DriveThruRPG Review: Savage Worlds Horror Companion

It embarrasses me a little to admit that it took me three of the Savage Worlds genre companions before I realized that the same woman was presented on each cover. She is simply changed to fit the genre contained within the book. The red-headed Amazon on the cover of the Fantasy Companion is the red-headed flying heroine on the cover of the Super Powers Companion and the red-headed vampire on the cover of the Horror Companion, simply adapted to each genre. The cover art is not the only thing the companions share, though. Each of them also includes extensive rules to modify the simple core Savage Worlds mechanics to make them an appropriate gaming system for each genre.

As in the other companion books, these genre mechanics begin with edges and hindrances in the Horror Companion. These edges and hindrances alone do a great deal to help foster the feel of a horror game. Horror Companion hindrances include things like Bleeder and Screamer while the edges are things like Necromancer and Monster Hunter. It should not be hard to guess the purpose of those hindrances and edges given the names and all of the edges and hindrances presented in the book reproduce classic features displayed by characters in horror stories.

The player section of the book also includes a number of new character races. This is one place where the Horror Companion noticeably diverges from its sister books. The Fantasy Companion has a short section of fantasy appropriate races which are carefully balanced and rules about how to create additional balanced races specific to each group’s campaign. The bulk of the rules in the Super Powers Companion consists of balanced character creation, with the idea that alien and unusual races are simply created by generating them using the character creation rules.
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Written on May 11th, 2012 , DriveThru RPG Reviews, Role Playing Games, Savage Worlds Tags: , ,
Knights of Reignsborough: Issue 13 – Boom! (Part 2)

Thousands and thousands of citizens at risk… Villains and monsters are loose to wreak havoc.  Can the Knights of Reignsborough put an end to this crisis… can Bon Jovi be saved?

We’d love to hear from you! Give us a call at 972-763-5903 and share your comments, questions, and suggestions. If we use your voicemail in the show, you’ll win an Ideology of Madness SurPrize!

GM’s note: Knights of Reignsborough is a role playing game actual play podcast. It is not our intent to teach a system, rather to entertain. As such, much of the game mechanic discussion has been edited from the audio.

 

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Written on February 8th, 2012 , Ideology of Madness Actual Play, Knights of Reignsborough, Podcasts, Role Playing Games, Savage Worlds, Superhero Tags: , , , ,
Knights of Reignsborough: Issue #12 – Boom! (part 1)

This is it!  It’s all led up to this… The long awaited Billy Joel concert!  Monsters are on the loose.  Can our heroes stop them before the curtain rises on the next, great Reignsborough massacre?

Just one more episode until we reach the end to our first story arc. We will have a Q&A show between the first and second arc. We’d love to hear from you! Give us a call at 972-763-5903 and share your comments, questions, and suggestions. If we use your voicemail in the show, you’ll win an Ideology of Madness SurPrize!

GM’s note: Knights of Reignsborough is a role playing game actual play podcast. It is not our intent to teach a system, rather to entertain. As such, much of the game mechanic discussion has been edited from the audio.

Podcaster’s note: As we motor onwards to the explosive issue 13, Knights of Reignsborough is released weekly(ish). Issue 13 will arrive the weekend of January 28.

Special thanks to Tony Mast, Gary Layton and DJ Kitty for their voice contributions.

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Written on January 19th, 2012 , Comics, Ideology of Madness Actual Play, Knights of Reignsborough, Podcasts, Role Playing Games, Savage Worlds, Superhero Tags: , ,
Knights of Reighnsborough: Knights No More?

Beneath one hundred and fifty billion tons* stands Ricochet… And he’s not happy!

We are rapidly approaching the end to our first story arc and will have a Q&A show between the first and second arc. We’d love to hear from you! Give us a call at 972-763-5903 and share your comments, questions, and suggestions. If we use your voicemail in the show, you’ll win an Ideology of Madness SurPrize!

GM’s note: Knights of Reignsborough is a role playing game actual play podcast. It is not our intent to teach a system, rather to entertain. As such, much of the game mechanic discussion has been edited from the audio.

Podcaster’s note: As we motor onwards to the explosive issue 13, Knights of Reignsborough is released weekly(ish). Issue 12 will arrive the weekend of January 13.

* Math was never Ricochet’s strong point.  These numbers may be exaggerated.

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Written on January 8th, 2012 , Comics, Ideology of Madness Actual Play, Knights of Reignsborough, Podcasts, Role Playing Games, Savage Worlds, Superhero Tags: , , ,
Star Trek Aegean: The Search for Paul

In our fifth and final sandbox episode, Paul joins the crew.  He pitches several character concepts to Tim, Wayne, John and Aron.  There’s quite a bit of mocking.

Give us a call at 972-763-5903 and leave us your feedback. If we use your voicemail, you’ll win an Ideology of Madness SurPrize.

Podcaster’s note: The first of the Aegean Actual Plays will be released at the end of January/beginning of February.

