Tonight we get to sit down and talk with Benjamin Loomes the creator of Syrinscape.
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Today we did 3 stat blocks each from 3 different Genres. Enjoy
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A few different ways to organize your Story elements in your game.
Zendead- Going to draw up a few other locations
Joules- A sicky Joules gets a pass here. She promises to have something dark and creepy for you all next time.
Nulloperations- Idea submitted by Dakota Lewis
The Wings of Amdalor
Have you ever wanted to see the world? Like…all of it? With the grace of donning these earrings and giving them a tap you’ll be whisked away to a bird’s eye view. Enjoy the breath-taking view afforded to young Icarus, as you linger in the sky and see the never-ending horizon of the world.
Caution! The Wings of Amdalor does not grant the user the ability to flight. Like young Icarus’s melted wings, you too will plummet to the ground, and shall make fast friends with its firmament. Tapping the earrings again may afford you safety from the situation as you are brought once more to an amazing height where there too shall you fall once more downward bound in an endless cycle of madness and fear.
The Wings of Amdalor. See the World, forever, until the world takes you.
Order with caution. All purchases recorded and authorities will be notified.
Comely adjective come·ly \ˈkəm-lē also ˈkōm- or ˈkäm-\
Definition of comely
1: pleasurably conforming to notions of good appearance, suitability, or proportion
2: having a pleasing appearance : not homely or plain
Sidebar
Although comely is now typically used to describe the appearance of human beings, it was once used more broadly of other appealing things, such as fine clothing. Comely can be traced back to an Old English word meaning “lovely, glorious, or fine.” If you’re looking to pretty up your prose or poetry with additional words meaning “beautiful,” English is well-supplied with them. Aside from beautiful itself, we have lovely, handsome, pretty, fair, good-looking, gorgeous,ravishing, and even well-favored.
Origin and Etymology of comely
Middle English comly, alteration of Old English cȳmlic glorious, from cȳme lively, fine; akin to Old High German kūmig weak
First Known Use: 13th century
Zendead- Up and Vanished Podcast
Joules-Bendy and the Ink Machine, Bendy and the Ink Machine’s Song “Build our Machine”
Nulloperations- Fantastic Beasts and where to find them
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And Thanks to Merriam-Webster for our Lexicon segment
Locations and how they build the setting and give it character.
Zendead-
Davin Boday is the headmaster and virtuoso of the College of the Black Star. Davin has spent many years working on building the college into what it is today. He is an amazing performer that has changed his style a number of times over his life. At present he puts on the airs of a priest. His musical style of lute and song. He got his start in the rough part of town and worked for meals. Now he is sought by nobles and wealthy merchants to play for them. From time to time he has been known to sneak into one of his old haunts and play shows for free. Thou he mostly spends his days teaching with other bards the newest and the most promising students.
Davin is a willowy tall man. His bloodline holds a bit of the elven in it. For he is in his late 60’s but doesn’t appear much over his 40’s. He has blondish colored hair at present, that is long and kept in a ponytail mostly. He wears bits and pieces from many different clergy. He has also taken to wearing a blindfold of muslin with a single eye painted in the center of his forehead.
His lute is something of a legend. It has been with him since he started working as a bard. It is never out of tune and has been hitten by things that should have broken it. How he got this and what it actually is no one is sure of.
Joules- “The Maimer”
Everyone has their standard toolkit. It could be a reinforced carpet bag full of chemicals or a pouch of reagents, a utility belt, or even a walking piece of luggage. It’s become a such part of their being that the individual feels “off” if they forget it. They’ve modded and moulded this piece of equipment to their exact specifications and requirements. It always has what they need and it’s pulled them out of a few scrapes before.
And when someone’s enemy finds out about the toolkit, they now have a perfect attack vector. And this ne’er do well introduces “The Maimer.” How this item is made, no one knows. The creators of this item guard their secrets carefully.
The Maimer is made to look like the target’s toolkit. Size, weight, heft, smell and even the small defects that develop over time are replicated in excruciating detail. Then, based on the buyers request, the craftsman adds that “special something.” It could be anything from a snap trap that will crush a hand, rendering the appendage useless, a psychoactive mushroom derivative cloud that twists a person’s mind, to a localized nerve agent that removes the victim’s fine motor control. The possibilities are endless. But there is a restriction.
