Mutant Chronicles
A Year in Gaming – A Review of 2018
I think it’s correct this last year has been something of a roller-coaster. There’s been a lot of ups and downs for me personally, and it is safe to say I’m very much in a better place – literally – than earlier this year. I moved out from my flat in Albert Street, which is going on the market next month. There’s a lot of baggage I had attached regarding that place, and I’m feeling far better away from it!
Conventions & Events
Anyway… I didn’t make the UK Games Expo or Conpulsion this year. Both would have taken a serious toll on me this time, given the way things were. The amount of personal stress and anxiety I was suffering was sending me off the deep end. Since then, I’ve become far more clear-headed and remain firmly grounded in this reality.
That said, I’ve been busy in a few other realities! I ran a few demo games of the Conan RPG and Achtung! Cthulhu at Red Dice Games as part of Free RPG Day. I had a lot of fun – as did the players, plus I caught up with a few old acquaintances during the day.
Tabletop Scotland was a blast. I didn’t feel the same sense of mental pressure that I’ve felt at other gaming conventions, possibly since it’s the first year to run. I’ve heard nothing but positive feedback about the event which takes place in Perth. It’s on again from 24th – 25th August 2019. I’d have loved to have caught up with more folks but it was such a fun weekend, running Infinity RPG, Mutant Chronicles and Achtung! Cthulhu – all of which were well-received and gave much-needed feedback and new ideas.
Dragonmeet (earlier this month) was really busy for me. Again, I still didn’t manage to catch up with everyone I wanted to. I may try and make it more of an extended trip next year and spend a bit of time pottering about London, and catching up with folks beforehand.
Writing
Much of my time this year has been involved in writing for the Infinity RPG. As well as writing a sizeable chunk of material for the Infinity GM Guide, I’ve also been responsible for outlining and writing the massive forthcoming Infinity: Shadow Affairs Campaign book. It’s been a fairly deep-dive into the Infinity lore for me, but I’ve hit the ground running, just like my character (yes, that’s me on p.488 of the Infinity core book!). As a result of my work upon that, there’s a fair amount of work I’ve done on the forthcoming Paradiso source book too. Looking forward to seeing both of those in print. More on Infinity later…
I’ve also been heavily involved in converting Achtung! Cthulhu to the 7th Edition of the Call of Cthulhu rule-set, notably both the Investigator’s and Keeper’s Guide. I’ve also been responsible for a chapter of the new Achtung! Cthulhu 2d20 rule set, running several demos at Dragonmeet a few weeks ago. Lotta fun running that, along with the post-apocalyptic Devil’s Run game (which went a bit off-piste, but I enjoyed it). .
Mutant Chronicles has taken a bit of a back seat, although I’ve done some work towards some of the Siege of the Citadel, and converted some of the Dark Soul’s creatures to and from the game’s rules. Compiling the Mutant Chronicles Universal Index (plus the errata and timeline) were very useful in getting me up to speed in that respect. The Mutant Chronicles Universe is still very much alive. More on that later, too….
New for 2019…
As is my custom for this annual post, I’m trying to set out some clear goals (writing and otherwise) for myself over the next year. To be honest, quite a few have been carried over from previous years. So I guess that makes them traditional.
This year, I’d like to actually play some tabletop games of Infinity and Achtung! Cthulhu Skirmish/Tactics – I’ve got a number of the starter sets (including the Combined Army one) like Red Veil for Infinity, and a load of miniatures for both now. I’d like to get back to painting miniatures again. Quite likely I’ll post any work in progress here. Aside from various discussions involving Dettol and airbrushes, techniques don’t look to have changed that much – I went to Wonderland earlier in the month and bought Milliput. Looks exactly the same, too.
I’ve a pile of the RAFM Kickstarter minis for Call of Cthulhu, and also the Battletech starter set. My Cthulhutech/Battletech mecha mash-up is still a pipe-dream right now, but there is a good place to start! In the past, the size of my old flat and lack of time (and application!) meant that I had no room or inclination to paint. That given, we’re considering a summer-house (or shed!) although we also have two outdoor 10×10 cellars that might easily be converted to a workshop/painting studio given a little work. They are pretty damp though…
Writing and gaming goals
Board gaming is also something I’d like to get into again. Games like Siege of the Citadel, Thunderbirds, Burning Suns, and Legends Untold are all on my hit-list to play. I’m avoiding X-Wing and other Star Wars games as their miniatures are hideously expensive. Got to admit though, I would like to have a go of whoever produces a new version of Talisman, Fantasy flight or not. Deep Madness also looks like it might be worth a look – I missed both the Kickstarters but it looks terrifyingly fun, and not as bulky as Cthulhu Wars… famous last words, perhaps.
