Darran Sims

Midweek Character - Captain Mainwaring

2009-12-17T00:03:58Z

So I thought I would start up my Midweek Character posts again.
Here is another great player character, this one is from the greatest TV sitcom of all time, Dad's Army.
The few games I have run have been very intense role playing experiences though very funny at the same time.

Captain George Mainwaring.
"Just testing you, Wilson."
"There's no chip on my shoulder. I'll tell you what there is though, three pips and don't you forget it."
George Mainwaring is Captain of the Walmington-on-Sea platoon as well as manager of Shallows Bank, Rotarian, and pillar of the community.
Considered pompous and overbearing by many, even referred to as ‘Napoleon’, he is a stickler for protocol. He wants things done his way but gets irritated with any hold-ups to his plans.
His wife Elizabeth constantly plagues him on the phone, he fears her more than the imminent Nazi invasion, though he will not let his men know that!
It is a bone of contention that Sergeant Wilson had the benefit of a private education though it is often Pike that gets his umbrage, "Stupid Boy!"
107 words

Goals
Keep men in-line and disciplined.
Win one over on Wilson
Earn the respect of the men
Maintain dignity in all situations
Impress the Top Brass with the Platoon

KeyWords
Captain 15M
Bank Manager 10M

Abilities
Bone of Contention 17
Constant Phone Calls 13
Cover Up Mistakes 13
Detests being Referred to as ‘Napoleon’ 15
Do It My Way 1M
Easily Irritated 17
Fears Elizabeth’s Scolding 5M
Fears Imminent Nazi Invasion 10M
Feels Under-Privileged 17
Hates Hold Ups & Delays 14
Hides Fear from Men 16
Jealous of Wilson 1M
Likes to Plan 17
Natural Leader of Men 19
Over Bearing 17
Pillar of the Community 19
Plagued by Elizabeth 5M
Pompous 5M
Rotarian 13
Stickler for Protocol 3M
Unleash Umbridge 15
"Stupid Boy!" 10M

[UK] Con-Quest: The Midlands Game Show

2009-12-11T16:18:03Z

Con-Quest Lives !

Con-Quest: The Midlands Show is a new gaming convention taking place at the Derby Assembly Rooms on Saturday 10th April 2010.

Formerly known as ‘Dragonmeet Midlands’, Con-Quest is a one day show packed with all manner of gaming activities and trade stands. Whether it’s role playing games, board and card games or miniature wargames, Con-Quest has them all, as well as trade stands offering everything from the very latest releases to collectables and hard to find items. Whatever your gaming needs Con-Quest aims to deliver!

The event will be taking over the majority of the Derby Assembly Rooms, offering numerous areas for demonstration and participation games, artist displays, game manufacturers and designers, trade stands and areas to simply meet up with friends and catch-up on one of the bars or cafes on site.

The event is family friendly and welcomes both veteran gamers as well as those just wanting to find out more about the gaming hobby.

Tickets are on sale now from the Assembly Room box office - http://www.derbylive.co.uk and keep checking back to the Con-Quest web site at http://www.con-quest.co.uk for the latest updates.

For trade enquiries please contact darransims@gmail.com

Long live Con-Quest!

Tickets are on sale from the Derby LIVE Assembly Rooms Box Office.
http://www.derbylive.co.uk
Telephone: 01332 255800

Advance price £6.00 [£7.00 on the door on the day].

Furnace 2009 video

2009-12-08T23:19:19Z

This is a nice YouTube video from Furnace 2009 by Dom Mooney.

'Sartar: Kingdom of Heroes' preview

2009-11-28T23:44:41Z

Here is a small Youtube presentation of the 'Sartar: Kingdom of Heroes'.

My game location at Dragonmeet 2009

2009-11-27T19:31:18Z

This is where my Supernatual HeroQuest games takes place tomorrow at Dragonmeet 2009.
I am in the Upper Foyer right near the lifts.
The game runs from 14:30 until 18:00.

Just who will survive at the end?
The Winchester Brothers? Bobby? Will Ruby get dusted? Will Bela get the loot?

[Podcast] Dragonmeet 2008: 'Robin & Ken on Roleplaying Games'

2009-11-25T21:32:30Z

So I have managed to sort out my uploading problems with my podcasts and it seems to be working.
So here is one from last year from Dragonmeet 2008.

