USR Sea Encounter Mechanic

In this post I talk about how I've hacked together sea faring rules for my USR Sword & Sorcery campaign utilizing Sailing on the Seas of Fate by Chaosium and Zack S's Wavecrawl Kit.

I've modified how I roll for daily encounter in the following way; for every week of sea travel I roll seven d10's. Only events which get 2 or more results are considered and will come up in play sometime during the week. 3 to 4 matching numbers mean the event is significant and watery doom could be at hand.

The ten event categories are also further subdivided if they spurred decent ideas, but I have to say, custom tables for your game world are a lot of fun. But they take some time to lovingly craft. Fortunately the internet has all these resources available to help you out. Like the products I mentioned above, there are literary thousands of free PDF's available online which can help you make your own gaming tools.

BRP World of Xoth

If I ever run another group of PC's through a Sword & Sorcery campaign I think I'm going to go with Chaosium's Elric!. I'm sure I would modify it with mechanics from the BRP Gold Book, mostly with defining the magic system, but for the rest of it; gritty combat, incredible stunts, fearless dimension hopping, etc., I think the rules set gets the job done.

I could recycle my World of Xoth campaign material for any Heavy Metal minded troop of PC's who want to turn their sword swinging savagery up to eleven. The flexibility of Chaosium's mechanics makes it possible to craft your own brand of Sword & Sorcery. You really can conjure any world of post-apocalyptic or pre-cataclysmic savagery and super science your imagination can devise.

I don't care about no stinking hard drive crash

So yeah my desktop crashed, and all the files scribbles, memos texts downloads pics I've harvested since I found you all her in the OSR is gone. All the story threads, rewritten adventures campaign material for current and never to be played games vaporised. And I don't give a shit. Unlike every other aspect of my life where the data, the material needed is stored and handled electronically RPG's I make or purchase I have to make manifest in some printed or bound copy.

I may not have all the material I've accumulated on my hardrive because if it didn't seem relevant at the time why print it out? If a game situation makes sense for said slumbering material I'd just print out the pdf out on my printer lick-edy split. So yeah, it isn't all there.

But I have three ring binders bulging out my bookshelves of the game material I would love to run or am currently running. Once again this OSR DIY push, this open free range field of awesomeness which you all throw around for pennies, if not for free, lets me just try and run a good game after work without sweating the small stuff.

I did have to buy a new printer a couple of months ago. The laser jet from my previous business finally gave up the ghost after numerous print odd page range flip print even page range all nighters. Not ashamed to say alot of that toner burn was spent on old D&D modules but I wanted to make sure I wasn't missing the point. The point being that my hasty scribblings backed by awesome content/blog/osr posters will give me more game material on a daily basis than I can shake a dead, mummified finger at.

And the best stuff has been hand skinned and drying in my book racks. Hats off to you all gents.

BRP Low Fantasy Campaign Idea cont.

Continuing the class descriptions from last post;

1.4.1.5 Gladiator; you have lived your life in a cage only to be released so as wagers can be placed on whether you will live or die in a blood soaked arena.
Common Skill Bonuses: Perform +25%
Advanced Skill Bonuses: Melee Combat +25%

1.4.1.6 Merchant; dangerous is the Bolfian Silk Road, but the riches to be had make dealing with the mysterious desert peoples draws the determined and the foolish to attempt it.
Common Skill Bonuses: Bargain +25%
Advanced Skill Bonuses: Choose either Navigate, Appraise, or Technical Skill(various) at a +25%

1.4.1.7 Thug; a hired hand, the muscle to protect life and property. Or steal it.
Common Skills: Hide +25%
Advanced Skills: Climb +25%

1.4.1.7 Ranger; a poor, mud pounding bastard who has to sleep outside.
Common Skills: Sense +25%
Advanced Skills: Track +25%

1.5 Skills

1.5.1 Choosing Skills

1.5.1.1 You are allowed to chose three additional skills at the base rating.

1.5.1.2 You may now spend skill points to increase any of the character's starting skills in the following manner; one skill receives a +75% bonus, one skill receives a +50% bonus, and one skill receives a +25% bonus.