Hurled into Eternity RPG – Domain Name Secured

 

http://www.hurledintoeternity.com/

As you  an see its not much at the moment, but I have taken the steps to make sure that I have my preferred URL reserved. In the future the plan is to house my online endeavors there with links to my Facebook Page as well as back to this blog.

As it stands right now Hurled into Eternity is being edited as we speak. My next goal is to get it to play testing then onto production for print. Right now a fiend of mine and I are contenplating some custom playing cards to go with the game. That is at the planning stages.

While Im waiting for the editing to be complete I'm hard at work on the first two supplements for the game as well as Let it Beagle Media. Right now its a lot of ideas, but not in a cohesive form.

Stay tuned for more.

Inside My Man Cave – Gaming Table, Terrain, and Old School Vibes

Just some of the shelves in the gaming man cave...

EDIT: (7-14-26) The man cave has changed a lot since 2013 when I originally posted this, time for the upgraded version!

Man Cave, every gamer has one, or should. I’m lucky enough to have the whole basement to myself! We built my current house in 2011 and left the basement is unfinished, but I've managed to fill it up with a pretty decent gaming space. 

Over the years it received upgrades in an ad-hoc way, but last December (2025) I upgraded eve more beyond the photos you see here. Now an improved stereo system, a new fish tank for Fred VII, new book cases, new computer desk, carpeting, and a new gaming chair amongst others.

In a way, it hearkens back to the days when we played in my friend’s basement on Saturday nights in early high school, at least until we could drive.

Not only is it where I game with my friends but where I've written two novels, worked on countless terrain pieces and painted tons of minis. 

Its also where my dogs fall asleep on their various beds throughout, including one dreaming and paws twitching as I type this.

Weird War II for Savage Worlds – Monsters, Magic, and Mayhem in WWII

 

Weird type events for World War II? Yes, please. Unlike Deadlands, I think this one pulls it off. (That’s not an indictment of Deadlands, I like the concept, but that’s another topic.)

The topic at hand is the Weird War II sourcebook from Pinnacle Games for their Savage Worlds rules.

Weird War II is a source book for using the Savage Worlds system with a twisted take on World War II. Like Deadlands, there are dark forces at work, and Europe is in deeper trouble than just Nazi Germany or Imperial Japan. The “Weird War” genre has been around for a while, but I think this book captures it better than anything else in RPG form.

I’m not diving deep into the Savage Worlds rules here (if you’re reading this, you probably already know the system). Instead, I’m focusing on the book itself as source material.

Released in 2009, Pinnacle did a solid job capturing the feel of the genre. Character creation really shines, with advantages tailored to soldiers from each major nationality. While you could play Axis forces, the best campaigns are built around the Allies. The mixed nature of Allied forces gives tons of latitude for military and civilian backgrounds. Female players will find great inspiration in the illustration on page 12, who wants to play a WAC when you could be a French resistance fighter with a penchant for explosives?

The Office of Special Investigations concept neatly sidesteps traditional gender roles in combat: if you can handle the horrors of Weird War, you’re in, regardless of gender. It also feels very ad-hoc, much like units in Twilight 2000.

Equipment levels feel just about right. The book adds the right amount of new skills and Edges, plus an excellent mission generator that keeps things moving. The Warmaster can always “pull rank” with superior officers when the players start wandering off in search of Option Z.

The material scales perfectly, from personal arms all the way up to fighters, bombers, and naval vessels. Rules for fortifications, artillery, disease, parachuting, and more let you play out nearly every aspect of the war (and then some).

Large sections focus on the weird elements (especially Chapter Five), with monsters, Nazi blood magic, and Soviet psychic powers. While the European Theater gets a lot of attention, the Pacific campaign offers just as much potential for weirdness amid sweltering jungles and vast oceans.

The last chapter covers the Axis powers and their monstrous creations. Standouts include the Axis Stitch (soldiers sewn together from multiple bodies), nasty mustard gas zombies, and Wehrwolves.

Graphically, the book looks excellent. Even with some recycled art from previous editions, it’s uniformly strong and captures the tone perfectly. My favorite piece is the Axis Stitch on page 163. Additionally, the front and back covers are also outstanding.