My flat’s painter/decorator has also asked me to run a Pathfinder game for him and a group of his gaming group. I also got my dentist back into board-gaming, and quite a few folk at my work have expressed an interest. Yeah, you’ve read that right. I’m thinking I’ll go for the classic Rise of the Runelords campaign, or a least getting them started upon it. It’s been a while since I ran Pathfinder.
In the process, I’ve also considered combining my former sandbox (ahem!) Sands of Time Pathfinder setting and Against the Odds into a single setting, for use with the Conan 2d20 RPG rules – I’m quite keen on consolidating them in that rule-set, as Conan’s low-magic rules really make the setting far more dark (no fireballs, but lots of sinister necromancy!).
Regarding my RPG freelancing I’ve a number of writing projects for Achtung! Cthulhu (inc. the 2d20 version), Mutant Chronicles and Infinity RPG in the pipeline, plus a few other projects I can’t talk about yet. Infinity’s Shadow Affairs and Paradiso took a huge chunk of my time last year, but it was well worth it. Looking forward to seeing the hard-copy, after it gets approved. I recently acquired Kult, the latest edition, using my points from the Modiphius store. This horror RPG comes from the same origins as the Mutant Chronicles and uses certain aspects in both. I may plunder it for some scenario ideas…
Speaking of aspects, it’s no secret that Modiphius are now publishing Vampire: The Masquerade after recent events required a realignment of White Wolf’s material (to put it mildly). Something I’ve been considering for some time is a source book for Edinburgh that can be used with horror RPGs. It’d be a fair bit of work and system free, but would collate Edinburgh ghost stories, places like Shrub Hill and the Heart of Midlothian, individuals like Burke and Hare, and Edinburgh setting across the eras (including references to the Dresden Files, Necroscope and other Brian Lumley material): provisionally entitled “Edinburgh by night”. I’d be interested in working with any writer on that – not a solo project!
To be honest my workload and events such as moving flat have caused me to neglect a lot of the Edinburgh Gaming scene (and page), and I hope to rectify that in the New Year. ORC Edinburgh continues to expand, although the lack of a central venue means it’s difficult for me to keep track of the games that are going on, and harder still to encourage new players to try something other than D&D. Attracting players to non-D&D games is something of side-project – games like Star Trek Adventures, Infinity and wh40k may provide a little insight, provided I have time. A few one-off (one-shots) games in a regular venue might be the way forward – that seems to be a major sticking point – with a experienced GM (like me, I guess) of some traditional RPGs may fire up the creativity of would-be GMs.
The Open Saturdays group are continuing to run some unusual RPGs of interest, such as Powered by the Apocalypse (PBTA), Night Forest, etc. so that’s also a good alternative for those bemoaning the lack of non-D&D games. ORC once had a tradition of a lot of one-shot games, but the dispersal across “time and space” for want of a better term has been problematic (i.e. location and scheduling). Something towards that may require something other than my efforts though.
With that in mind, I’m seriously thinking of channelling my energies into creating an Edinburgh branch of The Role Play Haven, a non-profit Community Interest Company – possibly as a replacement to ORC. I’ve been asked to look into creating a Scottish branch and it would solve a lot of ORC’s existing problems. Notably in organisation, charity funding and more of a community feel regarding reserving possible venues. It’d have a central pot for funding venue bookings and locations, and also cover GDPR and a more formal structure, along with a membership fee. I’ll need to take a good look at how to implement it: a more organised structure and paid membership fee requires something of paradigm shift for ORC members. Pitching games is also something new. All requires careful consideration…
Away-days
Given my other half’s ownership of the 5-star Craster Tower apartment, I’m considering weekend RPG away-day sessions. Spend the weekend in an elegant 1,000-year old haunted tower, in the middle of rural Northumberland and the only other building nearby is a pub… This would be great for some intensive weekend gaming (RPGs or LARPS). Given the decor, definitely a good option for murder-mystery weekends too. It’s close to Alnwick and the LNER East Coast line rail links and the A1. I know its a thing/fad to game in an unusual place. Will be interesting to trial a weekend one this year 🙂 – it wouldn’t be cheap, but there’s plenty of castles and ruins, Newcastle, Holy Island etc. and coastal walks nearby for those who want a break from gaming.
