Dungeon Keeper

One of the games I've been playing virtually non-stop has been the iOS version of Dungeon Keeper on my iPhone. I never played the original PC game back in the day but damn I wish I had. It's so addictive. I think the part I enjoy the most is the building the dungeon as opposed to raiding other people's dungeons.

For the most part I play the game is short bursts through out the day. When I wake up in the morning the first thing I do is check up on the dungeon and give my imps a good slap. I love the smell of imp in the morning! Smells like victory!

The one part I don't like is that everything take so much time. In a way thats good because it limits how much time you could actually spend playing the game. On the other it's annoying when you have a good amount of time on your hands and thats all you feel like doing.

All in all I would recommend this game to people like us who love chucking dice and and crawling through dungeons D&D style. Just remember I said it was addictive, I dont want any emails threatening me with how I'm somehow responsible for you selling yourself on a street corner somewhere for more bloody gems.   

The Aerie Club

This post is part of a series related to the Digital Dark Age, my space opera blogging project. It uses the free version of Stars Without Number as it's game engine, but is designed to be system neutral. You can learn more by searching the Digital Dark Age Index sidebar, or by searching the labels.

The Aerie Club is located in a mega high rise building on the planet Pegasus, in the city of Kardiff. The club caters to the wealthy and elite. Unknown to virtually everyone is that the club is the front for a sinster secret society. Within the glamorous bars, meeting rooms, offices , and luxury suites the the Halo Society pushes forward whatever Machiavellian agenda aligns with their needs. The society was founded by a consortium of men and women who were all once members of various Chimeran special forces units. Those who have never been through the rigours of special forces training are considered outsiders and would never be privy, nor deemed trustworthy enough to what goes on during one of their board meetings. Today, far from the grunts they once were all Society members are elite. High level bankers, lawyers, politicians, CEOs and other executive business professionals. The Society uses much of their past military knowledge and connections to perform a multitude of tasks both legal and illegal in order to bolster their bank accounts, prestige and careers.

 The Society operates through a vast network of cut outs, shell corporations, and other means to protect themselves and their identities. One would find it very difficult to find any kind of evidence linking the Society to any wrong doing, and those that do tend to find themselves dead of accidental causes.  

The Babel Harpy of Marduk

Artwork by J. S. Marantz

This post is part of a series related to the Digital Dark Age, my space opera blogging project. It uses the free version of Stars Without Number as it's game engine, but is designed to be system neutral. You can learn more by searching the Digital Dark Age Index sidebar, or by searching the labels.

The Babel Harpy is found in the mountainous regions on the jungle planet of Marduk. They tend to be night time predators that hunt in packs. One Harpy will use it's song to draw attention to it and to create a distraction while the rest of the pack sneaks up, or swoops in. Generally they try too create a perimeter around their prey and then close in for the kill. Harpy eggs are something of a delicacy and are in high demand in some of the high end restaurants of the galaxy.

Babel Harpy Statistics

Armour Class: 7                  No. Appearing: 1-8

Hit Dice: 3                            Saving Throw: 15 +

Attack Bonus: +3/+3           Movement: 30' (40'when flying)

Damage: 1d4 per claw         Morale: 10

Special: Confusing Babel

Confusing Babel: Upon first hearing a Babel Harpy's song all characters within earshot make a saving throw. On a failure effected creatures are under the influence of the harpy's song. Roll 1d20 to determine the effect. Each round a new saving throw is made and if failed a new effect determined.

Roll                       Behaviour

1-5                        Act normally.

6-10                      Do nothing but babel incoherently.

11-15                    Run away in a random direction.

16-20                   Attack nearest creature.

The Shrapnel Rat

A few years back I wrote a post of random encounter tables that included a monster called the "Shrapnel Rat" that could be found living in the Mega-City of Prospero's Underhive. It was something I was inspired to write from the video game Gears of War. Believe it or not the explosive rat was also an idea used by the Special Operations Executive in WWII. It didn’t end up panning out the way they wanted, but hey, that just a weird thing to read about. Fact is often stranger than fiction as they say. Anyway the idea has always stuck with me so I figured I'd finally write it up. The Swords & Wizardry version is called a Suicide Rat, that is often confused with the Giant Rat from the Core S&W book, and the Shrapnel Rat in Stars Without Number format.

Suicide Rat: Swords & Wizardry Version

The origin of the suicide rat are disputed. According to the Sages of Nemite, these rats were created as a weapon in a bloody drawn out war. Created to infiltrate enemy positions, and booby trap battle fields. If a well known tavern legend is to be believed, the rats were crafted by a vengeful wizard. According to this tale his brother, a cotter in the town Ulthar, was murdered by a pack of felines. What ever the truth is these creatures have been spreading far and wide across the lands.

