Review: More Thousand Thousand Islands (Zines 5, 6, 8)

tl;dr: more great zines from A Thousand Thousand Islands - grab them while you can!

The postal block caused by the plague has been lifted and I have finally gotten my hands on the new zines! Most of them, that is. I grabbed all I could - two were unavailable due to further mishaps in the global supply chain that hopefully will sort themselves out soon. I was sorely tempted to get the 'everything' bundle because it contains those 2 zines but I resisted. Fow now.

I previous reviewed the first 6 zines here but Blogger has deleted the post for reasons unknown as it has been reinstated by blogger.

Worse than Even - more on probability descriptions

Following up to this post on what do DC should certain descriptions have, I found the original posts I was thinking of and so revisit this and convert to the 5e bounded accuracy system.

I was recalling the data visualisations done by u/zonination in 2015 on reddit which was building from government research by Sherman for the CIA. Pulling apart the 2019 survey data we can show the percentage probability that respondents assigned to various words. I have re-ranked them most to least probable.

Shiny TTRPG links collection #16

A further gathering of shiny things from the far corners of the internet. Previous list found here. Inspired by weaver.skepti.ch End of Week links.

Design diary for Them Deeper Bones with a great 'timeframes' graphic with 4 major levels for action/time ranging from ~half a month to 'seconds count'.

Some great ideas on making violent encounters more than just a slug-fest.

d66 orgs and factions from Hamster Hoard.

Trouble with inspiration for an NPC voice? Try an IDEA! The International Dialects of English site.

Actual test: Liche's Librams MtG location generator

This is a test of using the very neat set up by Liches Libram to delve into the amazing settings of Magic the Gathering to create interesting locations. This is something very dear to my heart - I have always found the Magic settings to be awesome fodder for tabletop RPGs, going all the way back - what has been a bit of a nuisance is working through the sheer volume of cards that now exist. This problem is now fixed thanks to Liche's Libram and I suggest you give it a whirl.

I mashed all the buttons on the widget to see what we got - and it told the story almost without me having to think about it like any good card reading. First the place:

Cinder Marsh with Mishra's Workshop - we are looking at an installation deep in a destroyed, polluted waste.

Review: Dungeon Crawl Classics Lankhmar

tl;dr - a packed box of all you need to run Lankhmar in the gritty DCC feeling - lots to like if you are doing anything with cities.

A friend got me Dungeon Crawl Classics Lankhmar for Christmas and it dropped onto my doormat like an iron ingot. This is a packed box, full of goodness and after going through it all you both have an authentic Lankhmar sword-and-sorcery box but also a great toolkit for urban play of any style. I got a jolt to write my thoughts up because DCC Lankhmar is on Bundle of Holding right now.

Unpacking the box began to feel like some kind of magic trick as I pulled more and more stuff out of this box that did not seem very large initially. There are maps! Posters to advertise your game! Setting books! Player handbooks! A Judges screen! A sign-up sheet! A starter adventure! All in nice quality stock, it feels positively luxurious as you spread it all out.

Shiny TTRPG links collection #15

More links for the link throne! Also, a site operating note that I have stepped down frequency of posting to this weekly round-up and two more a week while work has picked up tempo. Better in my eyes to post less but on schedule than to have surges and gaps. Anyway, previous list found here. Inspired by weaver.skepti.ch End of Week links.

Tips and tools for having the best impact in the social aspect of running a roleplaying game.

A good discussion on minimum necessary content to spin up a game.

Small Islands of Wonder - thoughts on the impact of magic within society.

Actual Play: Kobolds Art Exhibition part VII - The Delve

The kobolds of the Kobolds Art Exhibition zine by Evlyn Moreau return once more. Links to the review and part I of play using it, Part II, Part III, Part IV, Part V and Part VI.

The hour has passed midnight after another busy day spent trying to unpick a conspiracy against the realm. The howling winds outside have kept everyone indoors all day and blown the deep snows all over the city and palace. The party makes its way back down into the sub basement of the palace fully equipped for venturing into untouched sections, bringing along a younger cousin who has insisted she wants adventure and two of her entourage, the adept and the swordsman.

Down into the depths of the palace they go, past the old throne room to the gallery where the kobolds have been set up. A short discussion in pidgin draconic explains their intent to go find the second masterwork the kobolds say they had discovered and Curator Zosk assigns a troupe of junior volunteers to lead them - junior scout Zoogr, apprentice treasurer Vazrur, apprentice painters Ralral and Kedri and wax-collector Yeep with her two fire-beetles. Equipped with a map, packed snacks, spears and lantern-staffs the kobolds lead off into the depths.

Sketch of a junior kobold by the bard