Happy New Year!

Time for a wee update, I think.
I've not been gaming regularly for a couple of months now. Some things have changed since my last post. The Thunderbirds PDF is unlikely to appear now. I've completed playtesting duties on "Dawn Of Legends" for Arbor Productions. I've been working (slowly) on updating my old Star Trek FASA crewlist. Savage Star Trek is pretty much dead in the water now. I guess i'll see where 2009 takes me.

Downtime

I've decided to take a break from the weekly gaming for a few weeks. I need to recharge the batteries a bit. No doubt i'll still be working on Savage Star Trek and Thunderbirds though...

Quick update...

This week i've mainly been working on the download version of Savage Thunderbirds, which will be a pdf hosted on my website, and the starship combat rules for Savage Star Trek. It's been slow going, though. Looking forward to reading HEX this weekend, hopefully.
On the gaming front, Kevin's back so I think we'll be playing Golden Heroes/Squadron Uk next week.

What now?

Hmm. Well, for me i'm thinking of returning to Necessary Evil or possibly giving Hollow Earth Expeditions a shake.

Bwah-ha-ha!!

Finished Thunderbirds this week and ended on a cliffhanger !! Funny thing is I don't really have any plans to revisit the game as this was only ever intended as a one off challenge. Have a feeling I won't get away with that one.

More Playtesting

I've just applied to playtest Neo-Earth, a new super supplement for Savage Worlds. I'm very excited about this project as this promises to be the book which will bring four colour superheroics to Savage Worlds.
Can't wait.

It's good to be Savage...

Heard some awesome news today. Adamant Entertainment are relaunching their Thrilling Tales pulp line in Savage Worlds, which will include redoing all of their cool pulp adventures in SW format. Also, they're doing a Savage version of their MARS, ERB-like planetary romance game.
With Ravaged Earth, Slipstream and Autumn Arbor coming soon as well it really is a good time to be a fan of Savage Worlds.

Thunderbirds are ....gone?

Ran the Savage Thunderbirds game last night and despite being horrendously rushed and woefully underprepared, the guys seemed to like it. Thanks in no small part to their willingness to "get" it. Really enjoyed the game, actually.

Voltan, The Dark One

Voltan, The Dark One (Wild Card)

Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d10, Spirit d10, Strength d8, Vigor d8
Skills: Fighting d10, Guts d10, Intimidation d10, Knowledge (Occult) d4, Notice d8, Riding d6, Shooting d8, Stealth d6, Taunt d8, Throwing d8.
Charisma:-4 Pace: 6" Parry: 6 Toughness: 7
Edges: Brawny, Block, Connections (Dark Wizard), Level Headed, Nerves Of Steel, No Mercy, Command, Hold The Line, Strong Willed.
Hindrances: Arrogant, Mean, Ugly, Vengeful (Major).
Quote: "Wizard!!!"
Equipment: Steel Helm (+2, covers head), Great Sword (Str +d10, Parry -1, 2 hands)

Baldin

Baldin (Wild Card)

Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d8, Spirit d8, Strength d6, Vigor d6
Skills: Climbing d6, Fighting d8, Gambling d8, Guts d6, Lockpicking d8, Notice d8, Persuasion d10, Riding d4, Stealth d8, Streetwise d6, Swimming d4, Taunt d8.
Charisma: 0 Pace: 6" Parry: 6 Toughness: 4
Edges: Quick, Quick Draw, Scamper, Trademark Weapon.
Hindrances: Curious, Habit (Glutton, pipe), Small, Heroic, Loyal.
Quote: "There's a hole here as large as the pit of Gimli in the Iron Hills!"
Equipment: Whip(Str+d4, reach 1), sugared turcles.

Gort

Gort (Wild Card)

Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit d8, Strength d12+1, Vigor d10
Skills: Climbing d6, Fighting d10, Gambling d6, Guts d8, Intimidation d10, Notice d8, Persuasion d8, Survival d6, Taunt d8.
Charisma: 0 Pace: 6" Parry: 8 Toughness: 8
Edges: Brawny, Block, Combat Reflexes, Hard To Kill, Sweep, Trademark Weapon.