Axis Stich, one fearsome monster!

 

One negative: the hardcover binding is flimsy. My copy is already separating from the spine despite light use.

If I ran this, I’d draw heavily from Return to Castle Wolfenstein for visuals, there’s natural overlap there. Handled right by the referee, Weird War II makes for a fun, exciting break from traditional sword & sorcery.

In closing, I give it 4.5 out of 5 stars. How about you? Have you played Weird Wars?

Talisman as I Know It – A Fond Look at the Fantasy Board Game

One great game that one of my gaming buddies Simrion owns is Talisman 3rd edition. It’s a very fun game with many twists and turns. I’ve tried to purchase it for myself many times, but these days even the base game (without expansions) is costly on the second-hand market like eBay. The Realm expansions push auctions into the $150 range. Along with Lost and the Damned, it’s one of those items that keeps eluding me.

Talisman is one of our go-to games when someone doesn’t show up for game night. Looking at it overall, it’s one of Games Workshop’s better releases. The rules are not overly complex, the playtime is just right, and it remains engaging with several viable strategies. It’s a true classic, and many players still remember the older editions fondly.

The goal of the game is to amass enough power, obtain a Talisman, and ascend the tower to slay the Dragon King. In theory a player can accomplish this in a number of ways, but remember that everyone else at the table is trying to do the same thing.

All three of the Talisman expansions for 3rd Edition.

To get the full experience you’ll want the three main expansions: The Dragon's Tower, City of Adventure, and The Dungeon of Doom. The latter two add the additional Realms to the board. A word of warning: 3rd Edition has been out of print for a long time and commands high prices on the secondary market. I completed my full set plus expansions back in 2013 and it wasn’t cheap.

Character Selection & Gameplay

To start, each player randomly draws character cards and their matching minis. Many classic GW favorites are present: Chaos Warrior, Goblin Fanatic, Chaos Dwarf, Witch Elf, and more. Each character has its own special abilities. While some are stronger than others, all start within a similar basic range. (There’s still an active online community that creates fan-made characters for the game.)

The Outer Realms (Forest, Mountains, City, and Dungeon) are stand-alone expansion boards that connect to the main board. When traveling in these realms, players roll a d3 instead of a d6, which slows movement.

Game play is fairly quick with some classic Games Workshop flair: “If a rules conflict arises, roll a d6 — on a 1-3 you are right, on a 4-6 the other interpretation stands.” You roll a d6 to move, land on a space, and draw the appropriate cards. Early encounters can be deadly depending on your character. Combat is resolved through Strength or Craft. Warrior types excel at Strength fights, while spell casters fare better with Craft. Another player rolls for any enemies, so everyone stays involved even when it’s not their turn.

I’m of the mindset that warriors are generally the stronger choice if you want to win consistently. Good characters like the Ranger or Templar, and neutral ones like the Barbarian, are solid. Spell casters feel weaker early on due to lower Strength and limited spell capacity.

Magic is handled as a random draw from a recycling deck. Some spells are far stronger than others, and certain magic items or character abilities boost spell casting.

Strategies

There are several viable strategies. One strong approach is to become powerful enough to claim the title of High Wizard or Sheriff for big boosts to Craft or Strength. Attacking other players is allowed when you land on the same space, but I only do it occasionally, usually only when someone has a Talisman I need.

Evil characters often hunt for the Doom Sword (which restores lost lives on successful hits). Other strong items include the Sword of Power in the Forest and the Hammer in the Mountains. I’ve had good success heading to the Mountains or Forest once strong enough. In all my years playing I’ve mostly avoided the Dungeon, something I should try next time. The Mountains usually offer the best return on time invested.

Two things to keep in mind. One. with experienced players its possible the game can go on for basically "forever," especially if the opposing players have certain spells and another player is making a run against the Dragon King. 2. The nature of the rules is such that randomness can still effect even well built out characters with cards like the Toad, Witch or Imp. Be forewarned this game can go on for hours!

