11 August 2009
Today’s Tabbloid
PERSONAL NEWS FOR riorio2@rogue-games.net
ROGUE FEED
More Stormbringer
Awesomeness
AUG 10, 2009 08:33P.M.
The literary genre of swords & sorcery fiction is a particularly
gory branch of heroic fantasy, and that is what this game
simulates. Inevitably, this means that some players are going
to get into situations that they can’t get out of, and their
characters will have to die. It is important that they realize
this before the game ever starts, and that they know that you
bear them no personal animosity. Then, when the character’s
number comes up, kill him without regret. As a GM it is poor
form to become so fond of some character that you let him
cheat death when his luck finally runs out.
Generally speaking, a character’s death should always be
traceable to some decision or action that he made. A
character who chooses to fight a bear and then gets killed by
that bear has no gripe coming. A character who refuses to
wear armor and then gets killed by an arrow when all his
armored companions are advancing safely deserves his fate.
A character who walks into a dragon’s den to avoid a certain
death outside it really can’t complain if the dragon eats him
anyway.
On the other hand, if the players comes up with a plausible
way to survive a situation, and makes the required skill or
POW saving rolls, then you really should let him survive. I
once had a character who killed a monster — a giant
combination armadillo-wolf — and then burrowed into its
innards and hid inside the dead monster for hours to avoid
innumerable others that were wandering around. It worked,
too, and that character survived that particular trap, only to
die later when caught out in the open by an aerial attack. He
was happy to survive the first time, and I had no gripes when
he died later because the GM was absolutely fair about it. If
he had been smart enough, he wouldn’t have been caught in
the open.
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ROGUE FEED
Reckless Adventure
AUG 10, 2009 05:12P.M.
My Stormbringer boxed set — yes, I’m going to be talking about it a lot
this week — included a Chaosium Games Summer 1982 catalog. Except
for reminding me that, yes, even Chaosium used to publish wargames,
it’s actually not all that interesting. There is, however, a mention of an
RPG that never came to pass, with a supposed release date of Fall 1982.
Call Reckless Adventure, it’s described as “A role-playing game where
the players explore the pulp adventures of the 1930s. It will include a
sourcebook for the era, referees handbook, and many scenarios.”
If Call of Cthulhu hadn’t already been released by this point, I might
suspect that this project was eventually folded into that game, whose
original boxed set did include a 1920s sourcebook. However, it was
scheduled to appear after CoC had already debuted, so I’m not quite sure
what to make of it. Intriguingly, the perpetually-delayed Pulp Cthulhu is
subtitled “Reckless Adventures in the 1930s,” so who knows?
ROGUE FEED
Beggars Can’t Be Choosers
AUG 10, 2009 04:47P.M.
Stormbringer, at least in its first edition, which I’m now reading
voraciously, is a hard core old school game, in some ways more hard core
than OD&D where you at least get to pick your race and/or class. In
Stormbringer, both race (i.e. nationality) and class (i.e. profession) are
determined by random roll. One of the classes you might roll (4% chance
on D100) is “beggar.” Aside from social penalties, beggars also suffer
from 1D6 afflictions, which can range from tooth decay/bad breath to
leprosy or hemophilia (again, determined randomly).
The rulebook includes a section — 2.3.10.3, if you’re interested in its
wargames-style organization — entitled “Difficulty of Being a Beggar.” It
reads in part:
Because of their handicaps and very low status in the Young
Kingdoms’ society, it is not recommended that beginning
players attempt to use Beggars for their adventurer
characters. If you have randomly determined that your
adventurer character is a Beggar, you may roll again on table
Today’s Tabbloid PERSONAL NEWS FOR riorio2@rogue-games.net 11 August 2009

[2.3.1.1] Class Background if you wish.
However, those players who enjoy a challenge may get a
special kick out of attempting to beat the system and win with
a character who is blind, deaf, or partially crippled. Any
triumphs won with such a character would be
correspondingly greater than those won by normal
characters. If you do choose to play a Beggar, you have my
condolences and best wishes.
home for all information on our games. Megadunegon.net will be
kicked into gear. The Rogue Games site links these two sites together
to bring you the information you want. The site also will contain
information on a few other projects James and I have been planning for
two years. What project is this? Ask me at GenCon, or wait until next
week.