Hindrances: Heroic, Loyal, Quirk (Gullible).
Quote: "I'd sooner eat cowdung!"
Equipment: Warhammer (Str+d8, AP 2 vs rigid armour, min strength d10), Plate Corselet (+3, torso only).

TB4

THUNDERBIRD 4
Rescue Submarine.

Length: 9.1m, width: 3.4m.
Top speed: 160 knots (submerged), Propulsion: Turbodrive motors
Acc/Top Speed: 20/80; Toughness 12 (2) Crew: 1; Cost: Classified

Notes: Submersible, laser cutter, airlock.
Weapons: Missiles (10/50/75, 3d6, sbt, rof 1, hw).

TB3

THUNDERBIRD 3

Space rescue/shuttle craft.

Length: 85.25m, diameter: 28m.

Top speed: 20,000mph, Propulsion: Chemical rockets/particle thrusters

Acc/Top Speed: 200/Escape Velocity; Climb: 80; Toughness 16 (4) Crew: 1; Cost: Classified Notes: Spacecraft/Atmospheric

Weapons: None

TB2

THUNDERBIRD 2
STOL/VTOL Heavy transport aircraft.
Wingspan: 57m, length: 75.5m, height: 18m.
Top speed: 5,000mph, Propulsion: Turbojet, ramjet, rocket.

Acc/Top Speed: 60/800; Climb: 30; Toughness 26 (4) Crew: 1; Cost: Classified Notes: Night Vision, Stabiliser, VTOL, Payload Pod (various) Weapons: Air - To - Surface Missiles: 75/150/300, 4d8, mbt, rof 1, AP 6, HW.

Coming next...

Next up is TB2, TB3 and TB4.

Update

Updated the Hawk characters so check them out if you haven't already.

Hold your horses....

Don't go dashing off to play Savage Hawk The Slayer yet ! Some revisions to the character writeups and the remaining characters are coming soon. I know what you're thinking. WIZARD!!!!!

Happy Birthday Baby !

It's Maddie's birthday tomorrow. She will be a very grown up six years old. I love you sweetheart.

The Hood

The Hood – (Wild Card)

Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d10, Spirit d10, Strength d6, Vigor d6
Skills: Climbing d6, Driving d8, Fighting d6,Guts d10, Intimidation d10, Investigation d8, Knowledge (Electronics) d8, Lockpicking d6, Notice d8, Persuasion d10, Piloting d8, Psionics d8, Shooting d8, Stealth d6, Streetwise d8, Taunt d8.
Charisma: -2 Pace: 6" Parry: 5 Toughness: 5
Edges: Arcane Background (Psionic)*, Hard To Kill, Thief, Strong Willed
Hindrances: Arrogant, Greedy, Mean, Stubborn.

Powers: Puppet*.

*The Hood has only one psionic ability, the puppet power which he uses as a form of hypnosis. In normal circumstances, usual range restrictions apply. The Hood shares a psychic link with his half brother, Kyrano, and can use the ability at any distance assuming he prepares his mind for the attempt by focusing on a likeness of him.

Kyrano

Kyrano

Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d8, Spirit d6, Strength d6, Vigor d6
Skills: Guts d6, Healing d6, Knowledge (Botany) d10, Knowledge (Cookery) d6, Notice d6, Stealth d6.
Charisma: +4 Pace: 6" Parry: 5 Toughness: 5
Edges: Danger Sense.
Hindrances: Code Of Honour, Loyal.

Tin Tin

Tin Tin – (Wild Card)

Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d8, Spirit d8, Strength d6, Vigor d6
Skills: Climbing d6, Driving d6, Fighting d6,Guts d6, Investigation d6, Knowledge (Engineering) d8, Notice d6, Persuasion d8, Piloting d8, Stealth d6.
Charisma: +4 Pace: 6" Parry: 5 Toughness: 5
Edges: Very Attractive.
Hindrances: Curious.

Grandma

Grandma

Attributes: Agility d4, Smarts d6, Spirit d8, Strength d4, Vigor d4
Skills: Guts d6, Healing d6, Knowledge (Cookery) d10, Notice d6, Persuasion d8.
Charisma: 0 Pace: 5" Parry: 2 Toughness: 4
Edges: Common Bond.
Hindrances: All Thumbs, Bad Eyes, Elderly.