And finally…
I’m hoping to blog more a lot more this year. Ongoing painting work may well help with that. Provided I can secure the space required for work-in-progress shots, as such. I intend to get the cellar areas re-purposed and usable for something at least.
I’m also always available for advice, writing gigs, and general geek-related discussion. Use my Contact Me page or send me a message on the ORC website.
Writing goals for late 2017
Since I last blogged, things have been busy. I’ve had a lot on, and the day job has been fairly frenetic. So what’s been happening?
My freelancer work has seen me doing indexes for a number of Modiphius core books: Infinity, Conan, and Star Trek Adventures (my name is front and centre in the credits!). I’ve also compiled the Universal Index for the Mutant Chronicles Universe (download it for free, here), and collated the timeline (see here). I’ve also written for the Cartel Tactical Center fanzine for MC. It’s not something I’m always credited for, but I’ve been on board the whole Mutant Chronicles line bar the core rulebook and two supplements over the course of two years.
I ran a number of games at UK Games Expo, and also worked on the Modiphius stand. I was exhausted by the end of it, and the train journey back was a real trial. I was a running on fumes when I got back. Not sure if I can keep running demo games, but it was fun. I was probably more weary than I thought as I discovered one of my hearing aids wasn’t working – two days later, of course. Both the Dark Eden Setting book and Dark Eden Campaign I worked on were submitted for consideration to the ENnies, but didn’t make it to the nominations.
This has given me a few ideas on what’s up next.
After my disappointment with Hoard of the Dragon Queen, I’ve largely avoided D&D and fantasy RPGs in general. I’m hoping to go back to them next year, possibly running a Symbaroum game. It’s a dark Scandinavian RPG that my fellow Modiphians have raved about.
I am going to write an Achtung! Cthulhu campaign, an episodic campaign that I hope to maybe see print. I’m going to start it in a few months with a new group at ORC Edinburgh. I plan to use the 7th edition rules to run it, but also plan to make the conversion available. I plan to finally get the Mutant Chronicles scenarios down in words rather than in my head… Notably “Life in the day”, “Ice-cold in Eden”, and “Rising damp”. Also, there’s the final errata log for the MC product line.
I suspect there’s more indexing work coming my way from future books, as well as possibly the Living Campaigns for both Achtung! Cthulhu and Mutant Chronicles. I’ll continue to write for both Modiphia (the free quarterly magazine from Modiphius) and CTC. I also intend to finally construct the Achtung! Cthulhu and RAFM miniatures I own. It’s only been two years.
EDIT: I’ll also be writing up notes on converting Achtung! Cthulhu to 7th Edition.
Breaking Radio Silence!
It’s been a bit quiet on here recently. There’s a lot of reasons for this. The main reason is the lack of time, but there’s another contributing factor: I’ve had to slow down a little.
So what’s eating my time? Put simply, work is largely responsible along with poor health and trying to do too much. I’m very much aware of how stress can manifest itself, having suffered it to a great extent last year. I’ve talked before about managing my time, but last year it really became an issue, especially as I developed discoid eczema over 75% of my body. This in turn fed my stress levels which pushed them even higher.
At the time, I was running two RPG campaigns, attending ELG, attending Leiththeatre (amateur dramatics), running ORC Edinburgh, being a “gaming ambassador”, working 9-5, and doing freelance RPG work in my spare time. I’d also just left a toxic relationship, which – although brief – had affected me more than I thought. Looking back, something was bound to give sooner or later.
Since last year, I’ve managed to strike a work-life balance. My RPG freelance work does not impinge on my day job (it never did, though). Plus, I’ve been receiving photo-therapy which has cleared much of the discoid eczema. I’ve sadly had to wind down both my RPG campaigns as found I didn’t have the prep time. I stopped the am-dram stuff as it was two nights a week, which meant I didn’t really get to stop until 10pm.
So what the hell, you may ask, has this to do with gaming?
It’s about managing expectations.
Working on RPGs and managing expectations
It’s been said to me several times that I’m “living the dream”. From a certain point of view I am, but there’s a cost involved – which I’ll come to in a minute. I love writing for RPGs. There’s a fantastic buzz to seeing a finished product with your name on it, no matter your contribution. I think there’s a lot of folk out there believing RPG writing is a dream job giving them a chance to make a lot of money doing what they love.
