Previous Topics

4/2/2003 Zak Arntson: Deplorable - Source Material
While Deplorable concentrates on a Victorian society and the literature of the late 1800's, I am looking for any material that depicts the themes in Deplorable. You can read the…
In Indie Game Design
Participants: Zak Arntson, Valamir, Jared A. Sorensen, redcrow, kregmosier, iago, b_bankhead, Walt Freitag, Mike Holmes, simon, simon_hibbs, Thomas Tamblyn.

3/21/2003 Zak Arntson: Deplorable - Victorian "Supers" RPG in progress
I'm working on an RPG called Deplorable. The idea is this: You are a Victorian-era person gifted with commendable powers and deplorable drives. The PC group bands together under a…
In Indie Game Design
Participants: Zak Arntson, Spooky Fanboy, Kester Pelagius, Simon W, szilard, simon_hibbs, Coleslaw.

3/11/2003 Zak Arntson: Donjon Pak B1 - Monster Stat Calculation
I've got a question on how you determined your monster stats. As an example, the Dragon Wizard. It's an 11th level creature, so it should get 15 + (5/level) points…
In CRN Games
Participants: Zak Arntson, Clinton R. Nixon, jdagna, Bob McNamee, John Harper, TAROT, Matt Wilson.

12/16/2002 Zak Arntson: Cormac Mac Art - Tigers of the Sea
I can't believe how useful Sorcerer & Sword has been for my library. I just picked up Robert E. Howard's Tigers of the Sea and David Drake's Birds of Prey.…
In Adept Press
Participants: Zak Arntson, Ron Edwards, Roy.

11/20/2002 Zak Arntson: Thord of Relings
Okay, so that's a lousy name for my game, but it's still in development. I'll come up with a good name later. It's a fantasy game inspired by a certain…
In Indie Game Design
Participants: Zak Arntson, Valamir, Blake Hutchins, szilard, Tony Irwin.

10/30/2002 Zak Arntson: Fighter-D Alpha - Beta Playtest
Okay, I'm opening up Fighter-D Alpha for playtesting. I've provided the rules-skeleton here: http://www.harlekin-maus.com/fighterd/fighterd.html. It's inspired by Donjon, but has had enough huge changes to be considered it's own game.…
In Indie Game Design
Participants: Zak Arntson.

10/29/2002 Zak Arntson: Indie Monday (Oct 28, 2002): Fighter-D Alpha Planescape (4)
Wow, this campaign just keeps on going! I've modified the rules, which you can find here: http://www.harlekin-maus.com/fighterd/fighterd.html. The semi-updated character sheet can be downloaded here. I put the Actual Play…
In Actual Play
Participants: Zak Arntson, rabidchyld.

10/29/2002 Zak Arntson: Hobo RPG Designers - Train riders on the radio!
October 17, 2002, The Next Big Thing (radio show) played Ghosts & Trains. Several modern day hoboes talking about their train-riding experiences (plus ghost stories, but not hobo-related, unless it's…
In Indie Game Design
Participants: Zak Arntson, mahoux.

10/24/2002 Zak Arntson: Indie Monday (Oct 23, 2002): Fighter-D Alpha Planescape (3)
Okay, so it was really on Wednesday. We continued our ongoing Fighter-D Alpha Planescape saga, the quest in the Impressive Ruins of Gondorr for the Sun Quill. You can read…
In Actual Play
Participants: Zak Arntson, Bankuei.

10/16/2002 Zak Arntson: Digital Art - Publisher's Expectations
I'm looking into freelance illustration, and was wondering what publishers prefer/require in terms of digital art. Size of piece, dpi, RGB vs. CMYK, file format, that sort of thing.
In Connections
Participants: Zak Arntson, Matt Snyder, Ron Edwards, greyorm, Jon H, Jake Norwood, Drew Baker, Bear with Blades.

10/15/2002 Zak Arntson: Indie Monday (Oct 15, 2002): Fighter-D Alpha Planescape (2)
We played Fighter-D Alpha again. You can see the first thread at: http://www.indie-rpgs.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3744 It takes the Ability & Fact system from Donjon and adopts it for a Street Fighter-style video…
In Actual Play
Participants: Zak Arntson.

10/9/2002 Zak Arntson: Harlekin-Maus: Noche de Los Vampiros
Okay, I wrote my October/November game. Noche de Los Vampiros. You can find it at the secret url: http://www.harlekin-maus.com/games/vampiros/vampiros.html. I've got to add some graphics before publicizing it everywhere. In…
In Indie Game Design
Participants: Zak Arntson, Bob McNamee, Mike Holmes, Christoffer Lernö, Paganini.

10/8/2002 Zak Arntson: Indie Monday (Oct 7, 2002): Fighter-D Alpha Planescape
I wrote up a new system based on Donjon retaining the fact mechanics, but changing nearly everything else. Because my group is so obsessed with fighting games (see the last…
In Actual Play
Participants: Zak Arntson.

