Spes Magna Games

The holidays are often a time that mess with my gaming schedule, which kind of bugs me. Back when I didn’t have a wife, children, a mortgage, et cetera, the holidays were a time when there was more rather than less gaming. To help remedy this situation, I’m hosting two games in the next couple of weeks, more or less open to whomever RSVPs before I end up with a group larger than will fit in my house.

On November 29, we’re going to play 3:16 Carnage Amongst the Stars, which is published by Box Ninja Games. Here’s the exciting hook text for “Stormbringer Coming!”:

“Lissen up, troopers! We’re headin’ from the fryin’ pan into the biggest, hottest [expletive deleted] fire you’ve ever seen. The bugs got us by the [expletive deleted], but, [expletive deleted] it, we’ve got one chance to pull our [expletive deleted] out of the grinder. Squad Alpha, you’re going to steal a shuttle, ride it up to Stormbringer, and then nuke the bugs from orbit. The rest of us are going to run interference. We’re all dead anyways, but we’re sure as [expletive deleted] gonna take these [expletive deleted] down with us! Hoo-ah!”

About a week later, on December 7, we’re going to play Barbarians of Lemuria, which is published by Beyond Belief Games. Here’s the exciting hook text for “Battle Axis”:

You’ve faced the horrific hordes of evil before, but never like this. Thunder sticks? Rolling golems? Metal wagons hauling away women and children? You might not understand much about what’s going on, but it’s time to cleave some skulls and send some of these “Not Zees” screaming into the pits of hell!

So, how does your gaming play out over the holidays?

P.S. Speaking of holidays and gaming, did you know that you can get my A Medieval Holiday for $0.75 with this special discount code (which expires after December 15)?

Tags: 3:16 Carnage Amongst the Stars, Barbarians of Lemuria, Holidays

My newest PDF, A Medieval Holiday, is available at both DriveThruRPG and at Paizo.com for a mere $1.02 US. This 17-page, printer-friendly PDF offers party etiquette advice, decorating tips, menu suggestions, and recipes geared toward a pseudo-medieval banquet held in your very own home. It also contains the Pathfinder-compatible trencherman prestige class, featuring awesome class features such as Chug! Chug! and Gourmand.

I’ve also been bitten by the spell creation bug. Symptoms include a desire to create one new spell per level for each casting class. So far I’ve completed levels 0 through 4 for bards and level 1 for rangers. Here’s a sample:

Accelerando
School transmutation; Level bard 1
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S
Range close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Target one creature/level, no two of which can be more than 30 ft. apart
Duration Concentration (up to 2 rounds + 1 round/level)
Saving Throw Fortitude negates (harmless); Spell Resistance yes (harmless)

Targets affected by accelerando enjoy a gradual increase in base land speed. On your turn each round the spell is in effect, affected creatures have their base land speed increased by 10 feet, to a maximum increase of 30 feet. This adjustment is treated as an enhancement bonus. There is no effect on other modes of movement, such as burrow, climb, fly, or swim. As with any effect that increases your speed, this spell affects your jumping distance (see the Acrobatics skill).

Tags: Holidays, recipes

I’m still working on A Medieval Holiday, a PDF that includes party hosting advice, decorating tips, recipes, and a Pathfinder prestige class. Here’s an excerpt from the Instructions for the Cooke section to further whet the appetite:

Pears in Wine & Spices

Category: Dessert.

Ingredients
4 pears, sliced
3 cups sweet red wine*
1 tbs. cinnamon
1 tbs. sugar
1 tsp. ginger
2 tbs. vinegar
few threads saffron

Instructions
1. Boil pears until they just become tender. Drain well.

2. In a separate pot, bring wine and cinnamon to a boil. Stir well throughout.

3. Let the wine-and-cinnamon mixture cool, and then strain to remove any grit, sediment, and clumps.

4. Return wine-and-cinnamon mixture to pot and bring back to a boil. Add sugar, ginger, saffron, and vinegar. Stir until spices are dissolved.

5. Add pears to wine-and-spices mixture. Cook for several minutes until the pears soften slightly and change color.

6. Serve hot or cold. I think they’re better hot, but that’s just me.

* For information about sweet red wines, visit this site. Do not use cooking wine for any recipe. Cooking wines are abominations. Wine left over in the bottle should be consumed by the chef and/or served with dinner.

Tags: Food, Holidays