This is the first in a series of special recordings from Dragonmeet 2008.
This was recorded at Dragonmeet 2008 at Kensington Town Hall, London, UK on Saturday 29th November 2008.
Ken Hite and Robin Laws talk about writing roleplaying games and their experiences in the roleplaying game industry and hobby. Insightful discussion as the panellist field questions from the audience.
Panellists were Robin Laws, and Ken Hite.

Running Time: 01:02:05.

Dragonmeet 2008: 'Robin & Ken on Roleplaying Games'

Dragonmeet 2008: 'Robin & Ken on Roleplaying Games' MP3 version

My HeroQuest game I am running at Dragonmeet 2009

2009-11-19T13:56:11Z

0 Dragonmeet 2009. Kensington Town Hall, London, UK.
Saturday 28th November 2009.
http://www.dragonmeet.co.uk/

This is the HeroQuest game I am running at Dragonmeet 2009.

'Cropcircles and Lights Out' by Darran Sims narrated by Darran Sims.
Supernatural: HeroQuest 2.0 adventure for 5 players.
Newcomers very welcome. Maturity preferred.
Based on the TV series.

"Police reports are coming in from Fulton County, Georgia of cars driving at night without their headlights on. When helpful members of the public flash their lights in courtesy to warn the drivers they become victims to the drivers.
All that seems to be left are the abandoned cars with their headlights smashed out. No trace of the occupants have been found. Forensic reports do confirm that the blood found in the broken headlights is canine, not human.
Are these incidents related to the gang tags found in the recent spate of crop circles that also plague the area?"

Continuum 2010 registration is open!

2009-11-14T19:54:13Z

Greetings

I'm delighted to announce that, with effect from tomorrow, 15th November, Continuum 2010 is open for registrations.

The event is to be held at John Foster Hall, University of Leicester, from Friday 2nd July 2010, until Monday 5th July 2010. The registration pricing is as follows:

Early Bird Registration (15th November 2009 - 15th February 2010: £20
Standard Reg (February 16th onwards): £25
En-Suite Room per night: £45
En-Suite for 3 Nights: £120
Twin Room per night: £90
Twin Room for 3 Nights: £240

There are two ways to register:

Via Paypal. Our email address for Paypal payments is payment@continuum.uk.net. Please include the following:

Your name
Address
Number of nights accommodation required, and the nights you'll be staying
Any special rooming requirements (ie, I want be next door to X, Y or Z)

Don't forget that, in addition to the room cost you need to include your registration fee. Thus, a single night would cost £20+£45 = £65. Registration is a fixed fee for the whole weekend - so you don't need to pay a registration fee for each night you need.

Twin rooms are very limited in numbers, but en-suite rooms - and all single rooms are en-suite - are plentiful and comfortable.

If you wish to register by snail mail, a registration form will be made available shortly and we will accept cheque payments. The address to send a paper registration to is:

Continuum
53 Stepping Lane
Derby
DE1 1GL

We look forward to welcoming you to Continuum 2010 - The Year the Con Made Contact!

Sunday Scimitar - 27

2009-11-08T21:08:41Z

Here is the third sword in a series of three.
It is a short Lunar Army scimitar with the Lunar rune at the base of the blade. This is smallest of the three.

Sunday Scimitar - 26

2009-10-11T18:25:14Z

Here is the second sword in a series of three.
It is a Lunar Army scimitar with Lunar Imperial runes at the base of the blade. This is smaller than the first one.
The pommel is a crescent moon shape with sharp tips and mirrors the hand guards that are crescent shaped also.

UK & Europe RPG Conventions Listing 2009/2010.