Crow

Crow (Wild Card)

Attributes: Agility d10, Smarts d8, Spirit d8, Strength d6, Vigor d6

Skills: Climbing d8, Fighting d6, Guts d8, Notice d8, Riding d8, Shooting d12, Stealth d10, Survival d8, Tracking d8.

Charisma: -2 Pace: 8" Parry: 5 Toughness: 5

Edges: Alertness, Quick, Fleet Footed, Quick Draw, Acrobat, Woodsman, Improved Double Shot, Improved Hail Of Arrows*.

Hindrances: Heroic, Loyal, Outsider, Quirk (Man Of Few Words).

Quote: "He wastes his time and mine!"

Equipment: Elven Bow (2d6, 12/24/48, ROF 1), 20 arrows.

* Hail Of Arrows

Requirements: Wild Card, Agility D8, Shooting D10, Quick Draw

This edge gives +1 to ROF for bows. Improved version gives +2.

Thanks to Agent for Hail Of Arrows edge, although the name was mine.

DC Stations...

Next on my list of things to Savage when i've finished with Thunderbirds and Hawk The Slayer will be the crew of C-57D from Forbidden Planet.

Ranulf

Ranulf (Wild Card)

Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit d8, Strength d8, Vigor d6
Skills: Fighting d8, Gambling d6, Guts d8, Notice d6, Riding d6, Shooting d10, Stealth d6, Streetwise d6, Survival d6, Tracking d6.
Charisma: 0 Pace: 6" Parry: 6 Toughness: 5
Edges: Combat Reflexes, Hard To Kill, Trademark Weapon,
Hindrances: Bad Luck, Habit (pipe), Heroic, One Hand, Vengeful.
Quote: "I had Voltan in my sights...and I couldn't fire!"
Equipment: Repeating Crossbow (15/30/60, 2d6, ROF3, 10 shot magazine, min str d6, AP2, 1 action to reload), Mail Shirt (+2 Armour, covers torso).

Hawk

Hawk (Wild Card)

Attributes: Agility d10, Smarts d8, Spirit d10, Strength d8, Vigor d8
Skills: Boating d4, Climbing d6, Fighting d10, Guts d10, Notice d8, Riding d8, Shooting d8, Stealth d8, Survival d6, Swimming d6, Throwing d10, Tracking d8.
Charisma: +4 Pace: 6" Parry: 9 Toughness: 6
Edges: Alertness, Attractive, Noble, Quick, Improved Block, Level Headed, Trademark Weapon, Command, Common Bond.
Hindrances: Code Of Honor, Enemy (Voltan), Heroic, Loyal, Vow (“Voltan, you will die by this sword!”
Equipment: Last of the Elven Mindswords (Str+d8, +1 parry) - The mind sword has a mind stone grasped in it's pommel. When acquiring a mindsword, a Spirit of d8 is required to bond with it. Once the bond is established, this cannot be undone. This bond provides another +1 to Parry whilst wielding the sword. The bond provides an additional + 2 to the Agility roll required for a Quick Draw attempt during combat as the sword seems to leap into it's master's grasp. If the weapon is separated from it's wielder, a successful Spirit roll will allow it to return to his hand. This counts as a multi-action if attempted during combat. A success with a raise on this roll will allow it to be used as normal to attack in the same round. Maximum range at which the wielder can summon the sword is equal to his Spirit in inches. Despite it's size, the weapon may also be thrown (2/4/8).
Quote: "Leave the odds as they are!"

Thanks to Agent for the mindsword rules.

"Nosey" Parker

Parker – (Wild Card)

Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6, Spirit d6, Strength d6, Vigor d6
Skills: Climbing d6, Driving d10, Fighting d6, Gambling d8, Guts d6, Lockpicking d10, Notice d6, Repair d10, Shooting d8, Stealth d8, Streetwise d10.
Charisma: -2 Pace: 6" Parry: 5 Toughness: 5
Edges: Ace, Steady Hands, Thief.
Hindrances: Bad Luck, Loyal, Ugly.

