the Referee is been distracted or bribed in some fashion or they are making attempts to Hide their actions.
 
A quick mind (or +Winning Smile) a silver tongued kobold should be given the chance to save themselves however like in this example:
The rules state clearly that teams can't bring weapons onto the pitch but lets say the crowd hurl daggers at a few players and a ambitious kobold picks one up (or yanks its out the corpse of their buddy) and proceeds to get rather stabby with the opposition. Once the referee catches up if our kobold makes the point that he didn't break the rules as he didn't bring the weapon onto the pitch he should be let off (after turning over the dagger) and a FOWL Ball declared.

Of course such excuses only work once and anyone attempting to cheat in the same way takes an additional Horrible Death Check for each time the cheat has been repeated.

To continue our example our stabby little kobold thinking he has found a loophole in the rules decides to Hide in the crowd Stealing weapons to throw to his friends on the pitch while one of his team Cher distracts the Referee with the left over chicken from the Chow Down and his Winning Smile.

Cher rolls his 7 Ego opposed the Referees 2 Cunning, Cher succeeds with a 5 (2 and 3 on the dice respectively), meanwhile our Stabby friend has been busy and managed to throw two more weapons onto the pitch. The painful whimpers of a kobold been impaled and the crowd booing bring the Referee's attract their attention back to the pitch and they now notice two more armed kobolds on the field.
The armed Kobolds now take 2 Horrible Death Checks, 1 for been spotted cheating and a additional check as this is the second time this cheat has occurred in this match. 

For those kobolds caught cheating there is a special Horrible Death Chart below:

Kobold Horrible Death Chart: Cheaters Never Prosper
D6:
Event
1 Mob Justice!: Your not quite sure what set it off, your obvious cheating, the Ref's call or maybe its just the crowd had finally worked itself up into a frenzy but a horde of disgruntled fans have jumped the barriers and are coming for both you and Ref.
1D6 + 2 Enraged Fans charge for you and the Referee from the nearest Pitch edge attacking anyone who gets in their way, they won't be satisfied until they get their hands on one of you and not even a +Winning Smile will save you this time.

Enraged Fans: 6B, 6E, 6E, 6R/2 Agl / Wrassle / Punch 2 DAM / 1VP
2 Red Card!: With a shrill whistle the Ref slaps you with a troll sized red card, for 2 DAM while you can keep playing your stuck holding the thing.
Red Card: 1 DAM – Big, - Bulky, - Flail.
If you drop the card for any reason, gain 1 Horrible Death Check each round until you pick it up again.
3 Extra Fowl!: Your deed is so dark that its is considered extra foul thus extra Fowl will be needed. 4 + 1D3 Chickens are released onto the field but amongst them is the bane of all kobolds CLUCKY , The Dark Rook. CLUCKY will attempt to kill all kobolds one at a time starting with those that have harmed chickens.

4B, 4E, 4E,15R,/ 5 Agl / Sport / Beak 1 DAM, Egg 2 DAM + Throw / 6 VP
4 Benched!: You don't believe it you've been kicked out the game, some might think that not been squished, eaten or shoved into a ball would be a good thing but this happens so rarely it embarrassing. Lose 4 VP for this shameful way to survive the match.
5 New Ball!: You admit you were distracted, the crowd cheering your name, stomping their feet in approval it was all overwhelming that you didn't even hear what the Ref said or see the ball case until it was too late. Now your the ball and everyone wants to get their hands on you, hopefully it will be someone friendly (and not too hungry) that gets you out.
6 Vor The Big Red Angry Referee!: Rule 1 of Snack Bowl is 'Obey the Referee for upon the pitch he is as Vor (The Big Red Angry God)' but people tend to forget Rule 2 'Unless King Torg (All Hail King Torg) says otherwise or Vor smites him.' Well Vor was watching the today and he has a few disputes to make with the Referee.

Everyone who has cheated in this game rolls a D6 + amount of times they have cheated, On a total of 6 + they are flash fried by lightning along with the Referee, any kobolds that survive gain 2 VP and remove a Horrible Death Check for you have been judged worthy (or not worth the effort) in the big angry gods eyes.


Don't be afraid to make up your own punishments for cheating if the kobolds are caught Snack Bowl Referees tend to be both power hungry and quirky individuals.

