Darran Sims

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




( See more Supernatural Character sheets... )

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.

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'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?"

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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.

Reaching Moon Missionaries

Reaching Moon Missionaries is the official organisation sponsored by Moon Designs for HeroQuest Core Rules demonstration narrators and game masters.
The volunteer game masters will help promote HeroQuest Core Rules and other Moon Designs products at conventions, game shops, game meets, etc, by running games and talking about HeroQuest.



Reaching Moon Missionaries will be a global organisation and will provide help, support and encouragement for its members, whether experienced veterans or new to the game.
Benefits will include a points awards scheme to reward the members that will give discount on Moon Designs products and to get new play-test material and sneak-peeks at works in progress.

Interested HeroQuest game masters should contact Darran Sims
darransims AT gmail DOT com

Or visit the website:
http://heroquestdemos.ning.com/

So here is the last of The Betty crew members. DeStephano was one character I added later to the mix. A martial character who is AWOL from the Alliance military who also has some experience of the dodgy dealings that the Alliance commits in secret research. This is important for the plot line in my 'Left For Dead' story arc.

DeStephano's Story

“I thought you were dead.”
“Begging your pardon, Sir, but F*CK YOU!”

Vincent DiStephano is the recent convert to the crew of The Betty. He was veteran Alliance soldier on protection detail to ‘Special Military Research’ at secret bases on remote planets.

DiStephano is strong and physically fit and socially privileged. He is familiar with Parliament conspiracies having seen many unfold. When one of these backfired, despite conflicting loyalties he allied with the Betty who was bringing in illicit cargo to the base he was guarding at the time. He owes Elgyn his life as he rescued him when base the destroyed by the Alliance. He fears his past will catch up with him so doesn’t get emotionally attached to anyone.

Words 109

Keywords

Former Alliance Trooper 5M

Smuggler 12

Flaws

Conflicting Loyalties 15M

Fears Past Will Catch Up 5M2

Relationships

Alliance Space Corps [Contacts] 8M

Special Military Research [Adversary] 3M

Alliance Admiralty [Adversary] 15M

Parliament [Adversary] 5M2

Battle Unit [Former Member of] 5M

Former Comrades [Mourns] 5M

The Betty’s Crew [Loyal to] 19

Black Market [Contacts] 13

Underworld [Contacts] 13

Elgyn Rane [Indebted to] 12M

Personality

Brave 5M

Callous 12

Cunning 13

Devil-May-Care 12

Emotionally Detached 20

Hates Alliance 5M

Loyal 5M

Self-Centered 17

Obedient 5M

Resilient 15M

Abilities

Distrusts Researchers/Scientists 5M

Guard Cargo 5M

Handle Illicit Cargo 19

Identify Foe 15M

Knows Parliament Conspiracies 19

Knows Remote Planets 19

Knows Secret Bases 1M

Lookout 5M

Owes Elgyn His Life 10M

Physically Fit 9M

Protection Detail Tactics 5M

Seen Conspiracies Unfold 10M

Scouting 10M

Socially Privileged 20

Strong 8M

Use Newtech Weapons 15M

Veteran 19

Wealth

Standard of Living: Common 13

WEAPONS:- Knife, Newtech Pistol, Spare Ammo.

ITEMS:- Ident Card, Fake Permits, Old Uniform & Insignia.

I haven't posted for a while but I will give you another of The Betty crew from the film Alien: Resurrection.
Vriess is the engineer aboard The Betty. Vriess was disabled from the waist down as a result of shrapnel injuries sustained on the swamp planet Kawlang and was bound to a motorised wheelchair. Despite being handicapped, Vriess still remains a valuable member to the crew of The Betty, such as using his wheelchair to smuggle weapons and stealing parts to maintain the ship.

Vriess’ Story

“Wanna check the chair?”

“They never check the chair”

“The Kawlang Manoeuvre, right?”

Vriess is the Betty's chief mechanic. Though his legs are paralysed, he hasn't allowed this infirmity to interfere with his work. Vriess has strong arms with that he climbs and crawls over the hidden parts of the ship. Vriess uses his re-vamped, motorised wheelchair that has hidden weapons and guns concealed within its workings. He is not above using his vulnerability to gain ill-placed sympathy to get his way but he never tricks his crewmates.

Vriess has a murky past from that he still keeps many criminal contacts.

In stressful situations Vriess provides comic relief, something that helps him deal with his unrequited love for his friend Call.

108 words.

 

 

KeyWords

Chief Mechanic 5M

Murky Past 15

 

Flaws

Legs Paralysed 5M2

Never Tricks Crewmates 1M

Unrequited Love for Call 5M

 

Personality

Curious 5M

Cunning 15

Inspired 5M

Meticulous 5M

Patient 5M

Suspicious 15

Tinkerer 5M

 

Relationships

Gang [Former-Member of] 17

Former Comrades [Friends of] 17

The Betty’s Crew [Loyal to] 19

Black Market [Contacts] 15

Underworld [Contacts] 15

Criminal Boss [Contacts] 15

Parts Supplier [Contacts] 5M

Junkyard Owner [Contacts] 5M

Trusted By Elgyn 10M

 

Abilities

Adapt Technology 15M

Climbs 4M

Comic Relief 19

Conceal Weapon 19

Crawls 19

Deals with Stressful Situations 19

Kawlang Manoeuvre 19

Knows Hidden Parts of Ship 5M

Nothing Interferes with Work 15M

Overcome Infirmity 5M

Repair Anything 20M

Strong Arms 5M

Take out Frustration on Objects 15M

Understand Function 5M2

Uses Vulnerability to Gain Ill-placed Sympathy 19

 

Wheelchair

Re-Vamped Motor 19

Weapons concealed in its workings 19

Tough 19

Speedy 5M

 

Wealth

Standard of Living: Common 13

WEAPONS:- Hidden Guns, Hidden Weapons, Knife, Wrench.

ITEMS:- Fake Papers, Assortment of Loot, Assorted Tools, Spare Parts, Overalls, Wheelchair

Posted from the Moon Design Development Blog, vingkot .


Moon Design is proud to announce that the HeroQuest Core Rules are now available for sale from www.glorantha.com or www.heroquest-rpg.com!

You can directly order copies of the new HeroQuest Core Rules book and download pdfs from the website. We regret to inform you that our current eCommerce vendors do not support bundles of books and pdfs. We are exploring options to fix that in the future but until then, comfort yourself with the knowledge that the money will be going to make sure we have more money to pay for art and writers!

BTW, we are still working out the kinks with Plimus (our PDF vendor). If it takes a little while for you to get an email with the download link - be patient. They are still checking to make sure that we aren't some sort of nefarious international outfit! The first dozen or so PDF downloaders are likely to get some initial weirdness (for example, you may get a phone call from Plimus just to make sure that you really ordered the PDF). Just be patient and we will make sure that you will get your PDF!

But without any further ado:

Anything you can imagine, you can play…

HeroQuest is the innovative, dynamic, and flexible rules engine by Robin Laws, suitable for play in any genre or setting. It present a simple and flexible system that allows Game Masters to make decisions the way authors and screenwriters do when creating novels, TV episodes and movies. HeroQuest encourages creative input from your players, resulting in an exciting, unpredictable narrative created through group collaboration. Its resolution methods and scalable character levels make it equally suited for any genre, from epic fantasy to satirical soap opera. Whether your next game idea draws on horror, war, westerns, martial arts, pulps, cyberpunk, cliff-hangers, giant robots, super-powered heroes, space opera, cop action, corporate intrigue, furry animals, swashbuckling adventure, Greek tragedy or even drawing room comedy, HeroQuest can handle it! You can even use HeroQuest to emulate a musical – although it won’t do the singing or dancing for you.