10/1/2002 Zak Arntson: More Donjon Characters
Okay, here's the Actual Play thread: http://www.indie-rpgs.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=35015 And here's our characters: Goro, the Half Human-Dragon Vir: 5, Cer: 4, Dis: 5, Whe: 1, Adr: 5, Soc: 5 Save vs. Poison:…
In CRN Games
Participants: Zak Arntson, Bailywolf, Nick Pagnucco, jdagna, K.R.Peterson, ejh, Clinton R. Nixon, anonymouse, b_bankhead, Chris Kucsera.

10/1/2002 Zak Arntson: Indie Monday (Sep 30, 2002) - Donjon Planescape
Okay, we played Donjon Planescape (at least, a Zak-butchered version of it, not _that_ different from the real thing) last night. Here's a link to the characters: http://www.indie-rpgs.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=35020 Character Creation…
In Actual Play
Participants: Zak Arntson, Valamir.

9/23/2002 Zak Arntson: More Pulp Books
Hit the used bookstore again, and found some Howard books! I figured I'd ask Ron (and the other pulp fans) about the validity of these, because (like Lovecraft fiction) you…
In Adept Press
Participants: Zak Arntson, Ron Edwards, Thor Olavsrud, Bailywolf, Mike Holmes, talysman, Blake Hutchins, lumpley, Paka.

9/21/2002 Zak Arntson: Alternate Monster Stats
I'm prepping a little for my Planescape Donjon game on Monday, and wanted to simplify the monsters. Two goals here: + Easier to improvise monsters during play. + Make combat…
In CRN Games
Participants: Zak Arntson, Clinton R. Nixon.

9/21/2002 Zak Arntson: Donjon - Clinton Sunday (Sep 15, 2002)
Alright, I've been putting off the Actual Play post for too long. Last Sunday I played Donjon with Clinton, Justin and Alan. Alan played a movie-styled Conan the Barbarian type.…
In Actual Play
Participants: Zak Arntson.

8/30/2002 Zak Arntson: [Paladin] Inquisitor help
I'm working on the required Attributes for Inquisitor characters, and I was hoping to get some help from y'all. Here's the rundown: There's three major orders of Inquisitor, each with…
In CRN Games
Participants: Zak Arntson, Bob McNamee, wyrdlyng, Mike Holmes, S.Lonergan, Walt Freitag, Ron Edwards, Valamir.

8/25/2002 Zak Arntson: Paladin - Inquisitor Setup
I'm not sure if this belongs in Anvilwerks or Actual Play, since it's setting up for Actual Play. I figured I'd pull out Sorcerer & Soul, since I want to…
In Actual Play
Participants: Zak Arntson, Ron Edwards, Matt Gwinn.

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Subsequent Topics

1/31/2004 Zak Arntson: Historical GURPS and first post-Forge dysfunction
After all but abandoning the RPG scene a year (or more?) ago, I was itching to get back into the play. So when I was invited to join a group…
In Actual Play
Participants: Zak Arntson, J B Bell, clehrich, John Kim, Ron Edwards, LutherBlissett.

2/5/2004 Zak Arntson: Danger Agents - Competitive Spy Roleplaying
Okay, so tonight I'm going to try out some d20 Spycraft. I'll let y'all know how it goes. Until then, I've been thinking about how I would design a spy…
In Indie Game Design
Participants: Zak Arntson, Rob MacDougall, John Harper, Loki, Grex.

2/12/2004 Zak Arntson: First Focus on Log In screen?
I would enjoy the Log In screen to place focus on the username field. As it is I have to click on the field before typing. Oh, the wasted effort!…
In Site Discussion
Participants: Zak Arntson.

2/13/2004 Zak Arntson: [Spycraft] Kain cleaves dysfunction from crown to crotch
Contrary to my last dysfunctional experience, I was able to have a ridiculously cathartic one. I first sent the following to the GM. His response is also included. ---- So,…
In Actual Play
Participants: Zak Arntson, Smithy, stingray20166, MajorKiz.

2/23/2004 Zak Arntson: [S & Sword] New Conan comic from Dark Horse
Just picked up Issue 0 of the new Conan comics from Dark Horse. Looks promising, with great art (Conan wears armor into war, even) and Kurt Busiek writing (I know…
In Adept Press
Participants: Zak Arntson.

3/2/2004 Zak Arntson: Characterization of Monsters?
This is split from Are non-humans neccessary in FRPGs?. To keep this thread on topic (the race threads keep diversifying, which is no bad thing, so long as new…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Zak Arntson, jdagna, pete_darby, John Kim, Mike Holmes, Jack Spencer Jr, Ron Edwards, Scourge108, Sean, james_west, M. J. Young, timfire, jrs, Valamir, erithromycin, b_bankhead, Latigo, quozl.

