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Other Games, Development, & Campaigns => Design, Development, and Gameplay => Topic started by: Bedrockbrendan on July 25, 2014, 02:53:47 PM

Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on July 25, 2014, 02:53:47 PM
Starting a new thread on the wuxia-variant of Sertorius we are working on. You see the original thread, when we first started with the idea, here: http://www.therpgsite.com/showthread.php?t=28578

Right now the system is still in development but we have a few things set nearly in stone. We needed to port some things in from Sertorius to make the systems work together, however I feel the new system stands on its own pretty well.

I will start by reposting my recent blog entries on the game, then start posting here and the blog at the same time.

First here is our steps of character creation. Keep in mind it assumed knowledge of Sertorius and works off of that:

1: Pick Race
Human. All characters in Wandering Heroes of Ogre Gate are assumed to be human. There are no skill bonuses, advantages, or disadvantages for being human.

2: Pick Two Primary Skill Groups
Unlike Sertorius, characters in Wandering Heroes of Ogre Gate do not take Backgrounds to determine their skill groups. Instead when you make your character you choose which two of your six Skill Groups will be your Primary Skills. You have 12 points to spend in each of your Primary Skill Groups. In the remaining Skill Groups you have 6 points to spend in each (see Step Seven). In the Quxia genre characters abilities are not as impeded by their social class as in standard fantasy.

3: Choose Sect and Sifu
These are described in Chapter Three. Most characters are affiliated with a sect. Select from the following sects:

The Orthodox Sects: The Golden Dragon Sect, Heiping Sect , The Dehua Sect , Mount Hai’an Sect, The Nature-Loving Monk Sect, The Tree-Dwelling Nun Sect, Southern River Sect

Unorthodox Sects: The Purple Cavern Sect, Je Valley Sect, The Mystic Sword Sect, Temple of the Nine Suns, Zhaoze Sect, The Majestic Lion Cult

If you are not affiliated with a sect, you must at least select your master. This is a specific person who is the source of your knowledge of Kung Fu. Characters who belong to a sect, simply use the leader of the sect as their Sifu (though in actuality they may refer to many senior members as sifu).

Over the course of a campaign you can learn from multiple masters.

4: Choose Reputation
Choose your reputation in two parts. The first is how your friends and allies view you, the second how your enemies and detractors view you. This is described more fully at the beginning of CHAPTER ONE: NEW RULES.

Here is the list of potential reputations: Filial-Unfilial, Loyal-Disloyal, Brave-Cowardly, Righteous-Unjust, Pure-Shameful, Ferocious-Calm, Selfish-Selfless, Trustworthy-Untrustworthy, Vengeful-Merciful, Kind-Cruel, Orthodox-Unorthodox, Poisoner, Too Reckless-Cautious, Cunning-Truthful. This list is not exhaustive.  

5: Allocate Martial Discipline Ranks
You have four categories of Martial Discipline and need to distribute a total of four ranks among them. Your ranks in the disciplines represent your inherent talents. These ranks cannot adjust with time. The four Martial Disciplines are: Waijia (external kung fu), Qinggong (lightness kung fu), Neigong (internal kung fu), and Dianxue (pressure points). This produces your Balance Rating. Your BR equals the difference between your highest Martial Rank and Lowest subtracted from 3d10. This is explained in greater detail in CHAPTER ONE B: NEW RULES, below.

6: Select Initial Kung Fu Techniques
You can take 6 Kung Fu techniques at character creation. All techniques must be at your Qi level or lower. After character creation, Kung Fu Techniques are acquired by learning from teachers or manuals and require expending XP. Occasionally you can learn techniques on your own.

7: Select Skills
Purchase skills using the costs from CHAPTER TWO of the SERTORIUS rulebook. Unlike Sertorius the amount of points you have to spend are not based on Backgrounds. Instead you choose to make two Skill Categories your Primary Skill Groups. You have 12 points to spend in each of these, and six points to spend in each of your remaining Skill Groups (for a total of 48 Skill points).

9: Spend points on Expertise and Combat Techniques.
Purchase Expertise and Combat Techniques using the method in the Sertorius Rulebook. One important change is every character gains a free Combat Technique at character creation and the cost of acquiring them after character creation is different from in Sertorius.

10: Record Qi and Wounds
You begin the game with one level of Qi and 2 wounds. This also gives you one free dot to add to your Defenses. Every level of Qi you acquire raises your wounds by 2.

11: Select Flaws
You can take flaws for extra skill points using the method described in Sertorius. There are additional flaws listed in CHAPTER ONE: NEW RULES.

12: Choose homeland, name, occupation, age, etc
Consult with your gamemaster to help decide your homeland, name, occupation and other important character details.

Homelands: Chezou River Valley, Li Fan, Hu Qin, Hai’an, Suk, Dai Bien, Tsun River Valley, The Kushen Basin, The Yan Gu Plains, The Emerald Coast.
 
Male Personal Names: An, Ba, Bao, Buwei, Chengsi, Chun, Guo, Guozhong, Hui, Jiayin, Kang, Lingkan, Lushan, Mofeng,  Li, Min, Ping, Qui, Shaonan, Tieqiao, Ting, Wan, Xiaofeng, Xun, Yaoshi, Zhen’e.

Female Personal Names: Bao, Cui, Chun, Daniang, E’hua, Feiyan, Guanyin, Hui, Ju, Lian, Na,  Nuan, Li, Lei, Miaohui, Min, Mochou, Ping, Qixia, Qui, Ruomei, Rong, Shanhu, Xiannang, Xiaolongnu.

CLAN NAMES By Region
Tsun River Valley: Shan, Pan, Yao, Zhu, Lu, and Gui (Tsun Valley area)
Jian Shu: Zhen Liang, Dou, Yu, Sunan and Luo
Dai Bien: Yang, Wei, Hai, Hu, Se and Xi
The Empire: Most of the above plus Huo, Ban, Ruang, Qian, Feng, Pei and Qi.
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on July 25, 2014, 02:59:52 PM
GRUDGES (original post: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2014/07/contemplating-grudges-in-wandering.html (http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2014/07/contemplating-grudges-in-wandering.html))

I have been working out the encounter tables in Ogre Gate and adjusting the relevant rules from Sertorius to better fit the setting and genre. Yesterday I started toying with the idea of a Grudge table to make part of regular encounter rolls. Basically it would be a potential result on any standard encounter table, causing you to roll on a new sub-table. These sorts of encounters would involve characters with personal vendettas against the party and the GM would need to weave them in on the fly as smoothly as possible.

Here is what I have so far. Going to test it out tonight in our regular session:

ENCOUNTERS AND SURVIVAL SKILL ROLLS
Use the system for Survival Skill rolls and Encounters presented in the core Sertorius book (See TRAVEL AND ENCOUNTERS page 173 of the SERTORIUS RULEBOOK). However the martial world is far more dynamic and perilous than Gamandria, making encounters more frequent. This is partly due to grudges, which are common and often come from unexpected sources. Therefore the GM should ask for a roll once every ten miles of movement when the party is travelling. Otherwise use the time increments and suggestions from the book.

Grudges
A Grudge Encounter involves someone who is after the party, a particular character, or someone connected to the group indirectly. The individual holds a grudge that must be settled for personal or collective honor to be restored. The settlement of the grudge is entirely dependent on the situation and characters. Usually it is resolved through violence but other agreements can be reached. Running away and resorting to wits should always be an option. Also, once a grudge is established, through this encounter chart or prior through actual play, it is a good idea to use the same character when it comes up again.

When you roll on the Grudge table, come up with a quick character concept on the fly, using the stock stats from CHAPTER TEN: THREATS AND MONSTSERS. Try to make it fit the situation as best as possible and feel free to allow for creative interpretation—such as a terrible misunderstanding on the part of the aggrieved character.

Table: TSUN FOREST (TN 6)
Result             Encounter
2                      Roll on Grudge Table
3                      Ogre Demon
4                      Fox Demon
5                      Worm Wood
6                      Impasse
7                      Bandits (2d10)
8                      Tigers
9                      Blood Tree (Sertorius)
10                    Bandits (1d10)
11                    Lost
12                    Tsun City Merchants
13                    Tigers
14                    Blue Mushrooms
15                    Tree Dwelling Nuns (Initiates)
16                    Skeletons (1d10)
17                    Tree Dwelling Nuns (Junior Disciples)
18                    Skeletons (2d10)
19                    Tree Dwelling Nuns (Senior Disciples)
20                    Bandits (4d10)

TABLE: GRUDGES
Result             Encounter
2                      Profound Master (Highly Eccentric Gripe)
3                      Deadly Master (Personal Vendetta)
4                      Fearsome Master (Vendetta that goes back generations)
5                      Fearsome Master (Eccentric Gripe)
6                      Disciple (Vengeance for Master)
7                      Disciple (Personal Vendetta)
8                      Underling (Vengeance for Master)
9                      Underling (Personal Vendetta)
10                    Mundane Character (Vengeance for Family)
11                    Mundane Character (Reputation Sullied)
12                    Mundane Character (Personal loss of fortune, love, etc)
13                    Underling (Vengeance for Sect)
14                    Underling (Vengeance for Family or Friend)
15                    Disciple (Vengeance for Sect)
16                    Disciple (Personal Reputation Sullied)
17                    Fearsome Master (Eccentric Request)
18                    Fearsome Master (Personal Reputation Sullied)
19                    Deadly Master (Eccentric Gripe or Request)
20                    Profound Master (Reputation Sullied)
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on July 25, 2014, 03:02:23 PM
KUNG FU TECHNIQUES (Original post: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2014/07/design-table-pondering-kung-fu.html (http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2014/07/design-table-pondering-kung-fu.html))

Tonight we have another session of Wandering Heroes of Ogre Gate and I have been thinking a lot about Kung Fu Techniques. In Ogre Gate, Kung Fu Techniques operate mechanically much like spells in Sertorius, except they are divided into four types of Kung Fu: Lightness (Qinggong), Internal (Neigong), External (Waijia) and Pressure-point (Dianxue).   Characters have ratings of 0-3 in each of these categories and that determines how well they can execute such techniques. I will do a separate blog entry on this system and on individual Kung Fu Techniques we created. For now, I just want to focus on how new Techniques are gained.

Characters gain new Kung Fu Techniques through Experience Points and by finding a source to instruct them. Here is what the rules presently state on the subject:

Quote
Gaining New Kung Fu TechniquesTechniques are gained by spending experience points AND through teachers, manuals or great individual training effort. Both requirements must be met for characters to learn new techniques. Teachers and manuals can instruct you in a given technique over the course of hours to weeks, while individual effort through training, meditation insight and other actions takes  months. In some cases, such as secret techniques, the presence of a teacher or manual is required. With GM approval characters can learn secret techniques on their own but only with years of effort.

Time to Learn Technique                     Method
Hours to Days                                    Teacher
Days to Weeks                                   Manual
Months                                              Individual Effort*

*This requires GM approval and should be rare.
Players must take an active role in obtaining new techniques. It is not enough to simply look through the rule book and spend XP. To gain new techniques start by finding teachers to instruct you or looking for manuals. As you meet people with greater martial skill than yourself, they may be willing to train you.

While the time increments are clearly not meant to reflect real world learning times, they are intended to reflect the accelerated learning rates seen in shows like Condor Heroes. The Gamemaster should determine the exact length based on the rarity, complexity and difficulty of the technique. The source of instruction may also be a factor. A Sifu who is particularly adept at teaching students, could help someone master a technique in less time than a Sifu who is difficult to work with.


In Wuxia television series, movies and books, obtaining new techniques serves an important function. Often times characters will face opponents too skilled for them to defeat. The enemy may have a particularly lethal attack that is hard to defend against, for example. Finding the right technique to overcome this enables heroes to defeat their foes in the end.

But it also serves another purpose. Characters in Wuxia are always changing and evolving. That ultra powerful master who crippled the main character's uncle at the beginning of the story, may be quite weak in relation to all the other characters in the end. By the same token, a character with below average skills who is mocked by his fellow disciples, may discover the secret manual of the Storming Phoenix and learn its techniques to become one of the great masters. The point is characters are constantly in flux, so we wanted to bring that to the game both in terms of NPCs and PCs.

I will give an example of how this might work based on our own campaign. Last session the characters were attacked by the Bronze Monks of Bao. They faced only one monk and he proved nearly impossible to defeat. They also learned that one of their enemies commands the monks and will likely keep sending them. This has the party on the run. Now there is tremendous pressure for them to seek out a master or manual with the right technique to make the monks less of a threat. There are a number of possibilities here, but the most favorable technique in the setting for their situation is The Third Fist of Yanshi, which enables practitioners to pulverize stone, metal and other solids with their fists. This is an Internal (Neigong) technique, and is only possessed by Master Yanshi (a man who does not teach his Kung Fu to just anyone). If the players really want this technique, they will need to seek out Master Yanshi and ask to learn his Third Fist Technique. Every master is different. Some are willing to share their knowledge, others require something of new students before training them, while some simply refuse (or have outrageous demands).

As you can probably see, this makes the acquisition of new Techniques quite important to the focus of play. I liken it to gaining treasure in games oriented toward dungeon crawls or exploration. It becomes a driving force of adventure on its own.

So far this has worked, but I after last session, when a character learned Tree Bounding Stride, I felt acquiring new techniques might need an additional mechanic to help determine success. This is just a thought at the moment, but presently I am leaning toward requiring a Skill roll for each increment of time it takes to know the technique (so learning from a teacher you might roll every hour or every day). When you get a Total Success (a result of 10) you know the technique. Here is what I have so far in rough (very rough) form:

Quote
Mastering a new technique: For ease of play the GM may simply decide that at the end of a given period of training the new Technique has been mastered. However we recommend you require a single skill roll per increment of time it takes to learn (so one roll every hour, day, week, etc). This should be the skill used to perform the technique. The new Technique is learned when you get a Total Success on the Skill Roll.


This looks good on paper to me, but I need to actually see it in live play to know if it is workable. Should it prove successful in the next couple of sessions, we will discuss its merits and drawbacks (always with an aim for simplicity) and see what improvements should be made.
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on July 25, 2014, 03:04:20 PM
PLAYTEST VI (Original post: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2014/07/wandering-heroes-of-ogre-gate-playtest.html (http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2014/07/wandering-heroes-of-ogre-gate-playtest.html))

We resumed our Heroes of Ogre Playtest on Friday but technical issues with the video call forced us to stop early and play with one less person. So we only made a little bit of progress.

The game resumed on the outskirts of Rong Yao, with the characters heading north to speak with the leader of the Tree Dwelling Nun Sect about an alliance. As they were moving through a tall mountain pass, Shu heard something move behind him and saw a man made of bronze materialize from the soil. He was bald and adorned in golden robes.

Shu went into attack but was struck in the face by the monk's fist, this did 2 wounds. When the others saw the monk, Min recognized it, mentioning the Talisman of Bao. Min struck the the monk with the Wind Sabre of Sunan, she hit but was unable to harm it with the attack (because of her damage roll). Still this enabled her to freeze it in place for two rounds. Leng then attacked it with his fists, but its bronze body was too resilient and he did not damage (again the damage roll was too low).

On the next round, Min managed to harm the Monk, doing 2 wounds. But after that, the party continued to have difficulty damaging it. Before the monk unfroze, Shu took a boulder and used tree bounding stride to climb into a tree. Once he was high enough, he dropped the stone on the monk, doing considerable damage and pinning it. However he failed his athletics roll and began a 100 foot descent. Leng used Boundless Step to appear beside Shu as he was falling and grab him.

Realizing the monk was probably quite powerful, the party fled toward the north and Min explained that her Heiping Master possesses the Talisman of Bao, which allows her to send the Bronze Monks after foes (sometimes up to five monks at a time).

Unfortunately this is where our video platform crashed so we had to call it a night.

I did observe that the Bronze Monks are very powerful. If the party didn't have the Wind Sabre of Sunan, they likely would have died or had to flee. It may not look like it from the playtest report, but this was a potentially lethal encounter. The players had a lot of difficulty beating the Bronze Monks Hardiness and doing damage (his Hardiness was a 9). Even with the Wind Sabre, they had difficulty.
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on July 25, 2014, 03:10:47 PM
SECTS (Original Post: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2014/07/sects-in-wandering-heroes-of-ogre-gate.html (http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2014/07/sects-in-wandering-heroes-of-ogre-gate.html))

Wandering Heroes of Ogre Gate is set in a world of martial sects where grudges and revenge lead to frequent bloodshed. In my current campaign the players have embroiled the sects in a war over an artifact called the Wind Sabre of Sunan.

In preparation for tonights session, I put together a handy chart of the different sects. The sects to the left, in blue, are those who oppose the players and their allies. The sects to the right are those the players have formed an alliance with and those who are friendly toward members of the alliance. The purple entries below are the neutral sects, but each one is marked to show which side it leans toward. This will be helpful if the PCs try to engage in diplomacy and increase the size of their alliance.

On a separate sheet I have other details like the number of members and heroes in the sects.

I honestly have no idea how things are going to turn out. Much of it depends on what the players do and who they try to pull in (or push out of) their alliance. I am very much trying to emphasize the wandering aspect of Wandering Heroes of Ogre Gate, being very open to the different directions and places the characters decide to explore. So this all evolved fairly organically and we have now reached a point where the politics are quite interesting.  

That makes sects very important to the game. I have created quite a few so far (all the ones in the above image are described in the rulebook). Each sect has its own history, style and martial philosophy. They also have their own interests, which is where things usually become interesting. They are divided between Orthodox and Unorthodox, with the Orthodox sects generally being viewed as the more righteous ones, but closer inspection often reveals these labels to be misleading.
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on July 25, 2014, 03:14:08 PM
FATE IN WANDERING HEROES OF OGRE GATE (Original post: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2014/02/fate-in-wandering-heroes-of-ogre-gate.html (http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2014/02/fate-in-wandering-heroes-of-ogre-gate.html))

Fate is important in the Wuxia genre. It crops up all the time, whether it's coincidental meeting of characters or bad things that just keep happening to the same person, again and again. We've tried to incorporate that into Wandering Heroes of Ogre Gate, but in a way that reflects the play style at our own table. This part of the game is still in development, and some of these ideas are either half-formed or just exploratory, so what I am about to discuss may change.

While we want to emulate the Wuxia genre, as a GM (and to a lesser degree as a player) my style is often described by the other people on the design team as tending toward realism. By that they don't mean I obsess of details or dig deep into the physics of a character falling thirty feet, they mean I care about the game feeling like it takes place in a real place. I tend not to push events or plot elements because they are convenient for what I want to do as a GM, I like them to flow from what is going on in the campaign naturally. This isn't said because I have disdain for other approaches, just to establish my own personal style in this regard.

So for me, the idea of just taking genre elements and making them so in a setting doesn't feel right. For me to do that, and for it to feel comfortable, the genre elements need to be a part of the setting itself. An example of this is our approach to fate.

In Wuxia characters talk a lot about things being fated. People were fated to meet, to fall in love, to be enemies, to lead a sect or suffer a series of personal tragedies. It becomes clear if you watch enough of it, that Fate is a real thing, it is the work of Heaven. In Wandering Heroes of Ogre Gate Fate is also real, it is part of the cosmology, and believed to reside with The Enlightened Goddess (I will discuss The Enlightened Goddess in more detail in a later blog entry).

On the one hand, I picture Wandering Heroes of Ogre Gate as a sandbox. I don't normally do pure sandboxes, but for some reason my Wuxia campaigns tend to fall mainly into that category. Maybe because the genre lends itself well to sandbox. So it is very much a game where the player characters wander around and explore the setting. On the other hand there is fate, and this is where the more active elements of the adventures can come in. In a way this gives the GM permission to go beyond simply having things happen because they flow logically from in-game events (though this is still a big default assumption of the setting). Sometimes things happen because of Fate. It isn't meant to be heavy handed, more of a light, and gentle presentation of developments to the players. Think of it as an occasional intrusion of Fate in the lives of the player characters.

There is also a Fated Flaw, that players can take at character creation. The Fated Flaw brings Fate into the game in a much heavier way than the light, occasional intrusion mentioned above. When a character takes the flaw, the GM secretly rolls on a chart, which presently has thirty possibilities. This is the characters Fate, and if you have the Flaw, it will come up often. Results can vary, but they can be anything from "fated to be adored by many admirers who want to be the one and only" to "fated to a life of grudges and blood".

We have only just developed this part of the game and began testing it this week. I had two players take the Fated Flaw, and incorporating those into the campaign has been interesting. As play tests continue, I will post about more about it. I imagine it will change a great deal from now until release of the Wandering Heroes of Ogre Gate PDF.
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on August 02, 2014, 09:16:51 AM
Another playtest report:

Playtest report VII (http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2014/08/wandering-heroes-of-ogre-gate-playtest.html)

Also some more relevant blog entries:

Pondering Kung Fu Techniques and Real World Knowledge (http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2014/07/pondering-kung-fu-techniques-real-world.html)

Contemplating Grudged (http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2014/07/contemplating-grudges-in-wandering.html)

Weapons of Wandering Heroes of Ogre Gate (http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2014/07/wandering-heroes-of-ogre-gate-weapons.html)
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Silverlion on August 02, 2014, 09:47:27 AM
Solid stuff! Can't wait to see the final product.
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on August 02, 2014, 09:52:33 AM
Quote from: Silverlion;774756
Solid stuff! Can't wait to see the final product.


Thanks.

Provided I can smooth out the technical issues on skype and google plus this week, we should make some serious headway in the next couple of months. It is now playable and just needs fine-tuning, more setting material and a lot more NPC and Monster info.

The final product will be free, so bells and whistles a bit lean. However I do intend to commission a setting map, some location maps and a few pieces of art.
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on October 20, 2014, 04:51:26 PM
Here is a playtest report for our new Ogre Gate campaign: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2014/10/wandering-heroes-of-ogre-gate-golden.html (http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2014/10/wandering-heroes-of-ogre-gate-golden.html)
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on February 07, 2015, 12:45:25 PM
Here are some examples of Kung Fu Techniques and Rituals: LINK (http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2015/02/kung-fu-techniques-and-ritual-magic-in.html)
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on February 13, 2015, 05:26:11 PM
Here is a post on Romance Ogre Gate campaigns: ROMANCE IN OGRE GATE (http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2015/02/wandering-heroes-of-ogre-gate-romance.html)

And a post on the dark side of the martial world: THE BLOOD-STAINED UNDERBELLY  (http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2015/02/the-blood-stained-underbelly-of-martial.html)
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on February 22, 2015, 12:03:40 AM
Here is the latest playtest: The Secret of Je Valley (http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2015/02/the-secret-of-je-valley-campaign.html)
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on February 22, 2015, 10:05:16 AM
Last session really changed my approach to grudges for some reason, it just clicked in my head that our previous approach was wrong and I had a good idea of how to better approach it. This is all tentative and messy but this is how I am now handling it in the campaign:

Grudges
A Grudge Encounter involves a person or sect who is after the party, a particular character, or someone connected to the group indirectly. The individual or sect holds a grudge that must be settled for personal or collective honor to be restored. The settlement of the grudge is entirely dependent on the situation and characters. Usually it is resolved through violence but other agreements can be reached. Running away and resorting to wits should always be an option. Also, once a grudge is established, you should roll a Grudge Encounter Check regularly to see if it comes up. Every new Grudge the party acquires should also be placed on the Grudge encounter table.