It’s not quite like that.
The folks that write RPGs work hard, at every level – we’re talking editors, proofreaders, artists – not just writers and designers. The full-timers have to make a living from their work, and freelancers often have to work as hard. What you put in, you get out – and the currency is time. So here’s my thoughts for anyone considering becoming a freelancer or full-time writer on RPGs (some is common sense, but…).
- Be professional, if you want to be taken seriously. Treat it as you would any paid job. If you do get a Non-Disclosure Agreement, honour it. Conduct yourself as a business-person, rather than fan-person.
- Hit any deadlines set. Even better, get your work completed well before the deadline.
- You will be edited: accept it. I worked on a project with Forgotten Realms’ Elminster himself, Ed Greenwood, who told me “We ALL get edited.”- if your work is cut, deal with it.
- Always get a proofreader, and get used to “red ink” or comments. Someone who’ll read over your work – this is less relevant for established publishers who will have their own proofreaders, but if you’re self-publishing, this is a must.
- Treat it like a job, not a hobby. Set yourself proper goals to complete your work – milestones like “1,000 words by Friday”. Don’t be too stringent on yourself – you need downtime (see below).
- It’s in the nature of the RPG industry (just like real-life!) that people move on to other projects and roles. While you’re working on a product, keep your loyalty to the product – not a person. There’s nothing personal in it.
- Make sure you have some downtime to deal with Real Life™. Family, friends, films, a book…. whatever! Make sure you take some time out. If you’re going to sleep thinking about your work consistently, you’re overdoing it. Stop. Chill.
- Do what you can, not what you want. Manage your time: to use a cliche, under-promise and over-deliver if needed. For example: I’ve been involved with almost the entire Mutant Chronicles line for 3rd edition. Much of that was indexing and caption writing, but I also helped fine-tune some of the writing and proofread. I am fine with that. Since then, I’ve found myself doing more and more on the product line.
- Keep to the assignment. If you’ve been asked to keep to 20,000 words, keep to it. You may not get paid for any extra words. It can have a knock-on effect in layout, so be careful! If in doubt, ask. Some publishers may want to keep extra material for future products – so keep it in mind.
- Deal with rejection. If your work has a problem, publishers will let you know. If you have to redo something, then do it. Don’t sulk about it.
- Negative feedback is still feedback. What went wrong? So fix it, next time. Not everyone will like your work, so don’t worry about the one Dislike among a hundred Likes. Take ANY criticism and use it positively.
- Believe in the product. You may not need to know the rules set, but turning in a half-arsed draft because you can’t be bothered with the canon is a shot in the foot. Also be preapared to talk about it on social media etc. (but honour any NDA!).
- Invoice promptly. Budgets can be tight so make sure you invoice for either your time, or the assigned word count.
Have I missed anything? Probably. But anyhoo… I’ll be at the UK Games Expo in June. If I’m not running a game, I’ll be at the Modiphius stand (or the pub)!
UK Games Expo Games I’m Running/Ruining
Friday
10:00-14:00 Mutant Chronicles: Ice Cold in Eden
15:00-19:00 Conan (2d20): Seethers in Darkness
20:00-Midnight: Achtung! Cthulhu: A Light on the Mountain
Saturday
10:00-14:00: Conan (2d20): Seethers in Darkness
20:00-23:59: Mutant Chronicles: Ice Cold in Eden
Damnation Dossier: The Heimburg Hellraisers
The Heimburg Hellraisers first appeared in the Cartel Tactical Centre fanzine for the Mutant Chronicles. I write a column called the Damnation Dossier for CTC, under the guise of the Serenity’s Agent 😉
Compiled by Her Serenity’s Agent Sir William Heron.
CLASSIFICATION: Brickbat Lingerie
Sirs.
Upon my recent sojourn to Dark Eden during the Incident (see the Dark Eden Campaign tome, currently in preparation) I had the fortune – or perhaps, misfortune – to encounter the Doomtroopers who call themselves the Heimburg Hellraisers. At this time there are five members, all of whom were in the city of Heimburg at the time of the so-called Battle of Heimburg (see the somewhat luridly entitled “Venusian Apocalypse” tome).