The Maimer’s effects are non fatal. They’re designed to be permanently destructive but not fatal. Removing a surgeon’s fine motor control, handicapping a scientist’s mind from thinking clearly, or destroying a chef’s sense of smell. But if you’re thinking that this is due to some kind of kindness or compassion, you’re sorely mistaken. This is the sadist’s weapon. You can only kill someone once, but you can destroy someone over and over and over.
Nulloperations –
The Grand Champion Box Set
No one can back down from a true call to heroism, and the Grand Champion Box Set (figures sold separately) gives any would be champion the chance to show their steel. With this game in hand, you will be able solve any riddle, puzzle, or physical challenge with ease thanks to tokens of magic, injections of serums, or other powerful enhancements users of the game are granted. The Grand Champion Box Set is fun for the entire adventuring party! Draw a loot card to see what lies and misdeeds your allies hide from you. Land on their homesteads and see the broken paths of destiny they have steered you away from. Roll the dice and learn when their sinister plot against you will take place!
The Grand Champion Box Set is guaranteed to lead you down the path of great heroes and tyrants. You’ll learn the necessary skills to survive what your once loyal best friend is going to do to your dreams. You won’t have to put up with the romantic interest stringing you along when your desire for mortal comforts are robbed from you and only the quest remains. The box will see you through, no matter the cost!
Warning, the Grand Champion Box Set comes pre-equipped with guaranteed CURSE-TEK applications, and will magically adhere or medically inject its commands into the owner of the box. Breaking the curse is considered breach of TOS and thus nullifies any warranty or refund for this product.
The Grand Champion Box Set. After all, you are a champion, aren’t you?
Order with caution. All purchases recorded and authorities will be notified.
Narcosis
noun nar·co·sis \när-ˈkō-səs\
Definition of narcosis
plural narcoses \när-ˈkō-ˌsēz\
: a state of stupor, unconsciousness, or arrested activity produced by the influence of narcotics or other chemical or physical agents
Origin and Etymology
New Latin, from Greek narkōsis, action of benumbing, from narkoun
Zendead- OontZ Speakers also Lord Zsezse Works
Joules – Pit People
Nulloperations- Abstract: The Art of Design
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And Thanks to Merriam-Webster for our Lexicon segment
NPC’s how to introduce them and the spaces they fill.
Zendead- Tome of the Dark
Since mankind had developed writing people have written down their ideas, thoughts, and fears. As time passed things that only the darkest dared pen found there way to a small series of folios, pamphlets and scrolls. Over millennia these grew into a collection so large the individual pieces were becoming lost. Some parts told of beings not of the world and ways to call them, or parts of them. These possessed summoners imparted more “wisdom” into the tome corrupting the original.
Now if the tomes is to be replicated it must be done in a single night. Every copy of the tome is handwritten and illustrated with illuminated pages. Preparations to copy this book can take years to complete. Vellum pages made from sources not the nor make for the largest investment of time. Once the book is bound then the summoning occurs. The creature called forth from the other takes over the body of the scribe and over the course of the evening composes the Tome of the Dark. The scribe is usually a husk of their former self for the few unlucky to survive the experience.
Adventure seed: There is a group of magickal persons that want to have many copies of the Tome out in the world so they have been working overtime to collect the pieces to do the summoning to compose over one hundred copies.
Joules- The Screaming Crystal
Whether created by a psychopathic wizard or grown in the lab of a ghost rock addled scientist, the Screaming Crystal is one of the most harrowing things an adventurer can encounter.
The Screaming Crystal is a psychically infused crystalline construct, created by lunatics and madmen. Initially, the crystal is quiet. Unprogrammed. A blank slate. But after enough exposure to an individual’s brainwaves, the crystal starts to corrupt, mutate and grow; absorbing the psyche and mental energy of its victim. The Screaming Crystal then starts to develop a consciousness and a personality. And an appetite.
The Screaming Crystal requires the mental energy of sentient creatures to survive and grow. Initially it feeds off of the mental energy of its creator. Initially the drain on the crystal’s creator is minimal. But over time, as the crystal grows in size and power, the drain increases exponentially. The brilliant yet deluded mind of the crystal’s creator grows weaker. Their personality fades. They become a walking husk. They’re not mindless zombies mind you. They’re just dried up, exhausted. Any remaining mental energy they generate is drained away.