Rolling for Grudge Encounters
You should roll for Grudge Encounters regularly once a week (or on a regular increment of your choosing). This is separate from Survival Rolls or other encounter rolls. This is a check to see if anyone attacks the party due to a grudge at a time and place that is convenient for the attacker.

The Grudge Encounter Table is different from other tables. This is one you need to build yourself over time. Initially there are no grudges on the table, merely empty slots for future Grudges. As the party or individual characters acquire Grudges, you list them on the table, placing them first at the result of 2, then shifting down one with each grudge that is added. So, if your party kills a member of Purple Cavern Sect, and the table is empty, you would write “Purple Cavern Sect Grudge” in the result of 2 slot. Then if they gained a new Grudge by killing Lady White Blade of Mystic Sword Sect, you would shift Purple Cavern Sect grudge to the result of 3 Slot and add “Mystic Sword Sect Grudge” to the result of 2 slot.

When you roll, there are four possible results: Existing Grudge, No Encounter and Roll on Unknown or Mistaken Grudge Table and Roll on Grudge Encounter Table II. Here is an explanation of each.

No Encounter: This simply means there is no encounter due to grudges this week.

Existing Grudge: If this slot has an entry for a specific Grudge, then someone connected to the sect or person harboring that grudge attacks the party during the week. If the slot is not yet filled with a grudge treat it as “No Encounter”.

Roll on Unknown or Mistaken Grudge Table: If you get this result then the players are attacked by someone nursing a grudge they did now know existed (or is the product of mistaken identity or confusion). Roll on the Unknown or Mistaken Grudge Table and use that result to create a Grudge Based encounter for the week. When you roll on the table, come up with a quick character concept on the fly, using the stock stats from CHAPTER TEN: THREATS AND MONSTSERS. Try to make it fit the situation as best as possible and feel free to allow for creative interpretation—such as a terrible misunderstanding on the part of the aggrieved character.

Roll on Grudge Encounter Table II: This is used when you have filled all 8 slots of the first Grudge Table and need to make a New Grudge Table to accommodate additional Grudges. If you haven’t yet started a new table, simply treat this result as “No Encounter”. If you have a new Grudge Table, then you roll on that when you get this result.

TABLE: GRUDGE ENCOUNTER
Roll      Result
2      Existing Grudge Slot
3      Existing Grudge Slot
4      Existing Grudge Slot
5      Existing Grudge Slot
6      Existing Grudge Slot
7      Existing Grudge Slot
8      Existing Grudge Slot
9      No encounter
10      No Encounter
11      No Encounter
12      No Encounter
13      No Encounter
14      No Encounter
15      No Encounter
16      No Encounter
17      No Encounter
18      Roll on Unknown or Mistaken Grudges Table
19      Roll on Unknown or Mistaken Grudges Table
20      Roll on Grudge Encounter Table II*
*This is simply a new Grudge table you build when you have 8 Grudges on the first table.


TABLE: UNKOWN OR MISTAKEN GRUDGES
Result      Probability
2      Profound Master (Highly Eccentric Gripe)
3      Deadly Master (Personal Vendetta)
4      Fearsome Master (Vendetta that goes back generations)
5      Fearsome Master (Eccentric Gripe)
6      Disciple (Vengeance for Master)
7      Disciple (Personal Vendetta)
8      Underling (Vengeance for Master)
9      Underling (Personal Vendetta)
10      Mundane Character (Vengeance for Family)
11      Mundane Character (Reputation Sullied)
12      Mundane Character (Personal loss of fortune, love, etc)
13      Underling (Vengeance for Sect)
14      Underling (Vengeance for Family or Friend)
15      Disciple (Vengeance for Sect)
16      Disciple (Personal Reputation Sullied)
17      Fearsome Master (Eccentric Request)
18      Fearsome Master (Personal Reputation Sullied)
19      Deadly Master (Eccentric Gripe or Request)
20      Profound Master (Reputation Sullied)
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on February 23, 2015, 07:58:12 PM
A bit on the focus of the setting section of the book: The Frontier  (http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2015/02/wandering-heroes-of-ogre-gate-frontier.html)
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Silverlion on February 23, 2015, 09:17:05 PM
Awesome stuff. I keep watching to see your ideas unfold!
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on February 24, 2015, 08:46:44 AM
Quote from: Silverlion;817328
Awesome stuff. I keep watching to see your ideas unfold!


Thanks. This one has been fun to work on.
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on February 26, 2015, 04:18:37 PM
On Making NPCs for adventures: THE IMPORTANCE OF CHARACTERS (http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2015/02/wandering-heroes-of-ogre-gate.html)
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on March 01, 2015, 10:49:28 AM
Latest Session: SECRET OF JE VALLEY II (http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2015/03/the-secret-of-je-valley-part-two.html)
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on March 14, 2015, 06:49:46 PM
Lastest Report: The Secret of Je Valley Part III (http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2015/03/this-campaign-is-set-ten-years-after.html)
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: LordVreeg on March 15, 2015, 03:58:42 PM
Quote from: BedrockBrendan;817018
Last session really changed my approach to grudges for some reason, it just clicked in my head that our previous approach was wrong and I had a good idea of how to better approach it. This is all tentative and messy but this is how I am now handling it in the campaign:

Grudges
A Grudge Encounter involves a person or sect who is after the party, a particular character, or someone connected to the group indirectly. The individual or sect holds a grudge that must be settled for personal or collective honor to be restored. The settlement of the grudge is entirely dependent on the situation and characters. Usually it is resolved through violence but other agreements can be reached. Running away and resorting to wits should always be an option. Also, once a grudge is established, you should roll a Grudge Encounter Check regularly to see if it comes up. Every new Grudge the party acquires should also be placed on the Grudge encounter table.

Rolling for Grudge Encounters
You should roll for Grudge Encounters regularly once a week (or on a regular increment of your choosing). This is separate from Survival Rolls or other encounter rolls. This is a check to see if anyone attacks the party due to a grudge at a time and place that is convenient for the attacker.

The Grudge Encounter Table is different from other tables. This is one you need to build yourself over time. Initially there are no grudges on the table, merely empty slots for future Grudges. As the party or individual characters acquire Grudges, you list them on the table, placing them first at the result of 2, then shifting down one with each grudge that is added. So, if your party kills a member of Purple Cavern Sect, and the table is empty, you would write “Purple Cavern Sect Grudge” in the result of 2 slot. Then if they gained a new Grudge by killing Lady White Blade of Mystic Sword Sect, you would shift Purple Cavern Sect grudge to the result of 3 Slot and add “Mystic Sword Sect Grudge” to the result of 2 slot.

When you roll, there are four possible results: Existing Grudge, No Encounter and Roll on Unknown or Mistaken Grudge Table and Roll on Grudge Encounter Table II. Here is an explanation of each.

No Encounter: This simply means there is no encounter due to grudges this week.

Existing Grudge: If this slot has an entry for a specific Grudge, then someone connected to the sect or person harboring that grudge attacks the party during the week. If the slot is not yet filled with a grudge treat it as “No Encounter”.

Roll on Unknown or Mistaken Grudge Table: If you get this result then the players are attacked by someone nursing a grudge they did now know existed (or is the product of mistaken identity or confusion). Roll on the Unknown or Mistaken Grudge Table and use that result to create a Grudge Based encounter for the week. When you roll on the table, come up with a quick character concept on the fly, using the stock stats from CHAPTER TEN: THREATS AND MONSTSERS. Try to make it fit the situation as best as possible and feel free to allow for creative interpretation—such as a terrible misunderstanding on the part of the aggrieved character.

Roll on Grudge Encounter Table II: This is used when you have filled all 8 slots of the first Grudge Table and need to make a New Grudge Table to accommodate additional Grudges. If you haven’t yet started a new table, simply treat this result as “No Encounter”. If you have a new Grudge Table, then you roll on that when you get this result.

TABLE: GRUDGE ENCOUNTER
Roll      Result
2      Existing Grudge Slot
3      Existing Grudge Slot
4      Existing Grudge Slot
5      Existing Grudge Slot
6      Existing Grudge Slot
7      Existing Grudge Slot
8      Existing Grudge Slot
9      No encounter
10      No Encounter
11      No Encounter
12      No Encounter
13      No Encounter
14      No Encounter
15      No Encounter
16      No Encounter
17      No Encounter
18      Roll on Unknown or Mistaken Grudges Table
19      Roll on Unknown or Mistaken Grudges Table
20      Roll on Grudge Encounter Table II*
*This is simply a new Grudge table you build when you have 8 Grudges on the first table.


TABLE: UNKOWN OR MISTAKEN GRUDGES
Result      Probability
2      Profound Master (Highly Eccentric Gripe)
3      Deadly Master (Personal Vendetta)
4      Fearsome Master (Vendetta that goes back generations)
5      Fearsome Master (Eccentric Gripe)
6      Disciple (Vengeance for Master)
7      Disciple (Personal Vendetta)
8      Underling (Vengeance for Master)
9      Underling (Personal Vendetta)
10      Mundane Character (Vengeance for Family)
11      Mundane Character (Reputation Sullied)
12      Mundane Character (Personal loss of fortune, love, etc)
13      Underling (Vengeance for Sect)
14      Underling (Vengeance for Family or Friend)
15      Disciple (Vengeance for Sect)
16      Disciple (Personal Reputation Sullied)
17      Fearsome Master (Eccentric Request)
18      Fearsome Master (Personal Reputation Sullied)
19      Deadly Master (Eccentric Gripe or Request)
20      Profound Master (Reputation Sullied)


I really enjoyed this part.  It had such a genre-specific feel, and you could see how it would play out in game.  Excellent post.
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on March 16, 2015, 12:55:36 AM
Quote from: LordVreeg;820305
I really enjoyed this part.  It had such a genre-specific feel, and you could see how it would play out in game.  Excellent post.


Thanks. This is one of those things where I find it really needed to be played out a bit in game before I could get a sense of whether we had made the right change. So far this works really well and, for me at least, it is capturing the feel of the genre in a way that flows naturally in play.
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on March 17, 2015, 02:40:47 PM
On maiming: IT IS ALL FUN AND GAMES UNTIL SOMEONE GETS MAIMED. (http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2015/03/it-is-all-fun-and-games-until-someone.html)
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Jame Rowe on March 20, 2015, 01:55:49 PM
Quote from: BedrockBrendan;820397
Thanks. This is one of those things where I find it really needed to be played out a bit in game before I could get a sense of whether we had made the right change. So far this works really well and, for me at least, it is capturing the feel of the genre in a way that flows naturally in play.


Hey Brendan, are you using the Grudge rules for the current campaign?
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on March 20, 2015, 02:06:16 PM
Quote from: Jame Rowe;821136
Hey Brendan, are you using the Grudge rules for the current campaign?


Yes.
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: LordVreeg on March 20, 2015, 06:10:10 PM
Quote from: BedrockBrendan;820686
On maiming: IT IS ALL FUN AND GAMES UNTIL SOMEONE GETS MAIMED. (http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2015/03/it-is-all-fun-and-games-until-someone.html)


Yeah, I run pretty realistic games, so scars and actual permanent damage happens often.  I think it is important, reminding the PCs, even when death has not happened, that there are consequences.

In my online game, one of the kids...a student....just lost a hand.  Suffice it to say it is noted by one and all.
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on March 21, 2015, 10:40:56 AM
Quote from: LordVreeg;821164
Yeah, I run pretty realistic games, so scars and actual permanent damage happens often.  I think it is important, reminding the PCs, even when death has not happened, that there are consequences.

In my online game, one of the kids...a student....just lost a hand.  Suffice it to say it is noted by one and all.


Consequences are important. Even if realism isn't the aim (ogre gate is much less realistic in flavor than Servants of Gaius or Terror Network) I still find it is important to have decisions and combats to have lasting impact. Sometimes that means being maimed. For me, I really need mechanical representation for things like lost limbs or attempts to remove them. This is a pretty heroic, larger than life genre, but maiming reminds everyone that it isn't a cartoon.
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on March 21, 2015, 09:02:13 PM
Quote from: LordVreeg;821164
Yeah, I run pretty realistic games, so scars and actual permanent damage happens often.  I think it is important, reminding the PCs, even when death has not happened, that there are consequences.

In my online game, one of the kids...a student....just lost a hand.  Suffice it to say it is noted by one and all.


This got me thinking about stakes: TELEGRAPHING THE STAKES (http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2015/03/wandering-heroes-of-ogre-gate.html)
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: LordVreeg on March 22, 2015, 10:40:01 PM
Quote from: BedrockBrendan;821285
This got me thinking about stakes: TELEGRAPHING THE STAKES (http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2015/03/wandering-heroes-of-ogre-gate.html)


Short term games this can backfire, and long term vames, you still deal with Mary Sue, but yes, when making it clear you are 'placing the characters within their milieu'  as you do this, it does help.  

I do make it very, very clear that my games are lethal and dangerous.  Even in a non-combat centric game (3 combats in 43 sessions), one PC lost an arm.  and social circumstances are often NOT telegraphed, so I would add that in as a point not made in the post.
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on March 23, 2015, 08:46:33 AM
Quote from: LordVreeg;821434
Short term games this can backfire, and long term vames, you still deal with Mary Sue, but yes, when making it clear you are 'placing the characters within their milieu'  as you do this, it does help.  

I do make it very, very clear that my games are lethal and dangerous.  Even in a non-combat centric game (3 combats in 43 sessions), one PC lost an arm.  and social circumstances are often NOT telegraphed, so I would add that in as a point not made in the post.


There was definitely the danger here that the players sided with the mystic sword disciples and tried to fight One-Armed Fiery Demon. That is always a danger though when you allow for things in the setting to be more powerful than the players can handle. I tried to clearly indicate that by having her use one of her more potent abilities on the sword disciples, but if the players pushed they could have ended up with a TPK for sure. However, I feel in that situation I had very much made it clear to them that she was an unbelievably powerful martial hero.

Long term Mary Sues are a problem, and something I am quite worried about. I've pretty much been striving to not have them in my games for years now (because of this experience: HERE (http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2015/01/silinar-my-worst-gmpc-ever.html)). However after reflection, I felt I had been overcorrecting this issue and limited NPCs in my campaigns too much. So this is an effort to restore NPCs that fit the game, while being mindful of what can happen if they become your favorites or you give them in game protection. I don't really have a problem killing off NPCs if they die in game, and I don't get hung up on them, so I feel this shouldn't become an issue (they have met One Armed Fiery Demon twice since their initial encounter with her, but in both those instances they sought her out).

I do think explaining stakes and consequences out of game is very important. I resorted to this method because I have been explaining consequences so long, and realized people don't always take such warnings seriously. Last campaign for example, people actually got lucky a number of times on the dice (enemies kept bringing them to the brink of death but not beyond it) and I believe they mistook that for me going soft on PCs, but on the 6th session or so there was a PC death, and I sensed that some were a bit surprised that it happened. I wanted to introduce a potentially dangerous situation to make it clear from the outside that these kinds of things were very much on the table.

There is a small detail to this encounter I left out of the stakes post. When the one of the players first walked into the tavern and saw her having a stand-off with the mystic sword disciples, she asked him "do you serve Lady White Blade". He said 'no', and she went on to attack the mystic sword disciples while leaving him alone. So the player realized right away had he chosen wrong, that her hostility would have been directed at him. This was the very first session, so while that was a big risk (and while it might have been possible for him to survive because he was Qi rank 1 and the mystic sword disciples were all only Qi rank 0 and he may have been able to parlay his way out of it) it could have ended very badly for him. My feeling was it would be better to illustrate this out of the gate, early on, before anyone got really attached to their character. That way players would really understand how much risk they were facing in this setting and act accordingly. I want these risks to be on the table, but I really want the players to understand that they are there so they can make their choices accordingly (a lot of times I still get the sense that players have come to expect the GM to save them in dangerous situations).

It is interesting that in a non-combat centric campaign you've had an arm loss in just three combats. But this sort of makes sense to me if you are using a particularly lethal system. The game I am running now, actually isn't that lethal because there are levels, so player are often taking on much weaker threats. But the core system itself doesn't have levels in most of its incarnations. So in terror network or crime network there is no difference in health between any character in the game. Everyone dies the same when they get shot. That kind of parity, makes for greater lethality. There is obviously skill to account for but everyone can take the same number of wounds and that makes any combat a big risk. What I find happens as a result is people tend to avoid combat unless it is really necessary, so the games usually become much less combat centric (a bit like real life, you don't go around beating people up all the time because there are real world consequences and dangers for that behavior).
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Rincewind1 on March 23, 2015, 09:37:19 AM
Quote from: LordVreeg;821434
Short term games this can backfire, and long term vames, you still deal with Mary Sue, but yes, when making it clear you are 'placing the characters within their milieu'  as you do this, it does help.  

I do make it very, very clear that my games are lethal and dangerous.  Even in a non-combat centric game (3 combats in 43 sessions), one PC lost an arm.  and social circumstances are often NOT telegraphed, so I would add that in as a point not made in the post.


I lost an arm, and I didn't even get a lousy t - shirt.
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on March 23, 2015, 12:47:34 PM
Quote from: Rincewind1;821504
I lost an arm, and I didn't even get a lousy t - shirt.


T-shirts are for winners Rincewind. We only give them to players who take limbs, not lose them.
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Jame Rowe on March 23, 2015, 07:16:45 PM
Quote from: BedrockBrendan;821531
T-shirts are for winners Rincewind. We only give them to players who take limbs, not lose them.


I'll have to remember that for next time.
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: LordVreeg on March 23, 2015, 08:05:09 PM
Quote from: Rincewind1;821504
I lost an arm, and I didn't even get a lousy t - shirt.


It makes you interesting.  
If talking to ghosts and spirits no one else sees didn't already do that.
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on March 26, 2015, 08:18:24 AM
Online Interim Session: SECRET OF JE VALLEY INTERIM (http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2015/03/the-secret-of-je-valley-interim-session.html)
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on March 29, 2015, 11:25:40 AM
Je Valley Session Four: REPORT.  (http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2015/03/the-secret-of-je-valley-part-iv.html)
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on March 30, 2015, 09:50:00 PM
The Supernatural in Wandering Heroes: HERE (http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2015/03/wandering-heroes-of-ogre-gate_30.html?m=1)
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on April 02, 2015, 12:43:26 AM
Spent the better part of two days putting together a table of all the Kung Fu Techniques in the game. Part of the purpose is to keep better track of mechanical details but it also serves an important function for GMing. Because you need to learn techniques from teachers, manuals and similar sources, the table lists Sects, Manuals and Sifu who know each technique. This makes it a lot easier for the game master to manage. If players start asking around to learn a particular technique, the GM can just consult the table and know what leads they might get.
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on April 05, 2015, 10:25:32 AM
Here are some recent updates: Wandering Heroes Updates (http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2015/04/wandering-heroes-of-ogre-gate.html)
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on April 07, 2015, 11:04:12 PM
Wuxia Dungeons: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2015/04/wuxia-dungeons-wandering-heroes-of-ogre.html (http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2015/04/wuxia-dungeons-wandering-heroes-of-ogre.html)
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on April 10, 2015, 01:33:23 PM
Important update: HACKING WANDERING HEROES (http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2015/04/wandering-heroes-of-ogre-gate-meant-to.html)
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on April 13, 2015, 07:20:30 AM
Wuxia Dungeons Part II: HERE (http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2015/04/wuxia-dungeons-part-ii-wandering-heroes.html).
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: LordVreeg on April 13, 2015, 08:45:17 AM
Quote from: BedrockBrendan;825639
Wuxia Dungeons Part II: HERE (http://Wuxia Dungeons Part II: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2015/04/wuxia-dungeons-part-ii-wandering-heroes.html).


hmm.  Broken link?
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on April 13, 2015, 08:47:42 AM
Quote from: LordVreeg;825642
hmm.  Broken link?


Oops. Should work now.
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: LordVreeg on April 13, 2015, 08:50:49 AM
Quote from: BedrockBrendan;825643
Oops. Should work now.


At least you know I clicked it!
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on April 13, 2015, 09:06:50 AM
Quote from: LordVreeg;825645
At least you know I clicked it!


Lol. One of the things I love about blogger is the stats page. Generally I can get a sense of +1s are polite pats on the back or reflection of genuine interest by how many hits I get for each post. The wuxia dungeon entries have been off the scales for us. Same with the film reviews.
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on April 18, 2015, 07:57:10 PM
Latest session log: Secret of Je Valley Part V (http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2015/04/the-secret-of-je-valley-part-v.html?m=1")
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on April 28, 2015, 09:40:12 AM
Tomb of the Timeless Master Playtest Report: PLAYTEST REPORT (http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2015/04/tomb-of-timeless-master-playtest-report.html)
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: fuseboy on April 28, 2015, 11:14:42 AM
Quote from: BedrockBrendan;826569
Latest session log: Secret of Je Valley Part V (http://Session log: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2015/04/the-secret-of-je-valley-part-v.html)


The Je Valley Part V hyperlink has some cruft at the front that breaks it.
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on April 28, 2015, 12:12:32 PM
Quote from: fuseboy;828655
The Je Valley Part V hyperlink has some cruft at the front that breaks it.


Thanks, should work now.
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on May 03, 2015, 12:39:08 PM
Latest session log: REPORT (http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2015/05/the-secret-of-je-valley-vi.html)
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on May 06, 2015, 10:32:28 AM
Playtest report for group II: REPORT (http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2015/05/tomb-of-timeless-master-playtest-ii.html)
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on May 08, 2015, 08:29:56 AM
Profound Masters of Ogre Gate: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2015/05/profound-masters-of-ogre-gate.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: LordVreeg on May 09, 2015, 01:34:31 PM
Quote from: BedrockBrendan;830464
Profound Masters of Ogre Gate: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2015/05/profound-masters-of-ogre-gate.html


I'm going to have to look through the character power scaling again.  I generally hated high power games to begin with.  I might or might not, depending if it was a drunken dream or drunken reality, peed on a copy of the Immortal rules of D&D once.

To get to Qi rank, 6, how much play are you thinking?
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on May 09, 2015, 02:58:54 PM
Quote from: LordVreeg;830703
I'm going to have to look through the character power scaling again.  I generally hated high power games to begin with.  I might or might not, depending if it was a drunken dream or drunken reality, peed on a copy of the Immortal rules of D&D once.

To get to Qi rank, 6, how much play are you thinking?

It is wuxia so the power level is definitely a bit on the high side. I don't know how familiar people are with the genre (particularly as it appears on television series which was a pretty big influence on the game) but if you want the introductions to the following programs (just the two minute musical montage intros, that should give a good idea of the power level we are talking about):

Romance of Condor Heroes 2014: http://www.viki.com/videos/1057016v-episode-1

Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils 2013: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CKHeaif-CZQ

These would represent levels of power attainable by Qi rank 6.
 
