Thursday, September 13, 2018
Thursday, September 6, 2018
Desert Village Architecture
Too often desert villages in fantasy rpg settings don't look any different from forest villages. Usually, you get a lot of individual buildings with wide avenues between them and, most likely, a wall surrounding the entire thing.
Something like this:
Something like this:
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| Courtesy Wizards of the Coast |
Saturday, September 1, 2018
Fifth Session - Recovery and Loss
Cast
Julius: Human male psychokinetic. Played by Dave. Speaks Balician and Tyrian.
Alaxander: Human male psychokinetic. Played by my 7 year old son, because Ben could not make it. Speaks Balician and Elf.
Kalino: Human male fighter/preserver. Played by DM. Speaks Rammin and Tyrian.
Vashti: Human female clairsentient/water cleric. Played by my wife. Speaks Nibnese, Gith, and Balician.
Grak (aka Guacamole): Pterran male ranger. Played by Clyde. Speaks Pterran and Giant.
Emir: Human male. 42 years old. Rancher. NPC. Speaks Balician, Nibnese, and Tyrian.
Dilay: Human female. 38 years old. Rancher. NPC. Speaks Balician, Nibnese, and Tyrian.
Lutfi: Human male. 17 years old. Rancher. NPC. Speaks Balician, and Nibnese.
Fikri: Human male. 19 years old. Rancher. NPC. Speaks Balician and Nibnese.
Havva: Human female. 14 years old. Domestic worker. NPC. Speaks Balician and Nibnese.
Riza: Human male. 22 years old. Ranch hand. NPC. Speaks Nibnese.
Amir: Human male. 18 years old. Ranch hand. NPC. Speaks Nibnese.
Essa: Human male. 20 years old. Ranch hand. NPC. Speaks Nibnese.
Hanif: Human male. 16 years old. Ranch hand. NPC. Speaks Nibnese and Tyrian.
Demetrius: Human male. 25 years old. Shepherd. NPC. Speaks Nibnese.
Salvador: Human male. 41 years old. Mason. NPC. Speaks Nibnese.
Agathon: Human male. 17 years old. Shepherd. NPC. Speaks Balician.
Note: For those unfamiliar with Dark Sun, psionics are called the Will for wild talents and the Way for trained psionicists.
Vashti helped Grak into the small home on the property. Inside she saw Dilay, Lutfi, Riza, Amir, Essa, and Hanif tied up on the floor and Emir unconscious, with blood leaking from a wound on the back of his head. Vashti helped Grak into a sitting position and rushed to helped Emir. She patched up his head and moved him to a straw mattress on the floor. She then began untying Dilay. Grak's eagle hopped into the house and began pecking at the ropes on Hanif.
When Dilay was untied, Julius, Fikri and Havva arrived and dismounted. Fikri ran to his mother and hugged her. They both started helping to untie the others when Dilay explained what had happened. They had problems with gith before, but were always able to chase them off by showing their daggers and clubs. However, this time they had charged in without warning and engaged the men. They had knocked out Emir with the butt of a spear before he had time to react. The boys had put up a fight and sent Fikri to find help.
Although the boys were badly outnumbered, they fought as well as they could. However, when the gith threatened to kill Emir, the boys had to surrender. The gith tied them up and she believed they wanted to sell them into slavery.
She thanked them all for saving the ranch. Fikri told them that he promised them erdlu eggs for helping and Dilay said they could have all they could carry. Kalino looted the fallen gith and shared the spoils with Fikri. Vashti was patching up the men's wounds and asked if they could stay at the ranch and recover. Dilay saw the way Havva was looking at Julius and readily agreed.
Julius: Human male psychokinetic. Played by Dave. Speaks Balician and Tyrian.
Alaxander: Human male psychokinetic. Played by my 7 year old son, because Ben could not make it. Speaks Balician and Elf.
Kalino: Human male fighter/preserver. Played by DM. Speaks Rammin and Tyrian.
Vashti: Human female clairsentient/water cleric. Played by my wife. Speaks Nibnese, Gith, and Balician.
Grak (aka Guacamole): Pterran male ranger. Played by Clyde. Speaks Pterran and Giant.
Emir: Human male. 42 years old. Rancher. NPC. Speaks Balician, Nibnese, and Tyrian.