When the crystal’s food supply drains to a trickle, it gets hungry. And Angry. Already in sync with a mind/food source (The crystal’s creator), the crystal starts screaming. Screaming inside the head of the madman who created it. Waves and waves of psychic screeching shatter what remains of the person’s sanity. The lucky ones die quickly under the relentless psychic assault. Those unlucky enough to keep breathing quickly go wild, feral and often will tear themselves apart.
All that remains is the crystal. Alone, starved and full of rage. It waits for its next victim. As soon as it senses a mind, it syncs itself to the poor soul’s brainwaves and starts feeding, starting the cycle anew.
And strangely enough, there are some aberrant minds that can live harmoniously with the crystal. They enjoy the “sound” of the crystal screaming in their head. These rare individuals are quite mad. There have been reports of a brain in a jar who doesn’t mind the sound at all.
So when an unsuspecting adventuring party stumbles across it, you’d better hope that your group has some incredible mental fortitude or is as dumb as a box of hammers. Those of a stalwart mind can resist the shrieking psychic assault and run. Those dense as a black hole are so mentally deviant that the crystal doesn’t see them as food.
So how do you defeat it? The only way is to utterly destroy the lattice that forms the crystal. Smashing simply doesn’t work. It just makes tiny little crystals that can hitchhike inside the advetures gear or clothes. The most efficient way is extreme heat. Lava is often a favorite of adventurers. Some alchemists could reduce the crystal to its component atoms. Some scientists can change the crystal’s lattice to a ring or a chain. Even a portable black holes have been used.
So while out adventuring, remember this. Sometimes the biggest threat to your party doesn’t have to be a huge, lumbering monster or a malevolent AI. It doesn’t have to be some Andrew Ryan type of character. Sometimes a small crystal shard is enough.
Nulloperations-Two Sticks
Simple and elegant, the catalog presents Two Sticks. These small rods appear as normal wooden sticks to the unobserving eye, but in the hands of our fine customers, these sticks become much more. Concealed with unknown magics or advanced technologies (depending on the market conditions), the sticks present the possibilities of imagination made whole. Holding one or both sticks aloft like weapons causes them to become durable, hardened, and incredibly sharp despite their cylindric shape. Attempting to climb them like rungs of a ladder permits upward mobility as the two rods lock into invisible dowels. Why, the sticks are so useful, they can even be used to strike any surface and create the sound of thunder as if they were hitting a sheet of storm metal.
Be cautious though, as while the two sticks are powerful, they should never be used against one another. Impossibly sharp should never meet impossibly sharp, nor should the sticks attempt to create thunder on one another. Such outcomes are not covered under warranty and responsibility is held to the customer alone. Geologic activity should be observed closely when handling.
Two Sticks. More than you bargained for.
Order with caution. All purchases recorded and authorities will be notified.
Biltong
noun bil·tong \ˈbil-ˌtȯŋ, -ˌtäŋ\
Definition
chiefly South Africa
: jerked meat
Origin and Etymology
Afrikaans, from bil rump + tong tongue
First Known Use: 1815
Zendead- The 100 on the CW.
Joules- Twisted Toonz
Nulloperations- Eat the World with Emeril Lagasse on Amazon Prime
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And Thanks to Merriam-Webster for our Lexicon segment
Zendead- Both physical and electronic based on what I am running. Physically I have a notebook and printout of whatever I am running for at the table. Electronically I use a few different things. I make use of Google Docs, Box, Scriviner, a Name Generator app, Pinterest, and a Journal app I also use WorkFlowy. I have 2 new ones I haven’t played with yet called Character Planner and Quest Tracker. I want to figure out how to use Evernote at some point in the future for notes.
Joules- I use a notebook. The back and the front. Front for story notes. Turn it over and start at the back for player actions and possible consequences. A sticky note pad for player ninja notes. Hero lab. It’s a great tool for learning how to make characters and there’s a bunch of cool ways to build NPCs. Additionally, the pdf printouts are awesome. You can go base or super explainy
Nulloperations- OneNote, mostly. I never use physical goods anymore.
