Quick update

It's been a while since I temporarily stepped down from writing and playing RPGs to take care of things going on in Real Life. Now for a bit of updating about the future of Prime Requisite Games.

I'm not going into much detail just yet, but within a few months, I plan to slowly get back into the OSR circles again with a couple new adventure modules, the Labyrinth Lord optional expansion book that I have been working on as well as an all-new official Prime Requisite Games web site.

I plan to go the same route as Goblinoid Games and offer PRG books free as a low-res/no art pdf. The high-res (with art) pdfs and print copies will be available at a cost. I also plan to collaborate with a couple local artists I know to help produce quality painted covers for future gaming books.

Anyway, there is plenty to do on my end before I jump back into publishing. As you might have noticed, I shrunk my availability online (no Scribd or Issuu, and turned off blog comments), but this is only to keep minimal tabs on my stuff while I am away from the gaming table.

My wife Else has been a real trooper in supporting me, and she will eventually be instrumental in helping me with the restructure of Prime Requisite Games. Else's a smart cookie, and while we are both professional graphic designers, she can design circles around me - so I'm hoping to utilize her talents for the print books and web site.

So now, I will be signing off for a little while longer. Other important Real Life situations call for my attention, but it's nice to see a small speck of light at the end of the tunnel.

However, while you wait, I have a small (deadly) adventure to be published in Green Devil Face #4.

Take care and Happy Gaming!

Early details about my new Labyrinth Lord book

Here's a few details about my new Labyrinth Lord book, Adventures into the Old Lands.

Adventures into the Old Lands is a campaign expansion for Labyrinth Lord. It will feature new classes, spells, magical items, monsters, and a couple of adventures within some of the more notable Old Lands locations.

Some of the following details are up for change.

Centuries ago, these lands were supported by a thriving fishing and farming industry. It wasn't until a secured evil on a southern island found a way to the mainland, and slowly spread. Many people moved far east, to what is now called the Known Lands.

Those who stayed moved to the northern lands which serve as a vast lair of the dreaded Worm Cult. These vile clerics and tribesmen surround Worm Mountain, a huge lone mountain within the hills of the Old Lands, to worship the Great Worm. Legend has it that the Great Worm is a god from the lower regions of the earth. Thousands of years ago it burrowed up from the earth's core causing a great mountain to form where there are no other mountains.

The southern island as well as the Worm Mountain locations will be used as two adventures to be included in the book.


Classes

• The Mountain Man class: The Mountain Man is invaluable in wilderness travel. They have spent their lives living off the shelter and sustenance provided in the harsh outside environment, using their skills to track, hunt, and set deadly traps.

• The Harlequin class: Harlequins are natural performers who have learned trade tricks of thieves and low-level wizardry. Their range of skills includes some thieving abilities and simple spells which produce minor effects (called antics).


Spells

Antics are minor spells used primarily by apprentices and harlequins. As a fan of the original cantrips, almost all of the antics are cloned from 1.5e.


Magic Items and Monsters

The new items and monsters from my past module releases with be featured here with a few more added goodies. Relics such as the Staves of Maurath and the Black Jewel will also find their way in the Old Lands book. My favorite magic item so far: the Medusa Scalp.


Combat

I had at one time used some house rules regarding shields and dodging. Researching online, I noticed that many others do the same. I may incorporate these optional combat rules here.


Adventures

As previously stated, the southern (eeeeeevil) island and Worm Mountain will be the sites for the book's adventures. While the Worm Mountain adventure will be relatively short, the setting will have mega dungeon potential.

These adventures will mainly be a spring board for the new classes and items available in Adventures into the Old Lands. I think it's necessary (and cool) for a campaign expansion. Most likely they will be low level, but I am considering making the southern island adventure for intermediate levels…that's when you can bring out the undead big guns. :P


Art

I will handle most of the interior art, but for the cover art, I am in talks with a local guy I know. I respect this guy's fantasy work a lot and I know he will do a wow-wee job. I plan for the cover to be black and white/pen and ink work, similar to the LL and AEC covers.


As I've said in a previous post, this book is still a long way off as my time for a project of this magnitude is very, very limited. However, I do make progress on it every week, so I'm happy about that.