Dilay: Human female. 38 years old. Rancher. NPC. Speaks Balician, Nibnese, and Tyrian.
Lutfi: Human male. 17 years old. Rancher. NPC. Speaks Balician, and Nibnese.
Fikri: Human male. 19 years old. Rancher. NPC. Speaks Balician and Nibnese.
Havva: Human female. 14 years old. Domestic worker. NPC. Speaks Balician and Nibnese.
Riza: Human male. 22 years old. Ranch hand. NPC. Speaks Nibnese.
Amir: Human male. 18 years old. Ranch hand. NPC. Speaks Nibnese.
Essa: Human male. 20 years old. Ranch hand. NPC. Speaks Nibnese.
Hanif: Human male. 16 years old. Ranch hand. NPC. Speaks Nibnese and Tyrian.
Demetrius: Human male. 25 years old. Shepherd. NPC. Speaks Nibnese.
Salvador: Human male. 41 years old. Mason. NPC. Speaks Nibnese.
Agathon: Human male. 17 years old. Shepherd. NPC. Speaks Balician.
Note: For those unfamiliar with Dark Sun, psionics are called the Will for wild talents and the Way for trained psionicists.
Vashti helped Grak into the small home on the property. Inside she saw Dilay, Lutfi, Riza, Amir, Essa, and Hanif tied up on the floor and Emir unconscious, with blood leaking from a wound on the back of his head. Vashti helped Grak into a sitting position and rushed to helped Emir. She patched up his head and moved him to a straw mattress on the floor. She then began untying Dilay. Grak's eagle hopped into the house and began pecking at the ropes on Hanif.
When Dilay was untied, Julius, Fikri and Havva arrived and dismounted. Fikri ran to his mother and hugged her. They both started helping to untie the others when Dilay explained what had happened. They had problems with gith before, but were always able to chase them off by showing their daggers and clubs. However, this time they had charged in without warning and engaged the men. They had knocked out Emir with the butt of a spear before he had time to react. The boys had put up a fight and sent Fikri to find help.
Although the boys were badly outnumbered, they fought as well as they could. However, when the gith threatened to kill Emir, the boys had to surrender. The gith tied them up and she believed they wanted to sell them into slavery.
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| Who wouldn't want to carry someone else for the rest of their life and not get paid? |
Friday, August 31, 2018
Bald Dwarf Miniature
Finding miniatures for Dark Sun has always been a challenge, but nothing has been more difficult than finding a beardless Dwarf. All Dwarf miniatures are Tolkien Dwarves with long beards. I have found one Dwarf without a beard and this is it. I purchased it too and it now sits on my shelf, primed and waiting for paint.
I also got this guy because he has wrist razors!
Has anyone else out there found any miniatures that fit Dark Sun perfectly? Any other bald Dwarves? Let me know.
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| At last, a Dark Sun Dwarf miniature. |
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| Defiler, obviously. |
Sunday, August 26, 2018
Fourth Session - Dealing with Rustlers
Cast
Julius: Human male psychokinetic. Played by Dave. Speaks Balician and Tyrian.
Alaxander: Human male psychokinetic. Played by my 7 year old son, because Ben could not make it. Speaks Balician and Elf.
Kalino: Human male fighter/preserver. Played by DM. Speaks Rammin and Tyrian.
Vashti: Human female clairsentient/water cleric. Played by my wife. Speaks Nibnese and Gith.
Guacamole: Pterran male ranger. Played by Clyde. Speaks Pterran and Giant.
Fikri: Human male. 19 years old. Rancher. NPC. Speaks Balician and Nibnese.
Havva: Human female. 14 years old. Domestic worker. NPC. Speaks Balician and Nibnese.
Note: For those unfamiliar with Dark Sun, psionics are called the Will for wild talents and the Way for trained psionicists.
The group ran for nearly twenty minutes, the hot stone burning their unprotected feet, before Fikri indicated that the farm was just a few yards away. Vashti laid her cloak on the hot ground and then laid atop it. She began crawling, using her cloak to prevent the hot stones from burning her skin, toward the edge of the small fifteen foot cliff that overlooked the erdlu ranch. Everyone else walked past her.