3/27/2004 Zak Arntson: [Gallant] Well swackle my bush (playtest)
A week ago I played in Jay Loomis' Gallant. a game of swashbuckling adventure. Now, swashbuckling is a loaded term, so I'll stop using it right ... now. We engaged…
In Actual Play
Participants: Zak Arntson, coxcomb, clehrich, Mark D. Eddy, Andrew Norris, Scourge108.

3/31/2004 Zak Arntson: Fate Points - Their history & implementation
Something I've been thinking of, after playing Jay's Gallant and reading Mongoose Publishing's Conan, are Fate Points. I remember them first appearing in Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay with the sole purpose…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Zak Arntson, Matt Wilson, Sean, Michael S. Miller, Mike Holmes, coxcomb, Scourge108, rafial, montag, M. J. Young, John Kim, talysman, hanschristianandersen.

4/13/2004 Zak Arntson: Design - What does the player/character/gm do?
Just in case someone isn't familiar with it, I'll open with one of the standard questions you give a designer: The idea's great and all, but what do you do?…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Zak Arntson, Astrivian.

4/29/2004 Zak Arntson: I got Elfs! (but pennicillin helped)
Showed up the same day the power went out, so I read the whole damn thing by candlelight. It's great! I remember being utterly confused with the pdf copy, with…
In Adept Press
Participants: Zak Arntson, joshua neff, Ron Edwards, Demada, GB Steve, Jason Puckett, Bob Goat, AnttiK.

5/6/2004 Zak Arntson: Dragonflight in Seattle (Aug 13-15)
Guess what? Getting close to 20 years of gaming, and I've never been to a convention before. I figure it's time to stop that by going to Dragonflight this year,…
In Conventions
Participants: Zak Arntson, Mike Holmes, Bankuei, rafial, jdagna, Michael Hopcroft.

5/13/2004 Zak Arntson: Is one type of gamer in a group boring?
I'm splitting this from the RedRavenRPG.com: I'm scared to ask! thread. I wanted to address the question, but it's not specific to the Red Raven RPG, so I'll answer it…
In GNS Model Discussion
Participants: Zak Arntson, Jack Spencer Jr, Andrew Martin, wakingjohn, Mike Holmes.

5/26/2004 Zak Arntson: [Chthonian] It's back (thanks to the IGC)
Okay, I'm looking at Terra Australis, and it weirdly adds the features I was missing (but wanted, in some form) from Chthonian: Evidence and Resources. During the Chthonian playtests, the…
In Indie Game Design
Participants: Zak Arntson, John Harper.

6/24/2004 Zak Arntson: New Glossary Entry: Character Sheet
I just ran into trouble with the definition of a character sheet over at the Doing Away with XP thread. Perhaps this term should be added to the glossary? In…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Zak Arntson, Doctor Xero, Alf_the_Often_Incorrect, John Kim.

7/8/2004 Zak Arntson: [Shadows] A Noise at the Cabin
I spent the Fourth of July holiday with some family, so I figured I'd play some Shadows. Since we didn't have much time, I skipped the actual Shadow generation part.…
In Actual Play
Participants: Zak Arntson, Paganini, Andrew Martin.

2/15/2005 Zak Arntson: [Sorcerer] The Seas of Cimmeria
I'm finally getting off my ass and writing this thing up (this session happened over a month ago). I played Sorcerer! My brothers and a high-school buddy were all back…
In Actual Play
Participants: Zak Arntson, Clinton R. Nixon, Bob Goat, Ron Edwards, Sean, Paka, Ben Morgan.

7/14/2006 Zak Arntson: [Trollbabe] A sleepy scene ...
[b]Introduction[/b] A few weeks ago I mentioned to my wife that we could try Trollbabe. It was a hopeful throwaway comment, considering she shows no interest in roleplaying games and…
In Actual Play
Participants: Zak Arntson, jrs, zmook, Noon, Arturo G..

10/7/2006 Zak Arntson: [D&D 3.0/3.5] Monster fight on the open sea!
Wow! So after a long hiatus (last gamed at Dragonflight 2004, running Donjon and InSpectres), I started up a game of Dungeons & Dragons 3.5/3.0 (we have both sets of…
In Actual Play
Participants: Zak Arntson, Bankuei, Pol Jackson, Noon, JasperN., Paul T, ffilz, r_donato.

10/15/2006 Zak Arntson: [D&D 3.5] Badger, Goblin, Fight!
Our second D&D session is done, and much fun was had by all. The first session can be found here: Monster fight on the Open Sea! Before Play Here…
In Actual Play
Participants: Zak Arntson, ffilz, Steven Stewart, DAudy, Wolfen, Noon, cpeterso, James_Nostack, Gaerik, Melinglor, Narf the Mouse, r_donato.

10/20/2006 Zak Arntson: [D&D 3.5] Slaughter in the Plaza
Previous plays with this group: 1. Monster fight on the Open Sea! 2. Badger, Goblin, Fight! Before Play I discovered a great resource for printing up battle maps called DungeonForge.…
In Actual Play
Participants: Zak Arntson, Narf the Mouse, r_donato, Noon, Mason, Primordia.

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