Only eight more days to back Nordlond Bestiary and Enemies Book! They are almost at the goal for production. Take a look at the Rokk Edla! I’d keep your Halfling Bards away from this beastie! Able to swallow -1 SM. That Bard would make a tasty snack, or a diversion so the rest of you can escape!
DFRPG’s could have up to 260 pages of creatures if the stretch goals are unlocked!
The Kickstarter for Gaming Ballistic’s Nordlond Bestiary and Enemies Book is now active! The book will contain 128 pages of different creatures and variants. If the Kickstarter does well 128 could grow to 240 pages of monster goodness! Every $4,000 over the initial goal of $34,000 will add another 16 pages of monsters and beasties.
There are some add ons as well. Including a VTT pack of hexagonal tokens at 400×400 pixels. A quick reference deck in pdf and physical (US Only for physical add-ons). I am very excited for this book and I hope it reaches it’s full 240 pages. That will require everyone to get to that Kickstarter and back it!
Have you had some time to make a submissions for the Delvers to Grow contest? Remember you could win a Gaming Ballistic, LLC pdf of your choice! Although I’m not eligible to win here is the character I’m working on! Made in Microsoft Word to mimic the DtG layout. Making it look fancy is not a consideration for who wins. You can use hand written and scanned character sheets if you want to.
This character came to me as a submission for the SJG contest many years ago for the Companions pdf I believe? Based off my love of Chinese Wuxia, Xianxia, and Xuanhuan stories, Movies, and TV series. I’ve made some changes from the original DF and DFRPG design to get the character to fit in more of a Nordlond setting.
Good Luck everyone! Don’t forget to submit!
The one thing that either GURPS Dungeon Fantasy or Dungeon Fantasy RPG powered by GURPS has been missing is a solid Bestiary or Monster book. Sure you can find a 16 page pdf but that is a pamphlet. Or you had bits and pieces throughout different DFRPG books and Pyramid magazines.
Gaming Ballistic have announced the Nordlonðr Óvinabókin coming very soon to Kickstarter. Click on the link and save so you will be notified when it goes live! We are looking at a book of well over 200 monsters! This is something that has been desperately needed in DFRPG!
Many of the creatures correspond 1:1 with creatures from That Other Game. This should make it easier to just pick up a premade adventure module (something else lacking in DFRPG) and start playing.
So click the link and follow the campaign and help get what we deserve! A solid Bestiary and Enemies Book for DFRPG!
While your at it head over to the Dungeon Fantasy RPG fan page on FaceBook where we are running a Delvers to Grow contest. You could win a Gaming Ballistic pdf of your choice! Just look at the top of the page under features for contest rules
I’m pleased to announce our first official contest in collaboration with Gaming Ballistic! On the Dungeon Fantasy RPG FaceBook group
1 entry per member 3 winners, 2 selected by member poll, 1 randomly selected.
Prize: 1 Gaming Ballistic pdf of winners choice
RulesSubmit three versions of the same character concept at 62 (Novice), 125 (Journeyman), and 187 (Master) character points. If you own Delvers to Grow you should use those book Templates (Strong Delvers, Fast Delvers, & Smart Delvers), or use the DFRPG Adventures and Exploits if you don’t have access to them using the guidelines of -50 Disadvantages and 50 (Novice), 60 (Journeyman), and 90 (Master) points in advantages.Each entry should include four pages. a background of the character, ways to use the character, and a list of books used to make the character (this doesn’t have to be a full page if you don’t want to), the next three pages should be of each the 62 (Novice), 125 (Journeyman), and 187 (Master) character sheet. They should try to fit into the Nordlond setting or any of the many adjacent cultures such as
The races can be any from the Nordlond setting but if you don’t own those books can be from the DFRPG Adventures.It would be preferred if submissions were pdf, there are many free converters online if your word processor does not save as pdf (most do these days). There are also many free merge pdf apps online to make your 4 page pdf. The submissions should be titled with the Character name then your name. Upload them to the file selection of the FB page and then add the title of your pdf to the open poll. Please contact Admin if you are having any difficulties with your submission.Submissions start now until the 20th of November with voting ending on the 30th of NovemberSuggestions of Character sheets can be the free form fillable pdf, GURPS Character Assistant, or GURPS Character Sheet (Which has Delvers to Grow templates already).Everyone is allowed to vote for up to three submissions with tie breakers either decided by Douglas Cole and Admins or randomly selected if a decision can’t be reached.