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Written on December 30th, 2011 , Ideology of Madness Actual Play, Podcasts, Role Playing Games, Savage Worlds, Star Trek, Star Trek: Aegean Tags: , , ,
IoM Actual Play: Ship-Wrecked on Monster Island

In the days after Serpentfall, a handful of Marines – the last of their once mighty unit – are shipwrecked on Kaijushima… a place you might know better as Monster Island.

Wreathed in mist and veiled in mystery, Monster Island was bad enough during the BIG ONE, when it held cannibal soldiers sworn to kill and die for Hirohito, and savage tribes who worshiped Golyeong, the MIGHTY “gorilla ghost.” After the Serpentfall, who knows what TREMENDOUS horrors might be RISING UP in Monster Island’s jungles, awakened from the prehistoric past?

Ship-wrecked on Monster Island is an actual play recording made at Fear the Con 4.  Players include Comedy Rockstar Mikey Mason, Funnybooks’ Paul, Thistledown AP’s  John, Josh, Nathan and James.

The game uses the Day After Ragnarok setting expansion from Serpent Scales #3: Return to Monster Island.

Day After Ragnarok is set in a world where the allies never won World War II. Instead, Patton dies before the Battle of the Bulge assassinated in Otto Skorzeny’s Operation Walküre. The Nazis, emboldened by this development that they believe signals the new Twilight, are successful in their endeavor to access the arcane powers of the Norse Gods. They summon up Jormungandr, the Midgard Serpent.

The end times dawn in 1945.

The Yanks strike back at the world encircling serpent with a nuke – killing Jormungandr, but also ending the world as we know it. The giant snake’s massive body crashes across continents, destroying cities and nations… Magic and monsters enter the world.

And our heroes are ship-wrecked on Monster Island.

Day After Ragnarok is a Savage Worlds setting from Atomic Overmind Press.

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Written on December 17th, 2011 , DriveThru RPG Reviews, Ideology of Madness Actual Play, Podcasts, Role Playing Games, Savage Worlds Tags: , , , , ,
Star Trek: Aegean – Episode 4 – Non-Player Characters

In our fourth sandbox episode, we flesh out the crew with non-player characters, discuss a bit more about cool-things-we-want-in-the-game and end with some character mechanics.

Give us a call at 972-763-5903 and leave us your feedback. If we use your voicemail, you’ll win an Ideology of Madness SurPrize.

Podcaster’s note: Star Trek: Aegean is released bi-weekly(ish). Episode 5 will arrive the weekend of December 4.

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Written on November 20th, 2011 , Ideology of Madness Actual Play, Podcasts, Role Playing Games, Savage Worlds, Science Fiction, Star Trek, Star Trek: Aegean Tags: , , , , ,
Knights of Reignsborough: Issue #10 – Avenge Our Deaths

As questions are answered, more are asked while a family member’s life hangs in the balance…

We are rapidly approaching the end to our first story arc and will have a Q&A show between the first and second arc. We’d love to hear from you! Give us a call at 972-763-5903 and share your comments, questions, and suggestions. If we use your voicemail in the show, you’ll win an Ideology of Madness SurPrize!

GM’s note: Knights of Reignsborough is a role playing game actual play podcast. It is not our intent to teach a system, rather to entertain. As such, much of the game mechanic discussion has been edited from the audio.

Podcaster’s note: Knights of Reignsborough is released bi-weekly(ish). Issue 11 will arrive the weekend of November 18.

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Written on November 6th, 2011 , Comics, Ideology of Madness Actual Play, Knights of Reignsborough, Podcasts, Role Playing Games, Savage Worlds, Superhero Tags: , , ,
Star Trek: Aegean – Episode 3 – Starships and Storyhooks

This time around, we decide on class of starship and name as well as kick around a few storyhooks.  One thing we mis-state all through the episode is the class of starship we settle on.  Excelsior not Excalibur.

Sorry about that.

Give us a call at 972-763-5903 and leave us your feedback. If we use your voicemail, you’ll win an Ideology of Madness SurPrize.

Podcaster’s note: Star Trek: Aegean is released bi-weekly. Episode 4 will arrive the weekend of November 11.

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Written on October 16th, 2011 , Ideology of Madness Actual Play, Podcasts, Role Playing Games, Savage Worlds, Star Trek, Star Trek: Aegean Tags: , , ,
Knights of Reignsborough: Issue #9 – Just Like Choking a Rabbit

A hero is kidnapped, a lead is chased and a loved one falls…

We are rapidly approaching the end to our first story arc and will have a Q&A show between the first and second arc. We’d love to hear from you! Give us a call at 972-763-5903 and share your comments, questions, and suggestions. If we use your voicemail in the show, you’ll win an Ideology of Madness SurPrize!

GM’s note: Knights of Reignsborough is a role playing game actual play podcast. It is not our intent to teach a system, rather to entertain. As such, much of the game mechanic discussion has been edited from the audio.

Podcaster’s note: Knights of Reignsborough is released bi-weekly. Issue 9 will arrive the weekend of October 22.

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Written on October 8th, 2011 , Comics, Ideology of Madness Actual Play, Knights of Reignsborough, Podcasts, Role Playing Games, Savage Worlds, Superhero Tags: , , ,
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