Maybe it’s final, definitive proof that I’m as mentally deranged as some
have claimed, but I think that’s one of the more awesome bits of text I’ve ROGUE FEED
read in any gaming rulebook lately. Makes me want to run an all-beggar
mini-campaign set in Nadsokor. Repairing Game Books
AUG 10, 2009 11:34A.M.

As I mentioned, I recently acquired a very nice copy of the 1st edition

Stormbringer boxed set. I’d like to run a one-shot adventure with my
players at some point, but Dwimmermount is still going strong (we had
ROGUE FEED another session yesterday, although one that proved shorter than I’d
intended) and I don’t want to ruin the flow of that campaign. In addition,
Introducing the new site nice though the copy I received was, it has a flaw: some pages at the
AUG 10, 2009 02:02P.M. center of the rulebook are falling out. That was inevitable, given that it’s
28 years old and was not of the highest quality binding even when new.
As of today James and I have kicked off a new website. This site works in
partnership with the main Rogue Games site. The new site? I would like to repair the book in some way that prevents further
deterioration, since it’s the only copy we’d have at the table. In general, I
12-degrees.net take very good care of my games and rulebooks, but I still use them, so I
don’t care about some sort of museum-style “restoration” of the book. I
This new site is now the home for all information dealing with the games simply don’t want it to fall to pieces and I want to be able to hand it to
put out by Rogue Games. In addition, you will find the blog moved players who can use it while generating their characters.
over here as well.
Does anyone out there have any good suggestions?
Why the change?

Well, traffic on the Rogue Games website has gotten out of hand. This
is a good thing, but it has cost us due to the site going over the monthly
bandwidth the web host allows. This is a good thing, because it means
more and more gamers are finding our games, and enjoying what we are ROGUE FEED
doing.
Pulp Fantasy Library: Seven
This site, deals with all the games that we have put out, as well as plan to
put out. This site will grow as our games grow, and will work in Foot Prints to Satan
conjunction with the main Rogue Games site. All the content you are AUG 10, 2009 10:21A.M.
use to seeing is still here, just in new sections. We have a lot of things
planed, and this site will be the place to get all that information.

When we started Rogue Games back in 2007 we never expected to still

be here. In the two years we opened the doors we have grown from one
book, to now six. We never thought we would be working on a third
game. We never thought we would have a growing network of sites
devoted to the games we love to play and design.

Once GenCon is over next week, we will be moving into our third year of
doing what we love — designing games. 12-degrees.net will be your