London Agent

Lady Penelope – (Wild Card)

Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d10, Spirit d8, Strength d6, Vigor d6
Skills: Fighting d6, Gambling d6, Guts d8, Investigation d8, Knowledge (Etiquette) d8, Notice d8, Persuasion d10, Riding d6, Shooting d6, Stealth d8, Streetwise d6, Taunt d6.
Charisma: +4 Pace: 6" Parry: 5 Toughness: 5
Edges: Alertness, Connections Very Attractive, Filthy Rich.
Hindrances: Curious, Habit (Cigarettes), Stubborn.

Brains

Brains (Hiram K Hackenbacker) – (Wild Card)

Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d12, Spirit d8, Strength d6, Vigor d6
Skills: Driving d6, Fighting d4, Guts d6, Investigation d8, Knowledge (Computers) d10, Knowledge (Electronics) d10, Knowledge (Engineering) d12, Notice d6, Piloting d6, Repair d10.
Charisma: 0 Pace: 6" Parry: 4 Toughness: 5
Edges: Gadgeteer, McGyver.

Hindrances: Bad Eyes (Normally corrected with glasses), Curious, Loyal, Quirk (Talks to himself).

It's a jest....!!

No, it's not. Started making some notes for Savaging Hawk The Slayer characters.
I'm trying to talk myself out of it but i'm losing the argument :-)

Ah, gee Mr ...Tracy!

Well, that's the T-Bird pilots up and done. Next up will be Mr Hiram Hackenbacker and other assorted supporting cast. I'm also working up TB2, 3 & 4. I'm sure i'll be tempted to write up Fab 1 as well.

Space Monitor, Thunderbird 5

John Tracy – Space Monitor, Thunderbird 5 (Wild Card)

Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d10, Spirit d6, Strength d6, Vigor d6
Skills: Driving d6, Fighting d4, Guts d6, Investigation d8, Knowledge (Astronomy) d10, Knowledge (Electronics) d6, Notice d8, Piloting d6, Repair d6, Shooting d4.
Charisma: 0 Pace: 6" Parry: 4 Toughness: 5
Edges: Alertness.
Hindrances: Curious, Heroic.

Aquanaut, Thunderbird 4

Gordon Tracy – Aquanaut, Thunderbird 4 (Wild Card)

Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6, Spirit d8, Strength d6, Vigor d6
Skills: Boating d8, Driving d6, Fighting d6, Guts d8, Knowledge (Oceanography) d6, Notice d6, Piloting d8, Repair d6, Shooting d4, Swimming d10.
Charisma: 0 Pace: 6" Parry: 5 Toughness: 5
Edges: Luck, Quick.
Hindrances: Cautious, Heroic, Quirk (Practical Joker).

TB1

THUNDERBIRD 1
First response/Reconnaisance aircraft.
Wingspan 15m, length 23.6m, height 9.5m. Top speed 15,000mph, Propulsion Turbojet, ramjet, rocket.

Acc/Top Speed: 500/2500; Climb 75; Toughness 18 (2)
Crew: 1; Cost: Classified
Notes: 2 x AMCM, Night Vision, Stabiliser
Weapons:
Disruptor Cannon: 50/100/200, 3d8, 3, AP 6, HW

Pilot, Thunderbird 3

Alan Tracy – Pilot, Thunderbird 3 (Wild Card)

Attributes: Agility d10, Smarts d8, Spirit d6, Strength d6, Vigor d8
Skills: Climbing d6, Driving d10, Fighting d6, Guts d8, Knowledge (Mechanic) d6, Notice d6, Persuasion d6, Piloting d8, Repair d6, Shooting d6, Swimming d6.
Charisma: +4 Pace: 6" Parry: 5 Toughness: 6
Edges: Ace, Very Attractive, Quick.
Hindrances: Heroic, Overconfident, Quirk (Funny Guy).

Pilot, Thunderbird 2

Virgil Tracy – Pilot, Thunderbird 2 (Wild Card)

Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d10, Spirit d8, Strength d6, Vigor d6
Skills: Driving d6, Fighting d6, Guts d10, Knowledge (Engineering) d10, Knowledge (Electronics) d8, Knowledge (Piano) d6, Notice d8, Piloting d8, Repair d8, Shooting d6.
Charisma: 0 Pace: 6" Parry: 4 Toughness: 5
Edges: Combat Reflexes, Improved Level Headed, Nerves Of Steel
Hindrances: Heroic

Believe the hype...