By various deeds (and possible misadventures!) they came to the Cartel’s attention via Inquisitor Stark (Confidential Brotherhood Personnel file attached – ssh!), who then elevated them to the ranks of the Doomtroopers. They’re a somewhat boisterous and rambunctious lot, a tad overconfident but all-round good eggs. They fight hard and play hard. If they can’t eat, drink, or bonk it; then they’ll likely shoot it.
The Hellraisers certainly distinguished themselves on Dark Eden, even considering the efforts of all involved. These Johnnies and Jennies are worth a look for future recruitment…
As mentioned, the Hellraisers are made up of five individuals:
- Felcity Obasanjo, AKA “Momma Bear”. NCO Sergeant with Brotherhood training in the Art.
- Tariq Nakamura, AKA “Chatterbox”. Trooper and close-combat specialist.
- Barbara Perez-Singh, AKA “Duct Tape”. Trooper and combat medic.
- Vladislav Artyomov, AKA “Masher”. Trooper, heavy weapons, and Comm-tech support.
- Natalie Lang, AKA “Junior”. Trooper and Sniper.
Felcity “Momma Bear” Obasanjo
As leader of the Hellraisers, words to describe Obanajo like “indomitable” or “terrifying” spring to mind. She’s a former beat cop who joined the military after she grew tired of the corruption within the Capitol corporate police forces. While she has Brotherhood training she seems to be dead set against following the paths of their Mystics.
She’s tall, statuesque, and a very capable Sergeant – and doesn’t suffer fools – of any kind, at all. She has some skills in the Art as a result of her early tutoring by the Brotherhood. She’s fiery, opinionated and utterly secure of her position at centre of the universe. I’ve faced the Dark Legion’s worst, but even I feel like a rookie when subjected to her verbal tirades that would make a Wolfsbane blush.
CHRONICLE POINTS: 2
ATTRIBUTES
Agility 8
Awareness 10
Coordination 10
Intelligence 8
Mental Strength 10
Personality 8
Physique 10
Strength 10
SKILLS
Athletics: 3
Close Combat: 5
Education: 1
Heavy Weapons 2
Insight: 1
Lifestyle: 1
Mechanics: 1
Mysticism: 3
Observation: 2
Persuade: 3
Ranged Weapons: 4 (Focus 1)
Resistance: 2 (Focus 1)
Survival: 2
Willpower: 3
DAMAGE BONUSES
+2 Melee; +2 Ranged.
WOUNDS
Head 4 Torso 8 Arms 5 Legs 6 Serious 7 Critical 4
SOAK
Doomtrooper armour and Heavy Military Shoulder pads: Head 4 Torso 5 Arms 7 Legs 4
ATTACKS
- CA-451 Gehenna Puker (ranged): Close, 2+[DS]8, Munition, Unwieldy, Incendiary 4, Torrent, Vicious 1
- Piranha Handgun (ranged): Range C, 1+[DS]5, Semi-Automatic, 1H, Close Quarters, Hidden 1
- Punisher Short Sword (melee): 1+[DS]6, 1H, Parry 1, Vicious 1
- Combat Knife (melee): 1+[DS]5, 1H, Armour Piercing 1, Hidden 1
TALENTS
- Big Boom
- Mystic: Odabunja can cast the following spells of the Art: Blessing Contempt, Succour.
- Rain of Fire
- Rigorous Training
- Sharp Senses
- Spiritual Understanding
Tariq “Chatterbox” Nakamura
Of the entire unit, Nakamura was the biggest surprise. Although he carries himself like a Mishiman (and we know how arrogant that lot can be!), he is actually from Dark Eden: from the Crescentia Tribal region, to be exact. As a child he stowed away on board a Brotherhood ship (note to self: ascertain where this ship was – might be useful!), before disappearing onto the streets of Luna. The next decade or so is something of a closed book. Tariq learned things on what I shall euphemistically call a farm, but Tariq seems to have picked up some skills with a blade in that time…
Tariq is very quiet, but has a very dry sense of humour, and there appears to be some form of silent competition with Artyomov as to who can get away with the most outrageous prank or other clowning about. In battle he is all-business though, so Obasanjo forgives these minor transgressions. Just don’t ask her about the strange case of the regimental mascot and the laxative during the parade.