Finally typical stats of a kobold Referee are:
4B, 8E, 8E, 8R/ 2 Agl / Bully / Rule Book 1 DAM / 2VP 
If your players are chewing through referees (especially if it literally) then bring on replacements with a bit more clout, I personally like a Minotaur with a taste for kobold using the Bear stats or a large burly Ork and use the Adventurer stat block.


The Pitch & Events

Below is the layout of a blank Snack Bowl Pitch:


While few lairs contain a dedicated Snack Bowl pitch Kobolds are happy to play Snack Bowl wherever there is enough room, so here are some ideas of typical locations and ways it can affect the terrain of the pitch:

Large Cavern: Columns of natural stone block areas of the pitch (and support the roof), stalactites and stalagmites create regions of dangerous spikes, critters such as bats or giant cave spiders occasionally wander onto the pitch. 

Old Graveyard: Dugouts are usually crypts, numerous tombstones or markers litter the pitch and players risk the occasional zombie or upset ghost attack.

Ruins: Remains of walls, doors and stairways make the pitch a interesting mix of different levels for the players to scurry across though often giant rats nest in such ruins which for kobolds are a bonus mid game snack.

If your having trouble of thinking of ideas then a favourite method of mine is to take a handful of dice and drop then in the centre of the board, once they have stopped rolling go round the players one by one and ask them to pick a dice and describe a terrain feature where it landed.

Regardless of the location the edge of the pitch is dangerous, waiting beyond that thin line is the frothing, ravenous horde that make up the fans, any kobold not Sneaking into the crowd and for example is barged into the crowd risks becoming a souvenir or a mid game snack for the fans (usually depending on when they to eat).

Any kobold knocked off the pitch rolls on the following table:

Crowd Control Table
D6:
Event
1
Get Back In There!: A particularly bulky member of the crowd (possibly a incredibly hairy dwarf or an exceptionally fat kobold) pries you from the hungry grasping hands of the crowd hurling you back onto the pitch in the direction you came from 1d6 squares. You and anything you collide with take 1 DAM.
2
Souvenirs!: Barely wriggling free from the multitude of hands tearing at your clothes you make it back to the pitch completely naked and paws empty.
3
Snack Time.: Obviously not enough people brought snacks today as numerous teeth bite into you. Take 5 DAM, each round until you escape with a 3 Die Wiggle or are – Foul Smelling and discarded in disgust.
4
Crowd Surf!: Riding the tide of tightly pressed bodies your tossed from person to person, Roll 1 dies, odds you head left, evens you head right, roll again and move that many squares down the pitch (+2 if you are +Bouncy ). If you leave the pitch entirely then you have been hurled outside the arena and are not coming back this game.
5
Chug Chug Chug.: Tossed left and right it seemed like you would be crushed in the crowd until you impacted with a plop into a food vendors open keg, with the option to drink or drown you drink, which was fine until attempting to climb out you fell into his other open casket. Roll twice on the random alcohol chart and take both effects before staggering back onto the field you lush. Oh and you also found yourself with a giant Foam Finger along the way: Foam Finger: DAM 2, - Bulky, + Pokey (extra square reach)
6
Brown Fluffy Heaven <3: Spinning and tumbling through the crowd you end up in the place you least expected as your tossed over the head of King Torgs (All Hail King Torg) Royale Guard and straight into the fuzzy embrace of his private cheer squad. Gain 2 VP for the confidence boost from their fluffy affection before you retreat back to your dugout next turn. Unless you - In Heat take 2 Horrible Death Checks and if you survive gain 5 VP as you abscond with several of the cheer squad, your not returning to the game but your going to have a great time anyway.

Snack Bowl is know for the random chaos which occurs each game and its highly recommended that if the players get too cocky or the action lulls that you encourage "random" spells striking the field, various snacks and items been tossed on the field or the fields own properties coming to play.