Completely rewritten by the Robin Laws, this new edition opens and details running the core system for any genre.

What’s in this book?

This book contains everything needed for play:

• Character Creation – describe your character and get playing in minutes.
• Overcoming Obstacles – handling conflict, be it with swords, words, magic, superpowers, guns or armies.
• Playing Stories – how to vividly run your adventures in engaging and creative ways.
• Narrating - the secrets for balancing the give and take between narrators and players.
• Followers and Support – how your sidekick, followers, horde, army or community help you.
• Creating Genres – details for creating and detailing your game world.
• Gaming in Glorantha - a separate section on applying this system to Glorantha.
• Quick Reference – so you don’t have to hunt for the information you really need.

However, the new HeroQuest Core Rules are not the only new thing for sale on the new and upgraded glorantha.com website! We will have much of the Stafford Library up and for sale in both book form and as downloadable pdfs, including:

• Glorious Reascent of Yelm - THE Dara Happan background book
• Arcane Lore - Greg's notes on the development of his thoughts concerning heroquesting and Gloranthan magic
• The Middle Sea Empire - THE background book for the God Learners and the Jrusteli Empire
• History of the Heortling Peoples - THE background book for the Orlanthi of Sartar and Heortland, as well as the Arkat Wars, Harmast and the EWF

We will also have a number of older books back in print and for sale in both book form and as downloadable pdfs, including:

• Dragon Pass: Gazetteer of Kerofinela
  
• Imperial Lunar Handbook, volumes 1 and 2
  
• Blood Over Gold
  
• Men of the Sea
  
• Masters of Luck and Death
  

With the exception of Dragon Pass: Gazetteer of Kerofinela (which is statless), these books were written for First Edition HeroQuest but can easily be retrofitted for the new HeroQuest Core Rules.

Check out the website and maybe buy yourself a book or download. Or two. Or three (or four, five, six or more!)

I was asked to come up with a logo for the new HeroQuest core rules and other future products by Moon Designs.
I did several designs that used the Gloranthan runic writing font of the old logo as well as other lettering styles.
None of them really worked that well though I was happy with the different textures and colours I came up with for the letter fill.

Then I looked back at the lettering styles of the old Chaosium boxsets for 'Pavis' and the 'Big Rubble'.

I did like that font style though I didn't have it myself.
So I decided to design my own from scratch, using the old font as a starting point but changing the style somewhat. I added a slight curve to the base of the serifs and fattened the letters more.
I added a metal trim to the edge of each letter to give it a 'classy look' and used the textured fills I had come up with earlier to solidify the lettering. A white highlight was added to give them a shiny look and I added a shadow to give it a solid dimension.

To finish it off I did a line of runes across the top to give it a retro look. This design has half Gloranthan runes and the other half symbols drawn from other possible genres and settings [The new HeroQuest rules are genric now, not just tied to Glorantha].

I have done variations to the main design so any colour can be used. The red does suit the jonhodgson cover for the core rules but other cover art may need a different colour to set off the logo. We have several different marble like textures and colours as well as some metal textures that will suit other works better.
Also for solely Gloranthan products the line of runes will be purely Gloranthan ones.





The new HeroQuest logo

So here is another Midweek Character, this one is again from my Supernatural game that takes place at Tentacles Omega convention this weekend.
Bobby is the go-to-guy in the Supernatural TV series and has a lot to offer in the game - without him the mystery may never get solved.


Bobby Singer.

Bobby Singer's Story 

"Do I look like a ditch-able prom date to you?". 

Dean "This isn't your fight". Bobby "The hell it isn't!!!!, family don't end with blood, boy!". 

Bobby Singer is a passionate, tough hunter who runs an auto salvage yard as his day job, and is a go-to guy for supernatural research. He seems to have amassed quite a bit of experience over the years plus his house is full of books about demons and 'other things'. John Winchester was an old friend, though they had a falling out. 

Bobby's a no bullsh!t kinda guy. He's straight-up loyal and has helped many other hunters whenever they need him and he knows his sh!t. 

Bobby is cautious and shrewd, he laces his beer with holy water, and plans his hunts and works out tactics. 

107 words 

 

KeyWords 

Hunter of the Supernatural 

Salvager 

Mechanic 

 

Flaws 

Fell Out With John 

Has a Day Job 

Over the Years 

 

Personality 

Cautious 

Experienced 

Loyal 

No Bullsh!t Kinda Guy 

Passionate 

Shrewd 

Straight-up 

 

Relationships 

Distrusts Bela Talbot 

Friend to Dean 

Friend to Sam 

Old Friend to John 

Mourns his Wife 

Hates Ruby 

 

Abilities 

Amassed Experience 

Books About Demons 

Books About 'Other Things' 

Good With Holy Water 

Go-To Guy 

Helps Hunters 

Knows Demonology 

Knows His Sh!t 

Knows Mythology 

Knows Supernatural 

Laces Beer With Holy Water 

Often Needed 

Plan Hunt 

Tough 

Works Out Tactics 

 

Items 

Arcane Paraphernalia 

Auto Salvage Yard 

Holy Water 

House Full of Books 

Sawed-off Shotgun

So I haven't posted for a while due to being away on holiday so here is a tasty character to play.

This has just been announced by Rick Meints of Moon Design.

Some good news!



(C)2008 Jon Hodgson

So I have realised that I haven't posted up a HeroQuest character for a while so without further ado I post another female character.
This is Sabra Hillard, pilot of The Betty, from Alien: Resurrection film, written by Joss Whedon.
Though the character had a small part in the film she does play a big role in the game. As pilot she controls the ship but also she is heart of the group. When her character is absent the group does seem to be more aggressive and commit more atrocities [part of the fun of the games is committing atrocities of one sort or another].

She also has a good dose of Badass!

 

 

Hillard's Story
"Nobody is left behind. Not even you Johner!”

“No, There’s got to be another way”

Sabra Hillard is the Betty's pilot. A feisty, captivating woman, she is also tender and dignified. Flying is in her blood as she was trained as a commercial pilot before enrolling into the Alliance military, piloting every known class of ship. Hillard knows every operating tactic and procedure and how to circumnavigate them as well as out-manoeuvring and escaping any other flyer.

Hillard served with Elgyn but like him she refused to commit the atrocities ordered by the Admiralty command. She cherishes the freedom that being a freelancer brings almost as much as she loves Elgyn; she shares both the perils and the rewards of their current smuggling lifestyle.

109 words.

 

KeyWords

Former Alliance Pilot 17

Smuggler 15

 

Flaws

Refused to Commit Atrocities 15M

Hates Being Confined 12M

 

Personality

Conceited 1M

Dignified 19

Feisty 5M

Impetuous 17

Loyal 8M

Rash 17

Relaxed 17

Superior 17

 

Relationships

Alliance Pilots [Contacts] 19

Commercial Pilots [Associates] 19

Alliance Admiralty [Adversary] 19

Battle Unit [Former -Member of] 17

Former Comrades [Friends of] 17

The Betty’s Crew [Loyal to] 19

Black Market [Contacts] 15

Underworld [Contacts] 15

Elgyn Rane [Lover ] 20M

 

Abilities

Captivating 19

Cherishes Freedom 19

Circumnavigate Enemy Tactics 1M

Commendable War Service 19

Dirty Fighin’ 12M

Enrolled into Alliance Military 19

Escape Pursuit 5M

Flying is in Her Blood 19

Knows Every Class of Ship 19

Knows Every Operating Tactic 19

Knows Operating Procedures 5M

Know Ship’s Capabilities 5M

Knows Smuggling Lifestyle 19

Out-manoeuvre Other Flyer 19

Persuasive 18M

Pilot Spaceship 15M

Served with Elgyn 15M

Shares the Perils 19

Shares the Rewards 19

Think Quickly 15M

 

Wealth

Standard of Living: Common 13

WEAPONS:- Knife, Pistol, Shotgun, SMG, Spare Ammo..