Whether you are just starting, just getting back in after a long hiatus, or an experienced Game Master with twenty plus years under your belt of weekly gaming it is alway good to scrape a bit of rust off and polish up some ideas. I’m going to look at some of the websites and books I use to give me some inspiration and that push I often need when I feel burnt out.
It is painfully obvious that I’m not adept at writing or reviews. It is my hope to introduce the reader to resources they may not have come across before or remind them of stuff they may even have collecting dust in the back of their collection.
Made for 4th edition GURPS this book might make getting into GURPS much easier. I often loan out my copy to a player if they are having issues with the bulk of text and information from GURPS Characters. I really must get this on pdf as my physical copy is getting pretty battered. Like any of the books in the “For Dummies” range it breaks things down in a simple to follow explanation that just wouldn’t work for any RPG rule book as it just isn’t cost effective. This is a very good resource for new players and GM’s alike. Pages 207-370 is all about running your own GURPS game and creating your own world.
Although GURPS specific I would recommend any GM to read this as it offers plenty of advice that is integral to any role playing system. You might consider this an advanced version of “GURPS for Dummies”. EXTREMELY USEFUL is the best way to describe this book. I’m currently coming off of a six year hiatus of playing GURPS and I was shocked at how many rules and bits I had forgotten about just as a player. Sure the core rules were there but I was fuzzy on some of the optional stuff. How to be a GURPS GM is certainly giving me that, “Oh Yeah! I remember that!” moments. I’m currently a player in one game, and GM in four. As a player it is Dungeon Fantasy RPG, as GM it is DFRPG x2, DF, and Monster Hunters. Now although the DFRPG and DF are similar, my players in each group are vastly different. One group is hardcore combat and munchkin, where as the other group enjoys detailed roleplaying and social interactions. They have been known to go out of there way to avoid combat. How to be a GURPS GM certainly has helped dealing with these two different play styles (personally I’m in the middle spectrum between the two).
I still have a lot of refining to do so I often go back to How to be a GURPS GM for ideas and guidance.
Available from Warehouse 23 in softcover and pdf I suggest reading this after reading How to be a GURPS GM. This book assumes you already have some experience and is there to hone your edge. Once sharpened you will be able to trim the fat from your games and your GM style of play. Robin’s Laws is not GURPS specific and I really recommend everyone having a copy of it.
The Dungeoneer’s Survival Guide and Wilderness Survival Guide were written in 1986 for first edition AD&D. Although the rules concerning gaming are meant for 1E AD&D there is still plenty of advice and ideas between the covers. The first chapter “Overview” in each book are particularly useful for new game masters. The chapter on “The Underground Environment” in DSG gives plenty of ideas of the constant dangers the players need to be aware of other than the denizens that inhabit the underground. Air quality, cave-ins, choke points, and how water plays a big part underground. Properly used these suggestions will lend a new level of realism to your encounters.
The chapter “Improving Play” I would rate as a must read for any GMs planning an extensive underground adventure. This covers how to prepare for a dungeon exploration from equipment, information gathering, the use of beasts of burden, mapping, speed playing, etc.
For myself the information on “The Underground Environment” has been instrumental in shaping my current campaign world which takes place completely underground. This covers cultures, Geography in three dimensions, and the nature of living underground. Brilliant stuff.
These 1E books can be purchased in pdf format from Wizards of the Coast official DriveThruRPG website
Pyramid Magazine has been around since 1993 and started off as an actual magazine (do any of you still remember those?) In 1998 it transformed itself into an online version with an article every week and finally it’s third and final transformation into a monthly pdf in 2008 until it was canceled in 2018. I still weep for the loss of the monthly Pyramid pdf. It is a fountain of information and new ideas and gave me a continuous supply of all things GURPS. You can still purchase the pdf’s from Warehouse 23.