Went to see The Dark Knight last night and I was gripped from beginning to end. Not one duff bit, crap line or major plot hole. A finely crafted film from start to finish.

Pilot, Thunderbird 1

Scott Tracy – Pilot, Thunderbird 1 (Wild Card)

Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d8, Spirit d8, Strength d6, Vigor d8
Skills: Driving d8, Fighting d6, Guts d10, Intimidation d6, Investigation d6, Notice d8, Persuasion d6, Piloting d10, Repair d6, Shooting d6.
Charisma: +2 Pace: 6" Parry: 5 Toughness: 6
Edges: Ace, Attractive, Command, Level Headed, Steady Hands
Hindrances: Heroic, Stubborn

Quote: "This is International Rescue"

Thunderbirds are go!!

Jeff Tracy (Wild Card)

Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d8, Spirit d10, Strength d6, Vigor d6
Skills: Boating d6, Driving d6, Fighting d6, Guts d8, Knowledge (Engineering) d8, Knowledge (Science) d8, Notice d6, Persuasion d10, Piloting d10, Swimming d6
Charisma: +2 Pace: 6" Parry: 5 Toughness: 5
Edges: Charismatic, Command, Connections, Inspire, Rich, Filthy Rich
Hindrances: Heroic, Vow (Major) – Help Those In Need
Quote: "Thunderbirds are go!!"

Boldly going...savage.

I've started working on Savage Star Trek again. Mainly some formatting changes and a few new pages. Just want to make sure I keep my hand in. This also means I can put off getting stuck into Savage Thunderbirds :-)

Battlestar

Well, we played the first part of Mike's Battlestar game last night and I thought it went well. Mike certainly had plenty of nice miniatures and visual aids to hand and the adventure was engaging and interesting. Apparently, Chris and I threw Mike a bit of a curve ball and as a result we wrapped things up a bit early so Mike could rethink but time spent with friends is no waste so that was all good.

Justice comes to those who wait...

I've put up the homepage for the Justice Associates microsite. Front page only at the moment but all of the old content will be up as soon as I can get it done.

http://carps.f-sw.com/rennys_games_jahome.html

5-4-3-2-1.......

Coming soon...

On the slate...

Here's what i'm working on at the moment..

Victorian Torchwood - This idea won't go away. I've set up a wiki page for me to jot down some ideas. No timescale in mind but I still like the idea.

The Romulan War - My setting idea for (Savage) Star Trek. A more gritty take on the Star Trek universe. Again, i've set up a wiki and started making some notes from various sources.

Mutants and Masterminds - I've been putting archetypes into Simpson's excel sheet, to make life easier when creating characters for Kingdom of Heroes.

Justice Associates Microsite - Reformatting the old Carps JA pages and hosting them as part of Renny's Game Corner. Just started working on this now.

Like I said...

...i've updated my home page. I've added a downloads page and put some free stuff there.
Visit my page here.

Updates

Look out for some new content on the website this Tuesday night. I've got the evening to myself and i'm going to concentrate on uploading some more actual content. I've got various bits and pieces including Golden Heroes and Star Trek.

Kung Fu Panda....

....rocks hard!!
Nuff said.

Doctor Who RPG

Looks like the Dr Who playtest is winding down now. I've enjoyed being involved with it and I think the will is there to make it a quality product. I wish I could have been more involved towards the end but time is a luxury I don't always have. Still, I feel I made some positive contributions and look forward to seeing the finished item.

www.cubicle-7.com

Tonight

Justice Associates part 2 tonight and the players are goin to start feeling the pressure of my self-imposed three week deadline to finish the adventure. I'll be looking for more pace and less investigation. If you know Raymond Chandler's thoughts on the subject then you'll know what they can expect.
On a related note i'm thinking Victorian Torchwood for my next game..hmmm!

The call to Justice...

Justice Associates got back underway last Thursday. These games have achieved a near mythical status amongst some of our group, or at least they are always highly anticipated. Sad to say this is likely to be the last adventure of the superb six for the forseeable future. This adventure we are running now was originally written a few years back and due to the weight of expectation around a JA game, I don't know how long we can keep the quality up. It' s probably just me who feels the pressure but I don't know where they can go next. Never say never of course.