Shrapnel Rat: Stars Without Number version
The Mega City of Prosperos Underhive, a never ending catacomb of death and despair is the home to many dangerous creatures. Shrapnel Rats have quickly risen to the top of this deadly underground ecosystem due to the multitude of ambush and nesting sites. A number of therories have been circulated as to where these deadly creatures came from. One story by a Hiver suggests that they were purposefully created to kill off those lining in the dark service tunnels and sewers. An undisclosed corporate whitleblower stated that the rats were part of a Black Lab experiment that went out of control and escaped into the environment. A xenobiologist specializing in the Underhive believes that this just might be part of the evolution process in such a hostile environment.

Suicide Rat: Swords & Wizardry Statistics

Armour Class: 7 [12]

Hit Dice: 1d4 Hit points

Attacks: Bite (1d4) or Explosion (2d6) 10' radius,

save for half damage.

Saving Throw: 18

Special: Implant Embryos

              Explosion 

Move: 12

Challenge Level/XP: 1/15

Shrapnel Rat: Stars Without Number Statistics

Armour Class: 7                           No. Appearing: 1-8

Hit Dice: 1/2                                  Saving Throw: 15+

Attack Bonus: +1                         Movement: 20'

Damage: 1d4 Bite                         Morale: 8

                2d6 explosion                            

Special: Implant embryos

Rules 

These rules can be used for whichever version of the game you are playing.  

Explode: After a successful attack the rat has been primed and will explode 1d6 rounds later. It may also explode if its surprised or frightened. The rat will charge its target (+2 to attack) and explode immediately afterwards. Damage that reduces the rat's hit points to zero or lower causes the rat to explode. An exploding rat deals 2d6 damage to everyone in a 10' radius of itself (successful save for half damage).

Implant Embryos: Any creature damaged by the exploding makes a saving throw. On a failure the creature has been implanted with suicide rat embryos. Every day the creature must make a new saving throw. On a failure the target loses 1d4 Constitution points. Once three successful saves have been made or the a cure disease spell has been cast the creature is fully cured. If the creatures's Constitution score reaches zero before it's cured, 1d6 regular rats will chew, claw, and burst out of it's stomach. If these newborn rats are not being threatened they will feed on the corpse, otherwise they attack and/or flee for safety. These newborn rats have the same statistics, but cannot yet explode or implant embryos. After a 24 hour period they will have matured into full blown suicide/shrapnel rats themselves. For Stars Without Number the Implant Embryo ability is considered a disease with a Toxicity 8 and a Virulence of 3, all other effects remain the same.

The Nakkoro

Artwork by Ken Barthelmey

This post is part of a series related to the Digital Dark Age, my space opera blogging project. It uses the free version of Stars Without Number as it's game engine, but is designed to be system neutral. You can learn more by searching the Digital Dark Age Index sidebar, or by searching the labels.

The Nakkoro hail from Kaheevah a planet found in Inoa System. They are stalwart allies of the Chimeran Empire. They are a civilized and peaceful race of space explorers, scientists and bioengineers. They speak Nakkronese, a difficult language to master since it uses sounds humans cant reproduce as well as specialized tendril movements.

Appearance & Biology

The Nakkoro have smooth skin resembling that of an elephant. They are omnivorous quadrupeds allowing them an appropriate centre of balance in order to support their long giraffe-like necks. Racial subgroups have variations of stripe patterns and colours found on their bodies. They have small eyes yet are capable of seeing as well as a human. They have an acute sense of smell and their mouth tendrils are used for both tasting and fine manipulation of objects.

History

The Nakkoros need for exploration brought them into space. Humans were the first extraterrestrial species to come into contact with the Nakkoro. This first contact was between the then Star Kingdom of Chimera and was quite violent. For a time the the two societies warred until they both grew weary of battle. Peace prevailed and treaties were signed. Even then the two races kept a distance from each other until the arrival of the war-like Krongdari. For the first time Humans and Nakkoro combined their resources and brought battle to the invaders. At the end of this confrontation the Nakkoro and Krongdari officially joined the Empire of Chimera. As Imperial citizens the Nakkoro have been able to focus on what they love most the continued quest for scientific knowledge.

Psychology

At the heart of every Nakkoro lies a strong sense of curiosity. The need for knowledge drives them to question, study, and experiment. Quite often their hard stance on facts and evidence has the effect of making them seem cold and emotionless. Yet the Nakkoro are indeed a caring and creative species.

Flavour

Nakkoro are inquisitive and curious. They have a strong wanderlust and sense of exploration and discovery. They like building things and make great scientists, engineers, and researchers. They are not a violent race, but they are not afraid to defend themselves if they must. Nakkoro people and place names tend have a  Hawaiian asthetic to them.  