Once they reached the edge of the cliff, they saw three gith attempting to break into a storage building and one more guarding a house a few yards from the others. Alaxander began shouting insults at the gith. Being so far away, only one of gith heard him, but could not pinpoint his location. Alaxander and Guacamole climbed down the short cliff while everyone else went down the gradual slope. Kalino, Julius, Vashti, and Fikri hid behind some yucca trees. Alaxander and Guacmole attempted to hide also, but had to cross a wide expanse first. While crossing the expanse, they were spotted and the gith rushed towards them.
Julius: Human male psychokinetic. Played by Dave. Speaks Balician and Tyrian.
Alaxander: Human male psychokinetic. Played by my 7 year old son, because Ben could not make it. Speaks Balician and Elf.
Kalino: Human male fighter/preserver. Played by DM. Speaks Rammin and Tyrian.
Vashti: Human female clairsentient/water cleric. Played by my wife. Speaks Nibnese and Gith.
Guacamole: Pterran male ranger. Played by Clyde. Speaks Pterran and Giant.
Fikri: Human male. 19 years old. Rancher. NPC. Speaks Balician and Nibnese.
Havva: Human female. 14 years old. Domestic worker. NPC. Speaks Balician and Nibnese.
Note: For those unfamiliar with Dark Sun, psionics are called the Will for wild talents and the Way for trained psionicists.
The group ran for nearly twenty minutes, the hot stone burning their unprotected feet, before Fikri indicated that the farm was just a few yards away. Vashti laid her cloak on the hot ground and then laid atop it. She began crawling, using her cloak to prevent the hot stones from burning her skin, toward the edge of the small fifteen foot cliff that overlooked the erdlu ranch. Everyone else walked past her.
Once they reached the edge of the cliff, they saw three gith attempting to break into a storage building and one more guarding a house a few yards from the others. Alaxander began shouting insults at the gith. Being so far away, only one of gith heard him, but could not pinpoint his location. Alaxander and Guacamole climbed down the short cliff while everyone else went down the gradual slope. Kalino, Julius, Vashti, and Fikri hid behind some yucca trees. Alaxander and Guacmole attempted to hide also, but had to cross a wide expanse first. While crossing the expanse, they were spotted and the gith rushed towards them.
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| Gith Attack! |
Sunday, August 19, 2018
Bone, Stone, and Obsidian Podcast
I recently discovered a great Dark Sun podcast called Bone, Stone, and Obsidian. While they talk about other than second edition Dark Sun and I disagree with their outlook on Templars, it is still interesting to listen to.
Check them out here: http://misdirectedmark.com/category/podcasts/bsao/
Sunday, August 12, 2018
Third Session - Communication Obstacles
Cast
Julius: Human male psychokinetic. Played by Dave. Speaks Balician and Tyrian.
Alaxander: Human male psychokinetic. Played by Ben. Speaks Balician and Elf.
Kalino: Human male fighter/preserver. Played by DM. Speaks Rammin and Tyrian.
Vashti: Human female clairsentient/water cleric. Played by my wife. Speaks Nibnese and Gith.
Guacamole: Pterran male ranger. Played by Clyde. Speaks Pterran and Giant.
Demetrius: Human male. 25 years old. Shepherd. NPC. Speaks Nibnese.
Salvador: Human male. 41 years old. Mason. NPC. Speaks Nibnese.
Agathon: Human male. 17 years old. Shepherd. NPC. Speaks Balician.
Cletus: Human male. 40 years old. Vinter. NPC. Speaks Balician.
Note: For those unfamiliar with Dark Sun, psionics are called the Will for wild talents and the Way for trained psionicists.
They stared at the stone door for little while, then Guacamole began moving the rocks that would prevent the group from rolling the pillar away from the door. Alaxander grabbed a rock and began banging it on the door, just to see if something banged back. Nothing did, so he began assisting with the removal of the rubble.
Once the rubble was removed and the pillar rolled out of the way, Alaxander got the idea to take a peek into the room using the Way. He made himself and the orb he was holding insubstantial and put his head and the orb through the door. Inside, he saw a dark-skinned Dwarf standing on an old table that looked about to collapse. He was beating two skeletons back with a stick, but would soon fall. Alaxander stepped back from the door and told his companions to open the door.