ITEMS:- Ident Card, Fake Permits, Assortment of loot, Pilots Licence, G-suit

0 Tentacles Omega 2009. Castle Stahleck, Bacharach, Germany.
Friday 28th May - Monday 1st June 2009.
http://www.tentacles-convention.de/


Here are my games that I'll be running at Tentacles Omega.

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'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?"

+

 

 

"Winters Warriors" by Darran Sims narrated by Darran Sims.
Mythic Glorantha: HeroQuest 2.0 adventure for up to 6 players.
Newcomers Welcome.

"As initiates of Inora, Goddess of the Mountain Snow, normally you are on the fringes of society as solitary hunters or warriors of the mountains. But now Orlanth is Dead! The land is locked in winter. Suddenly the 'Winter Warriors' are require to save the clan and its tula in the mountains. The dangers of winter are magnifed as ice demons roam the peaks, snowfall cuts off all the lodges and the food stocks are running low. On top of that vast columns of smoke rise from the flat lands and they are getting closer and closer. Villages are being burnt down and destroyed.
Are the Lunars responsible?
Can the winter warriors stop their advance?"

+

So the next Midweek Character is Captain Elgyn. Portrayed by Michael Wincott in the dark and moody Alien: Resurrection film, written by Joss Whedon, he is a larger than life character.
Though he is the leader of the group he is flawed with avoiding endangering the crew as well as his own incompetent manner. Also trying to reign-in the other characters is a job and a half, just keeping Johner away from the weapons locker is a tough!
He is often the first choice for the games as most players prefer him over the other player characters.

 

Elgyn’s Story

“Hey son, I’ll give you my authorisation code. Its E-A-T-M-E.”

“Drink, Elgyn?” “Constantly.”

“Hey, don’t cut thrust till about 600 metres. We’ll give ‘em a little scare.”

Elgyn Rane is the captain of The Betty and has the kind of authority that doesn't need to flaunt itself. Smart, resourceful and charismatic, he is a former Alliance officer who discovered more challenge and profit in the murky world of space smuggling. Elgyn has used his commendable war service with the Alliance Space Corps, his associates in the Alliance Civilian Guard and his contacts with the Alliance Admiralty to gain lucrative jobs.

With his network connections he evades capture but is mistrusted by the criminal underworld of the rim.

It is his loyalty to his crew that stops Elgyn taking on the more dangerous missions.

106 words.

 

KeyWords

Former Alliance Officer 15

Smuggler 17

 

Flaws

Mistrusted by Criminals 12M

Avoid Endangering Crew 12M

 

Personality

Arrogant 15

Brave 1M

Callous 1M

Charismatic 19

Cunning 17

Devil-May-Care 17

Loyality To Crew 5M

Resourceful 19

Self-Centered 17

Self-Confident 15

Smart 19

 

Relationships

Alliance Space Corps [Contacts] 8M

Alliance Civilian Guard [Associates] 3M

Alliance Admiralty [Contacts] 19

Battle Unit [Former Member of] 15

Former Comrades [Friends of] 15

The Betty’s Crew [Loyal to] 19

Black Market [Contacts] 17

Underworld [Contacts] 17

Sabra Hillard [Lover] 12M

 

Abilities

Assess Situation 15M

Authority that doesn't Flaunt 10M

Avoid Endangering Crew 10M

Charismatic 19

Commendable War Service 5M

Conceal Contraband 5M

Dirty Fighin’ 8M

Discover Challenges 19

Evade Capture 19

Exert Authority 20M

Gain Lucrative Jobs 19

Hates Dangerous Missions 15M

Issue Orders 5M

Kind Authority 19

Knows Murky World 9M

Loves Profit 19

Mistrusted by Underworld 19

Network Connections 1M

 

Wealth

Standard of Living: Common 13

WEAPONS:- Knife, Pistol, Shotgun, SMG, Spare Ammo..

ITEMS:- Ident Card, Fake Permits, Assortment of loot, Bill of Ownership of The Betty.

This is another of the players characters from the game from Convulsion 2002. Again this is one that was based in the village of Hellbreak while many of the other PCs were from a feuding clan.
While quite marshall this character had his duty to his clan and had to help the other PCs even though they were considered the enemy.
This character was very ably played by Dr Moose. He did so well we invited him to be a regular in our group.


Maroof Levelhead with his Spear of Destiny and Brightshield. ©  Darran Sims 

Maroof Levelhead's Story

“The sun illuminates only the eye of the man, but shines into the eye and the heart of the child.”

“Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the sky, and the truth.”

Weaponthane and ‘Protector of Hellbreak’, Maroof Levelhead is staunch and resolute in his duties including the maintenance and construction of the high watchtower and fortifications.

Maroof knows the local area, organising the tula patrols and leads the elite Sun-Fire Squad; drilling them in defensive tactics, horsemanship and riding.

When he was younger Maroof was not obligated to home; he wandered Dragon Pass like Elmal and met the DeathLords, the Stonemen and the Wild-Twins. He outmanoeuvred the Sun-Domers and cunningly overcomes the Redcloaks.

Bearer of Spear of Destiny and Brightshield, he is awe-inspiring in any conflict especially skirmishes and shieldwall fighting.

100 words

 

KeyWords

Heortling 13

Weaponthane 5M

Elmal Devotee 1M

 

Flaws

Duty-Bound 14M

Obligated to Home 1M

Not Young Anymore 19

Wanderer 18

 

Personality

Awe-Inspiring 19

Cunning 14

Levelheaded 5M

Resolute 17

Staunch 17

 

Relationships

ANCESTORS 13

BLOODLINE [Solni] 18

CLAN [Hruling] 13

CHIEF [Eldon] 13

Elmal Temple 5M

Protector of Community 1M

DeathLords [Contact] 19

Stonemen [Contact] 2M

Wild-Twins [Contact] 1M

Sun-Fire Squad 14M

Redcloaks [Adversary] 2M

Sun-Domers [Adversary] 2M

 

RUNE AFFINITIES

LIGHT 19

Dazzling Flash, Illuminate Surroundings, Resist Darkness, See in Darkness, Unquenchable Light.

DEFENCE 18

Defend Wall, Endure Wound, Hold Breach, Reflective Shield, Stand Fast.

SUN 19

Blazing Spear, Brilliant Shield, Clear Clouds, Comforting Glow, Unfaltering Defence.

 

Abilities

1H Spear/Shield Fighting 10M

Bearer of Mighty Weapons 1M

Construct Fortifications 1M

Defend Tula 5M

Drill Elite 5M

Horsemanship 2M

Inspiring In Any Conflict 19

Knows Dragon Pass 17

Knows Local Area 17

Lead Sun-Fire Squad 14M

Maintain Defensive Fortifications 1M

Organise Patrols 5M

Outmanoeuvre 19

Overcome Enemy 2M

Ride Horse 6M

Shieldwall Fighting 5M

Skirmish Tactics 1M

Use Watchtower 19

 

Special Abilities

Spear of Destiny 3M

Brightshield 1M

 

Here are the Tarsh Twins, some NPCs that appear in my 'Dark Heart of the Dragon Lands' scenario.
They are annoying to the PCs though they may prove useful in passing messages back to the main settlement.
They do bear a resemblance to some advertising icons though that is by shear coincidence, honest!




The Tarsh Twins' Story

"It is a rough road that leads to the heights of greatness."