Below is handy quick table with some fun ideas:

Roll Off Events
D6:
Event
1
Multi-Ball: A firm fan favourite, intentional or not 1d6 additional balls spill onto the pitch. Play doesn't stop until all of them have been used to score or opened.
2
Feral Critter On The Pitch: It shouldn't be here but to the players and the fans its just another mid game snack, select a suitable critter for the setting and place in a random Chow Down zone. This critter moves to attack the nearest player or referee.
3
Get On With It!: The crowd growing restless begins hurling items onto the pitch at the players and referee. Each player rolls a Die, on a 1 or 2 an item from the Basic Gear Chart (or any other that catches your fancy) is thrown at them.
Crowd Reflexes: 7.
4
Referee Toilet Break?: Your not sure where they have gone but the referee seems to have vanished. Cheating is unpunished until next Chow Down or ball is needed.
5
Cheer Squad: King Torgs (All Hail King Torg) Private cheerers have begun a small show. - In Heat Kobolds must make a 2 Die check or run towards the crowd.
6
For The Glory Of Torg (All Hail King Torg): King Torg (All Hail King Torg) grows hungry and demands tribute, upon the next Chow Down whatever is inside the ball is confiscated by the Royale Guard to be served to his largeness but the scoring team gains double points.


Character Creation

When creating a kobold to play in Snack Bowl rather than using the Basic or Dangerous! equipment charts in the book please use the following tables:


The Basic Random Sports Gear Chart
D6 Type Armour Hits Special
1 Over Sized Hockey Mask 4 + Bully
- Face guard
2 Bike Helmet 3

3 Life Jacket & Floaties 2 + Bouncy
+ Swim
- Bulky
4 Kids Soccer Clothes 2

5 Jock Strap 1 - Foul Smelling
6 Boxing Shorts 0 + Fonzie
-1 If You Can Sport


The Dangerous! Star Player Sports Gear Chart
D6 Type Armour Hits Special
1 Kids Football Gear With Extra Spikes! 8 + Pokey
- Razor
2 Luchador Outfit 6 + Wrassle
+ Wiggle
3 Ice Hockey Goalie Gear 6 - Bulky
+ Ricochet
4 Cricket Gear 4 - Face guard
5 Adults Football Helmet 3 - Bulky
- Face guard
6 Cheerleader Outfit 2 + Attractive
-1 If You Can Sport


The Basic Random Sports Equipment Chart
D6 Type Dam Special
1 Kids Bike 4 - Big
+ Ride (Move 8)
2 Badminton Racket 2 + Stones
3 Rounders Bat 1 + Bash
4 Soccer Ball 1 + Bootable
5 Boxing Gloves 2

6 Nothing! 0

-1 If You Can Sport


The Dangerous! Star Player Sports Equipment Chart
D6 Type Dam Special
1 Caber 8
- Big
- HUGE
- Bulky
- Flail
+ Long
2 Kids Hockey Stick 4 -Big
- Bulky
3 Metal Baseball Bat 3 + Bash
4 Cricket Bat 4 - Big
5 Tennis Racket 3 + Stones
6 Fold Up Chair 2 - Big
+ Bash
-1 If You Can Sport


The Ranged Sports Equipment Chart
D6 Type Dam Special
1 Crossbow 3 + Arrows
+ Piercing
- Big
2 Bow 2 + Arrows
- Big
3 'Hammer' 3 - Heft
- Flail
4 Shot Put 2 - Heft
5 Discus 1
6 Tennis Ball 0

Use instead of The Basic Random Sports Equipment Chart If You Can Shoot



Item Edges and Bogies

+ Attractive: This item grants the +Winning Smile edge, also wear attracts -In Heat Kobolds.
+ Bootable: This item can be used as a range weapon using a Sport roll.
+ Long: Can strike at foes up to 2 squares away.

- Face guard: You are unable to Bite or Wrassle creatures into your mouth while wearing this item.
- HUGE: This item is so big that a Heft roll is needed not only to pick it up but also to move or attack while carrying it.

Beginning Play


The following paragraph should be read after character creation.

The air is tense in the locker room as you await to begin your first game with the long time Snack Bowl team Tabriz Terrors, around your your fellow kobolds buzz with excitement in the scrabble for equipment and last minute snacks. Tabriz Warlock (& Coach) Supreme watches you all usually that would be bad news for kobold minions but today is different, today you have a chance for food and glory that usually is only scene on the royal dining table of King Torg (All Hail King Torg).
A bell rings and the locker room grows silent, your coach gazes over you all once last time before pointing at you and several other teammates "You Will Be The First.. Do not disappoint me. Now get out there and eat the competition." With a cheer you all rush into the dugout, the sudden roar of the crowd at your arrival rolls over you in a deafening wave, this must be how the king feels as you chant his name in glory.