Zendead- The Archivist
The archivist is 1 part packrat, 1 part organizer and 2 parts salesmen. The archivist can find or has the actual item you are looking for or has a reasonable facsimile of it. It might seem like any old shop keep or black market op it like this but they are only parts of this person. While it make take time for someone else to get or build the thing you are looking for the archivist has it on hand when you need it.
Her name on the street is Bookworm because she wears glasses. She has all the documents you will ever need to jump borders as well as set up that false front to make you seem like the guy that everyone trusts. The reason is she has found a stockpile of old forms that people have used and are in the processes of phasing out. As old pieces pass out of favor she adds new things to her list and keeps from becoming obsolete.
Joules
Justin – The Voucher
Travel is a difficult task, regardless of location, destination, and chrono-point in the possibility stream; but now the task of arranging your transportation is gone with the purchase of The Voucher. The voucher immediately becomes the ticket, token, currency, or mark needed to identify the holder as a valid rider on a chosen method of transportation. Torn, stamped, or otherwise damaging the voucher doesn’t hinder its ability to provide convincing evidence of the rider’s right to travel. This includes royal parades, funeral barges, secret transportation jets, and more. Enjoy your trip today with a voucher.
WARNING! The Voucher expires immediately on arrival at a destination, and its apparent false nature becomes extremely evident to all those who handled it, including knights, transportation administration, computer security systems, and secretive military agents. The Catalog does not guarantee safety for the user after use of the Voucher, nor are they responsible for criminal charges or incarcerations that may occur.
The Voucher. Here, There, Everywhere.
Order with caution. All purchases recorded and authorities will be notified.
Totem
noun to·tem \ˈtō-təm\
Definitions of totem
1 a : an object (as an animal or plant) serving as the emblem of a family or clan and often as a reminder of its ancestry; also : a usually carved or painted representation of such an object
b : a family or clan identified by a common totemic object
2 : one that serves as an emblem or revered symbol
Totem in a sentence-
The shaman’s’ totem was Otter.
Origin and Etymology of totem
Ojibwa oto·te·man his totem
First Known Use: circa 1776
Totem comes to us from Ojibwa, an Algonquian language spoken by an American Indian people from the regions around Lake Superior. The most basic form of the word in Ojibwa is believed to be “ote,” but 18th-century English speakers encountered it as “ototeman” (“his totem”), which became our word totem. In its most specific sense, “totem” refers to an emblematic depiction of an animal or plant that gives a family or clan its name and that often serves as a reminder of its ancestry. The term is also used broadly for any thing or person having particular emblematic or symbolic importance. The related adjective “totemic” describes something that serves as a totem, that depicts totems (“totemic basketry,” for example), or that has the nature of a totem.
Zendead- This week I have 2 the first is a podcast called Mysteries Abound and the second is an old school Campaign called Night Below I am rereading this gem.
Joules-The Exploring Series on Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/user/ManggMangg They have a good information on Cthulhu, Middle Earth, History etc.
Justin- Howls Moving Castle, Spirited Away
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Thanks to Merriam Webster for Lexicon as always.
Examples of sci-fi and a few of the different versions
Derek – Sadly I did not have time this week to do one.
Joules – All of us are born with a destiny. Be it great or small. But there are those who steal those segments of the thread of fate. Fraying and unraveling the tapestry of kismet. What happens to the world where the hero was smothered in their crib? Or the divine champion embraces corruption? What are the echos of future that never was?
At nexus points in the world, where events of great significance were fated to happen, lie gaping wounds in reality. Holes in the fabric of the world. They appear as rips in the world, filled by an inky miasma. The edge where it meets reality looks like torn, frayed, fabric. The area itself feels almost frozen. Static. There is no breeze here. No animal sounds. It’s as if time forgot to move forward. Or couldn’t.
When someone approaches the area, the stillness is unsettling. The individual feels like they’re treading on sacred ground. Or at least otherworldly. The alien stillness makes the area feel almost sterile. Those who are curious or who know the stories feel drawn to the tears. As if reality itself was reaching out, desperately wanting to tell the player of the days that never came. Of destiny denied.