The Tarsh Twins have always been inseparable; whatever they do they must do it together. They look so alike with their Tarshite style black moustaches and their long, shaggy, black hair. When one speaks up the other.. .. finishes the sentence. Both are long-legged and fast runners with strong fortitude and everlasting stamina. They can endure any weather to trek over vale and dale and trudge any trail always side-by-side.

They are a little imperceptive with people especially when it deals with clandestine shenanigans but when they have made that intuitive leap they shout in concert, “We've got your number!”

100 words

 

KeyWords

Tarshsite

Runners

Twins

Mastakos Devotees

 

Flaws

Imperceptive

Inseparable Twins

Useless With Clandestine Shenanigans

 

Personality

Intuitive Leap

Obtuse

 

RUNE AFFINITIES

MOVEMENT

STORM

ENDURANCE

 

Abilities

Black Moustaches

Endure Weather

Everlasting Stamina

Fast

Long-Legged

Long Shaggy Black Hair

Look Alike

Must Do It Together

One Speaks Up

Other Finishes

Shout

Strong Fortitude

Trek Over Vale and Dale

Trudge Trail

“We’ve Got Your Number!”

So I have now stated myself as a HeroQuest character.
It's an interesting exercise to do and I do think I have captured myself well [though you'll have to judge that for yourself!]




Darran Sims' Story

 

"A lack of planning on your part does not constitute an Emergency on my part"

Darran is a devoted husband, Grandfather of seven, Artist, Cartographer, and keen HeroQuest narrator. As a RPG Convention List Compiler he attends six conventions per year across Europe. His work as an Entertainment Venue Manager means he gets to meet the equally famous and obscure of Britain’s popular culture. Darran has a small mischievous streak [that is a mile deep!] and often boarders on pure schadenfreude. With a penchant for drawing weapons he is certainly not a man to cross.
Darran prevaricates too much while reading posts and threads and not enough time posting his wisdom as a Games Master.

100 words.

 

KeyWords

Entertainment Venue Manager 5M

Artist 1M

HeroQuest Narrator/Game Master 1M

 

Flaws

Bordering Schadenfreude 13

Prevaricates 1M

Small Mischievous Streak 17

 

Personality

Devoted 1M

Keen 5M

Not to be Crossed 15

Wise 17

 

Relationships

Devoted Husband 5M

Loves European RPG Conventions 1M

Grandfather of Seven 5M

To Britain's Popular Culture 17

 

Abilities

Attend RPG Convention 17

Draw 1M

Cartography 17

Compile RPG Convention List 17

Meets the Famous and Obscure 5M

Mile Deep Mischief 15

Not Enough Time 17

Penchant for Weapons 15

Posts Game Master Wisdom 17

Reads Posts 1M

 

Here is another player character, this one is from one of my old Gloranthan games. Erminda Steadfast was a character I came up with for a scenario I was running at Convulsion 2002.
Playing a character that worships Ernalda, the Earth Goddess, is a fairly hard to play as they are not really good for adventure. They are more capable at the hearth and stead and being sensible about life. Who in their right mind would go out adventuring?
I think I did well with Erminda as she has some important reasons to sort out what is wrong with her own clan and helping the other PCs to sort out the issue.
 


Erminda Steadfast ready to defend the Hellbreak settlement.  ©  Darran Sims


Erminda Steadfast's Story

“Doubts and mistrust are the mere panic of timid imagination, which the steadfast heart will conquer, and the large mind transcend.”

“The greatest honour history can bestow is that of peacemaker.”

Erminda Steadfast is one of the seven ring members and the Hearthmistress of the Solni Bloodline based at Hellbreak.

Strong and with a meaningful glare she gets things done and persuades and encourages everyone to keep working. However she is respected and revered by her community and she is fiercely protective of it.

Articulate, blunt and forthright she aspires for peace and intransigence.

Erminda fears the Predark but she perseveres bravely due to the espousal of her personal circle.

Erminda has helped and aided many Tarsh Rebels especially at the Battle of Karnge Farm and has gained the Jade-Glow Armring.

100 words

 

KeyWords

Heortling 13

Hearthmistress 7M

Enferalda Devotee 14M

 

Flaws

Blunt 17

Fears the Predark 1M

Fiercely Protective 19

Wants Intransigence 14M

 

Personality

Aspires for Peace 17

Forthright 17

Perseverance 1M

Revered 19

Steadfast 14M

 

Relationships

ANCESTORS 13

BLOODLINE [Solni] 18

CLAN [Hruling] 13

CHIEF [Eldon] 13

Ernaldan Temple 17

Espousal of her Personal Circle [Followers] 5M

Respected by Community 1M

Tarsh Rebels [Contact] 19

Karnge Farm Veterans 19

Predark [Adversary] 2M

 

RUNE AFFINITIES

ENDURANCE 18

Bear Heavy Burden, Ignore pain, Go Without Sleep, Remain Standing, Survive Battle.

HEAL PEOPLE 18

Diminish Injury, Ease Pain, Make Less Tired, Prevent Dying, Remove Hurt.

HEAL RELATIONSHIPS 18

Boost Confidence, Kiss and Make up, Prevent Anger, Reach Consensus, Sting Pride, Stop Argument.

 

Abilities

1H Spear Fighting 18

Articulate 17

Encourage Others 14M

Gets Things Done 16

Give Aid 19

Help Others 17

Keep Working 18
Know Hellbreak Settlement 4M

Meaningful Glare 18

Persuasive 2M

Strong 20

 

Personal Circle

ENARIN - Erantha Gor Initiate 2M

- Warrior 6M, Big Axe 13.

FALEENA - Nevala Initiate 2M

- Shepherd 6M, Know Area 13.

WEGINA - Mahome Devotee 6M

- Steadwife 2M, Know Darklore 16.

RIBENEA - Enferalda Initiate 2M

- Steadwife 6M, Loud Voice 13.

 

Special Abilities

Jade-Glow Armring 3M

Here's another HeroQuest character for one of my up and coming games.
I just loveTV show 'The Shield'  and I would like to run a game with the Strike Team as the player characters. A hard game to run as there would be no mythic, mythos or supernatural events - just a straight hard-hitting corrupt cop story.
Also a slightly different style of 100 words as this is written in the first person.


Vic Mackey’s Story

"Good cop and bad cop have left for the day. I'm a different kind of cop."

"Hey, option one is: we take him alive. But feel free to consider option two."

I am the tough, leader of a Strike Team, a four-man anti-gang unit in the Farmington District of Los Angeles. Captain Aceveda thinks that I am an extremely corrupt police officer; that I steal drug-money from drug dealers, I beat and torture suspects, and I may have committed murder more than once. I see my brutal tactics as a means to an end. I am not wholly bad, however; I am a devoted father, a loyal partner to other cops on my team, and will swiftly protect those I see as innocent victims.

"I don't step aside, I step up."

100 words.

 

KeyWords

Strike Team Leader 5M

Corrupt Police Officer 10M

 

Flaws

Considered Corrupt

Deemed a Multiple Murder

 

Personality

Brutal

Loyal

Not Wholly Bad

Protective

 

Relationships

Devoted Father

Distrusted by Captain Aceveda

Hates Drug Dealers

Known to Gangs

Leader of the Strike Team 

Protector of Innocent Victims

 

Abilities

Beat Suspect

Brutal Tactics

Ends Justifies the Means

I don't step aside, I step up

Knows Drug Dealers

Knows Farmington District

Loyal Cop Partner

Steal Money

Swiftly Protect

Torture Prisoner

Tough

Understands Gangs

 

Items

'The Shield'

Backup Snub-nosed Revolver

Bullet-proof Vest

Smith & Wesson Model 4506 Pistol

 

Here is Sam from Supernatural. Again a very capable character and did seem great fun to play even though he is usually the more serious Winchester brother on the TV show.