2
Today’s Tabbloid PERSONAL NEWS FOR riorio2@rogue-games.net
Although Abraham Merritt’s 1928 novel (serialized the previous year in
Argosy) is technically set in the “real world,” namely modern New York
City, much of its action takes place within the labyrinthine mansion of
the crime lord known only as Satan, where the laws of reality seem, if not
wholly in abeyance, at least more flexible than they are outside its walls.
Seven Foot Prints to Satan tells the story of James Kirkham, an explorer
who is kidnapped by thugs in the employ of the aforementioned crime
lord. Taken back to his lair — a D&D-style dungeon before the fact,
complete with death traps — Kirkham is forced to undergo a test at
Satan’s hands, where he must walk upon seven glowing footprints.
Depending on which ones he walks upon, Kirkham will either be
rewarded, executed, or bound to servitude to Satan for one year.
Our hero avoids death but he does not escape servitude and so must
spend the next year engaged in a series of spectacular crimes at the
behest of Satan, during which time he meets — and falls in love with —
Eve, a young woman who shares his predicament. The crime lord is a
disfigured man of astounding intellect and it’s initially not clear whether
his moniker is merely a nom de guerre or an indication of his true
identity. Regardless, he’s actually a fascinating character, in many ways
far more interesting than either Kirkham or Eve, both of whom possess
conventional pulp heroic personalities.
Gygax doesn’t list this book by name in Appendix N, perhaps
understandably since it’s set in the 20th century and doesn’t have any
overt supernaturalism to it. Still, Satan would make a fine villain in a
fantasy story and his mansion reminds me of the maze-like dungeons of
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11 August 2009
the early days. There’s thus a lot in its pages to inspire referees looking
for a slightly different approach to dungeon design than is common
nowadays. Seven Foot Prints to Satan was adapted into a film in 1929. I
have never seen it, but my understanding is that it’s a fairly loose
adaptation. Just goes to show that Hollywood has been doing what
Hollywood does for a lot longer than any of us have been alive to curse
them for it.
ROGUE FEED
GenCon Plans
AUG 10, 2009 07:25A.M.
Rogue Games is once again attending GenCon. Here are a few things
you need to know.
Booth Number: 2038
New Products: Colonial Gothic Revised($24.99) andThousand
Suns: Foundation Transmissions($12.99).
Cool Things for GenCon Only: Colonial Gothic eBook CD ($2.50)
and 12 Degrees Dice Pack ($6.00).
Other Products: The complete line for both games.
Demos: Colonial Gothic demos in the booth starting Friday. Why not
Thursday? Graeme Davis will not be in town early enough. Three cool
demos are planned, and if you want to play, stop by the booth.
There you go. Plan accordingly.
If you are not going to be at GenCon, have no fears. Like we did last
year, anything new being released at the show will be ready to buy and
download from Drivethrurpg.com on Thursday. So if you
want Thousand Suns: Foundation Transmissions before your
friends, you will be able to buy it and download it Thursday morning. In
addition, the PDF Guarantee is in effect forGenConas well. How? That
is for me to know, and you to find out. Ok, that is not nice. Simply put,
you buy any of the Rogue Games games at the show, after the show you
will get the PDF.
Today’s Tabbloid PERSONAL NEWS FOR riorio2@rogue-games.net
ROGUE FEED
GenCon Plans
AUG 10, 2009 07:25A.M.
Rogue Games is once again attending GenCon. Here are a few things
you need to know.
Booth Number: 2038
New Products: Colonial Gothic Revised($24.99) andThousand
Suns: Foundation Transmissions($12.99).
Cool Things for GenCon Only: Colonial Gothic eBook CD ($2.50)
and 12 Degrees Dice Pack ($6.00).
Other Products: The complete line for both games.
Demos: Colonial Gothic demos in the booth starting Friday. Why not
Thursday? Graeme Davis will not be in town early enough. Three cool
demos are planned, and if you want to play, stop by the booth.
There you go. Plan accordingly.
If you are not going to be at GenCon, have no fears. Like we did last
year, anything new being released at the show will be ready to buy and
download from Drivethrurpg.com on Thursday. So if you
want Thousand Suns: Foundation Transmissions before your
friends, you will be able to buy it and download it Thursday morning. In
addition, the PDF Guarantee is in effect forGenConas well. How? That
is for me to know, and you to find out. Ok, that is not nice. Simply put,
you buy any of the Rogue Games games at the show, after the show you
will get the PDF.
ROGUE FEED
Cursed Chateau Art Show
AUG 10, 2009 07:24A.M.
Artist/curator Timothy Hutchings has collected a disparate band of
contemporary artmakers, including performance artists, digital artists,
sculptors, painters, musicians and various in-betweens, all united by a
direct or indirect relationship to role playing games such as Dungeons
and Dragons. Hutchings has shoved these artists into the unaccustomed
role of illustrators for the role playing game adventure book “The Cursed
Chateau”, written by James Maliszewski.
The participating artists include Chris Bors, Olaf Breuning, Jeffrey
Brown, Kitty Clark, Alex DeMaria, Don Doe, Giovanni Fenech, Andrew
Guenther, Ketta Ioannidou, Josh Jordan, Matt Lock, Fiona Macneil,
Chris Patch, Jason Phillips, Owen Rundquist, Rebecca Schiffman,
4
11 August 2009
Siebren Versteeg, Todd White, Sherry Wong, and Steve Zeiser. Also
contributing are the old school game illustrators Pixie Bledsaw and the
renowned Erol Otus.
Concurrent with the exhibition at theIndianapolis Museum of
Contemporary Artwill be a related booth at GenCon, a yearly gaming
convention hosted in Indianapolis. GenCon is the most important game
event in the world, attracting tens of thousands of visitors and acting as a
platform for major industry releases and premieres. This year, GenCon
runs August 13 – 16, more information on the convention is available
atwww.gencon.com.
iMOCA is free to the public and open 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. every Thursday
through Saturday and is located in the Emelie Building at340 North
Senate Avenue.
Opening August 14
6-9PM
Exhibit runs August 14 – September 26th
ROGUE FEED
Cursed Chateau Art Show
AUG 10, 2009 07:24A.M.
Artist/curator Timothy Hutchings has collected a disparate band of
contemporary artmakers, including performance artists, digital artists,
sculptors, painters, musicians and various in-betweens, all united by a
direct or indirect relationship to role playing games such as Dungeons
and Dragons. Hutchings has shoved these artists into the unaccustomed
role of illustrators for the role playing game adventure book “The Cursed
Chateau”, written by James Maliszewski.
The participating artists include Chris Bors, Olaf Breuning, Jeffrey
Brown, Kitty Clark, Alex DeMaria, Don Doe, Giovanni Fenech, Andrew
Guenther, Ketta Ioannidou, Josh Jordan, Matt Lock, Fiona Macneil,
Chris Patch, Jason Phillips, Owen Rundquist, Rebecca Schiffman,
Siebren Versteeg, Todd White, Sherry Wong, and Steve Zeiser. Also
contributing are the old school game illustrators Pixie Bledsaw and the
renowned Erol Otus.
Concurrent with the exhibition at theIndianapolis Museum of
Contemporary Artwill be a related booth at GenCon, a yearly gaming
convention hosted in Indianapolis. GenCon is the most important game
event in the world, attracting tens of thousands of visitors and acting as a
platform for major industry releases and premieres. This year, GenCon
runs August 13 – 16, more information on the convention is available
atwww.gencon.com.
iMOCA is free to the public and open 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. every Thursday
Today’s Tabbloid PERSONAL NEWS FOR riorio2@rogue-games.net 11 August 2009