If you have any suggestions, by all means, throw them at me.

News on Big New Project (early stages)

Dang it, I didn't mean to start on this, but it just happened. I swear.

It began with a couple ideas that I jotted down on paper. Soon I added more notes to those notes and the next thing you know, I'm typing this stuff out on my laptop. Ideas for new classes, monsters, magic and modules.

I am in the process of putting together an all-new Labyrinth Lord book. First I release A Promise of Vengeance Fulfilled, and now this.

Some vacation.

Normally, I wouldn't say anything about this project since I am so early in the process (past incidents have taught me a lesson), but after I gazed over what I have put together so far, I couldn't help myself.

The tentative title is Adventures into the Old Lands. This may change, but I'm keeping it simple.

So far, I have fleshed out (without the fine details) the following:

- Two new classes - the Mountain Man and the Harlequin.
- Cloning a batch of minor spells to be used with the Harlequin class.
- A small list of new monsters, of which I am considering on adding a bunch more. There can never be enough monsters, man!
- A few new magical items.
- A map of the Old Lands, including landmarks.
- Two locations within the Old Lands to be used for adventures. One will have mega dungeon potential (although I will not be writing a mega dungeon any time soon. It's just that this location will be ripe for such a setting).

Things I have yet to kick into for this book:

- Ideas for optional combat rules.
- The two adventures I want to include.
- Details, detail, details.

Just to let you know, I have tons of mixed notes for this book scattered about and I need to get this stuff organized and written out. This book is still a long way off (as my time to work on a project such as this is extremely limited), but I am confident that when the Old Lands finally sees the light of day, it will be a welcome addition to anyone's RPG collection.

I am guesstimating that this book will between 75 to 110 pages, depending on the amount of monsters I add and how long the two adventures will be. If I fall way short on the page count, that would be just fine with me. :)

I'll keep you posted.

New module art samples

My new Labyrinth Lord module A Promise of Vengeance Fulfilled is nearly complete. I have two more interior art pieces to draw and ink as well as the cover, and a couple decisions regarding my new page layout before I can put this baby to bed.

I need to hurry with this because my vacation from my vacation is almost catching up, at which time I will resume my break from publishing for a while.

Anyway, as I'm chugging along with the new module, I though I'd post a couple samples of the interior art that I just completed.

Here we have the skeletal Keeper of the West Door and an attack by a Flame Salamander! Woo-hoo!

Progress on new Labyrinth Lord module

The rewrites for A Promise of Vengeance Fulfilled are nearly complete. For this module, I have an all-new layout that I've been wanting to try. This layout allows for more art (and bigger art, too), and offers an easier read than my previous releases. Some people might not like the look, but I believe most will be impressed.

Since I mentioned that there will be more art, let me tell ya that I am stepping the quality of illustrations up on this one. I'll admit that the art in my first couple of releases were done with a bit of silliness, sketchiness, and cartooniness that I remember loving in old-school publications.

Well, that's all still there, just better refined. :P

I have an idea for the cover (thanks to my test-player Jason for suggesting a twist on my original idea), that if I can actually pull it off, it will be killer. If I don't pull it off, none of you will know. I'll simply state, "That's exactly what I meant to do," and then go sulk and cry in the corner.

Still, I could release this module with a blank cover and it won't kill the fact that this adventure rocks and I'm excited to get it into your hands. As usual, the PDF will be made available for free. No need to thank me, just pay it forward by killing as many characters as possible with this module. :)

Take care.

Test-play for new adventure! Can't believe it.

As I've stated here, the clouds have parted a bit, allowing for a weekend game with an adventure that has potential to be the next PRG release. But just as quickly as the clouds parted, they will swallow me up again, so if play-test goes well tomorrow night, I'll need to pop this one out asap (because I'm not sure when I'll have the opportunity again so soon).

So, yes, although I am officially still on a temporary vacation from publishing to take care of some real life ordeals and necessities, it looks like I'll be able to take a quick vacation from my vacation.

Besides, I believe the last thing I published was way back in November of '09. Unthinkable! Gotta get something else out before I duck my head back under the surface for another six months. Right? Right.

Tomorrow, my players will adventure through my new Labyrinth Lord module A Promise of Vengeance Fulfilled, for levels 5-7. I have such high hopes that this one will be PRG's next published module that I've already begun the artwork!