Characters start out somewhat weak (3 health at Qi rank 1 with a handful of minor Kung Fu Techniques). As their Qi increases, their health increase and so does the power of their techniques (as well as their access to techniques). So a Qi level 6 character has 13 health, versus a Qi level 1 with 3 health, plus they are just doing more damage). This is the present arrangement at least (we've been tweaking the health totals slowly and this could change).

Once you get to Qi 6, you would need to become an immortal to attain more Qi ranks. Qi 6 is pretty beefy in the game already. If you skip the immortal stuff and only allow players to reach Qi level 6, they would be the equivalent of one of the great masters in a high powered wuxia film or series.

In terms of how long it might take we offer a standard XP progression and will probably offer two optional rates as well. Right now this is the standard rate (XP progression is something we are actively tweaking at the moment):

Qi Level         XP Requirement
1            0
2            6
3            18   
4            36
5            72
6            120
Immortal (7 and beyond)*   240

If you meet the XP requirement (and additional requirements) you can progress to the next Qi level. Characters can earn between 1-3 XP per session (they can in rare cases earn bonus XP but those are quite exceptional). So in a weekly game if you manage to get 3 xp every session, then you would reach Qi level 6 in 40 weeks. If you only earn 1 XP a session it would take you 120 weeks (or over two years).

This is a bit of a tricky thing to set because some groups want to take years and years before something like Qi rank 6 would even be possible, other groups might want to get there in 6 months. The current XP chart is something of an attempt to meet both groups half way (you have fairly rapid advancement at first but it gets increasingly harder to progress----however in the end it still won't take you decades to get to 6). One solution we are considering is having a short xp option and long xp option (essentially one that allows you to became great masters in a matter of months and on that makes you wait much longer). But the one above would be our default standard.

Once you get to Qi rank 6 and can become an immortal, in theory the sky is the limit after that, but you are also talking much higher level play and we are giving ourselves a full year at least to write those rules. We've set up the basics of immortal play in the core book (it includes immortals, a brief section on how to become one, and a small list of immortal powers and profound kung fu techniques). However that is just ground work for the Profound Masters of Ogre Gate book which will have way more options, explanations, realms, monsters, magical objects, etc.

Immortal Level play is going to look something like Zu Warriors from Magic Mountain, Journey to the West, Legend of Zu, Sorcerer and the White Snake or Chinese Paladin. At this stage characters are much closer to super hero level ability (things like flight, regeneration, magical attacks all become more the norm).

Right now I have a group of Qi rank 3 and 2 characters in my regular campaign. How potent they are is somewhat dependent on their opponent's power level. A few sessions back they wiped out about 30 bandits with ease but then faced considerable challenging trying to contend with a few martial experts who were more at their level. Still tweaking some of the numbers and techniques though (for example we found a technique that the player could basically spam to totally control the battlefield and had to adjust it a bit so it wasn't so formidable---basically raised the Qi rank, made it a touch less effective.....generally our rule of thumb is to raise the Qi rank first when things seem overpowered before tamping them down a notch).
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: LordVreeg on May 09, 2015, 04:34:34 PM
Quote from: BedrockBrendan;830710
It is wuxia so the power level is definitely a bit on the high side. I don't know how familiar people are with the genre (particularly as it appears on television series which was a pretty big influence on the game) but if you want the introductions to the following programs (just the two minute musical montage intros, that should give a good idea of the power level we are talking about):

Romance of Condor Heroes 2014: http://www.viki.com/videos/1057016v-episode-1

Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils 2013: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CKHeaif-CZQ

These would represent levels of power attainable by Qi rank 6.
 
Characters start out somewhat weak (3 health at Qi rank 1 with a handful of minor Kung Fu Techniques). As their Qi increases, their health increase and so does the power of their techniques (as well as their access to techniques). So a Qi level 6 character has 13 health, versus a Qi level 1 with 3 health, plus they are just doing more damage). This is the present arrangement at least (we've been tweaking the health totals slowly and this could change).

Once you get to Qi 6, you would need to become an immortal to attain more Qi ranks. Qi 6 is pretty beefy in the game already. If you skip the immortal stuff and only allow players to reach Qi level 6, they would be the equivalent of one of the great masters in a high powered wuxia film or series.

In terms of how long it might take we offer a standard XP progression and will probably offer two optional rates as well. Right now this is the standard rate (XP progression is something we are actively tweaking at the moment):

Qi Level         XP Requirement
1            0
2            6
3            18   
4            36
5            72
6            120
Immortal (7 and beyond)*   240

If you meet the XP requirement (and additional requirements) you can progress to the next Qi level. Characters can earn between 1-3 XP per session (they can in rare cases earn bonus XP but those are quite exceptional). So in a weekly game if you manage to get 3 xp every session, then you would reach Qi level 6 in 40 weeks. If you only earn 1 XP a session it would take you 120 weeks (or over two years).

This is a bit of a tricky thing to set because some groups want to take years and years before something like Qi rank 6 would even be possible, other groups might want to get there in 6 months. The current XP chart is something of an attempt to meet both groups half way (you have fairly rapid advancement at first but it gets increasingly harder to progress----however in the end it still won't take you decades to get to 6). One solution we are considering is having a short xp option and long xp option (essentially one that allows you to became great masters in a matter of months and on that makes you wait much longer). But the one above would be our default standard.

Once you get to Qi rank 6 and can become an immortal, in theory the sky is the limit after that, but you are also talking much higher level play and we are giving ourselves a full year at least to write those rules. We've set up the basics of immortal play in the core book (it includes immortals, a brief section on how to become one, and a small list of immortal powers and profound kung fu techniques). However that is just ground work for the Profound Masters of Ogre Gate book which will have way more options, explanations, realms, monsters, magical objects, etc.

Immortal Level play is going to look something like Zu Warriors from Magic Mountain, Journey to the West, Legend of Zu, Sorcerer and the White Snake or Chinese Paladin. At this stage characters are much closer to super hero level ability (things like flight, regeneration, magical attacks all become more the norm).

Right now I have a group of Qi rank 3 and 2 characters in my regular campaign. How potent they are is somewhat dependent on their opponent's power level. A few sessions back they wiped out about 30 bandits with ease but then faced considerable challenging trying to contend with a few martial experts who were more at their level. Still tweaking some of the numbers and techniques though (for example we found a technique that the player could basically spam to totally control the battlefield and had to adjust it a bit so it wasn't so formidable---basically raised the Qi rank, made it a touch less effective.....generally our rule of thumb is to raise the Qi rank first when things seem overpowered before tamping them down a notch).


6+ immortal seems to be a little lack of granularity, unless the campaigns are supposed to always support immortal.  I get the genre, but for play, maybe a bit more would provide a bit more reward in play and a bigger variety in foes.  Just a thought.  So you know I'm paying attention.
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on May 09, 2015, 05:52:49 PM
Quote from: LordVreeg;830719
6+ immortal seems to be a little lack of granularity, unless the campaigns are supposed to always support immortal.  I get the genre, but for play, maybe a bit more would provide a bit more reward in play and a bigger variety in foes.  Just a thought.  So you know I'm paying attention.

Granularity hasn't really been a goal of our system, so wouldn't want to create the false expectation that the game is meant for that. Because it uses dice pools, this seems to work best (at least for us). It has always kept the numbers fairly narrow, partly as an outgrowth of making sure the pools stay reasonable. So in Sertorius you also have a 1-6 power range, with skills ranked 0-3.

The core game was designed with 1-6 in mind rather than immortal play, so the ultimate goal would be to become one of the greats in the setting at power level 6 (even at that point you can still increase your power by learning more techniques and increasing your skills). If you want to continue into immortal level play you can, but it isn't required (though the setting portion of the book has immortals in it). Keep in mind though, you don't need to increase in Qi level to gain new kung fu techniques or skills. Qi levels are not quite levels in the sense you have in D&D. You gain new Kung Fu Techniques, increase skill ranks, and acquire expertise through spending XP. All the Qi levels do is increase health, magnify certain kung fu techniques (for instance you may multiply the damage by Qi rank in some instances), and give you access to higher level techniques (Kung Fu Techniques all have a Qi rank of 1-6 associated with them, so if you are Qi rank two, you can learn Kung Fu Techniques tagged Qi 1 or 2. If you increase to Qi rank 3, you can learn those tagged at Qi 1,2 and 3. Still not granular in the level 1-20 sense.

Obviously tastes are going to vary so I can't speak how suited the game would be for your table and preferences. If the granularity is an issue, one easy fix is to strip out the immortal aspect but keep the uncapped Qi ranks. Personally i just find working with 6 tiers for Kung Fu powers and power levels more manageable. We had discussed going a different route earlier in the design process with Ogre Gate (for example doing Qi levels 1-13) but we ultimately felt the range of 1-6 worked for what we were doing at the table better (and we would have found ourselves forcing the creation of techniques to meet all those tiers). We also felt we had a better sense of 1-6 and what our mechanical choices would mean because we've been running sertorius for the past several years with that as the basis. Right now I feel pretty comfortable with my sense of what a Qi rank 5 character means in the setting and how much punishment a group of Qi rank 2 level characters can take. I would be concerned about tweaking that granularity this late in the process simply because it could produce a very different end result.

What we've seen in practice with the 1-6 power levels is each one is the jump between them is pretty significant. So Qi level 1 to Qi level 2 isn't as narrow or granular as levels 1-2 in D&D, it is more like the jump between level 1 and level 3 or 4. Which works for me, but again might not work for others.

One thing to keep in mind is immortals have uncapped Qi ranks, so they can keep increasing beyond 6. When you reach 7, you are still going by Qi level rank. So you have immortals that are Qi 7, 8, 9, 10, etc. And in immortal games this can go as high as 22 (so on the immortal end of it, where characters can attain insane levels of power, the granularity is perhaps greater---it may even go higher, but 22 is the highest qi rank immortal we've made for the campaign). A few things change in the calculation though. At Qi 7 you stop adding your qi ranks to increase defenses (otherwise people would be walking around with 10s in everything) and you start gaining access to Immortal Powers and Profound Kung Fu Techniques.

When we designed the original network game we didn't want was buckets of dice. This was an especially big concern when we moved into fantasy and other supernatural genres. So even at the immortal level, there is a cap (soft cap of 6d10 and hard cap of 10d10 in unusual situations). An immortal with Qi rank 14 isn't going to be flinging pools of 14 d10. What he will be doing instead is rolling up to 6d10 with some additional effects or flat additional wounds.
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on May 09, 2015, 06:08:27 PM
Quote from: LordVreeg;830719
6+ immortal seems to be a little lack of granularity, unless the campaigns are supposed to always support immortal.  I get the genre, but for play, maybe a bit more would provide a bit more reward in play and a bigger variety in foes.  Just a thought.  So you know I'm paying attention.


One thing I would definitely welcome is people hacking the system to make it more granular if they want more levels but don't want immortal play. So if you found you liked the concept and some of the rules but hated the granularity, one solution might be a Celtricia-style hack of the system (either making ogre gate more like Celtricia or bringing some of the Celtricia level granularity to Ogre Gate. This is one of the reasons I made The Kung Fu Technique Chapter public domain. I figured the game I'm making is designed for what works at my table, but I imagine lots of people will want slightly different things (they might want more granularity like you, or they might want powers that have greater parity, are more gonzo, etc).
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on May 09, 2015, 06:22:36 PM
By the way I appreciate the posts Lord Vreeg. These kinds of questions and posts are really helpful. I found a huge mistake in the manuscript today when I was looking up an answer to your question.
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on May 16, 2015, 06:57:31 PM
Here is the latest playtest report: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2015/05/the-secret-of-je-valley-vii.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on May 20, 2015, 03:17:54 PM
Something on party conflict in ogre gate: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2015/05/infighting-in-martial-world-wandering.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on May 22, 2015, 08:07:05 PM
A post on Tournaments. This is more thinking out loud than anything else:

http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2015/05/tournaments-in-martial-world.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on May 23, 2015, 12:44:16 PM
Quote from: LordVreeg;830719
6+ immortal seems to be a little lack of granularity, unless the campaigns are supposed to always support immortal.  I get the genre, but for play, maybe a bit more would provide a bit more reward in play and a bigger variety in foes.  Just a thought.  So you know I'm paying attention.


I've been rethinking this one actually during the last couple of play tests. Starting to agree with you a bit on this one. I think it might work to extend the granularity a bit by having an intermediary stage between immortal and normal characters. This would allow people to go higher and ignore immortal if they want, and also make immortals that much more exceptional. Reviewing the document for feasibility of making the adjustment.
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: LordVreeg on May 23, 2015, 06:30:24 PM
Quote from: BedrockBrendan;832940
I've been rethinking this one actually during the last couple of play tests. Starting to agree with you a bit on this one. I think it might work to extend the granularity a bit by having an intermediary stage between immortal and normal characters. This would allow people to go higher and ignore immortal if they want, and also make immortals that much more exceptional. Reviewing the document for feasibility of making the adjustment.

That was my gut feel.  I mean, I know I err into this ad ridiculousness, but it does allow for longer term games often.  An intermediate stage may allow for more of this.
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on May 23, 2015, 06:51:42 PM
Quote from: LordVreeg;832954
That was my gut feel.  I mean, I know I err into this ad ridiculousness, but it does allow for longer term games often.  An intermediate stage may allow for more of this.

The more I thought about it, the more I liked that it also made scaling the genre itself easier. Basically what was originally going to happen was at Qi 7 you have to become immortal to advance, but once you do, you gain access to profound kung fu techniques and immortal powers. Now at Qi 7, you gain access to profound kung fu techniques but things otherwise continue as normal. Then at Qi 13 immortality becomes possible. I was worried about introducing the shift but we really already had the same level scale and it was just a matter of extracting the immortal stuff out of Qi ranks 7-12. I still have to review the document to make sure I am not missing some big issue this could create, but it looks like it should be doable.

I think this makes it very easy to strip out the Martial Arts Fantasy stuff if you just want straight wuxia.
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on May 27, 2015, 07:18:27 PM
Interim Session Report: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2015/05/secret-of-je-valley-interim-session-ii.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on May 27, 2015, 07:18:46 PM
Wuxia in Gamandria: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2015/05/wuxia-in-gamandria.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: danbuter on May 29, 2015, 02:47:13 PM
Will this be a standalone book?
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on May 29, 2015, 03:59:32 PM
Quote from: danbuter;833872
Will this be a standalone book?


Yes, it will be a stand alone core rulebook for our wuxia version of Network. However it is pretty compatible with Sertorius and there will be a Profound Masters of Ogre Gate book that will expand on higher level play (the core book is primarily focused on the power range you see in a standard wuxia movie or show----profound Masters will offer stuff you might see in something like Sorcerer and the White Snake).

Also the PDF for Wandering Heroes will be pay what you want (the print edition will be a standard cover price).

Here is the present chapter listing to give you an idea of what it will contain (the last chapter is a sample adventure):

CONTENTS
CHAPTER ONE: CHARACTER CREATION
CHAPTER TWO: RULES
CHAPTER THREE: KUNG FU TECHNIQUES
CHAPTER FOUR: RITUALS
CHAPTER FIVE: EQUIPMENT
CHAPTER SIX: THE MARTIAL WORLD
CHAPTER SEVEN: THE WORLD OF QI XIEN-HISTORY, RELIGION, CUSTOMS, COSMOLOGY
CHAPTER EIGHT: PEOPLE AND PLACES
CHAPTER NINE: NON-PLAYER CHARACTERS
CHAPTER TEN: THREATS AND MONSTERS
CHAPTER ELEVEN: MANUALS AND OBJECTS OF POWER
CHAPTER TWELVE: THE GAME MASTER
CHAPTER THIRTEEN: GHOSTS FROM THE ASHES
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on May 31, 2015, 11:23:02 AM
The Secret of Je Valley VIII: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2015/05/the-secret-of-je-valley-viii-head-for.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on June 03, 2015, 01:13:14 PM
Been reworking the XP progression. Still playing with the numbers but here is what I have now. Keep in mind in theory you can go beyond 24, but I haven't explored the implications of that yet mechanically. This assumes one session a week, 3 XP each session. Some parties might earn 5 in a session but that si rare, so 3 is the high average. On the right is the length of time it would take to reach. This is to allow for campaigns that go for years.

Qi Rank         XP Requirement
Heroes
1            0
2            6
3            18   
4            36
5            72
6            120      1 Year
Profound Masters*
7            312      2 Years
8            360
9            390
10            420
11            453
12            500      3.2 Years
Immortals*
13            624      4 Years
14            780
15            1,251      8 Years
16            1,581
17            2,190
18            2,346
19            2,502
20            2,661
21            2,817      
22            2,973
24            3,130      20 Years
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: naranjalimones on June 05, 2015, 07:48:08 PM
Quote from: BedrockBrendan;834788
Been reworking the XP progression. Still playing with the numbers but here is what I have now. Keep in mind in theory you can go beyond 24, but I haven't explored the implications of that yet mechanically. This assumes one session a week, 3 XP each session. Some parties might earn 5 in a session but that si rare, so 3 is the high average. On the right is the length of time it would take to reach. This is to allow for campaigns that go for years.

Qi Rank         XP Requirement
Heroes
1            0
2            6
3            18   
4            36
5            72
6            120      1 Year
Profound Masters*
7            312      2 Years
8            360
9            390
10            420
11            453
12            500      3.2 Years
Immortals*
13            624      4 Years
14            780
15            1,251      8 Years
16            1,581
17            2,190
18            2,346
19            2,502
20            2,661
21            2,817      
22            2,973
24            3,130      20 Years


Just wanted to give a heads up that you missed Qi level 23. Dunno if you caught it between then and now, but the pattern seems to be 23 = 3,130 and 24 = 3,287, about?
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on June 05, 2015, 11:44:03 PM
Quote from: naranjalimones;835294
Just wanted to give a heads up that you missed Qi level 23. Dunno if you caught it between then and now, but the pattern seems to be 23 = 3,130 and 24 = 3,287, about?


Great catch. Thanks.

Yes that would be the right increment.
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on June 14, 2015, 12:04:04 AM
Some recent posts on Ogre Gate:

Cosmology: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2015/06/cosmology.html

Martial Styles in Wandering Heroes of Ogre Gate: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2015/06/styles-in-wandering-heroes-of-ogre-gate.html

Realism: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2015/06/martial-arts-and-realism-in-wandering.html

Foe Map: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2015/06/the-foe-map.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: naranjalimones on June 19, 2015, 07:51:28 PM
I saw the character sheets your posted and the Sertorius-style discipline disc is kinda... Western! I drew up a quick and amateurish Shou-inspired disc that maybe you could refine and use, take inspiration from, or fans could involve in their own character sheet designs, or, uh, something! I just felt like it was something someone somewhere could use. :idunno: I'll probably draw up my own amateurish character sheet for kicks sometime soon and, erm, post it, if someone would like to see it. Mostly for the practice with GIMP.
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: naranjalimones on June 20, 2015, 04:51:18 PM
Wow, "sometime soon" sure came fast. I improved the design and threw down an imbalance disc too, and replaced the default font with "Gang of Three" for a more "Asian" feel. Again, this is just a suggestion! The edits are simple enough to remove and refine without great difficulty.

SPOILER (Hover over section below to view.)

(http://i577.photobucket.com/albums/ss218/tedders/CHARACTER%20--%20new%20disc_zps0nnygeur.png)

Hope it's useful for someone. It was kinda fun to make, and kind of a pain in the butt!
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: LordVreeg on June 20, 2015, 05:16:44 PM
Quote from: naranjalimones;837415
Wow, "sometime soon" sure came fast. I improved the design and threw down an imbalance disc too, and replaced the default font with "Gang of Three" for a more "Asian" feel. Again, this is just a suggestion! The edits are simple enough to remove and refine without great difficulty.

SPOILER (Hover over section below to view.)

(http://i577.photobucket.com/albums/ss218/tedders/CHARACTER%20--%20new%20disc_zps0nnygeur.png)


Hope it's useful for someone. It was kinda fun to make, and kind of a pain in the butt!


I like it.
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on June 20, 2015, 11:52:02 PM
Quote from: naranjalimones;837415
Wow, "sometime soon" sure came fast. I improved the design and threw down an imbalance disc too, and replaced the default font with "Gang of Three" for a more "Asian" feel. Again, this is just a suggestion! The edits are simple enough to remove and refine without great difficulty.

SPOILER (Hover over section below to view.)

(http://i577.photobucket.com/albums/ss218/tedders/CHARACTER%20--%20new%20disc_zps0nnygeur.png)


Hope it's useful for someone. It was kinda fun to make, and kind of a pain in the butt!


Cool. Can you PM me. I like what you've done. I have some suggested changes and specs if you are up for them (to bring inline with the style of the interior images and setting concept).
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on June 22, 2015, 09:17:18 AM
The Secret of Je Valley IX: The Pagoda of the Golden Mercies-

http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2015/06/the-secret-of-je-valley-ix-pagoda-of.html?m=1
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on June 29, 2015, 09:46:59 AM
SECRET OF JE VALLEY PART X: THE END OF MYSTIC SWORD- http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2015/06/the-secret-of-je-valley-part-x-the.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Jame Rowe on June 29, 2015, 01:50:25 PM
Oh no! They killed Mystic Sword! Those NPCS!

:eek: :banghead: :mad: :boohoo: :jaw-dropping: :rant: :pundit:
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on July 09, 2015, 08:11:26 PM
Manuscript goes to the editor this Monday.
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on July 25, 2015, 09:41:25 PM
Latest report: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2015/07/the-secret-of-je-valley-part-xi-swords.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: AsenRG on July 27, 2015, 08:41:18 AM
The game sounds really interesting, and I'm not missing wuxia games anyway:).
Granted, I'm doing my best not to miss realistic games, either. You can say I like diametrically opposed things;).
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on July 31, 2015, 02:19:23 PM
Quote from: AsenRG;844662
The game sounds really interesting, and I'm not missing wuxia games anyway:).
Granted, I'm doing my best not to miss realistic games, either. You can say I like diametrically opposed things;).


Thanks. I should probably mention that Wandering Heroes of Ogre Gate doesn't have realism as an aim at all. I do have a background in martial arts, but I actually made a point of dropping all that at the door and trying to emulate movie martial arts instead. This is leaping on peoples swords and kicking their face then blasting them with a golden wave of Chi kind of martial arts.
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: AsenRG on July 31, 2015, 07:24:10 PM
Quote from: BedrockBrendan;845577
Thanks. I should probably mention that Wandering Heroes of Ogre Gate doesn't have realism as an aim at all. I do have a background in martial arts, but I actually made a point of dropping all that at the door and trying to emulate movie martial arts instead. This is leaping on peoples swords and kicking their face then blasting them with a golden wave of Chi kind of martial arts.


You're welcome. I have a modest background in martial arts as well, but I understand emulating movie realities, or I'd have a really hard time running Feng Shui 2, Exalted and a host of other games I've been running:).
My point was that I'd probably like WHoOG, even though I also like games that take the exact opposite approach;).
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on August 01, 2015, 01:03:10 PM
Quote from: AsenRG;845622
You're welcome. I have a modest background in martial arts as well, but I understand emulating movie realities, or I'd have a really hard time running Feng Shui 2, Exalted and a host of other games I've been running:).
My point was that I'd probably like WHoOG, even though I also like games that take the exact opposite approach;).