Now is a good time to quickly go over the basic rules with your players but don't worry too much if its a bit much for them to understand at first, it puts them in just the right state of mind to roleplay their kobolds.

As the teams line up:

As you take the field the crowd lets out another roar as the announcers begin the introductions "I'm Jamie Dodger and with me as always is former Snack Bowl Legend Duncan Bisket. What do you think of the Tabriz Terrors chances today Duncan?" "Well Dodger the Tabriz Terrors look great in their new black and scarlet uniforms but with no star players its really anyone's guess how they will play today. We will have to see if the Warlock Supreme has managed to find another set of kobolds that can take him to the cup finals again. As for the Cube Crushers they look as ready as ever but lets hope they not full before the match again." " True, true but the Crusher could never resist a ooze or jelly Duncan either way it looks like roll off is about to begin." 


From here on you should be ready to play, don't be afraid to add additional rounds to the game if you feel its going too quickly and play fast and loose with the statistics make teams of Hobbits using the Kid (Good) critter stats or Goblins with Kid (Bad), fling spells, have pitch invasions but most of all have fun. 


Stat Quick Reference:

Kobold Referee: 4B, 8E, 8E, 8R/ 2 Agl / Bully / Rule Book 1 DAM / 2VP

Opposing kobold team:

Team Starts with 4 Horrible Death Checks, overall number of checks are shared by the team and is reset to 0 whenever one of the team dies to a Horrible Death Check.
Teams of six have 1 Roller, 1 Flinger, 2 Munchers, 2 Dinesmen.
Teams of eight have 1 Roller, 1 Flinger, 2 Munchers, 4 Dinesmen.   
Generally Dinemen are worth 1 VP, Munchers and Flingers 2 VP and Rollers 3 VP 

Dinesmen: 8B, 5E, 10E, 8R/ 1 Agl / Wrassle / Boxing Gloves 2 DAM / Life Jacket & Floaties 2 Armour

Munchers:  10B, 5E, 8E, 8R/ 2 Agl / Sport / Metal Baseball Bat 3 DAM / Bike Helmet 3 Armour

Rollers: 5B, 8E, 8E, 10R/ 3 Agl / Fast / Rounders Bat 1 DAM / Kids Soccer Clothes 2 Armour

Flinger: 5B, 10E, 8E, 8R/ 2 Agl / Shoot or Lacky / Badminton Racket 2 DAM / Kids Soccer Clothes 2 Armour

I'm hoping to do a follow up post on Snack Bowl with new game types, a few special outfits and unique teams and star players.
If your looking for further adventure then please see my other works Trick & Treat Troubles and Short & Sweet


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Celjorcyl: A Realm Asundered

Posted by: Jason Silverain / Category: , , , , ,


About three years ago now I had the pleasure of playing a Pathfinder game with an old friend of mine and while the campaign unfortunately couldn't be completed we had a lot of great adventures in the setting he had created. Rather than condemning it to the growing collection of old worlds and maps in our files I now release it to you and would love to hear your own in the realm of Celjorcyl.


About Celjorcyl

The Plane of Celjorcyl is a pangea type world beset by smaller landmasses. The year is 1211 and the majority of Celjorcyl is on the cusp of a technological revolution as steampower and electricity become more widespread. This revolution is largely because of a race of Mites to the north, small blue goblin-like creatures who, while surrounded by the glowing rock of their mountains can produce technological, self-repairing marvels. Many Mites work as contractors and engineers bringing technological marvels to towns and cities across Kingsfall, Lockwyren, Orum and Aranyk.

There are many that remember the war of the screw (1127-1139) where Harken invaded Prynml in an effort to acquire technology that could allow them to expand their borders into Kingsfall and Lockwyren. With the Mite artificers enslaved and producing innumerable war machines, the forces of Lockwyren were beaten back and it’s territory resembles that of today.
Harken was forced to split its front in order to fight Kingsfall whilst holding off Lockwyren, with their supply lines stretched and no way of moving production into their new territories Harken was unable push into Kingsfall who at the time sent legions of soldier into Prynml via warboats to liberate the Mites. Sensing defeat, Harken’s forces withdrew from the front lines to protect from an invasion from the north leaving Kingsfall to claim the territory Harken left behind which previously belonged to Lockwyren. An uneasy peace between Harken, Kingsfall and Lockwyren has held ever since, but recently certain events have locked a wedge between Kingsfall and Lockwyren.