Your well wishes for this session is appreciated because, man, I'm super excited to sit at the gaming table again.

Test-play for new adventure completed

Two two straight nights we hacked and slashed through my new adventure The Dead Heir of Kressik Keep. The players came out the other end of this module with more than a few bumps and scrapes, but everyone survived. Even Jason's thief survived this time, which is a rare occurrence 'round these parts. :P

Kressik Keep was going to be my submission to Knockspell #4, but I missed the deadline with this one. Many obstacles kept me from my hobby including a sick two year-old daughter and a severe case of writer's block.

Well, not that I wasn't writing, it's just that the adventure was not quite coming together. It was done. I had the map and all the rooms were keyed, but...it sucked. Blah. Patooie.

So then came the rewrites. I knew by this time that I would miss the Knockspell deadline, but I needed peace of mind with my work. With a bit more planning and a heavy dose of help from the Dungeon Alphabet (man, that book can stir up ideas!), I was able to reach a point with Kressik Keep in which I was comfortable enough to run a test-play.

Now, after a two day marathon of Labyrinth Lord fun, it's back to the rewrites, tweaking what needs to be fixed before I submit it to Knockspell, hoping to get it into issue #5. We'll see!

Plans for 2010

For PRG, 2009 was about as successful as I could have ever hoped. This past year I was able to publish Fabled Curse of the Brigand Crypt, Labyrinth Tomb of the Minotaur Lord (for Knockspell #3), The Lost Staves of Maurath, and the Treasure Crypt of the Salstine Pirate mini-module.

For 2010, I want to keep the momentum going. Here are the plans (which may change, of course).

- Finish my new adventure for Knockspell. Whether it gets into issue #4 or #5 is up in the air right now. I'm way behind schedule on this one.

- The Classic Deep Level Dungeon Adventures Vol. I: a compilation of modules DLD 1-5. This will include the never before published DLD3 Beyond the Midway Post. Also this will be the Maurath adventure's first time in print. This volume will also include all new editing, art and layout.

- I plan to finally begin my Labyrinth Lord mega adventure The Fierce Foes of Fire Peak Mountain. I'm kicking around the idea for this module to be used with the LL Advanced Edition Companion. If I didn't mention it before, this will be a nice fat old-school adventure filled with all my faves: Deserted ruins, mysterious villages, trap-filled tombs, caverns, and a big ol' Red Dragon at the end of it all (I'm not giving anything away. It will be known that a dragon is up in them thar mountains).

- Once the dust settles, I can get my X-plorers game going. I have a rough idea for an adventure, and I'd like to see if I can finally get one published. It's just too cool of a bare-bones sci-fi RPG.

Anyway: Happy New Year to ya'll!

New cover art!

Here is an early peek at the cover art.

As I finish up the new module

Right now I am deep in the rewrite/art and design stage of PRG's new adventure module The Lost Staves of Maurath. Like our past releases, this will be released under the Deep Level Dungeons Adventures brand. Maurath will be released as adventure module DLD5.

So where are the modules DLD3 and DLD4? Well...

DLD3 is the temporarily shelved Beyond the Midway Post adventure and DLD4, The Labyrinth Tomb of the Minotaur Lord, will be published in the upcoming Knockspell #3.

So there you go. :)

As a side note, I'm trying to get a lunch-hour Labyrinth Lord game going at my job. When it finally happens, I believe we're going to give Brave Halfling Publishing's The Ruins of Ramat a spin. Knowing my players, they'll have no problem running sword-first into a fray with the Tentacled Demonic Guardians (and then we'll quickly roll up some new characters after the carnage).

Test play for our new LL adventure

Saturday's test play for the full-length The Lost Staves of Maurath was a blast! I don't think I've ever ran a game that was so crazy and by-the-seat-of-the-pants as was this one. We were having so much fun that the group didn't want to stop, turning the evening into a seven hour long Labyrinth Lord marathon!

However, I find that when you don't know when to say "when", and the party is near the adventure finish line, people start making foolhardy mistakes when they're tired. Although Jason, a PRG test-player regular, did some very smart and innovative role-playing throughout the evening, a fatal mistake was made in the very last room. His thief died...again. We'll mourn his lack of hit points here...again.