2009-10-09T05:41:30Z

Here is a listing of the RPG conventions that will take place over the next year or so.
I am quite chuffed as it is top and tailed by two of the conventions I have been heavily involved in organising as well as having another big convention that I am doing in there!
[I am almost a convention listing myself :lol:]

0 Furnace 2009. The Garrison Hotel, Sheffield. UK
Saturday 10th - Sunday 11th October 2009.
http://www.rpgfurnace.com/

0 Game '09. Palace Hotel, Manchester, UK.
Friday 16th - Sunday 18th October 2009.
http://gamecon.game-host.org/apex/f?p=1 ... 1856348190

0 Spiel 2009. Messe Essen, Essen, Germany.
Thursday 22nd - Sunday 25th October 2009.
http://www.merz-verlag.com/spiel/e000.php4

0 GamesFest 4. The Watford Colosseum, Watford, UK.
Saturday 24th October 2009.
http://www.gamesfest.co.uk/

0 Gaelcon 2009. D4 Hotel, Ballsbridge, Dublin, Ireland.
Saturday 24th - Sunday 26th October 2009.
http://www.gaelcon.com

0 OddCon 2009. Park Inn, Telford. UK.
Friday 30th October - Sunday 1st November 2009.
http://www.oddconuk.org.uk/

0 Chimeriades 2009. Lycée agricole Legta Valabre, Aix-en-Provence, France.
Friday 30th October - Sunday 1st November 2009.
http://chimeriades.googlepages.com/accueils

0 Dominicon N SPAAAAAAAAACE!!! 2009. N.U.I Maynooth, Kildare, Ireland.
Friday 13th - Sunday 15th November 2009.
http://www.dominicon.ie/

0 Indiecon' 09. Holbourne, Naish, Christchurch, Dorset, UK.
Thursday 12th - Monday 16th November 2009.
http://www.indiecon.net/

0 Curious Consequences. Holbourne, Naish, Christchurch, Dorset, UK.
Thursday 19th - Sunday 22nd November 2009.
http://www.ishtari.co.uk/consequences/c/

0 Dragonmeet 2009. Kensington Town Hall, London, UK.
Saturday 28th November 2009.
http://www.dragonmeet.co.uk/

0 Ludicrus '09. Kesgrave Community Centre, Ipswich, UK.
Saturday 5th - Sunday 6th December 2009.
http://www.ludicrus.org/

0 WarpCon XX. University College Cork, Ireland.
Friday 29th - Sunday 31st January 2010.
http://www.warpcon.com/

0 Conception 2010. Naish Holiday Village, Highcliffe, Christchurch, Dorset, UK.
Wednesday 27th - Sunday 31st January 2010.
http://www.conceptionuk.org/

0 Conflagration 2010. Queen Margaret Union, Glasgow. Scotland.
Saturday – Sunday February 2010.
http://www.conflagration.org.uk/

0 Leprecon XXXI. Goldsmith Hall, Pearse St. Dublin 2, Ireland.
Friday 5th - Sunday 7th March 2010.
http://www.leprecon.ie

0 CONcrete Cow 10. Old Bath House, Wolverton, Milton Keynes, UK.
Saturday 20th March 2010.
http://www.mk-rpg.org.uk/Concrete_Cow

0 Itzacon VI. NUI Galway, Galway, Ireland.
Friday - Sunday March 2010.
http://www.itzaconeire.com/

0 Conpulsion 2010. Teviot Student Union, Edinburgh University, Scotland.
Saturday 26th - 28th March 2010.
http://www.conpulsion.org

0 Dragonmeet Midlands 2010. Derby Assembly Rooms, Derby, UK.
Saturday 10th April 2010.
http://www.dragonmeetmidlands.co.uk

0 Student Nationals RPG Championships 2010. Heriot Watt, Edinburgh, UK.
Friday 23rd - Sunday 25th April 2010.
http://www.studentnationals.org.uk/index.php

0 Salute 2010. ExCel, London, UK.
Saturday 24th April 2010.
http://www.salute.co.uk/

0 Beer & Pretzels XXI. Town Hall, Burton-upon-Trent, UK.
Saturday 15th - Sunday 16th May 2010.
http://www.spiritgames.co.uk/bnpdetails.php

0 Eternal-Con.de 2010. Castle Stahleck, Bacharach, Germany.
Friday 21st - Monday 24th May 2010.
http://www.eternal-con.de//node/24

0 UK Game Expo 2010. The Clarendon Suites, Stirling Road, Edgbaston, Birmingham, UK.
Friday 4th - Sunday 6th June 2010.
http://www.ukgamesexpo.co.uk

0 Continuum 2010. John Foster Hall, Leicester University. UK.
Friday 2nd - Monday 5th July 2010.
http://www.continuum.uk.net

Cover done for the Furnace 2009 Con Book

2009-10-07T13:34:55Z

Here is the cover for the Furnace 2009 Con Book, not the one I wanted to use as that got taken up elsewhere.