through Saturday and is located in the Emelie Building at340 North ROGUE FEED
Senate Avenue.
Coming December 2009
Opening August 14 AUG 10, 2009 07:21A.M.
6-9PM

Exhibit runs August 14 – September 26th

Are you brave enough?

For decades, stories have circulated about the Cursed Chateau: the
debauched entertainments and depraved experiments that took place
within its walls while its master, Lord Jourdain, yet lived and the terrible
ROGUE FEED hauntings that followed in the wake of his mysterious death.

Coming December 2009 Now you find yourself trapped inside the Chateau, cut off from the sanity
AUG 10, 2009 07:21A.M. of the world outside. Only by braving its terrors can you hope to find the
key to your escape — if you survive.

The Cursed Chateauis a fantasy roleplaying adventure for 4-8

Are you brave enough? characters of levels 4-6 that includes referee information, maps,
exploration keys, and everything else needed to play.
For decades, stories have circulated about the Cursed Chateau: the
debauched entertainments and depraved experiments that took place ComingDecember 2009.
within its walls while its master, Lord Jourdain, yet lived and the terrible
hauntings that followed in the wake of his mysterious death. Details

Now you find yourself trapped inside the Chateau, cut off from the sanity The Cursed Chateau
of the world outside. Only by braving its terrors can you hope to find the RGG 6000
key to your escape — if you survive. 6×9 96 Pages BW Softcover

The Cursed Chateauis a fantasy roleplaying adventure for 4-8

characters of levels 4-6 that includes referee information, maps,
exploration keys, and everything else needed to play.

ComingDecember 2009.

Details

The Cursed Chateau

RGG 6000
6×9 96 Pages BW Softcover