I'll admit that we should have stopped a couple hours earlier and saved the big stuff for another night. This saves the party from just trying to "push through" to the end just so that we can reach the end (in our group's defense, our gaming sessions are rather far between, so we'd probably not be able to continue the adventure soon enough to keep its momentum).

So now the tweaking, writing and art shall begin in preparation for publication. Those of you familiar with the one-page dungeon from which this adventure is expanded, much has changed! I'm excited to get this one out, and like the other PRG adventures, it will be available as a free download.

I'll keep you posted.

The Lost Staves of Maurath revamp and other goodies

Things will start to move right along. Next weekend is our next scheduled gaming session. We will be playing a revamped and full-length version of my one-page dungeon The Lost Staves of Maurath. This version includes an expanded temple and an all-new third level.

The plans are to make The Lost Staves of Maurath for levels 4-7, so the critters will be bumped up from the original if they have any hope of giving the PCs some serious boo-boos.

Again, like my previous adventures, if all goes well with this one, it should be the next Labyrinth Lord module release for PRG.

After this one is finished, I'll continue on a module that I am really excited about titled The Fierce Foes of Fire Peak Mountain. This Labyrinth Lord adventure will be for higher level characters (around 6-10) and will feature some hard-hitting baddies.

PCs will venture through seven or eight small levels full of Fierce Foes as they travel up toward the Fire Peak, including some "abandoned" ruins, a security fort, a village and its graveyard, and a vast labyrinth of caverns that will lead characters to the peak.

Typical stuff? That's right! Fire Peak Mountain is going to be a 100% old-school dungeon crawl (take a gander at the cover to the original D&D Dungeon Geomorphs for the type of flavor I have in mind). While that might not be for everyone's taste, hopefully we can win the naysayers over. After all, free-of-charge adventures are hard to beat!

One last thing: I still have my sights on an X-plorers rpg mission module release. This will happen (or my test-playing crew will string me up). Whether this will happen before Fire Peak is released is all up in the air right now.

News on our upcoming adventures

Just to let you know that I haven't been sitting on my hands since the release of Fabled Curse of the Brigand Crypt, the next adventure has already been written and ready for publication.

The Labyrinth Tomb of the Minotaur Lord will be out soon enough, but not through Prime Requisite Games. I am pleased to announce that as of this writing, Minotaur Lord will appear in the next issue of Knockspell magazine (issue #3)!

While the adventure's title may be a bit self explanatory, the deadly traps and cryptic puzzles within are anything but predictable. The Labyrinth Tomb of the Minotaur Lord is compatible with Labyrinth Lord and Swords & Wizardry and is suitable for character levels 3-5.

I'm excited that Mr. Finch accepted Minotaur Lord to be in the pages of Knockspell (as well as provided some desperately needed line editing of the adventure manuscript). I'm equally excited that Matthew tapped fantasy artist Christopher Burdett to illustrate the adventure! Very, very cool.

While I do not have a time frame of when Knockspell #3 will be released, I'll definitely let you know as soon as I know!

In the meantime I have plans for a high-level Labyrinth Lord release as well as a mission module for the X-plorers role-playing game.

More updates to follow! Woo-hoo!

Sunday's test-play successful (so far)

My group began test-playing The Labyrinth Tomb of the Minotaur Lord this past Sunday. We made it about 2/3rds of the way through the adventure, and while the party was knocked around a bit, not one character died! Yes, even Jason's thief survived this first go-around. A rarity and I applaud him.

We'll complete this adventure on May 30th and then it's time for tweaking. As a side note, I should be working on Beyond the Midway Post before I do any work on the Minotaur Lord, but that one's been shelved for the time being. It will see the light of day, just not so soon.

Anyway, this adventure will be the last with my loyal test-players Buzz and Cathy. The married couple are moving 21 hours away, so I don't think think they'll make our bi-weekly (or so) gaming sessions. I guess there's always Skype! *tear*

As a going away present, a few co-workers and I found a Fine-graded copy of Captain America #100 at a local comic convention and snatched it up at a decent price. This is the only Cap issue he's missing from his collection, and he was nearly speechless to say the least. It was awesome.