Recently expeditions into the continent of Roshansha have met with catastrophic failure and none dare venture from the reasonably safe colonies on it’s eastern coast, many investors are pulling out as the continent continues to yield less and less in both resources and discoveries.


 Full sized image avaliable to view and download here.

Citystate of Orum (Suggested Starting Location)

Notable Locations: The City of Orum, the shrine of Ynnalolrik, the tower of the 3 principles, The Adventurers Guild. 

Laws: No slavery, necromancy, practising of magic/psionic spells/abilities without a license, this includes production of magical/psionic items. Procuring a license is simple enough but requires a person of certain standard to vouch for the individual or from visible acts of public service. True orcs, umbrans or harken refugees are not permitted entry into Orum’s capital. 

Main Races: Human (35%), Dwarves (20%) Gnomes (10%), Halflings (15%), Elves (10%), Mites (7%), misc (3%), no orcs or umbrans. 

Culture: The people of Orum are not afraid of innovation nor magic, here the arts thrive and many countries consider Orum to be the seat of democracy. Established at the end of the war of the screw almost 75 years ago Orum would serve to be a mediator of politics between the nations in peace time where heads of state could congregate from Kingsfall, Lockwyren and Aranyk.
Orum prospers mostly through acting as a trade intermediary for the 3 kingdoms that surround it and as a result, poverty is the minority within the great city walls. A handful of small farming villages also dot the green and rolling land. The people of Orum are mostly concerned with the lives of themselves, their families and those within their village, most Orumites experience a sense of safety as they are surrounded by 3 strong allies. They are somewhat mistrusting of the people of Harken as most all people rightly are but also possess a sense of fresh tenacity and patriotism towards their new country as it has only been founded since the end of the war, this results in a melting pot of different customs and practices. 

Terrain: Green rolling hills beset by frequent water mills, farms, and small but welcoming hamlets. Most of Orum’s land is farmland with the occasional vineyard. 

Forces: The city state of Orum has a considerable army for its size, of which about 80% of it is made up of exemplary forces from the three states that surround Orum, this force is known as the Orum Guard and are responsible for the defense and policing of Orum. Patrols on the main trading routes are frequent but the bulk of the forces are assigned to city guard to keep the peace. 

Notable NPCs: Reginald Knightscourse (mayor of Orum) 

Prized Exports: The art, poetry and wine of Orum are considered the best in Celjorcyl and bards petition from every land to get residency within Orum so they can attend its academies.

The Country of Kingsfall

Notable Locations: Thronereach (capital), Beckenpond, Lenwym’s Peak, Valorwatch, Mercanport, Envoy’s End, Claughport, Nirtenside, Hydra’s Cleft, the council palace (in the capital). 

Laws: Slavery is not permitted within Kingsfall, nor is prostitution, gambling or bloodsports, necromancy is frowned upon but legal. Teleportation magic is heavily policed in Kingsfall, as a result anyone without a translocation permit on them automatically finds themselves subject to dimensional anchoring when entering any of the main cities, DC 24 will save resists, DC 28 in Thronereach. Kingsfall is a pious country and as of such any offensive spells cast by non-officials on the weekly day of worship inflict non-lethal damage instead (concentration DC17 + 2x spell lvl to surpass the effect, surpassing the effect is considered illegal). Duels are commonly used to resolve disputes between 2 parties, death blows inflicted during a duel are considered just and are not normally subject to punishment in the eyes of the law. 

Main races: Mostly humans (85%), Halflings (10%), Half-orcs, Orcs, Elves and Mites make up the last 5%. 

Culture: Kingsfall portrays itself as a nation of chivalry and honor, the majority of the population are poorer folk working menial jobs to make ends meet whilst the nobles of the houses concern themselves with matters of state, politics and ruling their settlement. Kingsfall is not ruled by a single ruler but instead is ruled by the noble houses of its main towns who in turn report to the council of the 5 which hold court in the capital city.
Since the war took its toll 75 years ago the main populous has been severely mistrustful of anyone from Harken, this includes refugees, traitors and exiles alike. There is also much disdain towards orcs as they make up almost half the population of Harken, half-orcs are given a reprieve as they are seen as burdened with living with the blood of a tyrannical race within them and as a result are usually better rewarded when they are seen to do good acts.
Kingsfall is slowly embracing new ideas and technology from the Mites of Prynml, but slowly towns and cities are starting to make use of the technological gifts from the north. 