Good to hear. We are hoping to have it out in the fall so it should be available in the near future.
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: AsenRG on August 01, 2015, 02:23:49 PM
Quote from: BedrockBrendan;845774
Good to hear. We are hoping to have it out in the fall so it should be available in the near future.


Are you planning a kickstarter?
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on August 01, 2015, 03:12:13 PM
Quote from: AsenRG;845787
Are you planning a kickstarter?


No. Down the road once I understand kickstarter more, it is possible we'll do something like that for a support product. But I prefer to have the games fund themselves (which is why our release schedule is on the slow side). Kickstarter is an attractive way to crank up the value of a product but it also means you have customers who paid before hand and that changes the whole dynamic. My approach is I make what I want and if people like it they buy it. If I sell them an idea and get customers to fund it before hand, then I feel like I am obligated to adjust things to meet their expectations. I don't feel comfortable working that way at this time.

Right now we are looking at a 300-400 page rulebook (I won't know for sure until we get closer to layout). Everything is written and with the editor. Now I am trying to finish up the art process. I have someone working on the black and white interiors, another person doing our setting/cosmology map, someone doing location maps for things like dungeons and inns, etc.

I post regular updates on our blog: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2015/08/iron-cub-wandering-heroes-of-ogre-gate.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: AsenRG on August 01, 2015, 04:17:29 PM
Quote from: BedrockBrendan;845795
No. Down the road once I understand kickstarter more, it is possible we'll do something like that for a support product. But I prefer to have the games fund themselves (which is why our release schedule is on the slow side). Kickstarter is an attractive way to crank up the value of a product but it also means you have customers who paid before hand and that changes the whole dynamic. My approach is I make what I want and if people like it they buy it. If I sell them an idea and get customers to fund it before hand, then I feel like I am obligated to adjust things to meet their expectations. I don't feel comfortable working that way at this time.

Right now we are looking at a 300-400 page rulebook (I won't know for sure until we get closer to layout). Everything is written and with the editor. Now I am trying to finish up the art process. I have someone working on the black and white interiors, another person doing our setting/cosmology map, someone doing location maps for things like dungeons and inns, etc.

I post regular updates on our blog: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2015/08/iron-cub-wandering-heroes-of-ogre-gate.html


Well, that's a good reason not to have a KS:). I was just asking, since many publishers are doing it.
Guess I'll just get it when it appears;).
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on August 02, 2015, 11:33:19 AM
Quote from: AsenRG;845814
Well, that's a good reason not to have a KS:). I was just asking, since many publishers are doing it.
Guess I'll just get it when it appears;).


I could still use readers for the second edit phase of you want an early preview.
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on August 08, 2015, 08:53:18 PM
The Secret of Je Valley XII: The Thirst of the a Drunkard and the Duty of a Son http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2015/08/this-campaign-is-set-ten-years-after.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on August 11, 2015, 01:28:46 PM
The Pagoda of the Golden Mercies: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2015/08/the-pagoda-of-golden-mercies.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on September 03, 2015, 11:12:41 PM
Some more entries:

Secret of JE Valley XIII: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2015/08/the-secret-of-je-valley-xiii-ogre-gate.html

Blood Moon Cult Session: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2015/08/blood-of-demon-moon-cult-session-i.html

The World of Ogre Gate: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2015/08/the-world-of-wandering-heroes-of-ogre.html

Musical Inspiration: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2015/08/ogre-gate-musical-inspiration.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on September 07, 2015, 01:57:36 PM
The Secret of Je Valley XIV: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2015/09/the-secret-of-je-valley-xiv-emerald.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on September 15, 2015, 09:22:48 AM
The Demon Moon Cult Session II: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2015/09/blood-of-demon-moon-cult-session-ii.html

The Demon Moon Cult Session III: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2015/09/the-blood-of-demon-moon-cult-iii-death.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on October 01, 2015, 10:25:43 AM
The Secret of Je Valley XV: The Heart of Empire http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2015/09/the-secret-of-je-valley-xv-heart-of.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on October 01, 2015, 03:19:43 PM
Announcement of Ogre Gate Inn adventure: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2015/10/the-ogre-gate-inn-wandering-heroes-of.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: LordVreeg on October 02, 2015, 06:12:52 PM
Quote from: BedrockBrendan;858543
Announcement of Ogre Gate Inn adventure: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2015/10/the-ogre-gate-inn-wandering-heroes-of.html


Good description.

How would you say it will fill the urges of a normal RPG adventurer, and where does it differ?
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on October 02, 2015, 06:57:05 PM
Quote from: LordVreeg;858706
Good description.

How would you say it will fill the urges of a normal RPG adventurer, and where does it differ?

I think where it fills the urge of a normal RPG adventurer (if you mean motives and goals of the PCs, what hooks them, that sort of thing) is it is designed to work with a number of types of player characters. While greed and the desire to find treasure is a possibility here as a hook, I ran it for two very different groups while I was writing it: one was more traditional and heroic, while the other was basically evil. So I tried to create hooks that would appeal to both. So I think where it may differ is it allows for evil motivations and developments. You can come to the inn and try to right wrongs or help victims of injustice, but you could also ally with local bandits and work together to plunder a great treasure. Basically there is the promise of underground exploration and unearthing treasure for your more typical band of adventurers but there are all kinds of things going on in and around the inn for players who want to explore other kinds of challenges.

I set the thing up so players can come to the inn for a wide range of reasons and once they are there, a number of possible things could present themselves depending on who the interact with and what they are interested in. If you've ever seen the Dragon Gate Movies, a big part of what makes them entertaining is the interaction between these different characters and groups in the tavern. I tried to re-create that kind of feel at the site, but did so with an eye toward getting several sessions of play out of it. Many of these are seeds.

Let me know if that answers the question though (my brain is fried today and I may have misunderstood).
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on October 06, 2015, 09:24:45 AM
Couple of Ogre Gate Inn Session logs:

Demon Moon Cult Session IV: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2015/10/blood-of-demon-moon-cult-session-iv.html

Demon Moon Cult Session V: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2015/10/blood-of-demon-moon-cult-session-v-ogre.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on October 11, 2015, 12:21:50 PM
Shadow Play Puppet Monsters: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2015/10/leather-shadow-play-puppets.html

Secret of Je Valley Session XVI: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2015/10/the-secret-of-je-valley-xvi-paper.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on October 13, 2015, 09:25:53 AM
Blood of the Demon Moon Cult Session VI: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2015/10/blood-of-demon-moon-cult-session-vi.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on October 19, 2015, 07:30:29 PM
Blood of the Demon Moon Cult Session VII: Blood of the Demon Moon Cult Session VII: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2015/10/blood-of-demon-moon-cult-session-vii.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on November 04, 2015, 10:17:07 PM
Couple more session logs:

Demon Moon Cult Session VIII: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2015/10/blood-of-demon-moon-cult-session-viii.html

Demon Moon Cult Session IX: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2015/11/blood-of-demon-moon-cult-session-ix.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on November 09, 2015, 12:38:57 PM
Blood of the Demon Moon Cult Session X:  http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2015/11/blood-of-demon-moon-cult-session-x.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on November 12, 2015, 12:34:15 PM
Sect preview:  http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2015/11/wandering-heroes-of-ogre-gate-sect.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on November 15, 2015, 04:24:03 PM
The Secret of Je Valley XVII: Mercy is for the Weak: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2015/11/the-secret-of-je-valley-xvii-mercy-is.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on November 17, 2015, 06:19:38 PM
Blood of the Demon Moon Cult Session XI: Wind of the Demon Emperor http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2015/11/blood-of-demon-moon-cult-session-xi.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on November 25, 2015, 01:15:59 PM
Blood of the Demon Moon Cult Session XII: Marriage and Bloodshed http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2015/11/blood-of-demon-moon-cult-session-xii.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on November 30, 2015, 03:34:32 PM
Switching to arabic numerals:

Wandering Heroes of Ogre Gate Session 18: Statue of the Bold King: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2015/11/the-secret-of-je-valley-session-18.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bren on November 30, 2015, 06:42:05 PM
I'm enjoying the campaign posts Brendan. Two questions:

1) How long real time do your sessions tend to run. It seems like your PCs accomplish a lot in one session.

2) Am I the only person who finds these PCs un-heroic or heroic only in the sense of the selfish, squabbling heroes of the Illiad?
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on November 30, 2015, 07:53:53 PM
Quote from: Bren;866444
I'm enjoying the campaign posts Brendan. Two questions:

1) How long real time do your sessions tend to run. It seems like your PCs accomplish a lot in one session.

Thanks. Part of that is my GMing style. I am a very impatient GM. I let players do whatever they want, and I don't worry about pacing, but I am constantly asking people what they do next to keep things moving (simply because I bore easily in the GM chair). But there are some other reasons it may look like a lot happens.

Sessions are not too long. This varies but 1-5 PM (sometimes 1-6 or 1-7 if people can swing it) is a typical session for Je Valley campaign and 6-9 is typical for Demon Moon campaign (we'd go to 10 but I have leave to get my wife at that time). A lot of the efficiency has to do with the number of players in attendance in a session (this session was 3 players present, but Je valley can have as many as 6 players depending on who can make it); Demon Moon is always 3 players now----we originally had 4 for that but scheduling got in the way). When there are just three players, the game doesnt get as bogged down during times when they are planning.  But the flow can really vary and sometimes how I describe it may not be the best indication of how long each thing was dealt with at the table. To give an example, the session where they attacked Bone Breaker's boat (session 17), was mostly focused on the combat itself (it was just an unusually long battle). They spend about 40 percent of their time in the city gathering info and planning, with the last 60 percent devoted to the attack.

Last session, once they got to Fan, it was all happening within the city limits (and they had taken a boat to get there so the journey was quick and safe). I tend to be pretty efficient though as a GM. The order of that session was a little weird because I was going back and forth between Kang, Zhi Zhu and Rong (who were the three players present that day). Generally if the players plans are solid, they don't run into many of the challenges that would slow them down. So they had a pretty tight scheme for getting into the statue with lots of prep before hand, so literally Kang and the Spirit Man just walked in the front entrance dressed as guards, brought the seal up to the head and it took all of about ten minutes to enact the full plan). Do keep in mind, as might have been clear from the end, the Senior Gran Councilor wanted them to succeed. He totally knew what they were up to, anticipated it weeks ago and was using it to enact his own plans against the emperor (this has been a recurring thing in the campaign, where some of their enemies are really smart and playing to win).

Players sometimes are surprised in my games that they can "get to the end" quickly. So there is probably also a structural element involved. I don't tend to worry about setting up challenges so that it feels like a slog to the big bad. I set up the NPCs, the groups, decide what measures they take and allow the players to plan accordingly. Sometimes that means the PCs spend three sessions in a single location (like when they were struggling to get through the Tomb of the Timeless Master) but it also means if they find a window into the right room and sneak in, some challenges are over in minutes.

The demon moon campaign has been moving fast for one major reason. The leader of that group has an army of 40,000 Kailin horsemen (and before that he had a force of several hundred bandits). With forces that large, he has been able to safely travel without worrying about encounters too much. And much of what they have been doing has been going and meeting with different people. So the past few sessions, it has been a foregone conclusion that he will get from point A to point B with very little interference (most of their encounters have actually been with messengers).

Quote
2) Am I the only person who finds these PCs un-heroic or heroic only in the sense of the selfish, squabbling heroes of the Illiad?

Both groups are very different so that is hard to answer with a single response that covers both. Generally, yes, these are not terribly heroic campaigns (particularly Demon moon, but the other campaign as well). Also I am running this more in the Killer Clans mode of things, so this is sort of the gritty, blood-stained martial world where endless cycles of grudges have taken their toll and the lines between righteous and evil are not all that clearly drawn.

The Demon Moon campaign is a completely evil party. They have a sense of honor, and one of the PCs has a kind streak, but they've been roaming around taking over groups and coercing people to work for them in a variety of ways (using torture, death threats, etc to get what they want). They are also actively trying to restore the demon emperor. So they're evil as you can be in a setting like this. This party is basically my Unorthodox Campaign. I imagine them as a party modeled after the great evils in wuxia stories (it is like the youthful days of Ouyang Feng from Eagle Shooting Heroes). They want to have the best Kung FU and to amass power for themselves.

The Je Valley campaign is more complex and gray. It is a bit of a odd group. Kang, who is a kind of drunken master, is a little on the shady side (he's a drunk so his behavior is often unpredictable). Zhi Zhu has a moral code that is basically good, but a bad temper and when that gets triggered she kills. Lingsu is fairly moral, or at least a peacemaker of sorts, but he's also made some questionable decisions from time to time (he tends to hedge bets when they are deciding to let someone live or not). Long Shu is pretty decent if a bit odd. Rong is loyal to her sect and very determined. Min is basically good, if occasionally misguided. Really all the characters in this group, except Zhi Zhu, are focused on the goals of their sects. Kang can definitely be a dark influence on the party. Last session between him and Rong, they did some shady things in order to fight the demon emperor (pushing a guard into the lake so he would be possessed was a bit on the evil side, even if he was a bad guy). However their fight with the Yen-Li priest was somewhat justified. They've learned from experience that demons and spirits are not always as bad as guys like him seem to think (a member of their party married a snake demon for that reason).

Are they heroic? I think that might not be my call. If you find them unheroic, they are probably unheroic. But some of the heroism of the Je Valley campaign might not shine through in the logs so there is that. Keep in mind in terms of big picture stuff, they are trying to help the world (they are trying to bring an end to the empire, they saved the calamity child, they've thwarted Bronze Master and tried to keep the Wind Saber and Phoenix crown out of the hands of the sects). But they also have some distrust of one another because they come from three different sects and this has led to infighting on occasion. They are somewhat Unorthodox heroes I think. More in the style of Yang Guo from Return of Condor Heroes or Zhou Botong.

The way I write my logs can also sometimes not give actions their full context. The whole thing where Min cut off Abbot Firebrands hands wasn't as egregious as it seemed on first glance but might have come across that way because of how I type out the session logs (which is really more for my own records). Abbot had just knocked out all of her sworn brother's teeth (and he had been conspiring with a corrupt official to resurrect the demon emperor). Within the context of the world, she was justified to take revenge for Lingsu and putting an end to Abbot so he didn't bring back the Demon Emperor, but decided to cut off the abbot's hands instead so he couldn't do any more evil. Sometimes even good characters do stuff like that in wuxia. Guo Jing, who is probably one of the most upright characters, almost cut off his own daughters arm to punish her for slicing of Yang Guo's arm.

Now if Min had done some more digging, she would have learned that abbot was secretly working against the corrupt official and trying to steer bone breaker into the light, but that was information she really couldn't have seen from that vantage point. It is definitely a setting where killing and blood shed are something of a given and people often cut before they ask questions. When they learned what Abbot had been doing through the letters, I think they did make them more cautious.
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bren on November 30, 2015, 09:23:54 PM
Quote from: BedrockBrendan;866453
Thanks. Part of that is my GMing style. I am a very impatient GM. I let players do whatever they want, and I don't worry about pacing, but I am constantly asking people what they do next to keep things moving (simply because I bore easily in the GM chair).
Trust me, I know the feeling.

While more players does slow play, I find an even bigger factor is whether or not the group has a leader, preferanly someone who is actually good at it. For many years now I’ve predominantly had groups where all the players prefer someone else being the leader. They would rather be the second in command or play supporting roles. That works fine when I’m not the GM, but not so good when I am the GM.

Our session length is about the same as yours. We usually play 19:30-23:00. We seldom get started before 20:00 though we do run half an hour or so past our nominal end time so 3-4 hours is about average. I am a bit envious of the pace you have, especially the Demon Moon campaign (which is the campaign I’ve mostly followed).

Quote
Generally if the players plans are solid, they don't run into many of the challenges that would slow them down. So they had a pretty tight scheme for getting into the statue with lots of prep before hand, so literally Kang and the Spirit Man just walked in the front entrance dressed as guards, brought the seal up to the head and it took all of about ten minutes to enact the full plan).
I should probably do that more often. Though unexpected complications fit a swashbuckling genre campaign really well so it is always tempting to check for complications even when the plan is a good one.

Quote
Players sometimes are surprised in my games that they can "get to the end" quickly. So there is probably also a structural element involved. I don't tend to worry about setting up challenges so that it feels like a slog to the big bad.
Except as a change of pace, I find a slog to a big bad adventure structure incredibly boring. Having NPCs and groups with plans in motion is a lot more interesting to me from either side of the table.

Quote
The demon moon campaign has been moving fast for one major reason. The leader of that group has an army of 40,000 Kailin horsemen (and before that he had a force of several hundred bandits). With forces that large, he has been able to safely travel without worrying about encounters too much. And much of what they have been doing has been going and meeting with different people. So the past few sessions, it has been a foregone conclusion that he will get from point A to point B with very little interference (most of their encounters have actually been with messengers).
I thought allowing the player to get control of 40,000 Kailin horsemen was interesting. Many GMs would strongly resist that and while it allows them to travel safely most of the time,  a bunch of NPC cavalry isn’t an I-Win button in the campaign you are running. The PCs still have problems to solve that an army of horsemen won’t really solve for them.

Quote
Both groups are very different so that is hard to answer with a single response that covers both. Generally, yes, these are not terribly heroic campaigns (particularly Demon moon, but the other campaign as well).
I’ve mostly read the Demon Moon campaign so it was mostly those PCs I was talking about. I could totally see someone with Bone Breaker’s temperament fighting alongside Achilles, Ajax, and Odysseus beneath the topless towers of Illium. Well Achilles and Ajax, Odysseus would want to fight behind or off to the side of a guy like Bone Breaker or maybe trick him into taking out someone Odysseus didn’t like.

I've enjoyed reading your campaign posts. So thanks for the effort you make to write up and post.
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on November 30, 2015, 10:50:42 PM
Quote from: Bren;866456


I should probably do that more often. Though unexpected complications fit a swashbuckling genre campaign really well so it is always tempting to check for complications even when the plan is a good one.


Unexpected complications will sometimes arise. The same group that swooped into the Statue, fell into an ambush a couple sessions back when they snuck into a general's residence.


Quote

I thought allowing the player to get control of 40,000 Kailin horsemen was interesting. Many GMs would strongly resist that and while it allows them to travel safely most of the time,  a bunch of NPC cavalry isn’t an I-Win button in the campaign you are running. The PCs still have problems to solve that an army of horsemen won’t really solve for them.


It also attracts attention and makes him a potential threat to people in the area who might not want a 40,000 army of Kailin Tribesmen on their border. Additionally he has to deal with the tribesmen (who are serving under pressure and whose sacred statue he has stolen). But yes, many of the challenges they are facing can't be overcome with an army.

Quote
I’ve mostly read the Demon Moon campaign so it was mostly those PCs I was talking about. I could totally see someone with Bone Breaker’s temperament fighting alongside Achilles, Ajax, and Odysseus beneath the topless towers of Illium. Well Achilles and Ajax, Odysseus would want to fight behind or off to the side of a guy like Bone Breaker or maybe trick him into taking out someone Odysseus didn’t like.

I've enjoyed reading your campaign posts. So thanks for the effort you make to write up and post.


In that case, yes Bone Breaker is more in the Achilles side of things (though I suppose I saw him more as one of these martial heroes from the Water Margin or a wuxia movie who just does what he wants because he can). He is definitely a bit on the villainous side. This whole group has a somewhat aggressive play style. I should have this Sunday's session up in the next day or so. It is interesting to see the differences in the two campaigns. Many of the same NPCs are present both, but in entirely different ways. I've sort of run with the explanation that it's Fated (the demon moon group is almost the reverse side of the coin of the Je valley group).
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on December 01, 2015, 08:50:37 AM
Blood of the Demon Moon Session 13: Gifts for the Wedding http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2015/12/blood-of-demon-moon-session-13-gifts.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on December 07, 2015, 06:48:20 PM
Blood of the Demon Moon Cult Session 14: Prizes for the Tournament  http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2015/12/blood-of-demon-moon-cult-session-14.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on December 15, 2015, 09:44:07 AM
The Secret of Zhe Valley 19: The Invisible Fish of Nansun http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2015/12/the-secret-of-zhe-valley-session-19.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on December 16, 2015, 05:56:12 PM
Blood of the Demon Moon Cult Session 15: Iron Sky Realm http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2015/12/blood-of-demon-moon-cult-session-15.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on December 21, 2015, 05:36:33 PM
Bone Breaker tries being a good guy for a change:

Blood of the Demon Moon Cult Session 16: Bone Breaker Considers Mercy http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2015/12/blood-of-demon-moon-cult-session-16.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on January 06, 2016, 01:09:44 PM
The Secret of Zhe Valley Session 20: The Secret of Zhe Valley Session 20: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2016/01/the-secret-of-zhe-valley-session-20.html

Should have the Secret of Demon Moon Cult tomorrow. It is actually interesting because they two parties in each campaign went to the same location, but because each group is in a different dimension it is going to be quite different.
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on January 07, 2016, 07:53:50 PM
Blood of the Demon Moon Cult Session 17: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2016/01/blood-of-demon-moon-cult-session-17.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on January 11, 2016, 11:20:32 AM
Blood of the Demon Moon Cult Session 18: The Compassionate Sister and the Lazy King http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2016/01/blood-of-demon-moon-cult-session-18.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on January 21, 2016, 09:35:31 AM
Blood of the Demon Mooon Cult Session 19: The Immortal Killing Sword http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2016/01/blood-of-demon-moon-cult-session-19.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on January 23, 2016, 08:17:07 PM
A lot of little things happened this session:

The Secret of Je Valley Session 21: Kang the Matchmaking King http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2016/01/the-secret-of-je-valley-session-21-kang.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on January 25, 2016, 08:12:59 PM
All hell broke loose this session:

Blood of the Demon Moon Cult Session 20 http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2016/01/blood-of-demon-moon-cult-session-20.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on February 02, 2016, 01:28:02 PM
Blood of the Demon Moon Cult Session 21: The Fall of Hu Qin: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2016/02/blood-of-demon-moon-cult-session-21.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bren on February 05, 2016, 09:41:47 PM
Hi Brendan,

I just wanted to thank and mention that your write ups of the two campaigns are making my watching of old Shaw Brothers films on El Rey a lot more entertaining. Thanks!
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on February 06, 2016, 09:01:24 AM
Quote from: Bren;877171
Hi Brendan,

I just wanted to thank and mention that your write ups of the two campaigns are making my watching of old Shaw Brothers films on El Rey a lot more entertaining. Thanks!


Thanks I appreciate that. Wish we got El Rey as their Facebook updates look awesome (I literally have a mound of physical DVDs and bluerays because I mostly have had to buy the movies over the years--it innocently began with a couple of old Jackie Chan movies ages ago and spiraled out of control at some point).