Buzz and Cathy are fun players and they will be missed. Here's hoping that they plug into a game soon after settling in.

I'll post about our next session and hopefully I'll have a time frame for publication.

Knockspell, an apology, and good news

I see that Knockspell #2 is out already. I told Mr. Finch a long time ago that I had an adventure that would be a good one for the magazine and I would get it to him ASAP. He thought that was great.

Well, life happens, and as different obstacles stood in the way and as my test-play games could not get on track, I was not able to get the adventure to him. I know Matt has probably met more than his fair share of fellers who are gung-ho about a project only to fall off the face of the earth the next day, but I didn't want to be that guy. The guy who says he'll do something one minute and then forget your name the next. That guy.

Actually, I'm sure most indie publishers have met that guy while waiting for design, artwork, or whatever. *shudder* Not fun. Especially when you're ready to push your product out the door.

Now although it's not the biggest deal in the world, still I would like to apologize to Matt for not keeping in touch with him, at least just to say, "It won't be ready." From now on, if I have something I'd like to submit (whether it's to Knockspell or to my church's bake sale), I better be on top of my project or my communication skills.

That being said, here's to much success to the new issue of Knockspell!

In other news, I am finaly test-playing The Labyrinth Tomb of the Minotaur Lord this weekend. My usual gang of players will be there sans Dynamic Dan who will be venturing to Wonderfest in Kentucky. Although I have always been more into comic books and heavy metal than models, it does look like a good time for all interested.

Preview of the "Brigand Crypt" cover

Although Fabled Curse of the Brigand Crypt will not be released for a little while longer, we thought you might like to check out the cover art for PRG's latest adventure.

Test-play for new adventure went well

The test-play session for Fabled Curse of the Brigand Crypt was fantastic. The players had a good time even though Jason lost his thief (again).

We will mourn his character's lack of hit points here (again).

A few things need to be tweaked and a few details need to be added, but I hope to have this adventure ready for a FREE download asap.

Test play this Saturday!

The plan is to test play Fabled Curse of the Brigand Crypt this Saturday. The usual gang will be there (Buzz, Kathy, Jason, Anne, and Dan) to give the new adventure a shot. This run-through will see what needs to be tweaked so we can finally get the Brigand Crypt into your hands!

Like Gerald Red, this one will be available as a FREE download at lulu, scribd, and issuu.

New adventures finally in the works!

The holidays are over but the craziness never comes to an end! Prime Requisite Games has three new adventures in the works for Labyrinth Lord.

The first is titled Fabled Curse of the Brigand Crypt (DLD2).
Legend has it that the crypt holds a powerful curse over the abandoned ghost town of Iron City and those who venture there will surely meet their doom. A group of bandits took over the ancient crypt for their base of operations. Their sudden disappearance raises fears and questions about where they went and what was left behind. For character levels 1-3.

The second is titled Beyond the Midway Post (DLD3).
This follow-up to DLD2 is about a small guard post stationed between two cities. The station, called "The Midway Post," was put in place to curb a rise in local bandit attacks and the movement of stolen goods.

The post was meant to keep the roads safe for the local trade, but something terrible happens. The adventurers must investigate the station and gather information that will lead them on a dangerous journey Beyond the Midway Post! This adventure mixes classic dungeon crawl with a bit of detective work. For character levels 2-4.

The third adventure is titled The Labyrinth Tomb of the Minotaur Lord (DLD4).
Decades ago, the chaotic magic-user Wruulyn and his son Banezyth went in search of the Conjurer's Key, an artifact of enormous power. While fighting a tribe of hill giants, Banezyth was slain. Desperate and grieve-stricken, Wruulyn cast a reincarnation spell which promptly cast his son's soul within the body of a grotesque minotaur. As vain as he was evil, Banezyth went insane because of his monstrous appearance and attacked his father in a blind rage.

Forced to kill his own son, Wruulyn built a giant labyrinth tomb and encased both him and his son within. Rumors passed down through the years that Wruulyn had actually found the Conjurer's Key which is buried with him in the labyrinth tomb to this very day. For character levels 3-5.

As stated before, these adventures are "in the works", so we'll let you know when we're close to a specific release date.

Happy adventuring!