Nakkoro as Player Characters

 Nakkoro require a minimum 14 in Intelligence. They favour the Expert class, but there are no restrictions on what class choices are available.  

Typical Nakkoro Statistics

Armour Class: 9                 No. Appearing: 1-8

Hit Dice: 1/2                        Saving Throw: 15 +

Attack Bonus: +0               Movement: 30'

Damage: 1d2 punch            Morale: 7

Skill Bonus: +4 

The Phylax Sphere

Artwork by Ken Barthelmey

This post is part of a series related to the Digital Dark Age, my space opera blogging project. It uses the free version of Stars Without Number as it's game engine, but is designed to be system neutral. You can learn more by searching the Digital Dark Age Index sidebar, or by searching the labels.

The Phylax are a humanoid alien race. They are very aggressive and have thus far been refused entry into any galactic civilization. This is hardly a concern for the Phylax since they are extremely xenophobic and see themselves as a superior race.

Little is known of Phylax society. What has been determined that the is divided into political Spheres equivalent to a small state. Each sphere is controlled by a sphere queen. In addition to the queen a sphere consists of three castes. The Kalate, are winged and fill the role of leaders in the society, they are also chosen as the consorts for the sphere queens. The Mandalates are the soldiers and are most often encountered with the worker caste known as Fylates. Differentiating between these two castes is not difficult. The warriors are usually much larger and have mandibles, while the workers are smaller and lack mandibles.

Phylax-Mandalate (Solider) Statistics

Armour Class: 7                      No. Appearing: 1-8

Hit Dice: 1                                Saving Throw: 15 +

Attack Bonus: +1                    Movement: 30'

Damage: 1d10 plasma rifle      Morale: 10

Phylax-Fylate (worker) Statistics

Armour Class: 9                     No. Appearing: 1-8

Hit Dice: 1/2                            Saving Throw: 15 +

Attack Bonus: +0                   Movement: 30'

Damage: 1d4 claw                  Morale: 7

The Galactic Chimeran Empire

Artwork by Euderion

This post is one of a series related to the Digital Dark Age, my space opera blogging project. It is powered by the free version of the Stars Without Number RPG, but is designed to be system neutral. You can learn more by searching the Digital Dark Age Index sidebar, or by searching the labels.

   

Overview: Few today would believe that the roots of one of the greatest Galactic Empires started as a simple colony seed ship and a dream for a new start. In the aftermath of World War III caused an event known today as the Great Diaspora. The people of Earth fled in droves to establish new homes on distant worlds. Many of those desperate and courageous people never made it, and those that did often failed to survive the rigours that come with colonizing a new planet. Today, the current monarchy and most of the oldest noble houses can trace their lineage back to the Chimera, the seed ship that would eventually make the Bellerophon System their new home.

The Bellerophon System contains three habitable planets; Pegasus, Typhon and Chimera. Chimera is the capitol and it's from the cosmopolitan city of New Lycia that one can find the Royal Palace, the Parliament buildings, and the University of New Lycia, as well as some of the most important corporations in the galaxy.

Culture: Chimerans are an industrious, innovative and hard working people. The official language is Terran Angelic, which is widely used throughout the Empire and beyond. They are an open and inclusive society that tends to assimilate other cultures into their own creating a patchwork of cultures and ideas with a distinct Chimeran panache to it.

Politics: The Empire is a Constitutional Monarchy. The current head of state is the Empress Adelaide of House Lockhart. The head of the government is the Prime Minister, Lord Gerald Wallace. Policy and law are decided with the aid of Her Majesty's Royal Council, and Parliament. Parliament consists of the House of Lords, and House of Commons.

Science & Military: The Empire boasts some of the greatest scientific minds, and one of the best militaries in the galaxy. The Royal Chimeran Armed Forces (RCAF) is commanded by Lord Protector Hektor Tanka. The RCAF is divided into four commands, naval (sea), naval (space), army, and air.

Commerce & Industry: The currency of the Empire is the Imperial Mark. Many transactions are done electronically but hard cash is still king. These are the gold Imperial Dragon, silver Lion, and copper Rams. Commerce and shipping thrives in the Empire. This is mainly due to the Astral Jump Gate Junction that can be found in the Bellerophon System connecting to a number of other far flung and otherwise unaccessible systems.   

Recent Developments: The Empire is facing some of it's greatest threats. Noble houses jockey for position, political agendas are beginning to heat up in parliament. Particularly there are those that are questioning whether the monarchy is still the in the best interests of the Empire and are demanding major reforms. As always there are the skirmishes at the edge of the empire involving systems seeking to separate from the Empire, upstart warlords and pirates. Worst of all things seem to be heating up with the The Peoples Republic of Ilion. All out war with the Republic seems to be unavoidable and its just a matter of time.