Terrain: Green and fertile, but most of Kingsfall is wild and untamed with vast forests and sweeping valleys, towards the north east near Hydra’s Cleft the ground is more arid. 

Forces: Each main settlement has it’s own policing guard but lack of single rule means that a wanted criminal could go unnoticed in another town. To counteract this most houses employ a strict rule of their laws and even minor crimes are often handled a bit too heavily. The council of the 5, who collectively rule over Kingsfall, have their own private army called the Knights of the Kingless who maintain a presence along the eastern borders near Harken and Lockwyren also patrol the roads around the capital and police the capital city itself. 

Notable NPCs: Council of the 5 - Harrack Cartwright of Beckenpond, Felicity Ironsight of Lenwym’s Peak, Yurnic Arcanitus of Hydra’s Cleft, Borran Spickenspan of Mercanport and Carla Roseswan of Nirtenside. 

Prized Exports: Mercenaries that have served with the Knights of the Kingless are sought after in all 3 main countries as they are disciplined and dependable. Venison from the Kingsdeer, a breed of magically bred deer by the last King over 200 years ago, continues to be a delicacy in all nations, even Kingsfall.

The Country of Lockwyren

Notable Locations: Temmelhaft (capital), Buntergrail, Wroughtly 

Laws: Slavery and defiling the remains of the deceased are illegal in Lockwyren as are hosting gladiatorial events without a licence. A curfew exists in the more populated towns as funding cannot stretch to better policing. Tight legislation on constructs (both magical and technological) exists due to Lockwyren’s natural distrust of technology. Due to their reduced borders Lockwyren maintains a close eye on whomever they let into their lands usually under magical scrutiny. Also anyone who practices the Psionic disciplines is met with substantial disdain when trying to gain passage into Lockwyren due to the war that Harken waged on Lockwyren. 

Main Races: Mostly humans (85%), elves (10%), gnomes, Halflings, Dwarves and Mites make up the last 5%. 

Culture: Lockwyren is a nation still recovering from war, this can be clearly seen as many villages close to the northern border still stand as empty ghost towns. Though built on a past of strength, prosperity and freedom, since the war ended Lockwyren has become a nation of mistrust; folk spy on their neighbours, guards enforce the law ruthlessly and strangers are given a wide berth.
The learned amongst the population have a natural distrust of psionics as it is the umbrans of Harken who first started practising psionics on Celjorcyl around 300 years ago and it is largely believed that those who practise the Psionic art are related or associated with the abominations of Harken.
As umbrans can pass for human there are numerous accusations of citizens being Harken spies, usually to no avail as no Harken spies have ever been reportedly captured, but naturally they wouldn’t be.
Lockwyrnites also view those from Kingsfall with mild contempt as they feel they have profited a bit too much from Lockwyren’s fall, the common name for someone from Kingsfall is a landt stiehlt (a land snatcher). 

Terrain: Green and fertile, with sparse mountains and desert to the far east, towards the north east the land is wilder and more boggy with dense forests. 

Forces: The Landswrath are the official army of Lockwyren and reside in the capital, Temmelhaft and along the north-western borders. The Lockguard are Lockwyren’s policing force, efficient, swift and detailed in their documentation of crimes. Nowadays the Lockguard are spread a little too thin and banditry, kidnapping and ransom are all too frequent along vulnerable trading routes but despite this their magically reinforced infrastructure means that they can pass on the likeness of anyone to every major town and city in the land. 

Notable NPCs: High-Chancellor Johan Kechlesher, Viceroy Ellis Trentberg, Chief Inquisitor Kiloq Bainfer. 

Prized Exports: Gin, brandy, luxury chocolates and spices. Lockwyren also has a reputation for ornate platemail, this masterwork armour is engraved and made up of different alloys folded between its iron layers providing a more elegant lightweight suit without sacrificing protection. This armour is sort after the most amongst the nobles of Celjorcyl.