More stuff

I've added the games page to my website. Yes I know there's no content but it's on the way. Promise.

Homepage updated...

I've changed the homepage somewhat. Not necessarily the final version but getting there.
You can visit it here http://carps.f-sw.com/rennys_corner.html

Redecorating

Have done a bit of work on the homepage again tonight. Same layout as what's up already, just a little bit more...green. I'll probably upload it tomorrow once i'm sure I like it.

Help is on the way...

I picked up a copy of Traveller Book 0 on Saturday as part of free rpg day and despite myself, i'm impressed. Nice clean layout and the book harks back to Classic Traveller in a good way. I may even have to "gulp" buy a Mongoose book now. Or PDF, just so it won't fall apart in my hands.

FLGS

Agent and I nipped over to our FLGS today, Gamers Guild in Redhill. Admittedly I was lured by free stuff as today was Free RPG Day, but I wanted to check out the new store. It was easier to find than I thought and I parked just over the road. We bumped into Neil there who was around to demo D&D4E if needed. There was also a Serenity game running. Nice shop with a respectable stock of minis and rpgs. We picked up some nice free stuff as well. The shop isn't exactly convenient but i'll make the effort to shop there in future if I can.

http://www.thegamersguild.co.uk/

4th Ed

This coming Thursday we're going to be playing D&D4E. I'm quite looking forward to it as i've never been much of a D&D fan, apart from Digger's ongoing game. Sounds like Neil knows what he's about and should be a lot of fun.

Coming Soon...

Help is on the way....

Home Sweet Home

I've posted a placeholder page for my web page in progress. You can access it here

http://carps.f-sw.com/index_renny.html

Plan is to post some of the junk i've come up with over the years for various games. I'm currently looking through my stuff to see what I can stick on the page.

I'll take that in green...

Still messing with page appearance, as you can tell. I think I like the white better than the black but I need to live with it for a while. let me know what you think.

What's The Plan?

At some point i'm going to launch my own web page, mainly to host stuff i've put together over the years for the various games i've played. That page will be called Renny's Game Corner. At that time, i'll link the blog from the web page and the link from the Carps web page will lead to the RGC web page instead of the blog. I hope that makes more sense when you read it then it did when I typed it....

Never trust a Travelodge....

We're playing Kevin's Delta Green campaign at the moment, "A Very British Conspiracy". One of the things I like about it is the way that Kevin keeps things very grounded by using familiar locations. Travelodges have figured large so far, being the scene of several disquieting encounters. I always knew there was something about them.

Savage Star Trek

You can check out Savage Star Trek here

Comments will be welcomed.

Sigh...

Savage Star Trek game self destructed last night due to all bar one player having to pull out and a schedule clash at my end. I guess this is the disadvantage of being a ...ahem... mature gamer. Everyone has their life to live and other things sometimes take priority. Still, me and Chris got to play the wii some and that was a good time.

It's not a blog it's a ...

...web journal, apparently. A friend of mine tells me he doesn't like the blog word and the more I think about it, the more I agree with him. So it's not a blog, no sirree...!

Here we go...

I've made a few changes to the look of the blog. I'll admit i'm using the look of this page as a bit of a testbed for my own website. I'll probably stick with the name as Renny's been my online sig for a while now but the look might change.

RIP Arthur C. Clarke

As you will probably have heard by now, Arthur C Clarke passed away earlier this week.

I'll admit that i've never personally been a big fan of his writing, or at least his style of writing, but I've always thought of him as an innovator and original thinker.
I also had the pleasure of meeting him once. Back in the 1980's I guess, the world famous Forbidden Planet shop used to be a single shop in Denmark Street, West London It was your quintessential niche shop back then , not the current bloated supermarket. I was in there buying my monthly fix of comics when some "geek" sense made me look more closely at the old chap browsing the sci fi book section. As soon as I got a good look, I knew it was him and before I knew what I was doing, I wandered over to him and mumbled something about how my dad thought 2001 was the best film ever made. Mr Clarke said "Tell your dad, thank you. So do I" and I wandered off to pay for my comics. A small incident but one that stayed with me.

Is this thing on....?

Hi

It's my first blog post. Watch this space...