One of my campaigns may be getting into Journey to the West power levels soon. So you might see a substantial difference in what they are able to do (we deal with profound and immortal levels briefly in the core rule book but my aim is to put out a second book dealing with those higher levels in more detail, so I'll be developing that as we play over the course of a year--which is how long it should take a regular group to reach profound master level).
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bren on February 06, 2016, 03:02:09 PM
I look forward to seeing what the PCs get up to next.
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on February 06, 2016, 07:04:31 PM
The Secret of Je Valley Session 22: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2016/02/the-secret-of-je-valley-session-22.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on February 09, 2016, 12:36:36 PM
Blood of the Demon Moon Cult Session 22: An Eye for Diamonds http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2016/02/blood-of-demon-moon-cult-session-22-eye.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on February 15, 2016, 03:04:01 PM
Blood of the Demon Moon Cult Session 23: Into the Hawk Beak http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2016/02/blood-of-demon-moon-cult-session-23.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on February 22, 2016, 06:34:53 PM
The Secret of Zhe Valley Session 23: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2016/02/the-secret-of-zhe-valley-session-23.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on February 23, 2016, 02:19:46 PM
The Blood of the Demon Moon Cult Session 24: Fall of Pure Mind Temple

http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2016/02/blood-of-demon-moon-cult-session-24.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bren on February 23, 2016, 03:10:20 PM
More mayhem at last. :cool: At least I assume there will be mayhem. I haven't read it yet.


EDIT: And I my assumption was correct. Definitely more mayhem.

I have to say that eye on the chest thing that Chen was cursed with is creepy. It reminds me of the Keepers that the Drahk in Babylon-5 affixed to monitor and control their servants.
(http://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/babylon5/images/b/b7/Athumb1.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20080510193413)
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on February 23, 2016, 04:00:06 PM
Quote from: Bren;880882
More mayhem at last. :cool: At least I assume there will be mayhem. I haven't read it yet.


EDIT: And I my assumption was correct. Definitely more mayhem.


Things are getting toward the Profound Levels in this campaign (going to switch one of them over actually with a fresh batch of characters starting at the higher Qi ranks). Deities, demons and other creatures are becoming more prominent as they venture outside the Banyan and take on bigger tasks.
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on February 27, 2016, 08:13:29 PM
The Secret of Zhe Valley Session 24: Bone Kingdom Breaks Bronze Master http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2016/02/the-secret-of-zhe-valley-session-24.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on March 01, 2016, 01:43:07 PM
Quote from: Bren;880882


EDIT: And I my assumption was correct. Definitely more mayhem.

I have to say that eye on the chest thing that Chen was cursed with is creepy. It reminds me of the Keepers that the Drahk in Babylon-5 affixed to monitor and control their servants.
(http://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/babylon5/images/b/b7/Athumb1.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20080510193413)


The eye was something that I improvised. He destroyed a magic statue of a goddess that was sacred to a powerful sect (it was an encounter that popped up a bit randomly in the region they were in). He finally got it removed.
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on March 01, 2016, 01:43:14 PM
Blood of the Demon Moon Cult Session 25: Phoenix Crown and the Revenge of Pure Mind Temple http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2016/03/blood-of-demon-moon-cult-session-25.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on March 19, 2016, 08:57:11 PM
Start of a new campaign after a little break: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2016/03/demons-of-celestial-heart-session-one.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on March 22, 2016, 05:40:15 PM
Blood of the Demon Moon Cult Session 26: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2016/03/blood-of-demon-moon-cult-session-26.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on March 25, 2016, 01:11:51 PM
Some information on the Profound Masters book: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2016/03/the-profound-masters-of-ogre-gate.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on March 28, 2016, 10:01:26 AM
The Demon Spear of Yao Yun Session One: Havoc in Heiping http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2016/03/the-demon-spear-of-yao-yun-session-one.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on March 30, 2016, 11:31:19 AM
Should be going into layout this weekend.
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: fuseboy on March 30, 2016, 11:35:09 AM
Excellent!
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: AsenRG on March 30, 2016, 12:50:17 PM
Quote from: BedrockBrendan;888365
Should be going into layout this weekend.


Great, I'm waiting for it to go on RPGNow!
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on April 07, 2016, 09:55:58 AM
Demons of the Celestial Heart Session Two: The Death of Reckless Storm http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2016/04/demons-of-celestial-heart-session-two.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on April 18, 2016, 09:51:20 AM
DEMONS OF CELESTIAL HEART SECT SESSION THREE: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2016/04/demons-of-celestial-heart-sect-session.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on May 02, 2016, 07:47:03 AM
THE DEMON SPEAR OF YAO YUN SESSION TWO: INTO THE BELLY OF THE TOAD: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2016/05/the-demon-spear-of-yao-yun-session-two.html

Also should have big update on Wandering Heroes very soon.
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: AsenRG on May 02, 2016, 09:04:27 AM
Quote from: BedrockBrendan;895381
Also should have big update on Wandering Heroes very soon.

Is the update what I think it is?
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on May 02, 2016, 09:19:15 AM
Quote from: AsenRG;895389
Is the update what I think it is?


The update will be the official release date and announcement. Hopefully will be issuing it in the next two weeks. I am going over stuff with the layout guy now. I am also awaiting some information from the printer because I was looking into some new options. This will be a much bigger book than we initially anticipated.
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: AsenRG on May 02, 2016, 09:52:54 AM
Quote from: BedrockBrendan;895394
The update will be the official release date and announcement. Hopefully will be issuing it in the next two weeks. I am going over stuff with the layout guy now. I am also awaiting some information from the printer because I was looking into some new options. This will be a much bigger book than we initially anticipated.

That's what I was thinking:). Glad to hear it!

And big books don't scare me, they just take longer;).
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on May 02, 2016, 10:13:12 AM
Quote from: AsenRG;895400
That's what I was thinking:). Glad to hear it!

And big books don't scare me, they just take longer;).

It was originally going to be 200. Then 400. Now it is looking 500-600 pages (of course if the layout guy throws me a huge curve ball and uses all 6 point font or something, that could change things). Also my printing options will impact page count because it has to do with border placement.
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: AsenRG on May 02, 2016, 07:49:54 PM
Quote from: BedrockBrendan;895405
It was originally going to be 200. Then 400. Now it is looking 500-600 pages (of course if the layout guy throws me a huge curve ball and uses all 6 point font or something, that could change things). Also my printing options will impact page count because it has to do with border placement.

It's wuxia:). I have small rulesets for that already!
Now I want the big ones;).
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bren on May 02, 2016, 10:48:44 PM
Quote from: BedrockBrendan;895405
It was originally going to be 200. Then 400. Now it is looking 500-600 pages (of course if the layout guy throws me a huge curve ball and uses all 6 point font or something, that could change things). Also my printing options will impact page count because it has to do with border placement.
Please don't use the original Chivalry & Sorcery font size. I'm way too old to read tiny print. I've had to up my font size for gaming notes that I print to 10 or 11 point. I may even need to go to 12. :eek:
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on May 03, 2016, 08:28:20 AM
Quote from: Bren;895512
Please don't use the original Chivalry & Sorcery font size. I'm way too old to read tiny print. I've had to up my font size for gaming notes that I print to 10 or 11 point. I may even need to go to 12. :eek:


Me too. Unfortunately, for those of us who like to read, I think it gets harder on the eyes every year as you get older. I am officially at the point where I should be wearing reading glasses.

When I print up my game notes they are almost always 12 point on MS word (10 point for stat blocks so they stand apart from the body text). The layout guy is usually pretty good about making things readable. 12 point is a little tough to get away with in a printed book though. It does depend on the font.
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bren on May 03, 2016, 12:57:39 PM
Quote from: BedrockBrendan;895562
12 point is a little tough to get away with in a printed book though. It does depend on the font.
Sure, I'd use it for Time New Roman, but probably not for Verdana.
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on May 09, 2016, 09:50:25 AM
The Demon Spear of Yao Yun Session Three: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2016/05/the-demon-spear-of-yao-yun-session.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on May 13, 2016, 09:05:51 AM
I am expecting the first round of PDF proofs next week. If that goes well, we should be on our way to releasing it shortly (initially in PDF then in Print a couple months later).
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on May 15, 2016, 09:29:35 AM
Demons of Celestial Heart Sec Four: Lord Frog and the Celestial Pillar of Northern Skies http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2016/05/demons-of-celestial-heart-sect-four.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on May 16, 2016, 02:09:57 PM
Session Four of the Demon Spear of Yao Yun (in which I rip heavily from Journey to the west): http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2016/05/the-demon-spear-of-yao-yun-session-four.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on May 22, 2016, 05:32:58 PM
Final Page count looks to be roughly 520.
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on May 23, 2016, 11:50:15 AM
The Demon Spear of Yao Yun Session Five http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2016/05/the-demon-spear-of-yao-yun-session-five.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on June 12, 2016, 11:18:11 AM
Demons of Celestial Heart Sect Session Five: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2016/06/demons-of-celestial-heart-sect-session.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on June 13, 2016, 12:37:30 PM
A video blog on dungeons in wuxia: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4PbEbatx8Q&feature=share
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on June 28, 2016, 11:45:43 AM
Demons of Celestial Heart Sect Session Six: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2016/06/demons-of-celestial-heart-sect-session_28.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on June 30, 2016, 12:37:27 PM
A Vlog update on Wandering Heroes of Ogre Gate: https://youtu.be/y8BJGvFPu6I
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: AsenRG on July 21, 2016, 12:54:40 AM
Any news on the release date?
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on July 21, 2016, 06:31:26 PM
Quote from: AsenRG;909237
Any news on the release date?


Yes there is: https://youtu.be/QVHD8Ota-a8
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: AsenRG on July 21, 2016, 08:21:46 PM
Any news for people that don't like vlogs, but would be happy with an approximate release date, just less general than the "summer 2016" listed on your website;)?
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on July 21, 2016, 09:11:14 PM
Quote from: AsenRG;909401
Any news for people that don't like vlogs, but would be happy with an approximate release date, just less general than the "summer 2016" listed on your website;)?


So the gist of it is we are in the last stage of layout (we lost our original layout guy shortly after it first went into layout, so that caused a bit of a delay). New layout person is doing his final pass this week. It could be out as soon as two weeks from now in PDF. It could take longer though if there are any issues fine tuning the layout. This is just a matter now of tweaking the placement of images and making sure all of our formatting is in order.
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: AsenRG on July 22, 2016, 06:05:45 PM
Quote from: BedrockBrendan;909409
So the gist of it is we are in the last stage of layout (we lost our original layout guy shortly after it first went into layout, so that caused a bit of a delay). New layout person is doing his final pass this week. It could be out as soon as two weeks from now in PDF. It could take longer though if there are any issues fine tuning the layout. This is just a matter now of tweaking the placement of images and making sure all of our formatting is in order.

Thank you:)!
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on July 31, 2016, 08:45:51 AM
Little Storms of the Martial World Session 1: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2016/07/little-storms-of-martial-world-session.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on August 02, 2016, 12:50:32 PM
Disposable Disciples of Bone Kingdom Session Eight: Flying Crocodile and the Golden Pavilion http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2016/08/disposable-disciples-of-bone-kingdom.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on August 09, 2016, 08:20:20 PM
Disposable Disciples Session Nine: The Righteous Outlaws http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2016/08/disposable-disciples-of-bone-kingdom_9.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on August 14, 2016, 09:03:38 AM
Got a preview video up, should be out next week in PDF: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlTZvWnWz7o
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on August 19, 2016, 09:40:56 AM
Disposable Disciples of Bone Kingdom Session 10: A Worthy Foe http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2016/08/disposable-disciples-of-bone-kingdom_15.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on August 19, 2016, 09:41:26 AM
An update on the Ogre Gate release date: Should be available this Monday in PDF.
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: AsenRG on August 19, 2016, 09:56:34 AM
Quote from: BedrockBrendan;913994
An update on the Ogre Gate release date: Should be available this Monday in PDF.

Great, and just in time from my point of view!
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on August 23, 2016, 03:41:44 PM
Wandering Heroes of Ogre Gate is available in PDF: http://www.rpgnow.com/product/191631/Wandering-Heroes-of-Ogre-Gate?src=newest
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: The Butcher on August 23, 2016, 08:36:15 PM
Congratulations on getting this game out, Brendan! Your love for the genre is obvious. I'm not much of a wuxia fan but I might check it out.

Is there a discussion of the genre for the uninitiated?
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on August 23, 2016, 09:01:50 PM
Quote from: The Butcher;915026
Congratulations on getting this game out, Brendan! Your love for the genre is obvious. I'm not much of a wuxia fan but I might check it out.

Is there a discussion of the genre for the uninitiated?

What I try to do is explain the conceits of the genre and the 'physics' of the wuxia abilities. I do talk about it to some extend in the GM chapter and I also provide a suggested viewing list.
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: AsenRG on August 24, 2016, 06:03:47 PM
Quote from: BedrockBrendan;914971
Wandering Heroes of Ogre Gate is available in PDF: http://www.rpgnow.com/product/191631/Wandering-Heroes-of-Ogre-Gate?src=newest

Congratulations!
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on August 24, 2016, 09:46:02 PM
Quote from: AsenRG;915209
Congratulations!


Thanks.
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on August 25, 2016, 07:35:54 PM
In this session, the players duke it out with Tiger Clan and the monks of the Sleeping Mercy get slaughtered: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2016/08/storms-of-martial-world-session-two.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: AsenRG on August 26, 2016, 08:39:15 AM
Quote from: BedrockBrendan;915251
Thanks.

 You are welcome! I started by reading the Referee advice and so far, I like it quite a bit.
I'll write a review when I'm done, and might order the physical book if RPGNow doesn't make it prohibitive, but no promises when I would find the actual time.
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on August 26, 2016, 08:53:21 AM
Quote from: AsenRG;915513
You are welcome! I started by reading the Referee advice and so far, I like it quite a bit.
I'll write a review when I'm done, and might order the physical book if RPGNow doesn't make it prohibitive, but no promises when I would find the actual time.


Thanks Arsen. I appreciate your support. It looks like we hit number 1 last night at RPGnow (but have since gone to 3). For a pay-what-you-want book that is pretty good.

The print will not be on OBS, our print seller is Studio 2, so it will be in general distribution. I will link to the sales page when it comes out. The suggested cover price is going to be 49.99 (which was the lowest we were able to set it with our present arrangements).
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on August 26, 2016, 02:43:48 PM
Disposable Disciples of Bone Kingdom Session 11

The party resurrects an old enemy and helps to establish a new alliance between Relentless Corpse Queen and Iron God Meng.

http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2016/08/disposable-disciples-of-bone-kingdom_26.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on August 29, 2016, 05:08:53 PM
The players bump into some ghosts and double-cross a gambling man: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2016/08/disposable-disciples-of-bone-kingdom_29.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on September 04, 2016, 10:45:22 AM
Ninjas, Rockets and the Great Shin Du collide: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2016/09/storms-of-martial-world-session-three.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on September 05, 2016, 07:40:17 AM
The party takes over Stone Palace Sect by cracking a few skulls and joining forces with a creepy death god: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2016/09/disposable-disciples-of-bone-kingdom.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on September 05, 2016, 11:45:03 AM
Working on a series of books called Sects of the Martial World. These are very small (8-10 page) PDFs, and they will probably cost 25-50 cents. Each one is going to have a sect, usually inspired by a particular style of wuxia (for example the first two are inspired by the films directed by Chor Yuen based on Gu Long books---which have a very specific vibe). The first book is ready, I just need to lay it out this week and hope to have it up soon. It is called the Silken Robe Society. The second book is also nearly ready (just waiting on art). That should be out next month, and will be called Relentless Corpse Sect. My hope is to have one of these out each month.
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: LordVreeg on September 06, 2016, 10:30:54 AM
Quote from: BedrockBrendan;917222
Working on a series of books called Sects of the Martial World. These are very small (8-10 page) PDFs, and they will probably cost 25-50 cents. Each one is going to have a sect, usually inspired by a particular style of wuxia (for example the first two are inspired by the films directed by Chor Yuen based on Gu Long books---which have a very specific vibe). The first book is ready, I just need to lay it out this week and hope to have it up soon. It is called the Silken Robe Society. The second book is also nearly ready (just waiting on art). That should be out next month, and will be called Relentless Corpse Sect. My hope is to have one of these out each month.


That's the best kind of useful background work!
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on September 06, 2016, 01:01:46 PM
Quote from: LordVreeg;917426
That's the best kind of useful background work!

Thanks. I was trying to sync-up the stuff I prep regularly for my own campaigns with what would be helpful to people. I've found that having a bunch of sects on-hand, that you can drop in as needed, really helps.
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bozophobe on September 12, 2016, 06:09:53 AM
I bought the PDF off RPGNow last week for $10 - that was the price you set for Sertorius and I wanted to pay something similar - and I have to say I've payed more for game PDFs from other publishers and received a whole lot less in return. I think you're seriously undervaluing an excellent product with a price of Pay What You Want.

A few questions:

- What sort of Qi levels and progression have been typical for the characters in your playtest sessions you're detailing on your blog? Have they advanced much during the sessions? Have you been able to playtest the higher Qi levels for Profound Masters?

- I've found a couple of minor proofreading errors: would you like me to list them here or PM them to you?
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on September 12, 2016, 07:25:48 AM
Quote from: Bozophobe;918781
I bought the PDF off RPGNow last week for $10 - that was the price you set for Sertorius and I wanted to pay something similar - and I have to say I've payed more for game PDFs from other publishers and received a whole lot less in return. I think you're seriously undervaluing an excellent product with a price of Pay What You Want.

Thanks. The reason for the pay-what-you-want price tag is I initially thought the project was just going to be a small wuxia variant of the Sertorius system (something without a setting and much smaller in scale). At that time I told people it was going to be free. A couple of months later, I decided to expand the game and put all our effort into making it a complete system/setting. However because I had said it was going to be free, we decided to make it pay-what-you-want.


Quote
A few questions:

- What sort of Qi levels and progression have been typical for the characters in your playtest sessions you're detailing on your blog? Have they advanced much during the sessions? Have you been able to playtest the higher Qi levels for Profound Masters?

I've progressed groups at different speeds. Some I advanced rapidly, in order to test out all the Qi ranks. Others I've run at the regular rate (1-3 XP a session). I've also run sessions at varying power levels to test that stuff out.

I have two regular campaign groups I run presently as well. One of my groups is at Qi level 3, the other is at Qi level 1. Both campaigns are relatively new because I wanted to restart things once the rulebook was in its final form.

I was able to playtest the higher levels. But the lower levels definitely got more play testing and are more suitable to the wuxia feel. Once as get to the profound and immortal level, things get much more epic and crazy (kind of like going from Lady Hermit to Xuan-Yuan Sword: Scar of Sky. The profound levels came a bit later too. This is one reason why I am giving myself time to develop the Profound and Immortal book. The stuff in the core is just to get you started. But I want to take more time fleshing that out and checking to see if anything ought to be tweaked.

With profound it is a much bigger challenge to GM in my experience (kind of like how high level D&D can be a challenge). I still think it is lots of fun at those levels. But you are at a point where the players may be regularly interacting with gods and facing enemies with wildly varying techniques and magic.

Quote
- I've found a couple of minor proofreading errors: would you like me to list them here or PM them to you?

Can you send them by PM. I am actually getting the print version ready this week. So if you can get those to me today or tomorrow I will have time to make the corrections in the rulebook.

Also, this is a game that will definitely be getting a second edition in the future (not right away but down the road at some point). So feel free to send anything you find even after it is out in print, and feel free to let me know about any potential mechanical issues you uncover.
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on September 12, 2016, 09:07:56 PM
The Sects of the Martial Worlds is out in PDF: http://www.rpgnow.com/product/193280/Sects-of-the-Martial-World-The-Silken-Robe-Society?src=newest_since
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on September 15, 2016, 08:25:58 AM
The Party gets in deeper with the creepy death cult and contemplates breaking ties with Iron God Meng: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2016/09/disposable-disciples-of-bone-kingdom_14.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: AsenRG on September 19, 2016, 03:07:56 PM
I would like to note that PWYW also makes the book an excellent "gateway drug" for those who would otherwise hesitate to invest and for people that weren't interested in Sertorius:). I know someone who bought it because of this, and because I told her the GMing advice is very solid, and I know she's going to pay for it if she ends up using the book, even if she uses it with another system.

You should also produce more material like the "Sects", too, it's rather useful;).
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on September 19, 2016, 03:19:24 PM
Quote from: AsenRG;920503
I would like to note that PWYW also makes the book an excellent "gateway drug" for those who would otherwise hesitate to invest and for people that weren't interested in Sertorius:). I know someone who bought it because of this, and because I told her the GMing advice is very solid, and I know she's going to pay for it if she ends up using the book, even if she uses it with another system.

You should also produce more material like the "Sects", too, it's rather useful;).


I think you are right. We've had a huge number of downloads (I think more than any of our other games).

The second Sect book is all set. I am just editing it and play testing a couple of extra items. This one is a companion to the first. Our first two sect books are our 'beautiful people' sects. Number three will be ugly and devious. Number 4 or 5 is going to be very large.
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on September 19, 2016, 08:03:29 PM
The party makes some bold moves: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2016/09/disposable-disciples-of-bone-kingdom_19.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bozophobe on September 20, 2016, 01:18:37 AM
Maybe it's just me, but I'm starting to get the impression that the Disposable Disciples may not be very nice people...
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on September 20, 2016, 08:27:15 AM
Quote from: Bozophobe;920608
Maybe it's just me, but I'm starting to get the impression that the Disposable Disciples may not be very nice people...

In fairness, neither were Relentless Corpse Queen or Iron God Meng.
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: AsenRG on September 21, 2016, 03:49:31 AM
Quote from: BedrockBrendan;920505
I think you are right. We've had a huge number of downloads (I think more than any of our other games).

The second Sect book is all set. I am just editing it and play testing a couple of extra items. This one is a companion to the first. Our first two sect books are our 'beautiful people' sects. Number three will be ugly and devious. Number 4 or 5 is going to be very large.


Then the question becomes how much of those were paid, but I guess you wouldn't want to share that info - and it might be misleading, anyway, since I suspect a few of the "paid purchases" would actually be repurchases:). Anyway, we'll be waiting for the supplements.

Question, when can we expect "Profound masters of Ogre Gate";)?
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on September 21, 2016, 08:32:34 AM
Quote from: AsenRG;920828
Then the question becomes how much of those were paid, but I guess you wouldn't want to share that info - and it might be misleading, anyway, since I suspect a few of the "paid purchases" would actually be repurchases:). Anyway, we'll be waiting for the supplements.

Question, when can we expect "Profound masters of Ogre Gate";)?

I have to run reports to get exact numbers but I think it came to something like 1/5th were paid. Some of the paid ones may be repurchases but my understanding is you can't repurchase on the same account (though I could be wrong about that one---and maybe it is possible if one switches from RPGnow to Drivethru or vice versa). For the purposes of the Hottest Item List, they only count paid copies. So any free ones don't contribute to the tally that gets you on the best seller lists there.

Profound Masters I am going to work on for a while. It will probably take a bit of time. Realistically I could have it finished in two to three months. But I think it would benefit from a lot more simmering. However Ogre Gate Inn and the Strange Land of Li Fan is with the editor now (and the art is coming in for it as well). Next month I will also put together a new module, a kind of martial sect war sandbox. Once I clear those two items, the focus will be on Profound Masters. I have another idea as well, which may be related to the profound book. Too early to get into though.