I’ve enjoyed many great games of Talisman with my friends and usually come out on top (much to Simrion’s wife’s dismay). In fact, I’ve won the last two times we’ve played! EDIT: Since I originally wrote this my family and I played quite a bit. I have even manged to win with the halfling out of all the characters!

If you can find a copy of the 3rd Edition, it’s well worth it. For me this gets a solid 5 out of 5 stars.

What about you? Is 3rd Edition you preferred version of Talisman?

Weird West Roleplaying Game Review – The Ultra-Light $1 Western RPG

At 8 pages and $1.00 for the PDF, Stuart Robertson’s Weird West Roplepalying Game Basic Rulebook doesn’t get more spartan — or cheap. But for some reason the price and style feel just right.

Starting off, the cover is cool, though it does mirror the art for A Fistful of Dollars — which, as a fan of the trilogy, I appreciate. The whole PDF is in black and white, and for some reason this works fine. It gives the game a stark, gritty feel. The font used for the title “Weird West” is just right, and of course the tentacle in the logo is a nice touch. It does have a watermark on it for your purchase. I would hope, however, that people don’t feel the need to pirate a $1.00 PDF…

If you are looking for an ultra-light ruleset for your Weird West games, this is it. I can’t say that enough — it takes “rules light” to a whole new level. A PDF with 8 pages (one being the cover and one the opposed fighting chart in the back) means the actual game is only about 6 pages. That has to be some sort of record.

With all this said, for an experienced role-player the ruleset is probably right up their alley. Certainly with years of judging, a GM can easily wing the areas that need filling in. A beginner, however, would likely be lost, as it’s not developed enough for newcomers.

Characters have four attributes and a “path” to guide one’s character — it can probably fit on a 3x5 index card. The game is d20-based and utilizes the d4, d6, and d12. Levels and hit points make an appearance in the form of Stamina Points.

For one’s character, magic and weird west abilities are all lumped together, which in the interest of spartan rules and space probably makes the most sense. There are spells like Electromancy, and then skills which are treated as magic, like “Fastest Gun in the West.” Later still is Shaolin Monk (which to me should be a skill, but it’s not my game). The player has 4 points to split amongst the attributes (Fighting, Grit, Magic, and Skill), but must place at least one into Grit. Leveling is fairly simple — the group decides when to do so (usually between game sessions).

Initiative is handled with a simple mechanic: higher-level characters go first. Combat is fairly straightforward, using the familiar mechanic of rounds and an opposed roll vs. the defense. Modifiers are simple to understand, with firearms ignoring armor — which is a bit puzzling in a Western setting… The Man with No Name in A Fistful of Dollars notwithstanding.

Weapons are broken down by dice, with rifles doing the most damage at d10, the ever-trusty pistol at d8, and the lowest being unarmed attacks at d2. Further, a character’s path (aka class) determines what type of dice they have for unarmed combat: magicians utilizing the lowest and fighters the highest. Once reduced to zero Stamina Points in combat, death is a possibility on a roll of a d6.

Skill checks are easy to resolve, with examples of typical tests appearing on page 6. Also on the final page of text are some pieces of advice for the GM and ideas on how to play.

The main criticism I have is that it is not clear whether or not there is a traditional GM in the game. Only on page 6 does the word “referee” appear. The text seems to assume there is one earlier, but it’s not until later that it becomes clear.

If I go too much further it will reveal the whole game, as it’s so short. Suffice to say I like the system. All in all, it looks like an interesting game. I have no major plans to run it, as I’m well into the creation of my own Western game, but as a source of inspiration it was worth the price. It does have the honor of being one of only three Western-style RPGs I read while creating my own (the other two being Boot Hill and Western City).

Lastly, for my game Hurled into Eternity it will probably become a supplement down the road. (NOTE: As an update — my game is under a number of revisions right now and the version that is up has some new changes coming, making the game even better. Stay tuned.)

WFRP- 1st Edition- Small, but vicious dog

A few years back Fantasy Flight Games released the 3rd edition of Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay. At first, I thought about purchasing the latest edition. The problem was, that much like when WotC went to 3rd edition with Dungeons and Dragons the move to 3rd edition WFRP resulted in  a vastly different game, and hence no sale for me. 1st and 2nd edition Dungeons and Dragons are pretty much the same game and interchangeable, same for 1st and 2nd edition WFRP. 3rd edition in either case? Not so much.