The Country of Aranyk

Notable Locations: Dunnahuume, Krak’Heft, Durymirim, Ru, Frollif. 

Laws: Slavery, true orcs and Harken refugees are not premitted in Aranyk, technology that can be seen as lazy is usually frowned upon. 

Main Races: Mostly Dwarves (65%), Elves (20%), Humans (10%), Gnomes, Halflings and Mites make up the last 5%. 

Culture: To the east Aranyk is a green, lush country thick with a singular great forest, but upon approaching the mountains of the mid-west the land turns to a frozen mix of rock and ice. Paths are quickly snowed, hidden and the unwary become prey to both the elements and the indigenous creatures. On the whole the people of Aranyk are stalwart and traditional favouring the tried and tested methods of living over new-fangled technology, any device that makes everyday life easier is usually shunned by the dwarven population as they fear it will make them ‘go soft.’ They do however embrace anything that allows them to overcome limitations. The country in itself has no ruling body nor a capital city, this is the way its always been with the dwarves to the west managing their own affairs in their mountains and the elves to the east in the great forest managing theirs. Theirs is a model of democracy ruling not exclusively by law but by what is morally right. 

Terrain: Cold, rocky and mountainous from the middle of the country to the western coast, temperate and green to the east carpeted by a single great forest with giant trees. 

Forces: No main army, each settlement is responsible for policing its own surrounding lands. In time of need a settlement can petition for additional forces from nearby towns or all of Aranyk is the need is dire. 

Notable NPCs: Graniter Steelstrike forge-master of Dunnahuume, Lady Copperseam of the Ru merchants guild, Far-Watcher Vyllendella of the Watch-oak of Blades. 

Prized Exports: A great number of luxury items come out of the great forest such as honey, silks and exotic fruits. The elves of the east are also known for their craftsmanship with bows and jewelery. The dwarves of the mid-west make the best melee weapons in all the kingdom, their method of tempering the metal is a closely guarded secret.

The Country of Harken

Notable locations: Vricken (Capital), Ortle, Lonnyrtro, Gorohkrok. 

Laws: Slavery is legal in Harken and requires no legislation other than rule of force. In fact the rule of force is used to settle almost every dispute.  

Main Races: Mostly Orcs (55%), Umbrans (30%), Humans (10%), Dwarf, Halfling and Mite slaves make up the last 5%. 

Culture: Harken is a place where the weak, the poor and the complacent are punished and sold into slavery. The people see no finer goal than forcing the lesser into labour so that they can pursue their leisure. The bulk of the people of Harken occupy noble roles such as merchants, artisans and foremen leaving slaves to toil with menial tasks. Slaves occupy about 30% of the population in Harken and upon ascension every Umbran is given a dedicated slave who’s will has been broken and follows their master’s word tirelessly.
Since the war many of Harken see their country as occupied by the backstabbing nation of Kingsfall as it is effectively besieged. Some of the populous have taken to active protest at the nations borders in an effort to peacefully make Kingsfall give up the land that Harken sees as theirs by law as treaties officially dictate that ‘in time of peace forces will return to their homelands and keep no presence in a once opposed country.’ Getting into Harken is almost impossible not only due to the great wall but all attempts to scry or teleport into Harken automatically fail. Harken sees new technology as a path to the future and seeks all means to advance in every way it can.
Needless to say, the people of Harken are severely distrustful of outsiders, more so than they are to their fellow populous. Those with authority are either hated for their iron tight rule or the target of usurpers who desire their role. This has produced a society which is never complacent, every citizen is encouraged and downright rewarded to advance through society by removing those above them or remove those below them who pose a threat. This process allows the most cunning, ruthless and powerful individuals to occupy positions of power. 

Forces: Harken has the imperial reserve, an army of considerable size, they punish incompetence and weakness in their enemies as well as their own ranks. The Knights of the Hand are rumoured to be an elite unit that answers only to the emperor with almost limitless resources, but all attempts to confirm that such a group exists has failed. Harken is also policed by the houses of each settlement, though the law stays the same it is the men and women of these houses who decide how exactly it is enacted. 

Notable NPCs: Emperor Gaiten Tyve, General Yorot Akembcore of the Imperial Reserve, Ambassador of State Felicity Rueborn. 