CHRONICLE POINTS: 2
ATTRIBUTES
Strength 10
Physique 11
Agility 10
Awareness 9
Coordination 9
Intelligence 7
Mental Strength 10
Personality 5
SKILLS
Acrobatics: 1
Animal Handling: 1
Athletics: 1
Close Combat: 7 (Focus 1)
Observation: 1
Pilot: 1
Ranged Weapons: 1
Resistance: 1
Stealth: 1
Survival: 1
Thievery: 1
Unarmed Combat: 1
Willpower: 3 (Focus 1)
DAMAGE BONUSES
+1 ranged; +2 melee
WOUNDS
- Head 4 Torso 8 Arms 5 Legs 6 Serious 7 Critical 4
SOAK
Doomtrooper armour and Heavy Military Shoulder pads: Head 4 Torso 5 Arms 7 Legs 4
ATTACKS
- PC-606 Hellstorm SMG (ranged): Close, 1+[DS]5, Burst, 2H, Armour Piercing 1, Vicious 1
- Piranha Handgun (ranged): Range C, 1+[DS]5, Semi-Automatic, 1H, Close Quarters, Hidden 1
- Punisher Short Sword (melee): 1+[DS]6, 1H, Parry 1, Vicious 1
- Combat Knife (melee): 1+[DS]6, 1H, Armour Piercing 1, Hidden 1
TALENTS
- Hardy
- No Mercy
- Resilient
- Self-sufficient
- Specialist: One-handed
- Stubborn
Barbara “Duct Tape” Perez-Singh
Perez-Singh’s “origin story” reads like that of a classic over-achiever: high marks in everything she attempted. It was a given that Cybertronic would be interested in her. Her records showing her being gifted student, with a promising career in the medical profession within Cybertronic. She could have been Cybertronic’s media darling. Her records show her suddenly joining the military for some reason but even this Agent’s skills can’t break the encryption on those sealed files.
However: there’s something odd about Perez-Singh. She seems to veer between cool detachment when she’s dressing wounds to a murderous rage when prompted. I’ve seen her put a Necromutant’s face through a wall, bare-handed. She’s not a tall person, barely clearing 5 feet, but to see her do that… well, Cybertronic, what can I say?
CHRONICLE POINTS: 2
ATTRIBUTES
Strength 8
Physique 8
Agility 11
Awareness 9
Coordination 10
Intelligence 12
Mental Strength 10
Personality 7
SKILLS
Acrobatics: 1
Athletics: 1
Close Combat: 3
Education: 1
Insight: 1
Lifestyle: 1
Mechanics: 3
Pilot: 1
Ranged Weapon: 3
Resistance: 3 (Focus 1)
Science: 3
Stealth: 1
Survival: 3
Willpower: 3 (Focus 1)
DAMAGE BONUSES
+1 Ranged
WOUNDS
- Head 3 Torso 7 Arms 4 Legs 5 Serious 6 Critical 3
SOAK
Doomtrooper armour and Heavy Military Shoulder pads: Head 4 Torso 5 Arms 7 Legs 4
ATTACKS
- PC-606 Hellstorm SMG (ranged): Close, 1+[DS]5, Burst, 2H, Armour Piercing 1, Vicious 1
- Piranha Handgun (ranged): Range C, 1+[DS]4, Semi-Automatic, 1H, Close Quarters, Hidden 1
- Punisher Short Sword (melee): 1+[DS]4, 1H, Parry 1, Vicious 1
- Combat Knife (melee): 1+[DS]3, 1H, Armour Piercing 1, Hidden 1
TALENTS
- Field Dressing
- Hardy
- Heal
- No Mercy
- Physician
- Rigorous Training
- Stubborn
- Therapeutic Caregiver
Vadislav “Masher”Artyomov
Dour. Taciturn. Tall. All words to describe Artyomov, a big lad from Whitestar; only a year older than Lang, but he’s seen a lot of things get tasty. He’s immensely protective of Lang– although he’d never admit it. Born on the painted rust of Kosmograd Spaceport, he’s no stranger to hard work, crawling over the gantries to fix various mechanical “complications” there. He came to the Cartel’s notice after a well-placed autocannon salvo destroyed a Nepharite and three Razides, standing his ground while his militia comrades ran away.
He’s a bloody good mechanic and tech, and the sodding great autocannon he carries delivers a right smack. He’s not called “Masher” for his aggression, but for his ability to create stills of alcohol. “Rocket fuel” he calls it. And it’s lethal. I’m fairly certain the Hellraisers use it to clean their weapons too. He and Nakamura have some kind of rivalry regarding who can pull off the most outrageous stunt. Currently, Artyomov has the higher ground: he inverted Nakamura’s quarters. Everything is upside down. Nakamura was asleep in there at the time. So far, Artyomov has told no one how he did it.