Trollslayers are always cool.

In thinking about that new version, my mind harkened back to one of my best friends and the rousing games of Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay that we played in his basement. We adventured through the Power behind the Throne series almost to the very end and had a blast in doing so (I played a rat catcher with a whose name I forget, but I do quite clearly remember his small, but vicious dog(s): Rat hammer and Rat hammer II, after the first one bit the dust fighting some Skaven. My rat catcher had uncovered the Skaven tunneling under Bogenhaufen quite by accident while cleaning the cellar of a noble family all on his own. My rat catcher and the dog killed two Skaven and I scored a magical dagger  that had a flame attack in the bargain, also made for some interesting trophies to his ratting pole.  No, don't ask me how I remember this stuff 20+ years later...

The Enemy Within campaign series for those not in the know, is basically the Games Workshop equivalent for the classic G1-3, D1-3, Q1 series for 1st Edition AD&D in terms of the "defining adventure of the system".  It is widely hailed as one the greatest module series of all time in the pen and paper RPG areana and I agree up until Power Behind the Throne. With the next module something Rotten in Kislev it started to come off the rails and especially Empire in Flames were let downs. Empire in Flames was pretty much non-canonical and even for the inconsistent GW its fluff and background really didn't mesh. Anyways instead of Empire in Flames, which is pricy despite its meh content there is the fan made Empire at War which replaces Empire in Flames

Come to think of it I should probably write a review of all of the modules.

As a system I think WFRP was a very good. Character creation was fast and didn't require a major amount of time which was a good thing considering the short shelf-life of characters in the game. The character races were certainly not balanced with elves and dwarfs being particularly unbalanced. The crux of WFRP is that a character engages in a career, and then improves his character with experience points that he gains through (and surviving adventures). From there each basic career has a career exit.

WFRP starts with all characters in the basic career paths ranging from Agitator to Woodsman with a focus on variety. There are even regular classes like Laborer and apprentices that real reinforce the idea of regular people who set out on adventuring, can't get much grittier then that. Funny because in many corners of the web gritty play is dejour; Warhammer is far more gritty and less high adventures then any of its contemporaries, yes, including 1st AD&D.

Basic careers run the gamut from some very weak, to some very powerful. The fighting classes are probably the way to go with a few other specialized careers with an eye towards spell casting in the advanced career section. Particularly the pit fighter, protagonist, squire, soldier and mercenary amongst others that are well suited for survival. In fact we remarked that we should have just run a game with all warriors and see what the results would be, but we never did. Of course we came to this observation after a number of our characters met untimely demises and the school copier was *ahem* "getting a workout".

One of my favorite parts of WFRP was combat! Unlike AD&D (its main competitor at the time) the combat system made logical sense: armor doesn't make a character harder to hit, it absorbs damage. That is not a knock on AD&D as it was the grand daddy of them all, it just didn't make sense. In combat and major wounds could happen with messy and amusingly graphic deaths via the critical hit charts. Characters even after several advanced careers where not unstoppable killing machines except for the "naked dwarf syndrome". Armor comes in three flavors: leather, chain and plate and reduces corresponding damage the better the armor. Not all weapons are created equal and require skills to wield them effectively.

Magic was the wild card in the whole thing and the fabled Realms of Sorcery that was supposed take the place of the "stop gap magic system" in the Core Rulebook. Players and GMs had to make do with what was presented for somewhere around 17 years, Realms of Sorcery comes out, and then the game moves to 2nd edition! In terms of magic items the game was fairly low powered certainly comapred to its main rival D&D. The supplement Apochrapha Now expanded the list. Players of D&D might be disappointed in the magic system which is not as high level as D&D nor as expansive of a list for magical items.But for a gritter or low adventure system you cant get one much better.

Monsters are well thought out and most of the major ones that one would imagine to be there are  in the setting. One thing I always wondered was did GW downplay dragons in the Warhammer pantheon of monsters on purpose given the prominent nature of them in D&D, at least in spirit if not in the actual game?