Also looks like there is a going to be a web novel of the setting background material as well.
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: AsenRG on September 22, 2016, 06:21:10 AM
Quote from: BedrockBrendan;920862
I have to run reports to get exact numbers but I think it came to something like 1/5th were paid. Some of the paid ones may be repurchases but my understanding is you can't repurchase on the same account (though I could be wrong about that one---and maybe it is possible if one switches from RPGnow to Drivethru or vice versa). For the purposes of the Hottest Item List, they only count paid copies. So any free ones don't contribute to the tally that gets you on the best seller lists there.

Profound Masters I am going to work on for a while. It will probably take a bit of time. Realistically I could have it finished in two to three months. But I think it would benefit from a lot more simmering. However Ogre Gate Inn and the Strange Land of Li Fan is with the editor now (and the art is coming in for it as well). Next month I will also put together a new module, a kind of martial sect war sandbox. Once I clear those two items, the focus will be on Profound Masters. I have another idea as well, which may be related to the profound book. Too early to get into though.

Also looks like there is a going to be a web novel of the setting background material as well.

I think you're wrong, unless they've changed the rules.
That's how I do PWYW: I download it, see if I'm going to use it, and after the first session of use, I pay what I believe the game to be worth (or at least, what I can afford at the time). I don't have a second account. (The main difference? I determine based on the fun I've just had, and not based on how much work I believe was put into the book - though I'd add extra if it's a bigger book. In the end, I'm always willing to pay more for PWYW books than I'd pay for the same PDF...if they turn out to be good, after I use them.
Well, I'm sure not everyone does it like that, but I'm also sure at least some people would have reached the same conclusions).

In fact, I suspect RPGNow wouldn't want to ask me to make a new one. After all, why would they prevent me from buying a replacement of a deadtree book, if I've damaged it? Or even buying the same PDF twice, if I feel like it? As soon as I log in to pay, I can see I've purchased it in big red letters ("You've purchased this title", or something like it). If I decide to purchase it again, knowingly, well - why would they stop me from giving you money (especially since they take a cut from it)?

Admittedly, I haven't done that in a while, so they might have chased the rules. Lately, I've been playing systems that were on a fixed price to begin with (see above). But it seems the campaign would be shorter than I expected, and after that, WHoOG looks increasingly likely.
BTW, my first character might well have "lethal charisma", being from a member of the clan from the first supplement;).
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on September 22, 2016, 08:31:50 AM
Quote from: AsenRG;921017
I think you're wrong, unless they've changed the rules.
That's how I do PWYW: I download it, see if I'm going to use it, and after the first session of use, I pay what I believe the game to be worth (or at least, what I can afford at the time). I don't have a second account. (The main difference? I determine based on the fun I've just had, and not based on how much work I believe was put into the book - though I'd add extra if it's a bigger book. In the end, I'm always willing to pay more for PWYW books than I'd pay for the same PDF...if they turn out to be good, after I use them.
Well, I'm sure not everyone does it like that, but I'm also sure at least some people would have reached the same conclusions).

In fact, I suspect RPGNow wouldn't want to ask me to make a new one. After all, why would they prevent me from buying a replacement of a deadtree book, if I've damaged it? Or even buying the same PDF twice, if I feel like it? As soon as I log in to pay, I can see I've purchased it in big red letters ("You've purchased this title", or something like it). If I decide to purchase it again, knowingly, well - why would they stop me from giving you money (especially since they take a cut from it)?

Admittedly, I haven't done that in a while, so they might have chased the rules. Lately, I've been playing systems that were on a fixed price to begin with (see above). But it seems the campaign would be shorter than I expected, and after that, WHoOG looks increasingly likely.
BTW, my first character might well have "lethal charisma", being from a member of the clan from the first supplement;).

If that is the case, it is good news. I was under the impression you couldn't repurchase PDFs. But if you can, then that gets around one issue.

The Silken Robe Society are an interesting lot.
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: AsenRG on September 22, 2016, 02:31:21 PM
Quote from: BedrockBrendan;921029
If that is the case, it is good news. I was under the impression you couldn't repurchase PDFs. But if you can, then that gets around one issue.

The Silken Robe Society are an interesting lot.
I'm on my phone, but you should be able to check by yourself whether it has changed. Try purchasing a free pdf twice, see what happens:).

And yes, I agree they're interesting, so I'm going to play one. I'm also going to buy a copy for the GM as well, as soon as she confirms she's going to run it;).
Waiting for the second supplement as well, since your mentioned it's going to be another supplement for "beautiful" clans. If I can talk another player into playing one of those, we can name the group "Stunning Beauty Team":D!
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on September 22, 2016, 03:40:36 PM
Quote from: AsenRG;921066
I'm on my phone, but you should be able to check by yourself whether it has changed. Try purchasing a free pdf twice, see what happens:).

And yes, I agree they're interesting, so I'm going to play one. I'm also going to buy a copy for the GM as well, as soon as she confirms she's going to run it;).
Waiting for the second supplement as well, since your mentioned it's going to be another supplement for "beautiful" clans. If I can talk another player into playing one of those, we can name the group "Stunning Beauty Team":D!

I just tried it and it looks like it works. So you are correct.

The second book should be out on the first. It is done. I just have to lay it out. I am going to try to get each out out by the first of the month. In some cases I may do slightly larger PDFs, in which case the wait will be two months rather than one.

The second clan, Relentless Corpse Sect, is a little harder for PCs to be part of. It is doable, if the GM has the leader make some exceptions.
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: AsenRG on September 23, 2016, 05:25:42 AM
Hmmm, I'll wait until after I read it, then. Maybe I should talk my wife into being another Silken Robe Society student  (since the leader position leads to shorter lifespan, se wouldn't strive to reach too high in the hierarchy;)).
I admit it, I just want to play the "Stunning Beauty Team":D!
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on September 23, 2016, 08:08:41 AM
Quote from: AsenRG;921178
Hmmm, I'll wait until after I read it, then. Maybe I should talk my wife into being another Silken Robe Society student  (since the leader position leads to shorter lifespan, se wouldn't strive to reach too high in the hierarchy;)).
I admit it, I just want to play the "Stunning Beauty Team":D!

Basically 'the beauty' of the sect is the sect leader. There are other beauties, but they funeral wrapping adorned, mindless slaves or her husbands The Corpse Kings.

After that we will be doing the cunning crocodile sect.
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on September 23, 2016, 09:03:48 AM
The players face some serious threats during the Demon Moon: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2016/09/storms-of-martial-world-session-four.html

Also, got interviewed about the game: http://www.gmsmagazine.com/podcasts/podcast-episode-the-rpg-interview-room-wandering-heroes-of-ogre-gate
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: AsenRG on September 24, 2016, 02:36:36 AM
Quote from: BedrockBrendan;921194
Basically 'the beauty' of the sect is the sect leader. There are other beauties, but they funeral wrapping adorned, mindless slaves or her husbands The Corpse Kings.

After that we will be doing the cunning crocodile sect.

OK, I'll get this one, too, but I'll definitely talk to  the other players about the Silken Robes Society;).

So far, the idea has received a warm welcome, but we have a rules question. Can you combine different Techniques in one attack (and/or Counter), assuming that they all could apply, and if yes, are there any special stacking rules?
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on September 24, 2016, 08:24:02 AM
Quote from: AsenRG;921400
OK, I'll get this one, too, but I'll definitely talk to  the other players about the Silken Robes Society;).

So far, the idea has received a warm welcome, but we have a rules question. Can you combine different Techniques in one attack (and/or Counter), assuming that they all could apply, and if yes, are there any special stacking rules?

You wouldn't normally fuse to techniques into one on the fly in a single round, but their effects could certainly stack (that is a GM ruling call based on the individual techniques). Instead of having rules on stacking, we made anything like that a GM call. Also there are Hard and Soft caps on dice, which might limit stacking (typically you can't roll more than 6d10; you can never roll more than 10d10). There are guidelines for combining two techniques to create a new one though. The Technique I am The Arrow is an example of that.
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: AsenRG on September 25, 2016, 04:11:21 PM
Another thing that just came up during chargen: do you need to pay for speaking your native language? The text makes it seem you need to, which means that the average person with Knowledge as a secondary skill group just doesn't have any Knowledge ranks left:).
Admittedly, that might be exactly what you were going for, and if so, I'd applaud it as a great decision for driving the setting via the system;).
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on September 25, 2016, 04:57:50 PM
Quote from: AsenRG;921698
Another thing that just came up during chargen: do you need to pay for speaking your native language? The text makes it seem you need to, which means that the average person with Knowledge as a secondary skill group just doesn't have any Knowledge ranks left:).
Admittedly, that might be exactly what you were going for, and if so, I'd applaud it as a great decision for driving the setting via the system;).

No. It shouldn't. You get three free ranks in your native language (not in the script though). Here is the relevant text with the passage about the three ranks bolded. However if you've spotted text that contradicts this anywhere, definitely let me know and I will amend it before the press printing.

Quote
This represents your mastery of speaking different languages. It does not allow you to read scripts, however. Language can be taken multiple times, and all characters start with 3 Ranks in their native language. Daoyun, Hai’anese, and Li Fai are all related dialects of a broader tongue called Fei. All Fei speakers can communicate with one another, though with some difficulty.
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: AsenRG on September 26, 2016, 08:39:28 AM
Sent you a PM.
Just found the text we were referring to. It was on the next page, and says "always start with 3 ranks in your native tongue", which can be an imperative form.
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on September 26, 2016, 04:31:19 PM
Monkeys, Deaths and Qi-breathing Toddlers: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2016/09/disposable-disciples-of-bone-kingdom_26.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bozophobe on October 01, 2016, 12:07:15 AM
Quote from: BedrockBrendan;921071
The second clan, Relentless Corpse Sect, is a little harder for PCs to be part of. It is doable, if the GM has the leader make some exceptions.


Just bought it: I think it's a good enemy sect, especially since Da Su Su has a tragic history that drove her to this rather than just being evil for the sake of it. As a PC sect I think it'd hard to be one for righteous heroes except maybe as an origin.
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on October 01, 2016, 12:40:23 AM
Quote from: Bozophobe;922775
Just bought it: I think it's a good enemy sect, especially since Da Su Su has a tragic history that drove her to this rather than just being evil for the sake of it. As a PC sect I think it'd hard to be one for righteous heroes except maybe as an origin.


Thanks. I agree this isn't a good sect for a typical party of righteous heroes. I have had evil PCs join Relentless Corpse Sect though. It works pretty well for a party that is unorthodox or wicked.
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: AsenRG on October 01, 2016, 03:49:55 AM
I bought it for myself and for the GM, but didn't read it. She should have something to surprise us with.

So far, the party is unorthodox, but not wicked, we'll see how that would hold after the game starts.
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on October 03, 2016, 01:27:39 PM
Session 17 of Disposable Disciples of Bone Kingdom: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2016/10/disposable-disciples-of-bone-kingdom.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: AsenRG on October 11, 2016, 03:51:02 AM
Are we to expect another society by the 1st of November? Maybe even something about an alliance of sects, since the day should fit (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maastricht_Treaty) that theme:)?

Just asking;).
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on October 11, 2016, 07:57:10 AM
Quote from: AsenRG;924420
Are we to expect another society by the 1st of November? Maybe even something about an alliance of sects, since the day should fit (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maastricht_Treaty) that theme:)?

Just asking;).


We don't really do political commentary in the games. But I will have a new sect book out by November 1st. This will be Temple of the Jade Mercies.
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: AsenRG on October 11, 2016, 12:17:27 PM
Quote from: BedrockBrendan;924436
We don't really do political commentary in the games. But I will have a new sect book out by November 1st. This will be Temple of the Jade Mercies.

It's not political commentary, it's that Maastricht Treaty was signed on the 1st of November;).
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on October 11, 2016, 01:34:44 PM
Quote from: AsenRG;924457
It's not political commentary, it's that Maastricht Treaty was signed on the 1st of November;).


I see. We will have a PDF out that day, but it won't be intentionally relevant to that event.
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on October 11, 2016, 01:36:01 PM
The party jail-breaks the Plum Tree Monk, kills Green Mantis and invests in its future: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2016/10/disposable-disciples-of-bone-kingdom_11.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: AsenRG on October 12, 2016, 03:11:18 AM
Quote from: BedrockBrendan;924464
I see. We will have a PDF out that day, but it won't be intentionally relevant to that event.
Ah well, doesn't matter. There's more than one thing that happened on every day:).

Jade Mercies, do I remember them from your blog, or am I mistaken;)?
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on October 12, 2016, 07:48:19 AM
Quote from: AsenRG;924530
Ah well, doesn't matter. There's more than one thing that happened on every day:).

Jade Mercies, do I remember them from your blog, or am I mistaken;)?


Yes, they should have cropped up from time to time in the Disposable Disciples campaigns.
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on October 17, 2016, 09:27:09 PM
Chao connects with Five Dagger Chang, Bao Yang smashes Hidden Arrow's Skull and the party deals with an impossibly righteous official. Disposable Disciples of Bone Kingdom Session Nineteen http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2016/10/disposable-disciples-of-bone-kingdom_17.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on October 20, 2016, 11:26:23 AM
Last session prompted a discussion of player versus player campaigns: https://youtu.be/uZ5uUpiHIK4
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on October 24, 2016, 01:48:03 PM
The characters make a mess in the city: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2016/10/disposable-disciples-of-bone-kingdom_24.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on October 29, 2016, 11:23:41 PM
The party braves the wilderness during the demon moon: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2016/10/storms-of-martial-world-session-six.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: AsenRG on October 30, 2016, 03:40:37 AM
Quote from: BedrockBrendan;927812
The party braves the wilderness during the demon moon: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2016/10/storms-of-martial-world-session-six.html

What, you mean they survived;)?
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on October 30, 2016, 09:14:49 AM
Quote from: AsenRG;927842
What, you mean they survived;)?

Kind of. One got possessed by a Qi Spirit.
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: AsenRG on October 31, 2016, 05:16:38 AM
Quote from: BedrockBrendan;927870
Kind of. One got possessed by a Qi Spirit.


That totally doesn't count;).
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on November 01, 2016, 11:48:21 AM
Latest session Log: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2016/10/disposable-disciples-of-bone-kingdom_31.html

Temple of the Jade Mercies is Available: http://www.rpgnow.com/product/197285/Sects-of-the-Martial-World-Temple-of-the-Jade-Mercies?src=newest_recent
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: AsenRG on November 01, 2016, 11:57:20 AM
Quote from: BedrockBrendan;928203
Temple of the Jade Mercies is Available: http://www.rpgnow.com/product/197285/Sects-of-the-Martial-World-Temple-of-the-Jade-Mercies?src=newest_recent

Well, damn, and just when my debit card is experiencing technical difficulties. I blame the bank:).

Not that it's going to delay me more than a couple days, but still;).
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on November 07, 2016, 09:51:23 AM
Things look pretty grim for the players: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2016/11/disposable-disciples-of-bone-kingdom.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: crkrueger on November 10, 2016, 03:09:52 AM
Looking at these, it makes me think this game might be good for a low-powered Exalted replacement.
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: AsenRG on November 10, 2016, 05:25:24 AM
Quote from: CRKrueger;929726
Looking at these, it makes me think this game might be good for a low-powered Exalted replacement.
It would fit quite well on the Dragon-Blooded power level, yes, possibly going up to Sidereals before access to SMAs:).

It might actually be good for anything up to and including Solaroids, too, with some tweaking. Well, the more inhuman splats wouldn't be well represented, but frankly, who cares about those, anyway:D?
The tweaks required would be to set up mortals and opposition a bit lower, and maybe import some non-combat powers from Sertorius. This might be achieved by mandating that they roll d8s instead of d10s, for example, and by interpreting the levels of success differently for Celestials, Terrestrials and Gods, and Everybody Else;)!
The only issue is going to be the relatively high lethality, but then you can always defeat enemies without killing them.
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on November 10, 2016, 07:52:31 AM
Quote from: CRKrueger;929726
Looking at these, it makes me think this game might be good for a low-powered Exalted replacement.

If you want an Exalted Replacement, Sertorius might fit better than Ogre Gate. But the core system is basically the same, and Ogre Gate is pay-what-you-want (so it is a good way to preview it). So you can probably use Ogre Gate in a similar way if you reskin some of the Kung Fu techniques. But there are a few free Sertorius books that might have stuff you can pull for low-powered Exalted as well:

Book of the Archon: http://www.rpgnow.com/product/151155/Book-Of-The-Archon-Scrolls-Of-Nicodemus?manufacturers_id=7264

Classic Fantasy Pack: http://www.rpgnow.com/product/153092/Sertorius-Classic-Fantasy-Packet?manufacturers_id=7264

Beneath the Banshee Tree (an adventure module): http://www.rpgnow.com/product/134793/Beneath-the-Banshee-Tree?manufacturers_id=7264
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on November 13, 2016, 02:25:40 PM
The players learn more about Granny Wind and Brother Wolf: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2016/11/storms-of-martial-world-maiden-of-jade.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on November 14, 2016, 10:01:30 AM
The party finds some celestial jade: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2016/11/disposable-disciples-of-bone-kingdom_14.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on November 16, 2016, 04:32:49 PM
Minions of the Timeless Master Session Three: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2016/11/minions-of-timeless-master-session.html

It is possible this is session four as I didn't keep a session log at the start of this and somewhat lost track.
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on November 23, 2016, 12:29:19 PM
The party vents its grudge and meets a powerful elder: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2016/11/disposable-disciples-of-bone-kingdom_23.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on November 28, 2016, 03:54:52 PM
The party discovers a manual and obtains the Life Keeping Stone: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2016/11/disposable-disciples-session-25-head-of.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on November 30, 2016, 12:26:43 PM
A PC gets lost in the hills for days, while her companions deal with an ambush from the House of Paper Shadows: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2016/11/minions-of-timeless-master-session-four.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on December 06, 2016, 02:22:42 PM
Latest session of the Disposable Disciples of Bone Kingdom campaign. The party encounters a ghost of Lady White Blade, Little Bai acquires three eccentric disciples, and Shen Chun coordinates a wedding with the new leader of Relentless Corpse Sect: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2016/12/disposable-disciples-of-bone-kingdom.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: AsenRG on December 11, 2016, 08:21:41 AM
And here's an Actual Play (http://storiescharactersandsystemsinrpgs.blogspot.bg/2016/12/stunning-beauty-chronicles-whoog.html) report from our campaign.
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on December 11, 2016, 01:20:50 PM
Quote from: AsenRG;934577
And here's an Actual Play (http://storiescharactersandsystemsinrpgs.blogspot.bg/2016/12/stunning-beauty-chronicles-whoog.html) report from our campaign.

That is awesome. A lot of cool elements coming together there. Thanks for sharing. I have a personal hand-done map of Songbird Villa if you or the GM would find it useful (it isn't an official map, just one I did for my own sessions).
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on December 11, 2016, 03:01:32 PM
Some news regarding the Sects of the Martial World line. One of the things that makes this affordable for Bedrock is because RPGnow calculated sales based on #copies sold/day, we could feasibly get into the top 10 best seller list, which would help boost overall sales and give us revenue to balance out the art cost of each PDF. I was just informed they are switching to a new algorithm that changes it to sales $/day. So a 10$ book that sells ten copies is going to be higher on the list than say a 5 dollar book that sells 11 copies. This means a 50 cent PDF is going to have an exceptionally hard time cracking that list and that we might lose money with each sect book. I haven't decided what to do yet, but I probably will have to make a change to our plan with the sect books.
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: AsenRG on December 12, 2016, 06:41:09 AM
Quote from: BedrockBrendan;934596
That is awesome. A lot of cool elements coming together there. Thanks for sharing. I have a personal hand-done map of Songbird Villa if you or the GM would find it useful (it isn't an official map, just one I did for my own sessions).

Thank you for the feedback! I'm finding it quite fun for now, myself.

I'm sure that the GM would find the map useful if you don't mind sharing! She definitely likes maps more than I do:).

Quote from: BedrockBrendan;934599
Some news regarding the Sects of the Martial World line. One of the things that makes this affordable for Bedrock is because RPGnow calculated sales based on #copies sold/day, we could feasibly get into the top 10 best seller list, which would help boost overall sales and give us revenue to balance out the art cost of each PDF. I was just informed they are switching to a new algorithm that changes it to sales $/day. So a 10$ book that sells ten copies is going to be higher on the list than say a 5 dollar book that sells 11 copies. This means a 50 cent PDF is going to have an exceptionally hard time cracking that list and that we might lose money with each sect book. I haven't decided what to do yet, but I probably will have to make a change to our plan with the sect books.

Well, the change in the algorithm sucks, but I'm sure you'd find a way to adapt.
BTW, any updates for the Immortals and Sinners book;)?
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on December 12, 2016, 08:42:37 AM
Quote from: AsenRG;934678
Thank you for the feedback! I'm finding it quite fun for now, myself.

I'm sure that the GM would find the map useful if you don't mind sharing! She definitely likes maps more than I do:).

Here you go:

[ATTACH=CONFIG]602[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]602[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]602[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]602[/ATTACH]

Quote
Well, the change in the algorithm sucks, but I'm sure you'd find a way to adapt.
BTW, any updates for the Immortals and Sinners book;)?

I am going to put out as many of the Sect Books as we can, then maybe we will switch to a different thing like little adventures or something.

The Profound Masters and Immortals book is something I intend to give a full two years of development. That is going to be much more based on the Xianxia genre. We've been play testing material and I've been working on it. I have almost a full book worth of stuff but it is all potentially on the chopping block. If you want though I can send stuff your way if you are interested by email (and feedback is more than welcome at this stage).

On top of that, I should have the Ogre Gate Inn and Strange Land of Li Fan book out soon. Will follow that with a book set in Hai'an called the War of Swarming Beggars (both are modules/setting books).
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on December 12, 2016, 01:14:47 PM
Someone gets decapitated: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2016/12/disposable-disciples-of-bone-kingdom_12.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: AsenRG on December 12, 2016, 02:12:05 PM
Quote from: BedrockBrendan;934727
Someone gets decapitated: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2016/12/disposable-disciples-of-bone-kingdom_12.html

I'm taking notes;).
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: AsenRG on December 14, 2016, 03:53:26 PM
Told you I'm taking notes - we were discussing punishments this session!

http://storiescharactersandsystemsinrpgs.blogspot.com/2016/12/stunning-beauty-chronicles-part-2nd.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on December 15, 2016, 07:45:33 AM
Quote from: AsenRG;935076
Told you I'm taking notes - we were discussing punishments this session!

http://storiescharactersandsystemsinrpgs.blogspot.com/2016/12/stunning-beauty-chronicles-part-2nd.html


That is awesome. Keep them coming. Someone is nailing the Two-Timing Cockerel dialogue.

Also, just an FYI, there wont' be a Sect Book in January. There is a lot of characters in the next one and I need to wait a month so we don't blow our art budget. This one will be a little more Legend of Zu in style.
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: AsenRG on December 16, 2016, 06:37:30 AM
Quote from: BedrockBrendan;935153
That is awesome. Keep them coming. Someone is nailing the Two-Timing Cockerel dialogue.

Everything the Two-Timing Cockerel said was devised by my wife who's running the game,and I'll let her know:). The answers to that are the jobs of the players.