Prized Exports: The only thing that Harken is famed for exporting is spies, whether this is true or not no-one is saying, possibly due to how tense diplomatic relations are currently.

The Country of Prynml

Notable locations: Thunke (capital), Shurgrod, Blacksands. 

Laws: Unregulated acquisition, distribution or sale of Laszulite is prosecutable by law usually requiring a steep fine, or if a repeat offender, exile. Slavery is illegal in Prynml as is necromancy and also the production of automatons is tightly regulated. The creation or production of free thinking and/or self-aware constructs is illegal in Prynml. 

Main Races: Mostly Mites (80%), Gnomes (10%), Dwarves (5%) Humans, Elves and Halflings make up the other 5%. 

Culture: The mites of Prynml are hard working, laborious and the worst example when it comes to health and safety. Many of their artisans work 28 hour shifts out of passion rather than greed, a popular mite saying is ‘a device of excellent design and sound construction is its own reward when it comes to producing it,’ which sounds shorter in their native tongue. After years of living in their bluestone caverns Mites have become attuned to the influence of Laszulite, a blue crystal seam running through most of Pryml. When in the presence of an abundance of Laszulite an audible hum can be heard, though this never registers on any instrument, for a Mite this allows better mental faculties and allows them to work faster for extended periods without feeling fatigued by the process. Those unlucky enough not to be Mites can still notice a difference Laszulite has on their faculties and Prynml holds tours of its great caverns to tourists from Lockwyren and Kignsfall as a way of further bolstering the economy since the war.
The labours of Prynml has produced a society of free thinkers, a self autonomous government that runs off good ideas rather than legislation which, of course, costs time and money. The people of Prynml seem to always be in a rush and sometimes absent minded, but mostly good natured, even those who hold down mundane jobs often express an interest in tinkering. 

Forces: Mechanical automatons police and patrol Prynml’s towns and cities with unyielding efficiency. Though not entirely self-aware they are able to assess, apprehend and, where necessary, defuse situations. Automatons are also used as Prynml’s bulk army, but these are of a different grade to what they use to police and come in different varieties to fill different roles. 

Notable NPCs: High Tinkerer Trykklegind Master of the Mites and also long titles, Ambassador Diplomacizer 9000, Grulliprunt Kivbyrken of Interspecies relations, Cirrilean Jamklackett of Prynml Intelligence Authority. 

Prized Exports: Any mechanical or arcane device that was constructed in Prynml in the presence of Laszulite. From clocks to constructs, every nation of Celjorcyl looks to Prynml to research, produce and advance technology to an extent that most nations have done away with technological research altogether, usually due to discovering that their discovery was already discovered in Prynml.


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Apology, Updates and Kickstarter Opportunity

Posted by: Jason Silverain / Category: , , , ,



First of all apologies for not been able to log on sooner, my health issues lasted somewhat longer than I thought and I have actually been focusing upon making a rather large post for next month as well as job searching.

While I'm mentioning it next month I'm hoping to post a Dungeons and Dragons First Level adventure for 1 to 4 players with a basic scenario and encounters, I'll also provide a downloadable word document though in the future I hope to make it into a full PDF with proper adventure background and Pathfinder conversions for the characters. While I've had the basic layout adventure written for a few days the Steam Sale (curse its reasonable deals) has made it difficult to find players to playtest it so tonight will be my first run as a solo adventure.

I was going to save this post for next months update but due to the time limit I think this really should be mentioned now.

A young lady named Jessica Goldsmith has begun a Kickstarter to create speciality dice for the visually impaired, initially a way of helping her visually impaired friend gain further independence during play Jessica has design a series of braille 3D printable dice and backers will receive a STL file and/or actual dice .

In addition as the Kickstarter nears its £5000 Stretch Goal Assassin Games has pledged their additional support in this project by offering a discounted download of their upcoming adventure, "The Curse of Hallas Reach".

Upon reaching this Stretch Goal, all backers may add an additional $1 to their pledge and once the adventure goes live, they will receive a coupon for a digital download of the adventure.

"The Curse of Hallas Reach" is a low level (3rd to 6th) d20 fantasy adventure, set in a small outpost in the wilderness. The adventure can be dropped into almost any fantasy setting, but has ties with future supplements to be released by Assassin Games.

There we have it, I would go on but I best be off or I will be late for my playtest.  


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