Sam Winchester's Story

"Dude, dude im not using this ID because it says "bikini inspector" on it!"

"What kind of a house doesnt have salt? Low sodium freaks!!"

Sam Winchester commands vast knowledge of the supernatural and is intellectually driven. An academic thinker, Sam is adroit in recalling chants written in Latin, which can be used to exorcise, summon or vanquish demons. Sam pre-empts any hunt by researching the paranormal entities involved and has an uncanny sense of direction and time.

Sam exhibits precognitive dreams and visions though they are currently dormant.

In addition, with the training given to him by his father, Sam is a skilled fighter, proficient with firearms, adept with shotguns, and capable with melee weapons. Sam possesses many abilities that are frowned upon by law, including lock-picking, computer-hacking, and disguised conning.

107 words

 

KeyWords

Hunter of the Supernatural

Paranormal Investigator

Academic Student

 

Flaws

Martyr Complex with his Brother Dean

Returned from the Dead

Must Save Dean From Hell

 

Personality

Academic

Intellectually Driven

Thinker

 

Relationships

Brother to Dean

Distrusts Bela Talbot

Frowned Upon By the Law

Mourns his Mother, Mary

Respectful of his Father, John

Relies on Ruby

Trusts Bobby Singer

 

Abilities

Adept With Shotguns

Adroit in Recalling Chants

Capable With Melee Weapons

Commands Vast Knowledge of Supernatural

Comprehensively Trained

Computer-Hacking

Con Victim

Disguise

Exhibits Precognitive Dreams

Exorcise Demons

Knows Chants to Exorcise Demons

Knows Chants to Summon Demons

Pick Locks

Pre-empts any Hunt

Proficient With Firearms

Read Latin

Research Paranormal Entities

Skilled Fighter

Speak Latin

Trained by his Father

Uncanny Sense of Direction and Time

Vanquish Demons

Visions Currently Dormant

 

Items

Arcane Paraphernalia

Beretta 92fs

PowerBook G4

Sawed-off Shotgun

HeroQuest's main mechanic for dealing with conflicts and PC interaction is the Simple Contest.

Players roll a d20 dice add have to roll under their target number of the ability they are using in the contest. If they do roll the target number or below they Succeed and if they roll over the target number they Fail. A roll of '1' is a Critical and a roll of '20' is a Fumble.

The GM or another player rolls the resistance on a d20 dice. Again they have to roll under a target number and could get one of the four results, Critical, Succeed, Fail or Fumble.

Those results are compared on a chart to get whether the player has won or lost the contest and at what magnitude the Victory Level is.

Victory Levels are:

Critical vs. Fumble = Complete Victory.

Critical vs. Fail or Success vs. Fumble = Major Victory.

Critical vs. Success or Success vs. Fail or Fail vs. Fumble = Minor Victory.

All Ties = Marginal Victory [Lowest roll result wins].

Fumble vs. Fumble = Tie.

Critical vs. Fumble = Marginal Defeat.

Success vs. Critical or Fail vs. Success or Fumble vs. Fail = Minor Defeat.

Fumble vs. Success or Failure vs. Critical = Major Defeat.

Fumble vs. Critical = Complete Defeat.

Getting a high level is good and getting a low level of defeat is bad.

So far so good.

The trouble comes when the results Tie.

The most common one is the Success vs. Success. Now in the rules it states that the lowest roll wins the Marginal Victory.

Now the probability of getting a Success vs. Success tie is quite high and it does occur often in each session. It then boils down to what was rolled and the lowest roll wins.

This is one of the 'whiff factors' with HeroQuest as it makes the whole contest about who rolls lowest and not about the level of success.

Far too often a player is making a crucial move in game and the stakes are high. The player is in a simple contest and rolls against their ability. They roll a '8', well below the target number so therefore a success and look to win the contest. However the GM has rolled a '4', below the target number and below the player's roll as well. Unlucky? Well yes but it does suck as both the GM and the player have rolled successes.

So here is a fix.

Over the weekend at Conception 2009 I ran four different HeroQuest games using this new fix and it seemed to work. Most of the players were new to the system though a few were old favourites of my games.

Now in any contest there is usually someone that starts it off or initiates it. We will call them the Instigator.

Contests will run as normal using the chart below using the first column [labelled 'Player'] for the Instigator of the contest. More often than not it will be the player that starts a contest. They are always looking for a fight!

The different success results compared will show what the Victory Level is at the end of the contest.

If there is a Tie though the Instigator wins the Marginal Victory. There is no comparing of the dice results or numbers just a comparison of the Success Results.

The new Simple Contest Chart.

A player is making a crucial move in game and the stakes are high. The player instigates a simple contest and rolls against their ability. They roll a '8', well below the target number so therefore a success and look to win the contest. The GM has rolled a '4', below the target number and a success. The contest result is a Tie, Success vs. Success. As the player instigated the action though they win the Marginal Victory.

If the the player was defending against an action the GM instigated the player would have scored a Marginal Defeat instead.

Now if the contest was between players instead of a GM vs. Player situation and it seems that both instigated the contest than I would rule that the contest ends in a Tie. The players would have to be happy with that result or instigate another new and different contest instead.

This week’s Midweek character is a NPC from my Serenity/Firefly HeroQuest game ‘Echoes in the Black’.

A bartender of the bar the player characters meet their main patron in he gets the players to part with their guns before entering the premises. He also offers the PCs a quick job for a 1000 credits. Seems too easy but every group of players takes the job even though their main patron told them to have no distractions while on the mission.

Of course it all goes wrong for the players and it seems that Azcal knows more than he is letting on.

 

Azcal Breen’s Story

“The hard part about being a bartender is figuring out who is drunk and who is just stupid”

“Few men have virtue to withstand the highest bidder”

Azcal Breen is the barkeep of the Palace Saloon and Karaoke Bar in Eavesdown Docks on Persephone. He is very fastidious about having guns in his bar; he has a Newtech Gun Detector protecting the main entrance, yet will allow knives in even selling them at the door! He has a habit of eves dropping on customers’ plots by using clever acoustics built in to the bar.

Azcal is self-delusional leader of the Bounty Hunters Guild even though he is the sole member. He has an armoured spacesuit and he uses limpet mines with dead-man’s switches to trap his quarry.

100 words.

 

KeyWords

Barkeep of the Palace Saloon 

Bounty Hunter 

 

Flaws

Eves Dropper 

Self-delusional 

Allows Knives in Bar 

 

Personality

Bad Habits 

Clever 

Fastidious 

 

Relationships

Barkeep to Dock Workers 

Leader of Bounty Hunters Guild 

Sole Member of Bounty Hunters Guild 

 

Abilities

Knows Customers’ Plots 

Knows Eavesdown Docks 

Knows Persephone 

Protects Main Entrance 

Sell Knives 

Trap His Quarry 

Uses Clever Acoustics 

 

Items

Armoured Spacesuit 

Dead-Man’s Switches

Limpet Mines 

Newtech Gun Detector 

Palace Saloon and Karaoke Bar

 

So here is another of the characters from my Supernatural game.
I think that Bela will be great to play especially if the player manages to stitch up both Dean and Sam!
I just hope that the game does go well.
I have just finished the first part of the Hunters Journal as well so I'll post pictures up of that. I have not got all what I wanted in it as yet but it does look good. Should be a nice prop.




Bela Talbot's Story

"I don’t get out of bed for three grand."

"Let me tell you a little something about me. I don't respond well to threats. But you make me an offer, and I think you'll fine me highly cooperative."