When the player approaches the tear, tendrils reach out and grab them. Instantly the player’s mind is filled with memories of a future that never happened. All of it. All the joys and sorrows. All the pleasure and pain. All the triumphs and failures. Every moment denied. It floods the player’s psyche, rendering them unconscious.
When the player regains consciousness, the weight of the experience frays their composure. They may become obsessed with the futile attempt of restoring what was once denied. Spending all their time and energy at a futile quest. Or have trouble separating the memories of what is and what could have been. For some, the experience is so great that they eventually become catatonic. But know this, no matter what the player does, his ending is fixed. When the player eventually falls, another tear is created.
You see, the holes cannot be filled. The past can not be undone. But the tear wants to be filled. Needs to be filled. It’s singular purpose is to be made whole. So it steals the destiny of those that approach it in a desperate attempt to stitch itself back together. Ripping other’s threads of fate to suture itself, creating another tear in the process. And It will keep tugging at threads, stealing the future, till the whole world unravels.
Justin
Rhapsody
noun rhap·so·dy \ˈrap-sə-dē\
Definition of rhapsody
1: a portion of an epic poem adapted for recitation
2: archaic : a miscellaneous collection
3a (1) : a highly emotional utterance (2) : a highly emotional literary work (3) : effusively rapturous or extravagant discourseb : rapture, ecstasy
4: a musical composition of irregular form having an improvisatory character
Examples of rhapsody in a sentence
Origin and Etymology of rhapsody
Latin rhapsodia, from Greek rhapsōidia recitation of selections from epic poetry, rhapsody, from rhapsōidos rhapsodist, from rhaptein to sew, stitch together.
First Known Use: 1542
Derek – Pirate Power on iTunes store and on Android
Joules – R.O.M. Read Only Memories
Justin – Nevermine 4 – Minecraft mod.
WE OUT
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Fantasy Settings- Timeframe as well as general tropes.
Zendead-
Maps that are going to go up as a separate PDF
Joules-I was sick today…
Nulloperations-
The Catalog
A cryptic folded over piece of paper reveals a page of the notorious catalog. On it you find the listing for…
The Doom Tent
The apocalypse is typically seen as a once in a lifetime event, mostly because people don’t survive their first go around. But not anymore because the party is not outfitted with their own Doom Tent. This sleek ash grey tent pleasantly houses six to eight individuals with enough food, sundries, breathable air, and potable water to survive in the wilderness for 3-4 weeks. Rain proof, fire retardant, and wind resistant, the Doom Tent is the ideal camping tool, but these pleasant features aside the tent has the unique property of also being Apocalypse avoidant. If properly setup (a process taking 2d12 rounds and requiring a moderate strength and intelligence check, +8 if you kept the manual) prior to an apocalyptic event, the tent will be immune from the outcome of any local or global catastrophic event. Occupants will not contract horrible radiation damage, zombie infestations, or anti-rapturing style activities. Even if the entire planet is atomized the Doom tent will still stay in one piece, as will the surrounding 30 ft. radius of earth, rock, or other material it was pitched on. The tent itself provides a double flap air lock like system for exiting and entering the tent thus ensuring a detoxification or atmosphere returning effect for those coming and going. The Doom tent cannot guarantee survival for those who step away from the tent, and the tent does not protect against moderate level dangerous events. Low level dangers are only afforded a moderate level of protection no more effective than heavy burlap.
The Doom Tent. It’s all or nothing.
Order with caution. All purchases recorded and authorities will be notified.
éclat
noun \ā-ˈklä, ˈā-ˌ\
Definition
1: ostentatious display : publicity
2: dazzling effect : brilliance
3a : brilliant or conspicuous success
Used in a sentence: “ The bard was received with great éclat
Origin and Etymology
French, splinter, burst, éclat
First Known Use: 1672
Closing remarks –
Derek Thundarr the Barbarian
Joules – google feud
Justin – Hogfather Quote
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Modern settings and how different times effect systems.