Once the door was opened, Guacamole rushed inside and attacked one of the skeletons and the others followed. Julius, unfortunately, was viciously wounded and the way failed him, when he tried to counter attack. Once the skeletons were defeated, the Dwarf thanked them. He told them his name was Abu Talib and he was an escaped slave. He explained that he, and three others, were escaped slaves and had come upon these ruins. In the process of exploring the ruins, they got separated and he was trapped inside the room when they were fleeing the skeletons. He didn't know how the pillar collapsed, but he'd been holding back the skeletons for three days.
Although suspicious, the group invited Abu to join them. Abu agreed and the group went upstairs to rest by the well. They set up camp and Alaxander offered to keep the first watch, while he continued work on his chitin shield.
Day 3, Week 1, Dominary, Friend's Vengeance, 190th King's Age, High Sun
When he woke Kalino for this watch, Kalino indicated that Abu was gone. Alaxander woke everyone, told Julius that Abu was gone, and tried to indicate it to the others. Guacamole could see that Abu's tracks went outside of the keep and pantomimed it to the others. It then took Julius awhile for the group to get past their communication barrier, but he finally made it clear that he wanted to move their sleeping place, just in case Abu came back with slavers. Everyone agreed and the group moved downstairs, into the storage room where they found water and kank honey.
Julius: Human male psychokinetic. Played by Dave. Speaks Balician and Tyrian.
Alaxander: Human male psychokinetic. Played by Ben. Speaks Balician and Elf.
Kalino: Human male fighter/preserver. Played by DM. Speaks Rammin and Tyrian.
Vashti: Human female clairsentient/water cleric. Played by my wife. Speaks Nibnese and Gith.
Guacamole: Pterran male ranger. Played by Clyde. Speaks Pterran and Giant.
Demetrius: Human male. 25 years old. Shepherd. NPC. Speaks Nibnese.
Salvador: Human male. 41 years old. Mason. NPC. Speaks Nibnese.
Agathon: Human male. 17 years old. Shepherd. NPC. Speaks Balician.
Cletus: Human male. 40 years old. Vinter. NPC. Speaks Balician.
Note: For those unfamiliar with Dark Sun, psionics are called the Will for wild talents and the Way for trained psionicists.
They stared at the stone door for little while, then Guacamole began moving the rocks that would prevent the group from rolling the pillar away from the door. Alaxander grabbed a rock and began banging it on the door, just to see if something banged back. Nothing did, so he began assisting with the removal of the rubble.
Once the rubble was removed and the pillar rolled out of the way, Alaxander got the idea to take a peek into the room using the Way. He made himself and the orb he was holding insubstantial and put his head and the orb through the door. Inside, he saw a dark-skinned Dwarf standing on an old table that looked about to collapse. He was beating two skeletons back with a stick, but would soon fall. Alaxander stepped back from the door and told his companions to open the door.
Once the door was opened, Guacamole rushed inside and attacked one of the skeletons and the others followed. Julius, unfortunately, was viciously wounded and the way failed him, when he tried to counter attack. Once the skeletons were defeated, the Dwarf thanked them. He told them his name was Abu Talib and he was an escaped slave. He explained that he, and three others, were escaped slaves and had come upon these ruins. In the process of exploring the ruins, they got separated and he was trapped inside the room when they were fleeing the skeletons. He didn't know how the pillar collapsed, but he'd been holding back the skeletons for three days.
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| Hopefully, his focus was not being killed by skeletons. |
Although suspicious, the group invited Abu to join them. Abu agreed and the group went upstairs to rest by the well. They set up camp and Alaxander offered to keep the first watch, while he continued work on his chitin shield.
Day 3, Week 1, Dominary, Friend's Vengeance, 190th King's Age, High Sun
When he woke Kalino for this watch, Kalino indicated that Abu was gone. Alaxander woke everyone, told Julius that Abu was gone, and tried to indicate it to the others. Guacamole could see that Abu's tracks went outside of the keep and pantomimed it to the others. It then took Julius awhile for the group to get past their communication barrier, but he finally made it clear that he wanted to move their sleeping place, just in case Abu came back with slavers. Everyone agreed and the group moved downstairs, into the storage room where they found water and kank honey.
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