Bela Talbot knows about the supernatural world and is acutely aware of what goes on though she’s not a hunter. Bela has a murky past and makes a profit by selling stolen occult artefacts to clients who are the highest bidder. Bela is consummate professional and a crack-shot with a pistol. Bela has impressive skills in bargaining and exploitation; she will lie, cheat, steal, manipulate, and if pushed will severely hurt others to achieve her goals.

Bela uses an Ouija board to contact spirits to divine information on the whereabouts of persons and objects of desire.

Whenever possible, Bela will hire auxiliaries to do her dirty work.

107 words

 

KeyWords

Thief of Occult Artefacts

Murky Past

 

Flaws

Always Looking Over Her Shoulder

Hates To Be Pushed

Her Murky Past Will Catch Up

 

Personality

Always Achieves her Goals

Consummate Professional

Impressive

Strong Will

 

Relationships

Contact Spirits

Distrusts Sam

Flirts With Dean

Intrigued by Ruby

Knows Dodgy Auxiliaries

Underworld Contacts

Wary of Bobby

 

Abilities

Acute Awareness

Avoid Dirty Work

Bargaining

Cheat Others

Crack-Shot

Divine Information

Exploit Weakness

Find Whereabouts

Hire Auxiliaries

Knows Supernatural World

Lie Well

Make Profit

Manipulate

Not a Hunter

Sell to Highest Bidder

Severely Hurt Others

Steal Occult Artefact

 

Items

Arcane Paraphernalia

Desert Eagle

Mo-Jo Bag

Ouija Board

Call’s Story

“Jesus Christ, Johner. What did you put in this shit? Battery acid?”

“Look, I can make it all stop. The pain, this nightmare. That’s all I can offer you”.

Annelee Call is the Betty's mechanic: a tough, resilient character whose bravado belies a

profound inner turmoil. Though young in years and seemingly naïve, Call is a veteran of

the misfortunes of life. Quick and agile she defends herself with her hidden stiletto knife.

Call has a natural affinity with anything mechanical or electrical and can repair almost any

machine though she harbours mistrust for computers and Artificial Intelligence.

As the newest recruit Call has proved her worth on the Betty and is respected by Elgyn.

Her true nature is revealed as generous and humanist -- but she hides a shocking secret.

104 words.

 

KeyWords

Mechanic of The Betty 17

Former Thief 15

 

Personality

Bravado 1M

Cunning 15

Generous 10M

Humanist 15M

Inspired 17

Methodical 15

Naïve 1M

Patient 5M

Perceptive 15

Profound Inner Turmoil 19

Resilient 5M

Tinkerer 17

 

Relationships

Gang [Former-Member of] 17

Former Comrades [Friends of] 17

Gang Boss [Adversary] 10M

The Betty’s Crew [Loyal to] 19

Black Market [Contacts] 15

Underworld [Contacts] 15

Parts Supplier [Contacts] 17

Respected By Elgyn 10M

Proved Worth to Crew 19

 

Abilities

Agile 5M

Bypass Security Measures 15M

Defend Herself 19

Electrical Natural Affinity 7M

Harbours Mistrust for Computers 5M

Hides Shocking Secret [+6/-6] 10M2

Mechanical Natural Affinity 9M

Mistrusts Artificial Intelligence 5M

Newest Recruit 19

Needs to Prove Her Worth 2M

Quick 5M

Repair Almost Any Machine 8M

Reveal True Nature 19

Tough 15M

Seemingly Naïve 15M

Sleight of Hand 5M

Understand Function 5M

Veteran of Misfortunes of Life 1M

Young in Years 19

 

Wealth

Standard of Living: Common 13

WEAPONS:- Hidden Stiletto Knife, Wrench.

ITEMS:- Fake Papers, Assortment of Loot, Assorted Tools, Spare Parts, Dark Clothes/Overalls, Lockpicks.

So here is Dean Winchester, one of the player characters in my Supernatural game that takes place at this year's Conception convention. 
It is still a work in progress so there are no target numbers associated with the abilities and keywords as I haven't done the other characters yet. 
I am interested in some feed-back as I am still not sure about his abilities and I need to define the keywords somewhat.

Dean Winchester's Story

"And I tell you what else helps. Killing as many evil sons-of-bitches as I possibly can."

"I think he wants us to pick up where he left off. You know, saving people, hunting things... The family business."

Dean Winchester is ruthless, aggressive and highly resourceful. Dean possesses excellent combat and hunting prowess; comprehensively trained by his father as a paranormal investigator and hunter of the supernatural. Dean has an instinctive ability to 'read' behavioural characteristics and manipulate people.

Dean has extensive knowledge of the supernatural and mythology. He is well versed with how police and government agencies operate and conduct investigations, and knows how to both impersonate and evade them effectively. 

Dean is a virtuoso of escape, evasion and stealth. Lastly, he is also skilful in areas frowned upon by the law; lock picking, by-passing security systems, car jacking and gaining an 'advantageous purchase' comes naturally.

109 words

 

KeyWords

Hunter of the Supernatural

Paranormal Investigator

Mechanic

Hustler

 

Flaws

Martyr Complex with his Brother Sam

Sold His Soul

Going to Hell

Personality

Aggressive

Appears Well-disposed

Facade of Humour

Instinctive

Passionately Despises What He Hunts

Rough Charm with the Ladies

Ruthless

Uncomplicated

Relationships

Brother to Sammy

Distrusts Bela Talbot

Evades Law Enforcement 

Frowned Upon By the Law

Obsessed With His Car

Mourns his Mother, Mary

Reveres his Father, John

Suspicious of Ruby

Trusts Bobby Singer

Wanted by the Police

 

Abilities

By-pass Security Systems

Car Jacking Comes Naturally

Combat Prowess

Comprehensively Trained

Conduct Investigation

Evade Investigation

Evasion Tactics

Extensive Knowledge of Mythology

Extensive Knowledge of Supernatural

Gain 'Advantageous Purchase'

Highly Resourceful

Impersonate Government Agent

Knows How Feds Operate

Manipulate People

Pick Locks

Possesses Hunting Prowess

Read Behaviour

Stealthy

Skilful in Illegal 

Trained by his father

Virtuoso of Escape

Well Versed in Police Operations

 

Items

1967 Chevrolet Impala

Arcane Paraphernalia 

Trunk Full of Weapons

Colt 1911

Sawed-off Shotgun

EMF Meter 'Walkman'

Here is the first Gloranthan HeroQuest character I have put up.
She started off as a NPC that helped the player characters in times of trouble.
She was a crazy, angry Vinga worshipper prone to fighting first and asking questions later!
She always covered the PCs' escape when they faced dire odds yet she managed to always return from certain death.
I then planned to run a scenario at Convulsion 2002 and needed some extra player characters so Tenla got promoted!
Since then she has caused more mayhem and disruption to the enemies of the White Ram Clan.

 

Tenla’s Story

“I don’t believe in ‘justice’, I believe in vengeance and I believe in killing the bastard!”.

Athletic, robust, tall, and strong with natural ginger hair and a fiery temper to match. Yet during combat she is a calm tactical warrior with superior judgement.

She is always in competition with men, racing, boozing and wrestling with them. She got her name (contrary to her nature) by her rocksmashing slice talent. She was renowned for her jollity until her father and brother were slain by Arrantha the Axe - nowadays she laughs no more.

She now reveres Vingan Avenger, has forged her reprisal sword ‘Retaliation’ aided by the DeathLords and has learnt counter-axe techniques to aid her aspiration.