CHRONICLE POINTS: 2
ATTRIBUTES
- Strength 9
- Physique 10
- Agility 8
- Awareness 12
- Coordination 10
- Intelligence 11
- Mental Strength 8
- Personality 6
SKILLS
Athletics: 1
Close Combat: 5
Education: 1
Insight: 1
Mechanics: 2
Mysticism: 1
Observation: 1
Persuade: 1
Pilot: 1
Ranged Weapons: 3
Resistance: 5
Science: 1
Survival: 4
Thievery: 1
Willpower: 5
DAMAGE BONUSES
+1 Melee; +3 Ranged.
WOUNDS
- Head 3 Torso 8 Arms 4 Legs 6 Serious 6 Critical 4
SOAK
Doomtrooper armour and Heavy Military Shoulder pads: Head 4 Torso 5 Arms 7 Legs 4
ATTACKS
- CA-138 Deathlockdrum Autocannon (ranged): 2+[DS]10, Automatic, Unwieldy, Armour Piercing 1, Spread 1
- Piranha Handgun (ranged): Range C, 1+[DS]7, Semi-Automatic, 1H, Close Quarters, Hidden 1
- Punisher Short Sword (melee): 1+[DS]5, 1H, Parry 1, Vicious 1
- Combat Knife (melee): 1+[DS]4, 1H, Armour Piercing 1, Hidden 1
TALENTS
- Grease Monkey
- Natural Engineer
- No Mercy
- Quick Draw
- Sniper
- Spiritual Understanding
Natalie “Junior” Lang
Lang grew up in a fairly prestigious family, retainers for Bauhaus’ House Steinberg. Groomed for a life of boring menial and clerical work, the young (!) Lang rebelled, going spectacularly off the rails and immersing herself in the designer drug culture. After a few brushes with the BLEUs, she eventually found herself banged up inside the nick. Considering her options, she opted to join the military, where she has found her niche as a first-class sniper.
Natalie is a perky and relentlessly optimistic individual who remains in what I can only describe as on a constant “sugar high”. She loves confectionery and often leaves sweet wrappers behind, despite policing her brass! She has yet to receive a nickname other than “Junior” from Obasanjo much to her annoyance, as she has yet to distinguish herself in the team. Whatever you do, don’t mention this to her – as she’ll go off on one about it.
CHRONICLE POINTS: 2
ATTRIBUTES
Strength 10
Physique 8
Agility 9
Awareness 12
Coordination 10
Intelligence 10
Mental Strength 10
Personality 7
SKILLS
Acrobatics: 2
Athletics: 1
Close Combat: 3
Education: 1
Heavy Weapons: 2
Mechanics: 1
Mysticism: 2
Observation: 2
Persuade: 1
Ranged Weapons: 6
Resistance: 4
Stealth: 2
Survivor: 2
Thievery: 2
Willpower: 6
DAMAGE BONUSES
+2 Melee/+3 Ranged
WOUNDS
Head 3 Torso 8 Arms 4 Legs 6 Serious Wound 6 Critical 4
SOAK
Doomtrooper armour and Light Military Shoulder pads: Head 4 Torso 5 Arms 5 Legs 4
ATTACKS
- Mephisto Sniper Rifle (ranged): Close, 2+[DS]8, Burst, Unwieldy, Unforgiving 3
- Piranha Handgun (ranged): Range C, 1+[DS]6, Semi-Automatic, 1H, Close Quarters, Hidden 1
- Punisher Short Sword (melee): 1+[DS]6, 1H, Parry 1, Vicious 1
- Combat Knife (melee): 1+[DS]5, 1H, Armour Piercing 1, Hidden 1
TALENTS
- Hardy
- Quick Survey
- Scout
- Sharp Senses
- Sniper
- Through and Through
RPG Retrospective – 2016
I have mixed feelings about 2016. I reckon everybody has now. I’ve had a load of setbacks, but have also upped my “game” this year considerably. Not all of these setbacks were gaming related, but they impacted on both myself and my gaming nonetheless.