A few blogs raved about Veins of the Earth by Patrick Stuart. It is expensive to get a physical copy at around £30-£50. It is for the Lamentations of the Flame Princess game but had people boasting about it’s uses for playing underground settings. The A5 book is lovely and there is some very useful ideas in the books but ultimately it is very specific for a style of gaming and system. I wouldn’t recommend it as a casual read as it is twice as expensive as The Dungeoneer’s Survival Guide at DriveThru RPG and provides little extra in my opinion. I would like to add that there are a lot of monsters and cultures within Veins of the Earth that might interest some people, but again they are very specific to that game system and, for me at least, didn’t offer anything that I would consider using.
I had a personal issue with the scribbly art and mapping style as well as my misunderstanding from some reviews on what was offered in the book so I might be negatively biased about my dislike of the book.
Philip Reed has been producing game aids for decades. Recently he has been flooding Kickstarter with his “Dozen Rumors” series, Delayed Blast Gamemaster, Dungeon Encounters, Fantasy City Sites and Scenes, amongst many others. If you have missed the Kickstarters there is nothing to worry about. They are available at DriveThruRPG under Philip Reed Games and some are available as Print on Demand from Amazon of which I have mentioned in this previous post.
The Dungeoneer’s Field Guide to Hazards (2004) by Philip Reed is an excellent read. Although not intended for GURPS specifically it does contain over fifty pages of hazards you could encounter in a dungeon. It certainly will add a bit of spice to my encounters! Ideas are provided for the quality of air, to the fungus that grows underground, to the frailty of underground complexes that are not maintained.
Although Raging Swan Press does offer many PDF’s for sale I generally use their website for their “20 Things” series and free guides. They offer an array of Gaming Neutral as well as Pathfinder, OSR, and 5e. They are worth checking out.
Although I no longer own these books I do remember the Campaign Sourcebook and Catacomb Guide as well as the Creative Campaigning to be particularly helpful at times.
Who doesn’t know about Grimtooth’s Traps? A series of generic game aids from the 80’s to help Game Masters slaughter their players in many horrendous and ingenious ways! Thankfully they are available from DriveThruRPG
Also from Flying Buffalo games is the Citybook series I-VII. Might seem dated by some but I still enjoy them.
Sad to say that while going through my links folder I had to delete over ten addresses that are no longer with us. Many have deleted their web pages and switched to a Patreon system as well, that’s really not my type of thing so I won’t be listing those here. This is probably the reason why I’ve been going old school and buying books or printing pdf’s to have them bound.
Creighton Broadhurst is the publisher at Raging Swan Press and publishes lots of good information for GM’s
Dungeon Fantastic is the blog from GURPS writer Peter V. Dell’Orto filled with lots of good information
GURPS Day Feed Hosted by Gaming Ballistic this site links all GURPS blogs (this one included) into a daily feed so you can find out when something new comes up!
GURPS Repository A website with a lot of fan based monsters, spells and conversions.
The Mook.net Combat Examples: I often have new players look over Warren Wilson’s website for some great examples for GURPS 4e combat.
Sean Punch’s Journal for all the latest GURPS news.
I certainly can not recommend any of the following as I have yet to purchase them but they are currently in my saved shopping cart for when I have that extra bit of cash and don’t mind splurging on something that sounds cool but might not be useful (like Veins of the Earth was to me).
Through Dungeons Deep: A Fantasy Gamers’ Handbook by Robert Plamondon. Review for this book is mixed. Many saying the information is outdated for older playstyles from the 70’s and early 80’s but as that is when I started RPG’s it might still be of use to me.
Lairs, Dens and Burrows: Short adventures for Four Against Darkness, for Characters of Any Level by Andrea Sfiligoi. Some good reviews on Amazon PoD. Andrea Sfiligoi has a good amount of Solo adventure books that could be used for inspiration.
The Book of Random Tables by Matt Davids. Available in print or Kindle versions this is a series of books with mixed reviews.
Bundle of Holding is having a sale on 0one Dungeon Maps! I’ve been a customer of 0one maps for some time. I enjoy the fact that their pdf’s are layered and I can turn off the square grid for a more useful hex grid!
If you are looking for a Megadungeon then this is your chance to own all ten levels of “The Dungeon Under the Mountain”!