I am still doing the layout for the con book as I only got the Games Programme yesterday - not had any sleep last night and will no doubt not get any tonight as well.
Hopefully it will be printed and ready for the con!

New Dr Who Logo - What do ya think?

2009-10-06T08:31:06Z

So here is the new Dr Who logo.

Sunday Scimitar - 25

2009-09-27T22:38:50Z

Here is one sword in a series of three.
It is a Lunar Army scimitar with Lunar Imperial runes at the base of the blade. The pommel is a crescent moon shape with sharp tips and mirrors the hand guards that are crescent shaped also.

Sunday Scimitar - 24

2009-09-20T22:52:33Z

I didn't post last week due to being away on holiday.
This week's sword is a broadsword with a single edge on the curved blade.
It has a long hilt with a heavy pommel for a double handed grip and a 'Y' shaped guard.
In a way it resembles a Katana.

Sunday Scimitar - 23

2009-09-06T20:17:59Z

This week's sword isn't really a sword but evolved from an axe.
It is also the ancestor to the Falcata I have featured in the last few weeks.

This sword is so cool looking, called a sickle-sword or khopesh, it has featured as the weapon of choice for many an Egyptian Pharaoh.

Sunday Scimitar - 22

2009-08-30T11:34:36Z

This is another falcata, a more elegant one with a lion's head pommel as part of the handle. Certainly an officer's weapon.

Sunday Scimitar - 21

2009-08-23T14:59:51Z

This falcata has a straighter blade but maintains its curved cutting edge. Falcatas are know as 'limb loppers' as they are very good at cutting off limbs. The curved edge encourages the cutting action but if you can't cut the limb off first time the sword gets struck.

Sunday Scimitar - 20

2009-08-16T11:00:22Z

So another elegant Falcata. This one has less of a curve in its blade and has a bird motif handle.

Midweek Character - Furnit Many-Feather

2009-08-13T06:47:37Z

This is one of my player characters when I took part in a HeroQuest playtest last year.
No 100 words but rather a quick character generation system that allows the players to get into play straight away.

He is a Sartarite Hunter in Pavis - set in Glorantha and a worshipper of the lightning aspect of Orlanth.

No a bad character actually and I had fun playing him even though I am not keen on being a player as I would rather GM.

Furnit Many-Feather
Sartarite Hunter – Zavor initiate Rubble explorer and Gorp killer/fryer.

Keywords
Sartarite 13
Hunter 13
Zavor Initiate 17

Goal
Fry Gorp

Flaws
Can’t kill anything but Gorp 5M
Big Bar Tab 13

Interviewed for a special scroll on Gorps by Gorgoria [PC]

Abilities
Burning Lighting 5M
Married to Doug & Dinsdale’s Sister 14
Hates Grita Many-Need [wife] Golden Arches 14
Lightning Bow of Gorp Kill 18
Flirts with Yolanta 14
Shiny Metal Armour 13
Light Darkness 19

Sunday Scimitar - 19

2009-08-09T21:34:00Z

Here is my favourite type of sword a Falcata!
If I was ever have to fight hand-to-hand this would be the sword I would use. Its elegance is belied by its simplicity.
The curve of the blade assists the cutting action of the edge and the shape of the blade distributes the mass in such a way that the falcata is capable of delivering a blow with the momentum of an axe, while maintaining the cutting edge of a sword.
The hilt is cool as well as it is stylised in the shape of a horse yet it guards the hand well.
Beautiful!

Character sheets for Supernatural TV show game.

2009-08-04T15:36:28Z

So I have designed some character sheets for my up coming Supernatural HeroQuest game.
I went for a police report look, finding a real letterhead for the Georgia Bureau of Investigation plus Georgia court stamps on the web was good.
The mug-shots were hard to do as I had to make up the ones for Bobby, Ruby and Bela, photoshopping the height chart behind them.
Getting the information for the police report was hard as well - date of births for the two main characters of the show was available but it was harder to get info on the others. Some I just had to make up but most info was from the actors themselves.
I then added some more polaroids of items tied to the characters for more genre flavour.