I made the official jump to being a freelancer last December (as in, HM Taxman now knows I do freelance writing). On the plus side it means I can be taken a little more seriously and can also factor the costs of doing business into my tax return (probably a minus!). I will be paying voluntary National Insurance contributions. Ethically, and morally, I don’t agree with finding ways to hide money from the taxman. We’re all likely screwed anyway, thanks to the current political climate in the UK and abroad…
OK. Back on topic. Time has also been a casualty this year for me. As well as holding down a full-time job (with extra duties and responsibilities – and pay!), the freelance work has taken a huge chunk out of my ability to devote time to the hobby. This is a natural progression of things I reckon. Last year I’d hoped to become more of a gaming “ambassador” trying to get the disparate gaming groups of Edinburgh to perhaps try to talk to one another. I’ve put this project on hold for now – I cannot devote the time to it. A number of people commented on how busy I was, but I didn’t realise how much until my health took a bit of a body blow. When something you enjoy stops being fun, stop and take a breather.
With that in mind I had to make a few changes.
Convention-wise, I didn’t go to Conpulsion, Q-CON, or others this year. I attended the UK Games Expo and Dragonmeet, but that was the only two. There’s a significant cash outlay in both travel and accommodation for conventions outside Edinburgh. The state of the pound means it’s unlikely I’ll attend GENCON or ESSEN. If I’m honest, these are actually working trips – I’m either helping setup and help on the Modiphius stall (5am start for Dragonmeet!), and/or I’m demo’ing games. There’s something very rewarding about having players come back to your games from previous years. Even more so when they buy the game based on the session you ran. 😀
I also turned in a selection of Doomtroopers for the Cartel Tactical Centre, a Mutant Chronicles/Warzone fanzine. I’m writing a regular column called the Damnation Dossier, using Her Serenity’s Agent Sir William Heron nom de plume. I’ve a loa of NPC ideas for MC.
Most of my freelance work relates to the Mutant Chronicles. I’ve done the indexing, captioning, error checking and stats for much of the line. I call it “Chroming”. It’s hard work, but the buzz you get when it’s done.. . The Dark Eden Setting book was a true marathon for all involved.
I’ve had to reduce my weekly sessions of ORC games to fortnightly. I’m running Achtung! Cthulhu Shadows of Atlantis. I’ve a good group. We spend half the time delving into history, which I’ve really come to enjoy. It’s not Call of Cthulhu as such, but something pulpier. Sadly, the enervation of time meant I had to stop running my Mutant Chronicles game, which was fun while it lasted.
Long time subscribers to my blog may have noticed that I’ve not mentioned ORC. It’s still going strong. I have simply gone to the next level. I covered this in a previous post – see http://www.themandragora.com/orc-edinburgh-moving-on/
Goals for 2017
For 2017, I’m trying to strike a compromise. Take time to get a breather, when it’s needed. I’ve worked pretty hard over the last year (not just gaming-wise), and I’ve a better idea about what I can do. But I’ve a bunch of ideas.
In that regard, I plan to write adventures down, not just have them in my head. I’ve a nice number of notebooks that contain “figments”, for want of a better word. Not just Mutant Chronicles, but Achtung! Cthulhu too. I really want to get the ideas down and out there. I’ve an idea for an Achtung! Cthulhu campign that I really need to spec up.
I’m hoping to play more boardgames: I tried to get more involved at ELG over the year, but time was limited. I backed “Siege on the Citadel” which should come as no great surprise. It’s something of a quandary, as I don’t really like competitive games, but enjoy the social aspect.
I’ve few ideas to help the Modiphius Silvershields programme. It’s early days yet, but I’m hoping that the ideas I have may give it a bit of a boost. Volunteer GMs are a resource to be cherished by games companies. I’m not talking about organised play like Pathfinder Society or Adventurer’s League, but GMs that give up their time to run their own games.
Infinity is a game I’d like to get into, after buying Operation: Red Veil. As regards the RPG, I’m an NPC. I’m not sure if I’ll get heavily into it. Way too much background fluff, and I plan to stick to Mutant Chronicles and Achtung! Cthulhu for demo purposes. I can’t really run any more games – even Star Trek, although I’ll manage a monthly sojourn to Black Lion.
Convention-wise I plan to go to Conpulsion this year, as well as the UK Games Expo and Dragonmeet. Possibly Claymore too. I’m not sure whether it’ll be as player or GM, but I’m planning to take the opportunities as they crop up. Either way, I reckon the work will be worth the reward.
One of my final reflections is that I’ve become something of a local gaming celebrity. I’m not a guru or an expert. I AM NOT A CELEBRITY. I’m a guy that has some gaming experience and can talk to people. That’s all.
Anyways: Happy New Year.