Perhaps the thing that kept bringing players back was the story of the Old Word, the setting. The Old World is a near approximation of Europe with the twist of the Old Slann changing the world to suit their creations. One of GWs greatest strengths has been their IP, and fluff, but as mentioned previously not something they always keep straight.

One of the great side benefits of 1st edition WFRP was the fact that one could use 3rd edition Warhammer Fantasy Battle, The Lost and the Damned and Slaves to Darkness all together. The Losta nd the Damned and Slaves to Darkness were great resoucres and certainly great values for the price (they are outragouelsy priced on Flea Bay now). While 3rd edition Warhammer Fantasy Battle was unwieldy it still is my favorite edition of the game. GW (in an instance of doing something right) actually gave the purchaser something for his value.

"Welcome to Nuln!"

Lastly to wrap it up the art across the line was consistently great: grim, dark and moody and violent. The art really captured the time in the industry and for the edition quite well. There is a mix of color and black and white throughout and while some of them are reprints that appeared in their line previous they are still cool to look at. Plus anytime John Blanche does art for a game system its going to be cool.

For my next post I might have to review Death on the Reik first as it is probably my all time favorite Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay module, (rather then start at the beginning of  Power Behind the Throne series: Shadows of Bogenhaufen) and ranks in my Top 3 of any modules, regardless of system.

Book Review- High Country by Peter Dawson

After my ultra heavy read of my last book, Atlas Shrugged- by Ayn Rand, I  needed something lite. I found it a my friendly local bookstore. It was in the form of Peter Dawson's High Country. I paid 50 cents for it so I can't complain and read it during my lunches at work. I was in the mood for a dime store novel western and found this one.I wasn't disappointed with my first foray into the genre.

I should start out with the writing was solid. And at 137 pages it was a breeze to go through (especially in light of the a fore mentioned monster Atlas). At points it's easy to see where the plot was going, but I was able to imagine the scenes quite vividly and the book was a surprisingly entertaining read. Dawson does a good job of making the images come to life in such a short space.

The book follows the exploits of Jim Sherrill, a drifter/rancher of sorts and right from the get go he has a problem: someone has stolen his horses and its up to him to get them back. The pacing is good, but its a bit light on the action as a good chunk of the book deals with the cast of characters that surround Jim, some good some bad, some stereotypical.  Thats not bad as each character gives you an instant feel for the Old West: A greedy wealthy southern land owner (the commodore) and his requisite southern bell daughter, plus a gang of outlaws. The main bad guy isn't blatantly evil which is a nice touch. In a way it's a bit more natural of a read as the villain(s) are believable and all in line with the 1940s view of westerns.

Jim has to take back what is his and gets some help along the way from his mountain man friend Jake who I especially liked and a few others. There is also an interesting love triangle with Jim in the middle and his affections for the vapid Ruth and the sturdy, but beautiful high spirited Jean. It doesn't take much to see where this one is going... I will warn you it is even complete with the requisite western ending meme...

In terms of the setting, the mental image I had of the town of Whitewater is a good one as is the distances of the involved. I pictured it as a river bank town in the vein of Big Whiskey from Unforgiven. I actually felt as if I was in the Old West along with the action, so the author did right by me there.

I won't go more into the story (as is usually the case) because if you are going to read it, I won't spoil it for you. And ass I'm fully back to my interest in westerns this short read fit right into my busy life. Also it was a good read to inspire me to jot some notes down for the first module that I have underway for my game Hurled into Eternity from Restless Rust Monster Publications (Icebiter Games Publications was too much of an in-joke.) And if you like where Im going with Hurled into Eternity please give me a like on Facebook to help spread the word about my game.

Lastly this book does reflect the times it was written in, namely 1947; so be forewarned: there are some racial stereotypes in the book as well as some words spoken by the characters from the south that are verboten today. 

(As I've been mentioning I'm trying to blog more and not just about my game I'm writing so keep looking out for an increase in my blogging activities. More short blog then massive sprawling ones).