Quote
Also, just an FYI, there wont' be a Sect Book in January. There is a lot of characters in the next one and I need to wait a month so we don't blow our art budget. This one will be a little more Legend of Zu in style.

Any hints what it would be about, so I could tell the GM she doesn't need to detail that;)?
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on December 16, 2016, 07:23:27 AM
Quote from: AsenRG;935379



Any hints what it would be about, so I could tell the GM she doesn't need to detail that;)?


Righteous Maidens of the Jade Blue Sky: Granny Wind, Brother Wolf, and Sister Fox.
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: AsenRG on December 16, 2016, 07:43:27 AM
Quote from: BedrockBrendan;935384
Righteous Maidens of the Jade Blue Sky: Granny Wind, Brother Wolf, and Sister Fox.

Thank you, though now I'll be wondering for over a month why Brother Wolf is a Righteous Maiden:D!
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: AsenRG on December 18, 2016, 08:55:38 AM
And the plot, as much as you get of it in a sandbox game, thickens!

http://storiescharactersandsystemsinrpgs.blogspot.bg/2016/12/stunning-beauty-chronicles-part-3rd.html

Record time for proving Bantering Peacock's guilt. And I fought a stronger enemy again!
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on December 19, 2016, 03:35:13 PM
Quote from: AsenRG;935740
And the plot, as much as you get of it in a sandbox game, thickens!

http://storiescharactersandsystemsinrpgs.blogspot.bg/2016/12/stunning-beauty-chronicles-part-3rd.html

Record time for proving Bantering Peacock's guilt. And I fought a stronger enemy again!


I am enjoying reading these. Sounds like you and Unkempt lion really had it out.
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on December 19, 2016, 03:36:03 PM
Here is the latest session log for Storms of the Martial World. The party meets a stone entity claiming to be Hen-Shi and the upper-torso of a once-great sect Chief: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2016/12/storms-of-martial-world-session-nine.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on December 20, 2016, 06:21:02 PM
A wedding during the Demon Moon: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2016/12/disposable-disciples-session-28-wedding.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on January 04, 2017, 12:18:27 PM
The players made some deals, brought people into the fold and Chao takes a break from the Glorious Death Cult to reunite with the party: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2017/01/disposable-disciples-session-29-chao.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on January 09, 2017, 02:20:31 PM
Disposable Disciples Session 30: A Meeting with Kang Escalates Quickly http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2017/01/disposable-disciples-session-30.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on January 14, 2017, 11:30:36 AM
Looking for two Gamemasters to run a playtest of a location-based module I am working on for Ogre Gate.
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on January 16, 2017, 11:35:50 AM
The Plum Tree Monk Returns: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2017/01/storms-of-martial-world-session-ten.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: AsenRG on January 16, 2017, 03:35:35 PM
I must find the time to describe more sessions, too:).
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on January 16, 2017, 03:46:52 PM
Session log for the Sunday game. This got into some stuff that is pretty secret, GM-only, kind of info, so I skipped over a great portion of the description, leaving the entry somewhat small. It was actually a very eventful session.

Disposable Disciples Session 31: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2017/01/disposable-disciples-session-31-into.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on January 16, 2017, 03:47:06 PM
Quote from: AsenRG;940923
I must find the time to describe more sessions, too:).

Cool. I am looking forward to reading more about it.
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: AsenRG on January 21, 2017, 10:10:53 AM
Ask, and ye shall receive!

http://storiescharactersandsystemsinrpgs.blogspot.bg/2017/01/stunning-beauty-cronicles-part-4-whoog.html

Admittedly, it takes me some time to write up what happens, so this is not the last update I have to write.
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on January 22, 2017, 04:06:05 PM
Quote from: AsenRG;941755
Ask, and ye shall receive!

http://storiescharactersandsystemsinrpgs.blogspot.bg/2017/01/stunning-beauty-cronicles-part-4-whoog.html

Admittedly, it takes me some time to write up what happens, so this is not the last update I have to write.


Nice.
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on January 30, 2017, 10:02:51 AM
Storms of the Martial World Session 11. The players catch of fire, get poisoned and catch a disease: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2017/01/storms-of-martial-world-session-eleven.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on January 30, 2017, 02:59:03 PM
The chapters are not up yet, but this is the web novel page for Ogre Gate (I think initially it will be 2-3 chapters a week, when the writer finishes translating I Shall Seal the Heavens this may increase): http://www.wuxiaworld.com/legends-of-ogre-gate-index/
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on January 31, 2017, 05:59:59 PM
The players join up with a guy named Murder and solve some crime: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2017/01/disposable-disciples-session-33-red.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Voros on February 01, 2017, 11:12:40 PM
This is a huge book with nice art. Actually have to read the thing though.
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on February 02, 2017, 07:06:20 PM
Quote from: Voros;943697
This is a huge book with nice art. Actually have to read the thing though.


Thanks.
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on February 04, 2017, 08:49:22 AM
The Ogre Gate webnovel begins today: http://m.wuxiaworld.com/legends-of-ogre-gate-index/loog-book-1-prologue/
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: AsenRG on February 04, 2017, 10:36:45 AM
Quote from: BedrockBrendan;944056
The Ogre Gate webnovel begins today: http://m.wuxiaworld.com/legends-of-ogre-gate-index/loog-book-1-prologue/

Great:D!
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on February 07, 2017, 01:28:21 PM
The players get trapped in a fire and learn more about Dee: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2017/02/disposable-disciples-session-34-fires.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on February 12, 2017, 01:43:53 PM
Sister Fox finds a cure and Zhendao learns the consequences of hubris: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2017/02/storms-of-martial-world-session-twelve.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: AsenRG on February 12, 2017, 02:30:50 PM
Learning the consequences of hubris ought to be humbling, right?
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on February 12, 2017, 05:37:43 PM
Quote from: AsenRG;945285
Learning the consequences of hubris ought to be humbling, right?

We'll see. Martial Heroes are like boxers, they are not easily humbled, even if the gods beat them savagely. We literally ended the session right after it happened, so I am in the dark on how the PC in question will respond.
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: AsenRG on February 12, 2017, 05:49:53 PM
Quote from: BedrockBrendan;945309
We'll see. Martial Heroes are like boxers, they are not easily humbled, even if the gods beat them savagely. We literally ended the session right after it happened, so I am in the dark on how the PC in question will respond.

Well, that promises an entertaining next session no matter which way it goes!
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on February 13, 2017, 11:45:10 AM
The Crazed Raksha arrives in Dee: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2017/02/disposable-disciples-session-35-crazed.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on February 22, 2017, 09:13:42 AM
Here is the latest session log: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2017/02/storms-of-martial-world-thirteen-paths.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on February 26, 2017, 01:17:16 PM
Is this the end of Silent Dagger: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2017/02/disposable-disciples-session-36.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: AsenRG on March 01, 2017, 02:25:35 AM
That's more than one session, and I'm still a couple sessions' worth behind.
http://storiescharactersandsystemsinrpgs.blogspot.bg/2017/02/stunning-beauty-cronicles-part-5-whoog.html

Our GM notes that the supplements are organised just great, while the core book is organised in a way that assumes familiarity with the setting and system. If all the sects were organised the way they are in the supplements, she believes they'd be much easier to use!
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on March 01, 2017, 05:07:32 AM
Quote from: AsenRG;948185
That's more than one session, and I'm still a couple sessions' worth behind.
http://storiescharactersandsystemsinrpgs.blogspot.bg/2017/02/stunning-beauty-cronicles-part-5-whoog.html

Nice. I will have to link these on the podcast or something.

Quote
Our GM notes that the supplements are organised just great, while the core book is organised in a way that assumes familiarity with the setting and system. If all the sects were organised the way they are in the supplements, she believes they'd be much easier to use!

this is really helpful feedback. I have been rethinking some of the organization of the larger books. When the Ogre Gate Inn book comes out it will still follow the old format somewhat (though one big change is the sects will be in the gazetteer chapter and each sect entry will have stat blocks for sect members----techniques will still be in the technique chapter; the full NPC entries will be in the NPC chapter, but you will have the NPC stat blocks with the sect description). But I will have an opportunity to revise the organization more when I get to War of Swarming Beggars.

Would she prefer that there be a section in the book where the sects are laid out exactly like the Sects of the martial world books (so you get sect description, sect member descriptions, followed by sect Kung Fu technique descriptions)?
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: AsenRG on March 01, 2017, 07:13:48 PM
Quote from: BedrockBrendan;948206
Nice. I will have to link these on the podcast or something.

That would be great:)!

Quote
this is really helpful feedback. I have been rethinking some of the organization of the larger books. When the Ogre Gate Inn book comes out it will still follow the old format somewhat (though one big change is the sects will be in the gazetteer chapter and each sect entry will have stat blocks for sect members----techniques will still be in the technique chapter; the full NPC entries will be in the NPC chapter, but you will have the NPC stat blocks with the sect description). But I will have an opportunity to revise the organization more when I get to War of Swarming Beggars.
That does sound better, indeed.

Quote
Would she prefer that there be a section in the book where the sects are laid out exactly like the Sects of the martial world books (so you get sect description, sect member descriptions, followed by sect Kung Fu technique descriptions)?
I'm pretty sure the answer to this would be overwhelmingly positive;)!
Of course, to avoid repeating techniques' mechanics, you could just list the names, types, and page numbers of those techniques in the sect chapter, if the body of the techniques' descriptions is elsewhere. (I'm not sure whether you're planning to change the organisation completely for this book, or not).
But yeah, I'm sure she finds the Sects books much easier to reference in play, say, after rolling a suitable result on a random table or something, which might have something to do with us encountering them more often than Golden Dragon members, or it might be because the Golden Dragons don't like Silken Robes:D!
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on March 01, 2017, 08:03:58 PM
Quote from: AsenRG;948358
That would be great:)!

!

Here it is: https://bedrockgames.podbean.com/e/bedrock-talk-episode-9-train-the-way-you-fight-fight-the-way-you-train/

Asen, let me know if that was the correct pronunciation of your name.
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: AsenRG on March 01, 2017, 08:59:26 PM
Quote from: BedrockBrendan;948381
Here it is: https://bedrockgames.podbean.com/e/bedrock-talk-episode-9-train-the-way-you-fight-fight-the-way-you-train/

Asen, let me know if that was the correct pronunciation of your name.


Well, thank you...but sorry, but it's not:).
The "A" is pronounced as the "a" in "father" (or as the "a" in Spanish pronunciation).
The rest of it is right, though.
Well, if you want to read it right, listen at this (https://translate.google.com/#en/bg/Assen) but put the emphasis on the "e". (The reasons I don't spell it that way are obvious, I guess:D)!

Boring regional history details time: Generally, that's not a big deal, but my name specifically is "sensitive to mispronounciation". Like, "there are wrong pronunciations that might lead to picking a fight" kind of sensitive:p!
No, I'm not joking (though most foreigners would be assumed to simply not know better).
Yes, I have punched people for it (admittedly, they knew it and were trying to pick the fight, so it wasn't mispronunciation). Granted, the last time was in high school, and nobody saw it as a big deal.
Even more details: pronouncing it as Asan (the same "a" as in "father" in both cases) actually suggests bad things about the parentage of the man you're addressing.
The reasons for this are specific to the history of the region, but it's pretty much the same as the reasons why it's unadvisable to adress an African American man as "boy", AFAIK. Or like telling a half-orc "you have a tragic family backstory, right?"
Alas, the "natural" spelling of my name actually leads some French speakers to spell it the exact wrong way:D!
On the plus side, the way you're pronouncing it isn't offensive. You don't have to edit anything because of it, as far as I'm concerned. But since you asked...well, if I didn't use the opportunity to nitpick some topic to death, I wouldn't be following the forum culture;)!

As a bonus, similar "offensive puns" are good for picking a fight in wuxia games. Granted, it's more of a "people in Jianghu pick their names to have meanings, yet your name is Yuan*...is it like the yuan character in "yuan" or like the Yuan in "Yuan"? I'd like to know whether I need to offer you silver, or horses, if I want to have your sister!"
(Yuan might refer to the Mongolian dynasty, or to money).
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on March 01, 2017, 10:06:38 PM
Quote from: AsenRG;948396
Well, thank you...but sorry, but it's not:).
The "A" is pronounced as the "a" in "father" (or as the "a" in Spanish pronunciation).
The rest of it is right, though.
Well, if you want to read it right, listen at this (https://translate.google.com/#en/bg/Assen) but put the emphasis on the "e". (The reasons I don't spell it that way are obvious, I guess:D)!

Boring regional history details time: Generally, that's not a big deal, but my name specifically is "sensitive to mispronounciation". Like, "there are wrong pronunciations that might lead to picking a fight" kind of sensitive:p!
No, I'm not joking (though most foreigners would be assumed to simply not know better).
Yes, I have punched people for it (admittedly, they knew it and were trying to pick the fight, so it wasn't mispronunciation). Granted, the last time was in high school, and nobody saw it as a big deal.
Even more details: pronouncing it as Asan (the same "a" as in "father" in both cases) actually suggests bad things about the parentage of the man you're addressing.
The reasons for this are specific to the history of the region, but it's pretty much the same as the reasons why it's unadvisable to adress an African American man as "boy", AFAIK. Or like telling a half-orc "you have a tragic family backstory, right?"
Alas, the "natural" spelling of my name actually leads some French speakers to spell it the exact wrong way:D!
On the plus side, the way you're pronouncing it isn't offensive. You don't have to edit anything because of it, as far as I'm concerned. But since you asked...well, if I didn't use the opportunity to nitpick some topic to death, I wouldn't be following the forum culture;)!

As a bonus, similar "offensive puns" are good for picking a fight in wuxia games. Granted, it's more of a "people in Jianghu pick their names to have meanings, yet your name is Yuan*...is it like the yuan character in "yuan" or like the Yuan in "Yuan"? I'd like to know whether I need to offer you silver, or horses, if I want to have your sister!"
(Yuan might refer to the Mongolian dynasty, or to money).

Apologies on that. I think I have it after listening to that clip.

People are always calling me Brandon. Next time I'll try punching them in the face and see if that correct the problem :)
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: AsenRG on March 02, 2017, 04:06:18 AM
Quote from: BedrockBrendan;948411
Apologies on that. I think I have it after listening to that clip.

People are always calling me Brandon. Next time I'll try punching them in the face and see if that correct the problem :)

As stated above, no apologies necessary:)!

I suspect the punching might correct the problem, but keep in mind you're living in a different country with different legal consequences for such actions. For that matter, it would have different consequences for me as well, now, since I've been out of high school for a while;)!
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on March 04, 2017, 07:39:31 PM
The Shameful Love of Granny Ox Tail: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2017/03/disposable-disciples-session-37.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: AsenRG on March 08, 2017, 10:31:09 AM
http://storiescharactersandsystemsinrpgs.blogspot.bg/2017/03/stunning-beautychronicles-part-6-whoog.html

And I'm almost ready writing yet another update.
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on March 08, 2017, 12:44:49 PM
Quote from: AsenRG;950016
http://storiescharactersandsystemsinrpgs.blogspot.bg/2017/03/stunning-beautychronicles-part-6-whoog.html

And I'm almost ready writing yet another update.


Cool. I really like seeing how your GM is using some of these sects. I will mention it on the podcast again if that is okay.

Also, I did a round table discussion with the players from the Bone Breaker campaign (very rough and informal): https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-cg6ts-686a31
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: AsenRG on March 08, 2017, 01:33:01 PM
Quote from: BedrockBrendan;950036
Cool. I really like seeing how your GM is using some of these sects. I will mention it on the podcast again if that is okay.

Also, I did a round table discussion with the players from the Bone Breaker campaign (very rough and informal): https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-cg6ts-686a31

Of course, feel free to mention anything that I've written on the blog:). If I don't want anyone mentioning it, I wouldn't post it in the first place, so it's fine by default!

And the GM just said she's glad you approve of her approach;)!
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on March 10, 2017, 10:59:16 AM
The players go to the City of the Spiral Crown: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2017/03/disposable-disciples-session-38-city-of.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: AsenRG on March 12, 2017, 06:56:50 PM
http://storiescharactersandsystemsinrpgs.blogspot.bg/2017/03/stunning-beauty-chronicles-part-7-whoog.html

Finding Mirror Boy, possibly a new wife for the Two-Timing Cockerel, and Da Su Su finally proved she's more useless than we had assumed;)!
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: AsenRG on March 15, 2017, 04:38:59 AM
I wonder when I'd find the time to describe last sessions, but the Two-Timing Cockerel is on Wife#14 already, and seems likely to get to #15 before the end of next session:D!
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on March 15, 2017, 07:47:19 AM
Quote from: AsenRG;951566
I wonder when I'd find the time to describe last sessions, but the Two-Timing Cockerel is on Wife#14 already, and seems likely to get to #15 before the end of next session:D!

Lol. Well when your time is running short like his is, you got to get a move on those things.

I am a bit behind getting my session logs up but I should have my storms of the martial world up soon from a week ago, and my last Disposable Disciples Log up. With any luck I will squeeze in my City of Dee campaign log as well.
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on March 15, 2017, 04:32:42 PM
This has got to be one of my favorite sessions so far. Epic showdown with a giant red demonic elephant: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2017/03/city-of-dee-session-two-devourer-of.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: crkrueger on March 17, 2017, 03:48:41 PM
There's lot of games that can do the standard Wuxia fight, where the heroes plow through 13,784 mooks on their way to the bad guy.  When you get to the bad guy though, there's usually a 10-15 minute fight where 95% of attacks are blocked by both sides.

How do you handle the switching of styles and looking for the perfect combination that will shift the fight into "now we know the bad guy's weakness" mode?
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on March 18, 2017, 01:54:18 AM
Quote from: CRKrueger;952232
How do you handle the switching of styles and looking for the perfect combination that will shift the fight into "now we know the bad guy's weakness" mode?

Not sure how perfectly WHOG will answer these concerns. This is how I wanted to do wuxia, but it may not be how you would. Here is what I can say about it:

There are not really styles in the game. At least there isn't a mechanic meant to emulate styles, that is achieved by taking all the techniques that would form a style. It is built around individual Kung Fu Techniques, so the best way to do the big bad thing is for the players to look for or create a technique that matches the villain's big moves. Techniques are usually acquired by 1) learning them from a master, 2) learning from a kung fu manual, or 3) developing them yourself (learning from a master is quickest, learning from a manual takes an average amount of time, and developing them yourself can take a while). The game has a lot of counter techniques so those can often be the key to dealing with a challenging bad guy. Some of it too is just about power level. If the players are only Qi Rank 1 and they go up against a Qi rank 6 opponent, even with the right moves, they are likely to get killed. But if they are all Qi 5, it is a different story.

One of the ideas in the game is Kung Fu isn't static, it evolves, and PCs are part of that process as are NPCs. So the way the game is balanced over time is while you may have a super good technique here or there that stands out from other techniques of its Qi level, eventually someone comes up with a counter that makes the move much more risky to employ or obsolete. So if some villain is going around using Blade of the Dancing Fox (which is one of the best techniques in the book) to kick the crap out of the locals, a player or NPC might eventually create Fox Killing Cleave. Basically it is like in Lady Hermit where she eventually overcomes Black Demon's Shadowless Black Claw by devising Tiger Claw style (except the game deals with that as an individual technique, not a broad style). Or like Snake in the Eagle's Shadow where basically the same thing happens.

Also one thing that prevents some of the 10-15 blocking is when you want to counter an attack by a character who is higher Qi rank than you, you always have to do it cathartically (which is like full power mode and causes you to accumulate imbalance points). Another thing that takes away from some of the endless blocking is that many counters, when you succeed on them, do a damage to the opponent (so it usually isn't just a block but a reply). Still dice being what they are, there is always the possibility of people whiffing or characters sitting there blocking each other if that is how the rolls play out (and people stick to the same tactics).  

But it isn't for everyone, which is why I made the PDF pay-what-you-want. People who want wuxia usually seem to have a very specific idea in mind in terms of the mechanics they want. Generally that makes me pretty wary of answering questions like this with "Yes it perfectly answers that with X". The game might not address this the way you'd want it to. So I just tell people to check out the PDF and decide for themselves if it offers the solutions they want. Also, it uses d10 dice pools. I have been running the game now in three ongoing campaigns, over the course of almost three years (though one of the campaigns is more recent). I can definitely say it works for what I want in wuxia on a regular basis. Can't say how well that will work for others.

One cool feature of the game though is we put the Kung Fu Technique chapter in the public domain. So even if it doesn't really fit what your after, hacking it is pretty easy (and you can post or publish the complete text from the technique chapter without any concern).
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: AsenRG on March 18, 2017, 03:44:50 AM
IME, the only game dedicated to wuxia that really does what CRK is asking for is Legends of the Wulin, maybe the Legend of the Elements with the right GM, and maybe Jadeclaw if both parties build Techniques that gain advantage against broad groups of other Techniques:). Tianxia sorta does that, too, with the jockeying for advantage, but it's "sorta", and after that, you have to look into non-wuxia systems.
WHoOG doesn't work that way, but it has the advantage that fights are mostly short and brutal, after which you can return to talking and melodrama;)!
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on March 18, 2017, 10:14:23 AM
Thanks Asen. One of these days I am planning on putting up a podcast with a recording of one of my sessions. Started recording them for record keeping purposes about two weeks ago.

Here is the latest Disposable Disciples Session log. This is from last Sunday but was behind on some things this week: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2017/03/disposable-disciples-session-39-palace.html

Also here is a recent podcast where I get into some of the upcoming things for Ogre Gate: https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-yzynj-68b43a
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on March 18, 2017, 04:23:28 PM
The player's acquire the ten talismans: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2017/03/storms-of-martial-world-session-15.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: AsenRG on March 18, 2017, 05:02:14 PM
We might have to do the same;).
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: AsenRG on March 26, 2017, 09:10:06 PM
I'm almost done with the next update, which includes us getting a fox-demon-pet, and using her to perform a pity murder.
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on March 26, 2017, 11:10:20 PM
Quote from: AsenRG;952469
We might have to do the same;).


Be cautious, acquiring the talismans is dangerous and once you have them, everyone comes after you for them.
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on March 26, 2017, 11:13:22 PM
Quote from: AsenRG;953747
I'm almost done with the next update, which includes us getting a fox-demon-pet, and using her to perform a pity murder.


I am looking forward to it. I am about a week behind on my updates. Should have sessions 40&41 of Disposable Disciples up in the next couple days and the last two sessions of the Dee campaign as well.
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: AsenRG on March 27, 2017, 06:12:55 AM
Quote from: BedrockBrendan;953766
I am looking forward to it. I am about a week behind on my updates. Should have sessions 40&41 of Disposable Disciples up in the next couple days and the last two sessions of the Dee campaign as well.

I'm at least two sessions behind, but trying to catch up.
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: AsenRG on March 27, 2017, 06:15:24 AM
I'm at least two sessions behind, but I'm just going to write a longer, more concise update.

And I've guessed the part about the talismans. Given that we have Jade Maidens, which amazingly remain maidens for now, what would happen if some of these were destroyed?
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on March 27, 2017, 09:36:30 AM
Quote from: AsenRG;953811


And I've guessed the part about the talismans. Given that we have Jade Maidens, which amazingly remain maidens for now, what would happen if some of these were destroyed?