100 Words.

 

KeyWords

Heortling 13

Warrior 17

Vinga the Avenger Initiate 17

 

Personality

Aspires for Revenge 2M2

Aggrieved by Death of Father and Brother 17

Boastful 1M

Calm During Combat 13

Competes with Men 19

Drinks Lots of Booze 1M

Fiery Temper 7M

Ginger Hair 13

Grief Stricken 1M

Hate Darkness [Uz] 13

Laughs No More 1M

Retaliatory 13

Superior Judgement 19

Tactical 17

 

Relationships

ANCESTORS 13

BLOODLINE [Corfica] 18

CLAN [White Rams] 13

CHIEF [Banatyr] 13

TRIBE [Ilmori] 13

KING [Old Hanmar] 14

Vingan Temple 17

DeathLords [Contact] 13

Arrantha the Axe [Adversary] 2M

 

RUNE AFFINITIES

STORM 19

Deadly Spear Throw, Fight Against Rapist, Fight Against Uz, Leaping Shield, Mile Javelin Throw, Spear Help.

MOVEMENT 18

Burst of Speed, Dodge Missiles, Leap over Water, Rock-jumping, Run on Mud, Run up Cliffs, Sunset Leap.

INSPIRE NON-COMBATANTS 18

Follow Me, Last Ditch Effort, Now I’m Angry, Surprise Yourself, There is Always a Way.

 

Abilities

1H Spear & Shield Fighting 18M

2H Spear Fighting 17M

Athletic 15

Combat Tactics 16

Contrary Nature 14

Know Tarshite Tactics 18

Knows Counter-Axe Techniques 20

Forge Weapons 14

Learns Well 13

Natural Temper 13

Racing 13

Renowned for Jollity 13

Robust 5M

Strong 20

Sword Fighting 2M2

Tall 13

Throw Javelins 4M

Wilderness Survival 14

Wrestling 1M

 

Special Abilities

Reprisal Sword ‘Retaliation’ 3M

Rock Smashing Slice 1M

SOCIAL RANK: High Thane 1M

WEALTH: Good 17

BASIC ITEMS: Basic Weapons - Sword, Spear, Javelins, Knives, Shield, Metal Leather Armour, Basic Camping Gear

A day late but 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.



Lance Corporal Jack Jones' Story.

"Permission to speak, sir"
"They don't like it up 'em!"
A veteran soldier, with many years service (and medals) to his name, Jack Jones is loaded with ‘long’ stories of adventure and heroism. He served with General Gordon and Lord Kitchener becoming very fond of the cold steel bayonet; “they don’t like it up ‘em”.

Jones runs the local butchers shop and he converted his butchers van as troop transport though as the Captain says “his experience will stand us in good steak er... stead”.

Loyal to the Captain he will volunteer for every mission. When things go wrong he gets in a flap “Don’t Panic Mr Mainwaring!”

His ambition in life? - to marry Mrs Fox.

107 words

 

Goals

Volunteer for any mission

Impress Captain Mainwarring at all times

Keep the men in line

Earn the respect of the men

Tell a great story [or three] to the platoon

 

KeyWords

Lance Corporal 5M

Butcher 1M

 

Abilities

Ambition to Marry Mrs Fox 19

Bayonet 1M

Clumsy 15M

Converted Butchers Van Troop Transport 19

“Don’t Panic Mr Mainwaring!” 15M

Easily Gets in a Flap 10M

Flappable when Things Go Wrong 3M

Fond of Cold Steel Bayonet 3M

Fought Along Side Lord Kitchener 19

“His experience will stand us in good steak er... stead” 17

Loaded with ‘Long’ Stories 5M

Loyal to Captain Mainwaring 17M

Many Medals 19

Many Years of Service 19

Old Veteran 19

Panics 19

Seeks Adventure & Heroism 17

Served with General Gordon 5M

“They Don’t Like It Up ‘em” 12M

Under the Counter Meat Rations 18

Volunteer for Any Mission 13M

Another midweek character, this time a more famous one.
Not very festive I know but I am in a 'dark mood'.

You'll notice that Dracula doesn't have many vampire type abilities, they would be derived from the 'Vampire' keyword directly.
Also there hasn't been a big point spend on the Count as such - I have just boosted his keywords up instead.

Count Dracula' Story

"The blood is the life!"

"My revenge has just begun! I spread it over centuries and time is on my side."

Count Dracula is a centuries-old vampire, sorcerer and Transylvanian nobleman, a Székely descended from Attila the Hun. He inhabits a decaying castle in the Carpathian Mountains with his three wives for company. Dracula exudes a veneer of aristocratic charm which masks his unfathomable evil.

In his youth, Dracula became proficient in alchemy and magic at the Scholomance academy; studying black arts that allowed him to cheat death.

No common man: for in that time, and for centuries after, he was spoken of as the cleverest and the most cunning, as well as the bravest of the sons of the 'land beyond the forest'.

103 words

 

KeyWords: 

Transylvanian Noble [Székely] 17

Vampire 5M2

Sorcerer 15M

 

Personality 

Aristocratic 17

Brave 17

Charming 5M2

Clever 5M2

Cunning 15M

No Common Man 15M

Noble 17

Proficient 15M

Spoken of for Centuries [Well Renown] 10M

Unfathomable Evil 5M2

 

Relationships

Patriarch of Székely Family 17

Son of the 'Land Beyond the Forest' 20

Three Wives for Company 15

Alumnus of Scholomance Academy 15M

 

Abilities

Centuries-Old 5M2

Cheat Death 5M2

Decay Habitat 15M

Descended from Attila the Hun 17

Exudes a Masking Veneer 15M

Inhabits Castle 5M

Knows Carpathian Mountains 5M2

Knows Magic 15M

Proficient at Alchemy 15M

Studied Black Arts 15M

 

Another weekly HeroQuest character - this time a silly character.
I think this shows the beauty of the HeroQuest system in making playable player characters that in other role-playing systems wouldn't be much good or very, very weak.

WALL-E's Story

"EVVVEEEE"

"Chime" Macintosh activation chime.

 

WALL-E (Waste Allocation Load Lifter Earth-Class) is a mobile trash compactor, the last operational unit on Earth created by the Buy-n-Large Corporation.

WALL-E's long and lonely existence has granted him sentience and emotion.

WALL-E is solar-powered and constantly replaces his worn parts with those scavenged from non-functional WALL-E units. He has a laser between his eyes, he uses this chiefly as a cutting-tool. He can retract his limbs and head into his body and form a cube when he senses danger or when at rest. His loneliness is soon requited via EVE, a probe that searches for signs of plant life.

104 words.

 

KeyWords

Waste Allocation Load Lifter Earth-Class [WALL-E] 17

Mobile Trash Compactor 17

Sentient 13

 

Personality

Constant 17

Curious 15

Determined 10M

Diligent 17

Emotional 4M

Kleptomania 13

Lonely 15

 

Relationships

Created By the Buy-n-Large Corporation 17

Requited Love for EVE 15M

.                 Search for Signs of Plant Life 1M

 

Abilities

Alone on Earth 17

Cutting-Tool 1M

Form a Protective Cube 10M

Granted Emotion 13

Laser Between Eyes 17

Last Operational Unit 17

Long Existence 5M

Replace Worn Parts 17

Retract Head 17

Retract Limbs 17

Scavenge Spare Parts 17

Sense Danger 15

Solar-Powered 17

Strip Non-functional WALL-E Units 17

 

Okay I am hoping to post up a HeroQuest character every week that I have used or plan to use in my games.

I'll start with one of the player characters from my Serenity: HeroQuest games, Johner.
Portrayed in Alien: Resurrection by Ron Perlman, he is one of the more colourful characters of The Betty.