Fighting my own dragon named life.
I must apologise for the hiatus on the site and of my hobbies as well. In the last twelve months I’ve lost my father and my uncle, changed jobs, wife changed jobs, and just moved house. I’m unsure if I made the right choice with my new job so I’ve that added stress as well.
Back on topic
Things I’d like to do in the near future
I hope to slowly get more done once I’ve settled in to my new house.
Here is the GURPS Campaign Booklet printed on A4 paper but printed off as a booklet. It should work with US Letter Size paper as well. Although the one in the video is not Dungeon Fantasy, it’s for my GURPS Fallout game which just shows its versatility. I have a long arm stapler to staple the pages together.
You can try out version 2.1 yourself HERE
I’m still working some of the bugs out and might change some things around yet so updated versions are on the way.
So getting into the spirit of things Steve Jackson Games is running two contests (so far) the first has ended and the second just started. Both are limited to 300 words. The first was Dungeon Fantasy Character Backstory Contest. I figured I’d submit something that was more Wuxia (martial hero) based.
Falddinor Pinebrook
Wood Elf
Martial Artist
While hunting and foraging in the forested foothills of The Neverending Rise, Falddinor came upon an old human man practicing Martial Arts. Falddinor watched and learned in secret until he was found out and eventually accepted as a disciple. Falddinor spent fifteen years learning the art of the Five Element Sword and the Bāguà zhǎng style. He fights predominantly with dual weapons. He now wanders the world of “Jianghu” in search of spiritual knowledge, physical challenge, and to uphold righteousness.
Falddinor has long dark green hair which he braids a dart at the end of, and bright green eyes. He is lean and muscular with a hawkish nose. He carries a pair of antler hook swords as his preferred weapon, uses Deerhorn Knives in close quarters, a long knife strapped sideways across the small of his back and “Scholars Pens” hidden in his sleeves. Although skilled with a bow he does not use them. He prefers loose clothing that allows him to move freely but not so baggy that it will hinder his movement.
He is curious to the point of being annoying, loves to talk about anything and everything and appreciates a good joke even if the joke is on him. He is respectful to those he admires and will mercilessly tease those he does not. When asked what people think of Falddinor “Laughing Wind” the most common response is you either love him or hate him.
The latest is the backstory for a Dungeon Fantasy RPG magic item. I continued with a wuxia theme.
Sun and Moon Blades
The Sun and Moon Blades are a pair of unique Hook Swords. The Moon Blade has the typical crescent guard and is pitch black except for its pearl handle, where as the Sun Blade has a crescent guard similar to a Nine Teeth Double Hook Sword and is pure white except for its black pearl handle. Both swords have a sharp blade extending straight from the back of the hook much like the Nine Teeth Double Hook Sword. Other than the handle every edge on the Sun Blade is eternally sharpened, while the Moon Blade is blunt. The blades are much sought after by students of Pa Kua Chuan, Tai chi, and forms of martial arts where the Yin and the Yang, I Ching, and other Taoist beliefs have influenced their style.
Forged with celestial iron by the great Immortal Monk Sword Saint the blades represent mercy in its grappling, snaring, and disarming abilities and the ultimate punishment for those unwilling to give up their wicked ways.
When used as a pair the blades are said to help center the wielder allowing them to increase their inner Chi thus increasing their martial and healing abilities. Owning the blades is not enough. To master them requires intense training, diet, and meditation. Sun Blade must always be yielded in the right hand while the Moon Blade in the left. Once mastered, the blades offer addition defensive and offensive capabilities. Legends tell of its mastery over light and dark, fire and cold. Legend also tells that the Blades have been known to turn on their wielder when they themselves stray from the path of righteousness.
Winner gets a free copy of the Dungeon Fantasy RPG Box Set currently funded and achieving some of the stretch goals on Kickstarter.
Once the winners have been announced I’ll add stats for both of my entries. I’d love to play Falddinor wielding the Sun and Moon Blades! I’ve added pictures to give you some ideas.
Regular Hook Swords
“Fire Wind” – DeerHornKnives.com
Tiger Hook Swords
Deer Horn Knives
Nine Teeth Double Hook Sword
Scholar’s Pen
Scholar’s Pen