I think there are basically two real possibilities here:

One is that they can't be destroyed because they are so primordial, the best you can do is hope to suppress them for a time.

The other possibility is because they are so primordial and fundamental to reality itself, that destroying them would wreak havoc across many worlds. It wouldn't just disrupt Qi Xien, it would disrupt Gamandria too and any other universe/reality tied to the setting. I think the effect would be a bit like the nothing from the Never Ending story but specific to the individual Talisman's area of focus.
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: AsenRG on March 27, 2017, 11:04:02 AM
I'll pass that to our GM, then:D!

The number of Wounds and Techniques is growing. Alas, so is the time needed to resolve a round, too;)!
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on March 27, 2017, 08:06:36 PM
Quote from: AsenRG;953838
I'll pass that to our GM, then:D!

The number of Wounds and Techniques is growing. Alas, so is the time needed to resolve a round, too;)!


Definitely interested in getting feedback on how things feel at different levels for people. How much time are you finding it adds to rounds as you progress and are you finding it to be pretty static or that it goes down over time as you get more accustomed to the new techniques?
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: AsenRG on March 28, 2017, 03:16:25 AM
Quote from: BedrockBrendan;953903
Definitely interested in getting feedback on how things feel at different levels for people. How much time are you finding it adds to rounds as you progress and are you finding it to be pretty static or that it goes down over time as you get more accustomed to the new techniques?
Some of us are getting more accustomed, the player that isn't interested in mechanics doesn't learn them, and the GM has new techniques to read every session:). Their interaction with our Techniques are also unknown to anyone, yet, so rounds are definitely getting longer.
And due to the added Wounds, without "open damage" adders, you get at least 2 more rounds per Qi level;).
The net result is the fights are getting longer and longer, though they're not yet at D&D4e/Ex1e2e3e levels. But then, we're at Qi 3, XP-wise, and hoping to get to Qi 4 in 1-3 sessions, depending on the typical rate of XP gain for the different players.

OTOH, everybody liked your "nothing from Neverending Story" idea, there were even votes whether we shouldn't slip an Amulet to the Jade Maidens:D!
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on March 28, 2017, 08:14:07 AM
Quote from: AsenRG;953938
Some of us are getting more accustomed, the player that isn't interested in mechanics doesn't learn them, and the GM has new techniques to read every session:). Their interaction with our Techniques are also unknown to anyone, yet, so rounds are definitely getting longer.
And due to the added Wounds, without "open damage" adders, you get at least 2 more rounds per Qi level;).
The net result is the fights are getting longer and longer, though they're not yet at D&D4e/Ex1e2e3e levels. But then, we're at Qi 3, XP-wise, and hoping to get to Qi 4 in 1-3 sessions, depending on the typical rate of XP gain for the different players.

OTOH, everybody liked your "nothing from Neverending Story" idea, there were even votes whether we shouldn't slip an Amulet to the Jade Maidens:D!


Thanks for the info. I'd be interested to know how that plays out over the next three levels with your group. Are you looking up the techniques in the book when they come up or do you have notes for them? How is the GM managing techniques?

One thing about the game is with all the techniques, it is sort of like having all mages in the party, so I find that does slow things down. But I am looking for ways to speed up play.
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on April 02, 2017, 12:10:07 PM
Disposable Disciples Sessions 40 and 41: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2017/04/disposable-disciples-sessions-40-and-41.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on April 07, 2017, 03:53:03 PM
Disposable Disciples session 42: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2017/04/disposable-disciples-session-42-taking.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on April 08, 2017, 09:30:09 AM
Did a podcast discussion on GMing for wuxia and a bit on Ogre Gate. We are still finding our sea legs so me and Kenny will probably do more on this subject: https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-3rf3i-697ede
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on April 15, 2017, 05:35:15 PM
Granny Ox Tail enjoys a feast: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2017/04/disposable-disciples-session-43-feast.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on April 24, 2017, 12:45:44 PM
Here is a new Flaw for Dying that we are working on: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2017/04/new-flaw-dying-in-martial-world.html

Also should have more session logs up soon. A bit behind on getting those up (there are about four sessions I need to do write-ups for).
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on May 02, 2017, 10:55:42 AM
This is something I've been using to speed combat up a bit during play (at least for NPCs not directly involved with the PCs): http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2017/05/speeding-up-combat-in-ogre-gate.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on May 14, 2017, 11:24:30 AM
Fell behind on session logs while finishing Ogre Gate Inn. Here is session 18 of Storms of the Martial World (I just give a quick recap of sessions 16-17). A lot happened. Party kills the leader of the Glorious Death Cult and gains some unwanted fame, then they go to see the Southern Thunder Goddess: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2017/05/storms-of-martial-world-session-18.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on May 15, 2017, 01:27:37 PM
Session 48 of Disposable Disciples: Weeping Lotus informs Shen Chun that his wife is dead and the Kushen are invading: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2017/05/disposable-disciples-session-44-48.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on May 16, 2017, 06:41:08 PM
City of Dee Campaign Session Ten: The Emerald Crown of the Ethereal Banyan http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2017/05/city-of-dee-campaign-session-10-emerald.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on May 17, 2017, 02:09:15 PM
Wuxia Inspiration: Inn Encounters http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2017/05/wuxia-inspiration-inn-encounters.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: AsenRG on May 17, 2017, 02:14:41 PM
Quote from: BedrockBrendan;962912
Wuxia Inspiration: Inn Encounters http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2017/05/wuxia-inspiration-inn-encounters.html

That's great:)!
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on May 17, 2017, 02:52:37 PM
Quote from: AsenRG;962915
That's great:)!

Thanks. This one has been super useful for me in play.
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on May 22, 2017, 08:21:42 AM
Three sects and a baby: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2017/05/disposable-disciples-session-49-born.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on May 24, 2017, 10:58:46 AM
The party performs a righteous deed: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2017/05/city-of-dee-campaign-session-10.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: AsenRG on May 29, 2017, 02:39:49 AM
http://storiescharactersandsystemsinrpgs.blogspot.bg/2017/05/stunning-beauty-chronicles-part-8-whoog.html
And another partial update. Next update: meeting with the witches of Bone Kingdom and not getting eaten, and the truth behind Bronze Dragon! Mirror Boy overcomes his father, and the revelation of the cosmology that informed the rules of the former Dragon-Phoenix sect!
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on May 30, 2017, 11:41:43 AM
Quote from: AsenRG;964994
http://storiescharactersandsystemsinrpgs.blogspot.bg/2017/05/stunning-beauty-chronicles-part-8-whoog.html
And another partial update. Next update: meeting with the witches of Bone Kingdom and not getting eaten, and the truth behind Bronze Dragon! Mirror Boy overcomes his father, and the revelation of the cosmology that informed the rules of the former Dragon-Phoenix sect!

The witches of Bone Kingdom don't mess around.

I like the Fox Demon solution you came up with.
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on June 07, 2017, 09:39:42 AM
Disposable Disciples Session 50: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2017/06/disposable-disciples-session-50-chariot.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on June 14, 2017, 09:02:14 AM
Session 51 of the Disposable Disciples. A duel and negotiation at the Four Demon Pagodas: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2017/06/disposable-disciples-session-51-duel-at.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on June 18, 2017, 02:08:10 PM
Scoundrels of Daolu sessions 1-2: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2017/06/scoundrels-of-daolu-sessions-1-2-biting.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on June 19, 2017, 09:50:19 AM
Disposable Disciples Session 52: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2017/06/disposable-disciples-session-52-battle.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: AsenRG on June 30, 2017, 05:34:02 PM
And I'm really, really behind on describing the sessions, but the party has put a trap to some Qinwen guy, also known as The Master of The Seven Talysmans, and we actually intend to kill him. Of course, we are backed up by the three Bone Sisters, four or five heads of other sects (it's arguable whether the guy we currently is The Dragon's Head now), several first students of kung-fu sects that are (or were) gearing to inherit the position, the 15 wives of our own clan, and literally dozens of kung-fu zombies and Mystic Swords, not to mention a mirror ghost and a fox.
And he doesn't expect us. But to make it more fun, we've actually prepared the battlefield, complete with an easier way to retreat that actually leads into a killing zone, and my wife is trying to slip him somnorific, hidden in a meal that normally smells almost the same way. (We expect that he'd be protected against poison).
Nobody wants Stunning Beauty Team to be his enemies, because we really try to leave nothing to chance.

I also expect that after we kill him, the alliance will be off, and it will be a "last (wo)man standing" to get his magic items.
We're not planning to take many of those. But if that's what happens, we intend to make sure two of the Bone Sisters wouldn't make it out alive. Lady Plum Blossom is, in our esteemed opinion, a much better Phoenix Head, possibly after a period of study under the most humane of them.
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on July 01, 2017, 09:48:44 AM
Quote from: AsenRG;972384
And I'm really, really behind on describing the sessions, but the party has put a trap to some Qinwen guy, also known as The Master of The Seven Talysmans, and we actually intend to kill him. Of course, we are backed up by the three Bone Sisters, four or five heads of other sects (it's arguable whether the guy we currently is The Dragon's Head now), several first students of kung-fu sects that are (or were) gearing to inherit the position, the 15 wives of our own clan, and literally dozens of kung-fu zombies and Mystic Swords, not to mention a mirror ghost and a fox.
And he doesn't expect us. But to make it more fun, we've actually prepared the battlefield, complete with an easier way to retreat that actually leads into a killing zone, and my wife is trying to slip him somnorific, hidden in a meal that normally smells almost the same way. (We expect that he'd be protected against poison).
Nobody wants Stunning Beauty Team to be his enemies, because we really try to leave nothing to chance.

I also expect that after we kill him, the alliance will be off, and it will be a "last (wo)man standing" to get his magic items.
We're not planning to take many of those. But if that's what happens, we intend to make sure two of the Bone Sisters wouldn't make it out alive. Lady Plum Blossom is, in our esteemed opinion, a much better Phoenix Head, possibly after a period of study under the most humane of them.

Qinwen and the sisters of Bone Kingdom are some of my favorite NPCs in the game.

I am behind doing my session logs as well. In my last session of Disposable Disciples the players organized a meeting of the leaders of the martial world. They were trying to organize a resistance to the Yan invasion (in this particular campaign the Glorious Emperor is dead and the Yan invaded bringing with them a new kind of elemental magic). The players had waged a huge war in Dee that resulted in many big martial heroes being killed. This made Dee an easy point of invasion for the Yan and the players now realize that the martial world has become too depleted to resist because of all their infighting. The meeting was supposed to bring everyone together. But Dehua sect made things very difficult for them, claiming that the Chief of the Martial World (one of the PCs) violated every Dehuan virtue and therefore couldn't possibly gain the mandate of Heaven. By the end of the session they still hadn't managed to unite anyone.
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on July 09, 2017, 09:42:09 AM
Here is the last two sessions of the Storms of the Martial World campaign. One of the players almost turned into a Tree Demon Minion, and they had a drinking contest with a khan:

http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2017/07/storms-of-martial-world-sessions-19-20.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on July 16, 2017, 02:24:05 PM
The Scoundrels of Daolu Session 3: The players find work guarding a temple and kill some people: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2017/07/scoundrels-of-daolu-session-3-killing.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on July 27, 2017, 09:46:41 AM
Latest session log: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2017/07/disposable-disciples-sessions-53-57.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on July 31, 2017, 09:27:51 AM
Session 58 of Disposable Disciples: A poisoning, mysterious deaths and a cover-up
http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2017/07/disposable-disciples-session-58-last.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on July 31, 2017, 09:47:13 AM
Should mention that was a two player session.
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on August 18, 2017, 02:45:16 PM
The party cut off Ferocious Flower's hands and travelled back in time: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2017/08/disposable-disciples-sessions-59-60.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on August 19, 2017, 11:07:33 AM
Started blog posts on gaming Strange Tales from a Chinese Studios. Will be turning stories in the book into Ogre Gate compatible entries:

Spitting Water: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2017/08/gaming-strange-tales-from-chinese.html
The Painted Wall: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2017/08/gaming-strange-tales-from-chinese_19.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on August 26, 2017, 03:13:41 PM
Here are some more entries:


The Troll: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2017/08/gaming-strange-tales-from-chinese_78.html
Biting a Ghost and Catching a Fox: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2017/08/gaming-tales-from-chinese-studio-biting.html
The Monster in the Buckwheat and More: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2017/08/gaming-tales-from-chinese-studio.html
Growing Pears and the Taoist Priest of Mount Lao: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2017/08/gaming-strange-tales-from-chinese_22.html
The Monk of Changqing: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2017/08/gaming-strange-tales-from-chinese_23.html
The God of Hail and the Golden Goblet: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2017/08/gaming-strange-tales-from-chinese_24.html
Grace and Pine: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2017/08/gaming-strange-tales-from-chinese_62.html
A Most Exemplary Monk and More: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2017/08/gaming-strange-tales-from-chinese_25.html
Wild Dog, Past Lives and Fox in a Bottle: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2017/08/gaming-strange-tales-from-chinese_26.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on August 27, 2017, 02:20:29 PM
Here is another:

Thumb and Thimble & Scorched Moth the Taoist: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2017/08/gaming-strange-tales-from-chinese_27.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on August 28, 2017, 08:23:47 AM
New session log for Disposable Disciples. The future comes to kick ass: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2017/08/disposable-disciples-sessions-61-62.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on August 28, 2017, 12:09:28 PM
Here are more strange tale inspired monsters:

Karmic Debts, Door Gods and More: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2017/08/gaming-strange-tales-from-chinese_28.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on August 30, 2017, 12:06:14 PM
Here are some more Strange Tales:

Painted Skin and More: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2017/08/gaming-tales-from-chinese-studio-34-36.html
A Latter-Day Buddha and More: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2017/08/gaming-strange-tales-from-chinese_29.html
The Laughing Girl: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2017/08/gaming-strange-tales-from-chinese_30.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on August 31, 2017, 10:53:33 AM
More strange tales:

The Magic Sword and Magic Baghttp://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2017/08/gaming-strange-tales-from-chinese_2.html
The Devoted Mouse and More: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2017/08/gaming-strange-tales-from-chinese_31.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on September 02, 2017, 09:48:27 AM
Sects of the Martial World blog entry, Lady Eighty-Seven: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2017/09/sects-of-martial-world-lady-eighty.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on September 04, 2017, 01:25:05 PM
Disposable Disciples Session 63: The fate of the martial world is decided http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2017/09/disposable-disciples-session-63-nothing.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on September 06, 2017, 08:44:57 AM
More Strange Tales for Ogre Gate. I am just did number 54, so there are 50 remaining to do (a little over halfway through basically, but now the tales in the edition I am using begin to get a little longer, so I think it will still take time to complete).

Sheep Skin and Sharp Sword: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2017/09/gaming-strange-tales-from-chinese_4.html
Lotus Fragrance (complete mini-adventure): http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2017/09/gaming-strange-tales-from-chinese_5.html
The Little Mandarin and More: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2017/09/gaming-strange-tales-from-chinese_3.html
The Giant Fish, The Giant Turtle and Making Animals: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2017/09/gaming-strange-tales-from-chinese_2.html
Generosity: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2017/09/gaming-strange-tales-from-chinese.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on September 29, 2017, 12:11:37 PM
The Ogre Gate Inn is out: http://www.rpgnow.com/product/222763/Ogre-Gate-Inn-and-the-Strange-Land-of-Li-Fan?src=social_media_link
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: AsenRG on September 29, 2017, 03:29:45 PM
Quote from: BedrockBrendan;996866
The Ogre Gate Inn is out: http://www.rpgnow.com/product/222763/Ogre-Gate-Inn-and-the-Strange-Land-of-Li-Fan?src=social_media_link

I'm buying it for my GM right away, despite the unexpected hiatus;)!
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on October 01, 2017, 12:38:04 PM
Quote from: AsenRG;996930
I'm buying it for my GM right away, despite the unexpected hiatus;)!

Thanks!
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on October 23, 2017, 11:48:20 AM
The players have some trouble with spiders: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2017/10/disposable-disciples-session-66-it-came.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on November 02, 2017, 10:01:56 AM
Time travel troubles and drug empires in the latest session of Disposable Disciples: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2017/11/disposable-disciples-session-67-ten.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on November 07, 2017, 02:00:24 PM
Here is session 68: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2017/11/disposable-disciples-session-68-red.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on November 22, 2017, 07:50:14 AM
New campaign session log (this is my Tuesday group---I am still doing Disposable Disciples on Sunday, but just behind on the logs): http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2017/11/sons-of-lady-eighty-seven-sessions-1-2.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on December 08, 2017, 09:28:27 AM
I am behind on session logs but here is a podcast of the last Sons of Lady 87 Campaign: https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-ncxna-7e529b
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: joriandrake on December 08, 2017, 08:41:11 PM
reading this I wish you would have a campaign in the play by post subforum o.O
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on December 08, 2017, 08:51:10 PM
Quote from: joriandrake;1012303
reading this I wish you would have a campaign in the play by post subforum o.O


Maybe I will do one some time. I did start a Servants of Gaius play by post. I have to admit though I find that method of play challenging as a GM (something about the wait between posts throws me off).
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: joriandrake on December 08, 2017, 09:17:44 PM
Quote from: BedrockBrendan;1012308
Maybe I will do one some time. I did start a Servants of Gaius play by post. I have to admit though I find that method of play challenging as a GM (something about the wait between posts throws me off).

I can understand that, when I started playing PBP I was as player also impatient :)
It's however probably the most open and accessable method of playing RPG for me currently, if I don't count MMOs, and I do NOT count them, so you GM-ing such a campaign would be a selfish wish of mine :p
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on December 13, 2017, 07:59:07 AM
Once again, I am behind on the session logs (luckily it is because I am writing a bunch of stuff and not due to laziness). But here is the latest recording of our Sons of Lady Eighty-Seven Campaign: https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-2xugf-7f10bf

Disposable Disciples has a lot going on presently, and I am going to have to do a mega recap for the past 5-6 sessions. The big development is the players were almost killed at sea in a failed attempt at war, and one of the players has reached the profound levels and is seeking a path to immortality.
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on December 19, 2017, 02:55:35 PM
Was a little behind on the Disposable Disciples session recaps, so here is an overview of sessions 69-73: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2017/12/disposable-disciples-session-69-73.html

The Tournament of Daolu has also been released in PDF: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2017/12/test-your-kung-fu-at-tournament-of-daolu.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on January 31, 2018, 09:02:50 AM
Here are the last several session podcasts of the Sons of Lady Eighty Seven campaign:


SESSION 07: https://bedrockgames.podbean.com/e/sons-of-lady-eighty-seven-session-7-hell-burning-sword/

SESSION 08: https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-bhexb-81bac9

SESSION 09: https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-xsp8e-82d0bd

SESSION 10: http://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-h8xrc-83bf6b

SESSION 11: https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-8bubv-861802
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on February 28, 2018, 08:23:38 AM
Latest sons of Lady Eighty Seven Sessions:

Session 15: https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-x8ujt-8b6175

Session 14 (recording messed up a little): https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-nrveb-8a1764

Session 13: https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-r443j-8893a4

Session 12: https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-sx5n6-872de5
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on March 17, 2018, 08:26:50 AM
Here are ten random adventure hooks/encounters: https://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2018/03/wuxia-inspiration-blood-stained.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on April 09, 2018, 08:02:07 AM
Putting out the War of Swarming Beggars book on the Blog:

INTRO: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2018/04/war-of-swarming-beggars-introduction.html
CHAPTER ONE: RUNNING THE ADVENTURE http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2018/04/war-of-swarming-beggars-chapter-one.html
CHAPTERS TWO AND THREE: HAI'AN OVERVIEW: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2018/04/war-of-swarming-beggars-chapter-two-and.html
CHAPTER FOUR: PEOPLES AND PLACES OF SWARMING BEGGARS http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2018/04/war-of-swarming-beggars-chapter-four.html
CHAPTER FIVE: THE CITY OF DEE: https://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2018/04/war-of-swarming-beggars-chapter-five.html

also, here are the latest sessions of Lady Eighty Seven:

Session 13: https://bedrockgames.podbean.com/e/sons-of-lady-eighty-seven-session-13-the-drunken-inspector/
Session 14: https://bedrockgames.podbean.com/e/sons-of-lady-eighty-seven-session-14/
Session 15: https://bedrockgames.podbean.com/e/sons-of-lady-eighty-seven-session-16-a-fork-in-the-road/
Session 16: https://bedrockgames.podbean.com/e/sons-of-lady-eighty-seven-session-16-daofengs-two-fold-loss/
Session 17: https://bedrockgames.podbean.com/e/sons-of-lady-eighty-seven-session-17-poison-was-the-cure/
Session 18: https://bedrockgames.podbean.com/e/lady-eighty-seven-session-18-against-the-glorious-emperor/
Session 19: https://bedrockgames.podbean.com/e/sons-of-lady-eighty-seven-session-19-made-from-iron/
Session 20: https://bedrockgames.podbean.com/e/sons-of-lady-eighty-seven-sssion-20-wulin-summit-os/
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: AsenRG on April 10, 2018, 06:30:38 PM
I finally gathered the time to describe the rest of the sessions of our Ogre Gate campaign. It became a huge post, although I only listed the events in bulletpoint format!

http://aflashingbladeandpanache.blogspot.bg/2018/04/stunning-beauty-chronicles-part-9-whoog.html
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on May 29, 2018, 07:36:26 AM
Here are the latest session recordings (and two session recaps: was sick for a few weeks and relied on the recaps for those ones):

Session 25 recording: https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-4e3nr-922160

Session 24 recap: https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-jxkzm-913f5f

Session 23 recording: https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-apfkq-905767

Session 22 Recording: https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-na7cs-8fdb7d

Session 21 recap: https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-swii9-8f637d
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on August 04, 2018, 11:45:51 AM
Here are the latest episodes. There is a bit of gap because we had to take a break for a few weeks when one of our player's lung collapsed unexpectedly. Also, I've been mixing up the format between recaps and full sessions lately. So some are a break down of events after the fact by the players, some are full sessions.

We are probably one session away from the end of the campaign (or at least from a substantial break point). They are attacking the empire and in session 29 they start their march on the capital. After this session we are probably going to do a short Sertorius campaign, followed by Strange Tales, then another WHOG scenario (which I think might pick up in the aftermath of the Lady 87 campaign).

Session 29 Recap: https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-in7fx-96576d

Session 28 (full session recording): https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-zf4xx-94073a

Session 27 recap: https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-mkfbz-930ac6

Session 26 recap: https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-8gvkq-92966f
Title: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on August 08, 2018, 07:54:50 AM
Last session recap of Sons of Lady Eighty Seven: https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-yfwah-96cecd

We are going to start on a Strange Tales campaign next.
Title: Re: Wandering heroes of ogre gate
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on March 10, 2022, 08:13:46 AM
Just an update on this one. The Lady Eighty Seven book is finally in the last stages of editing and should go into layout in April. Been in development for quite a while.

Here is a preview of the cover: http://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2022/01/lady-87-campaign-book.html