 

 

Johner’s Story
“My own recipe. Way more dangerous.”
“You hang with us a while, you'll learn I'm not the man with whom to fuck.”
Johner is a mercenary, hired by Elgyn as extra muscle, but has chosen to stay onboard the Betty “ ‘Cause pay’s good and regular”. Johner is thickset, mean and ugly, with vivid scars crisscrossing his ugly baldhead, and has an ugly temper to match.
Johner talks-before-he-thinks, often saying the most inappropriate comments but his coarseness occasionally provides paradoxical humour. He is self-centred and has a schadenfreude streak that boarders on sadistic; he scares and unnerves all that he meets.
Johner is accomplished in battle [his love of big guns and loud bangs is renowned], skilled at bashing-in heads and can brawl in the dirt with the best of ‘um.
109 words.

KeyWords
Crewman of The Betty 1M,
Mercenary Soldier 5M,

 

Personality

Avaricious 5M

Boarderline Sadistic 1M

Callous 5M

Fearless 5M

Mean 1M

Loves Big Guns 19

Loves Loud Bangs 19

Loyal 10

Schadenfreude 5M

Self-Centered 19

Self-Confident 5M

Undisciplined 5M

Ugly Temper 19

 

Relationships

Battle Unit [Former -Member of] 17

Former Comrades [Friends of] 17

The Betty’s Crew [Loyal to] 19

Hired by Elgyn 1M

Renowned Love of Explosions 19

Renowned Love of Guns 19M

Likes Good & Regular Pay 15M

 

Abilities

Accomplished in Battle 19

Bash-in Heads 5M

Brawling 10M

Brawl in the Dirt 19

Chosen to Stay Onboard 19

Coarse [Swear Like a Trooper] 20M

Conceal Weapon 10M

Fight the Best of ‘um 20M

Provides Paradoxical Humour 19

Says Inappropriate Comments 19

Scary 8M

Talks-Before-He-Thinks 19

Thickset 19

Ugly 20

Unnerves All that He Meets 19

Use Weapons [Small Arms, Assault, Heavy] 10M

Vivid Scars Crisscrossing Head 19

Wealth

Standard of Living: Common 13

WEAPONS:- Knife, Pistol, Grenade Launcher, Assault Weapon, SMG, Derringer hidden in a Flask, Spare Ammo.

ITEMS:- Body Armour, Ident Card, Fake Permits, Assortment of loot, Flask of Moonshine.

This is where my Serenity: HeroQuest game takes place between 10:30 - 14:00.

I have managed to be upgraded out of the basement!





A brand new episode [though the plot will resemble the others! lol] with a trip to Deadwood and a job in the 'verses biggest scrap yard.
I will also be recording the game for my One Man and His Dice podcasts as I will be hopefully have a room to myself.

I have just undergone a small crisis recently with some players of my group not happy with the game system I am running. Now I must admit that I do *really* like HeroQuest, and the new version of the rules for the most part have improved the game to me no end.
I did go through a bit of self examination but by the end of it I was still happy with what I am doing though I have taken some steps to see if I can improve my GMing techniques. I think that I have to be a bit harsher and put the PCs at risk a lot more.

The best thing for me was to run another good game - I did that yesterday and not only did I have a good time but my players were very happy.

 

I ran my 'Winter Warriors' HeroQuest 2.0 playtest game for my brother, my sister and even my wife joined in.
I usually get the players to create their own characters for this game as art of the playtest but as our time was a little bit limited I allowed them to pick from the characters already created in previous playtests. Most of them are excellent characters and offer great opportunity for role-playing.
They picked their characters and got playing, enjoying the setting of the Fimblewinter and stepping up to be the BIG heroes.
It went very well as all the players were trying to work out what was going on and my wife got quite blood-thirsty attacking the Lunar Sorcerer with gusto!

So I am feeling much better about myself and my games and look forward to running a new Firefly game at Dragonmeet 2008 and getting a load of games ready for Conception 2009.

So I ran the next instalment of my Air & Motion campaign yesterday using the new HeroQuest 2.0 rules.

Most of my regular players were unable to attend this time due to Real Life getting in the way, which is a shame, but fortunately my brother Russell was able to attend still and I got two brand new players to corrupt!
The first new player is Rob, who knows the setting of Glorantha well having played RuneQuest in the past, attended past Convulsions/Continuum conventions as well as having GMed Hero Wars back when it first came out. He read all my background notes I have posted up on the internet and wrote out his 100 words for my in advance for his character. Marvellous!
The second new player is my baby sister Amy [not that much of a baby as she has a child of her own], and she hasn’t even played a role-playing game before, never mind HeroQuest.
So all three of my players are new to the latest system, though two have some experience of Glorantha.



The players Rob, Amy and Russell.


I had updated Russell’s character sheet by removing all abilities associated with keywords out so he was just left with keywords as direct abilities [occupation, homeland, clan, and religion], abilities derived from his 100 words and any abilities he brought or spent points on during play. Magic wise, he still had his three Rune Affinities derived from his Yinkin religion keyword as I removed all listed feats. The character was a devotee at the start of the campaign but has now been demoted to an initiate [barely as well!].

Making Rob’s character was a little bit easier as he had a good solid 100 words written. Again I gave him his keywords as direct abilities so he had his homeland, clan, occupation, and religion down. I managed to pull quite a few abilities out of his 100 words so he had plenty to draw on. His character wanted to become a Devotee of Orlanth; it was part of his 100 words and a good clear goal as well as being a direct ability. Note this is to worship Orlanth directly, no minor sub-cults getting in the way. I gave him the Runes of Storm, Mobility and Hunting; Storm because he is an Orlanthi male and they get that automatically, Mobility due to him wanting to worship Orlanth at a higher level and Hunting as his occupation is a hunter anyway. Rob was happy with them even though I did give him the choice of changing them.

I was toying with the idea of giving Amy a pre-generated character but I decided against it with it being her first role-play experience. Instead I went for ‘As-You-Go’ character generation, as that would allow Amy to have her own character as well as keeping it simple for her without piling on all the information at once. It would also allow us all to start the game without having to wait to do all the character generation first.

First I wanted her to think of a character concept, something simple but with enough to build on with more detail later. I gave her a few examples and then got Russell and Rob to introduce their characters to give Amy an idea what she could do. Amy wanted to have her character to be a witch, to be a magic user. I asked if she wanted to evoke spirits or to emulate the acts of a goddess directly? “Oh emulating the goddess directly please!”
So I tried to think of an Earth Goddess that would be suitable. “Could I make earthquakes and throw rocks about?” asked Amy. Maran Gor it is then!
I was a little bit shocked as Amy didn’t know anything about Glorantha at all and yet picked quite a dark goddess, one that isn’t normally one worshipped by player characters. I thought, hell lets run with it as that might be fun and would certainly be something different, a Maran Gor worshipping player character would be fun.
I gave Amy a list of runes with descriptions; I said her first rune would have to an Earth Rune anyway as the character was a female from Orlanthi society and they always have the Earth Rune. However she could pick her other two runes. With a little help from the others she picked the Disorder Rune and the Magic Rune.
With that we came up with her character’s name, Platonia Earthshaker based on the plate tectonics of earthquakes. Good eh?
Everything else about her character would be added later.

With that we were good to go and start the game.


Me in action!



I started slowly to ease the new players into it and started with a murder mystery. After that it changed genre and moved to a CSI investigation, then a black comedy, a soap opera, a farce, a tactical battle, a gritty horror and then back again! A nice spread and a good game.

One of the better aspects of the game was the quicker augments. No bean counting and shopping lists of augments now that slow down the game. Also the new extended contest work well. They are a lot quicker and there is not that strange shift into a gambling system that brings the game to a halt that the old system had.

All the players had a great time, it’s good that the new player enjoyed the game, Amy even sent me a text this morning to say what a fun game and “when are we playing again?”
A new convert me thinks?

What scares me though is that me and my brother have been role-playing for over twenty-seven years, longer than my sister has been around.



I hope to get the podcast up soon so you’ll be able to hear how it went.