Zendead-
The Hermit’s Shack- On your travels between locations in the adventure you stumble across this old but sturdy shack out in the woods. Upon first inspection the front of the home appears to be run down but not ruined. Looking around reveals a body or the remains of a body. (Just depending on what you want there to be.) Checking over you see that the person has died in a nonviolent way. Once they start investigating the house they find a well stocked pantry and several common items that could fill in any missing items the characters need. This can also be a place where you can drop clues about things to come in the game at a later point. The Hermit could be a scholar of a topic that the characters are looking into. And now they have his library and journals that they can go through.
Joules
The Dark Muses – Way back in the day, the muses inspired many great things. Paintings, music, poetry, and stories. But the bards are long gone, the canvases destroyed, and white noise has all but silenced the music.
Muses once lived on the energy generated by inspiration. The energy of artistic creation and the energy of the patrons. The performance of a new symphony could sustain them for months. So to survive, the muses would inspire chosen people to create. In the dreams and hallucinations of man, the muses would plant the seeds for great and inspiring artistic works.
But man has stopped dreaming. The artists are as calcified shells; deaf and blind to the muses suggestion. As time passed, muses could no longer feed on the energy generated by great inspirational works. And the muses started to die.
Finally in desperation the muses searched for a way to sustain themselves. And once again in man, they found a solution. Now the muses feed on man’s almost limitless capacity for hatred and conflict. They inspire the rantings of the zealot to his followers. They guide the pen of the mad prophet. They carefully tend the feelings of insecurity and unease between neighbors; guaranteeing the muses several generations of hatred and conflict. They drive scientists to abandon nobler pursuits in favor of developing greater and more deadly tools of war.
So the next time you start to feel, from out of nowhere, an irrational dislike or a drive to do something destructive, the feeling might not be yours.
Justin – The Admirer
Heroism has many rewards; prestige, gold, treasure. Adoration is often an additional boon to those who bring peace and wonder to the realm. The following a hero may garner range from fans, lovers, and those who would seek to apprentice under the hero. These allies represent the worth the heroes have presented to the world and often scale in ability based on the power shown from the deeds of the protagonists. Today, we’re talking about one of these loyalists; the admirer.
Admirers are fans, through and through. They want to be around the hero; to watch them commit new and wondrous acts of heroism and be a part of the legend made real. Their idea of the hero is perhaps far beyond that of the true nature of a player controlled protagonist, and the very act of trying to live up to this ideal might be beyond the scope of what an rpg might permit. But these are the allies that end up chanting the name of the hero into the ears of bards and scholars; who help place the legends into stone for future generations to aspire to.
As much as they aid the hero, they can be burdensome as well. These fans may not be built for survival on the road of adventure. They might lack provisions, clothing, or other sundries that a normal adventure takes for granted. They need their own food, shelter, and other aspects for life but do not mistake them for a pet. The hero who does may find themselves betrayed by the admirer so mistreated. As a fan, they may know the story better than the hero, and as such may bring this intelligence to a rival if threatened or kidnapped.
Fans are more common in modern settings, but even in fantasy they can be followers of the protagonists. Bards and minstrels make for good Admirers to help spread a legend while historians may want to record the defeat of a dire monster. In science fiction, they may show up as wandering aliens or tourists looking in on strange stories they’ve heard about. In the modern world and cyberpunk settings, especially ones in which the players are literal rock stars, they may be actual fans of the party and sing along during the chorus.
But never met your heroes, kids. The Admirer has an ideal form of the hero in their head, and it’s not hard for the players to shatter this concept. Being even mildly rude or disgruntled about their presence can twist an admirer away. Being hostile can have them spread word against the heroes, turning their reputation sour long before reaching new lands. They’re a potential nuisance or a grand gift, if used right, but take care as they are not playthings. Instead, find a place for them in the legend but preferably one that doesn’t make them think they can replace you.
preceptor
noun pre·cep·tor \pri-ˈsep-tər, ˈprē-ˌ\
Definition of preceptor
1a : teacher, tutor
b : the headmaster or principal of a school
2 : the head of a preceptory of Knights Templars
Examples of preceptor in a sentence
<a preceptor at a small English boarding school>
First Known Use 15th century
Derek- Reaper Minis
Joules – Darkest Dungeon
Justin – Lord Of The Rings, The Original Extended Edition Trilogy
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Today we talked about books that need to be in a GM’s Library that are not gaming related but can be used to draw more inspiration from.