The final touch was using a pentagram symbol in place of the mastery rune - again very genre specific that I thinks adds to the game.

Sam Winchester

Dean Winchester

Bobby Singer

Bela Talbot

Ruby

Sunday Scimitar - 18

2009-08-02T20:20:58Z

So here is another scimitar, this one is a short cutlas. It has a leather bound handle with a slight pommel and an extended thumb guard.

My HeroQuest games I am running at Furnace 2009

2009-07-31T09:53:26Z

0 Furnace 2009. The Garrison Hotel, Sheffield. UK
Saturday 10th - Sunday 11th October 2009.
http://www.rpgfurnace.com/

Here are my HeroQuest games I am running at Furnace 2009 later this year.

+

'Street Urchins of Ancient Pavis' by Darran Sims narrated by Darran Sims.
Mythic Glorantha: HeroQuest 2.0 adventure for up to 6 players.
Newcomers very welcome. Maturity preferred.

"Abandoned by Family, Ancestors and the City itself, the street urchins have a very hard existence in the shattered remains of Ancient Pavis. They live on the discarded scraps from the city dwellers and *other* denizens of the Rubble, a place where life is very, very cheap.
The only future they have to look forward to is a quick death somewhere in the unforgiving ruins of this once splendid city.
The River Flock has a nice hidey-hole under the Sculpture Garden, a safe haven in this deadly world. Yet many of the street urchins are turning up dead, their bodies discarded.
Now a stranger in red is poking around the upper entrance.
Just what is he after and is he responsible for the deaths of the other urchins?"

+

'Cropcircles and Lights Out' by Darran Sims narrated by Darran Sims.
Supernatural: HeroQuest 2.0 adventure for 5 players.
Newcomers very welcome. Maturity preferred.

"Police reports are coming in from Fulton County, Georgia of cars driving at night without their headlights on. When helpful members of the public flash their lights in courtesy to warn the drivers they become victims to the drivers.
All that seems to be left are the abandoned cars with their headlights smashed out. No trace of the occupants have been found. Forensic reports do confirm that the blood found in the broken headlights is canine, not human.
Are these incidents related to the gang tags found in the recent spate of crop circles that also plague the area?"

+

Midweek Character - Aang: The Last Airbender

2009-07-30T22:17:28Z

Here is a character that could be fun to play - not used it yet but I can see using the setting would be easy with HeroQuest.
Sorting out the Airbending magic would be so easy and the crucial things are the relationships of the characters.

This is the starting character of Aang at the beginning of Book One - Water.

Aang's Story

"Wow, I haven't cleaned my room in 100 years... Not looking forward to that..."

"I laugh at gravity all the time. Haha! Gravity."

"Walking stinks! How can anyone get around without a flying bison?"

As the last Airbender, only known survivor of the Air Nomads, Aang’s great destiny is to become the Avatar, master of all four elements and bring peace to the Four Nations. Though Aang would rather search for adventure, a life full of fun experiences, not heavy responsibilities. Aang generally acts in a playful, carefree manner, he does become more serious during crisis and danger. Aang's desires are as simple as the animals he loves; his giant sky bison, Appa, and his winged-lemur, Momo.

Aang dislikes being regarded as the mythical Avatar as wherever he goes, always the focus of attention.

100 words

KeyWords

The Avatar

Last Airbender

Flaws

Dislikes being the Focus of Attention

Shirks Heavy Responsibilities

Only Known Surviving Air Nomad

Personality

Carefree manner

Playful

Serious During Crisis

Simple Desires

Relationships

Evades Zuko [Adversary]

Friend to Sokka

Loves Animal Followers

Only Known Surviving Air Nomad

Unrequited Love for Katara

Abilities

Acts Well in Danger

Great Destiny

Life Full of Fun Experiences

Must Master All Four Elements

Search For Adventure

Seeks to Bring Peace to Four Nations

Followers

Appa

Giant Sky Bison

Momo

Winged Lemur

Wealth

Standard of Living: Common 13

ITEMS:- Glider-stave, Sleeping gear, Monk robes.