Zendead-
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley- How it created the genre of Sci-Fi,
Far Eastern Myth helping to be more inclusive in your games,
Dune by Frank Herbert- How to take existing Cultures and change them into something new that doesn’t look like its Inspiration
Nulloperations-
The writing of Stephen King – King shows you the importance of sub-characters to make a rich world
Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams – Twisting a genre and the importance of relaxation and jokes in the gaming group
The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler – building a mystery, which helps in countless genres
Joules-
YouTube Show – Extra Credits (They go into almost a bajillion subjects in creating video games. Lots can be used for creating your game.)
Fables by Bill Willingham – Characters with existing backstory don’t have to be static.
Books of Fables (Rudyard Kiplings “Just So” Stories, Aesop’s Fables) – Actions have consequences. And they don’t need to be huge and drawn out
Zendead
The Unspoken- The Unspoken are a group of highly trained and specialized warriors for the Queen. They are never seen unless the Queen is threatened and then they appear from the shadows of the throne room. Since the Queen is a widow and has no champion she needed a way to protect herself so so spoke with her spymaster. The result is the Unspoken. They were taken from the finest guard and then trained in a secret location known only to the spymaster. Their membership is secret and very small. They train as a unit of five. There are three units in total that rotate duty. The head of each unit reports to the spymaster and the Queen only. No one has ever seen any of them speak aside from head of a unit. The truth is they has been muted so that they can never speak They have created a unique system of hand gestures as well as faces to convey everything that a normal language can. There is at least one of them that can do spellcasting as well.
Joules
In Little Fears, kids use “stuff” to fight monsters and help save the world.
One of the items is “the all seeing camera.” All the powers aren’t known to the child yet. But they’ll find them
This camera used to belong to the child’s dad. It was a big part of their life from their first breath. It took baby pictures, pictures on vacation, family photos. It held the memories of the family.
The one day, coming home from a wonderful vacation everything changed.
It was dark and it had been raining. Dad couldn’t maintain control of the car.
The child doesn’t remember much after that.
The child went to live with Auntie and Uncle while Mom and Dad were recovering in the hospital. In suburban Massachusetts.
But since they were away from all that they knew, they were allowed to take the camera with them. Taking a piece of home and the happy memories.
It is now fall. And things aren’t feeling right. A whisp in the corner of the eye. A cold breeze. A strange noise.
Well, while doing the “Fall Tour” of the local historic sites with Auntie and Uncle, the kid decides to “be like daddy” and take pictures. Putting the camera up to their eye, getting ready to take a picture of the statue, the child sees something thru the viewer. A skeletal form overlaying the statue. It disappears when they stop looking thru the viewer. Putting it back up to their eye, it reappears. The apparition overlaying the statue notices that the kid is looking at it and disappears.
That’s the initial power of the All Seeing Camera. Seeing the invisible.
The more the child uses it, the more powers that are discovered. The ability to blind monsters with the flash. The ability to have others experience everything the child experienced when they took the picture.
And there’s a special feature of the camera. But a very dangerous one. If things go wrong, the consequences can be death.
The feature is called “save.” What happens is when someone is hurt (no matter how badly), taking a picture of the person heals them, restoring all their health and correcting any negative effects. The memory card in the camera “saves” the damage. However storage devices are finite. And since the crash, the memory card in there was fused in there for some reason. It’s currently unknown how many “saves” are on that storage device, and how much more space is left.
When the storage device is full, all the damage that was “saved” explodes outward, returning the damage to its original owner.
Bones re-break, gaping wounds re-open, and kids rescued from the brink of death find themselves back at the brink, staring into oblivion once again.
The Camera is a useful tool and a powerful one. It can even save someone from dying. But every bit of magic has a cost. What are you willing to pay?
Justin
<pulled>
Penology noun pe·nol·o·gy \pi-ˈnä-lə-jē\
Definition of PENOLOGY
Greek poinē penalty + English -logy
First Known Use: 1838
Closing remarks –
Zendead
Music by The Enigma Tng
Joules
Rip Off! (on Audible) or Mash Up! (on Kindle)
Justin
Ethys Asher – FFXIV Lore
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCs2UQ_EJkAAlzXkcTfDj-2g
Artist is Numa from their self-titled album Numa
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