maxwellander

[maxwellander]

I've been trucking away all winter on my next big project, BLOOD BORG, and I'm one month away from hitting go on Kickstarter so I wanted to share it here.

Blood Borg is a vampyric gutter punk ttrpg built on the sturdy back of swedish doom metal rpg MORK BORG, inspired by early 00's vampire media like True Blood and Buffy mixed with punk nihilism like SLC Punk and Uncle Peckerhead.

This game reflects a lot of similar themes of one of my favorite other releases, Cybermetal 2012, in that it focuses on the lives of everyday people who are objectively not heroes who struggle to survive in an antagonistic world. Cybermetal was intended as a reflection on my 30's and current way of life: finding community and trying to do good by one another. While writing, I sort of discovered Blood Borg is a reflection of my 20's: the idea that we are young forever and never going to die, running through alleys at 3 am to nowhere, pulling day-old bagels from the dumpster like we discovered gold, and yet feeling the discordance of chronic mental illness compounded by the regular pains of growing up and the futility of fighting back against the inaccessible systems that run the world.

A longer more involved artist statement is one of the hidden stretch goals for this project, I'm excited to write at length about what these things mean to me and how they are cooked into the systems of the game.

I'm really proud of Blood Borg and it does what a lot of my games aim to do: engage philosophically with what it is to be a person in a society, the importance of support communites, the otherness of being for better or worse, all while simultaneously being a gonzo blast of a game that is fun as hell to play.

APRIL 9, Blood Borg launches on Kickstarter. I'll have the beautiful hardcover book, a screen-printed variant cover, a bunch of fun merch, and more available. Visit bloodborg.com to pre-save and get notified on launch.

Blood Borg is designed/written by myself, Adam Vass, and illustrated by Mitchell Van Dyke in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

[maxwellander]

RTFM is on hiatus for the rest of the month, so I dropped an old Patreon episode into the main feed. This one's about Tunnel Goons by Nate Treme.

Also, we were on the Yes Indie'd podcast, hosted by Thomas Manuel! We talked about criticism and reading in the RPG field.

[maxwellander]

A new episode of RTFM! @maxwellander set out to talk about RuneQuest, but we end up talking about citation, ownership, and stewardship in the RPG industry.

Who has the right to own stuff?

How can we credit people who give us ideas?

Is it ever right to refuse to credit someone?

We're definitely crediting this Feminist Killjoys blog post as inspiration for this episode.

We're also crediting The Lost Bay's Outer Rim: Uprising as funding this episode. It's a cool Mothership box set made by a bunch of amazing indie designers.

[maxwellander]

A new episode of RTFM! @maxwellander and I cover the Player's Handbook for Dungeons & Dragons Third Edition. We talk unified mechanics, feat trees, and Max's secret origin.

We also conclude this "monster season" and rank its games.

[maxwellander]

Making a Roguelike adventure (for Himbos!)

A few months ago a young man put up 38 transparent neon NES and super NES game cases on marketplace. I bought them, completely unsure of what I would do with them, but sure i had to have them. Obviously, my first thought was “limited print rpg something something”. I’ve also wanted to release something to support Himbos recently since it’s, like, a really good game and it deserves my love and attention. So maybe something video game inspired? Like a classic RPG style project? No, that’s been done a lot by people more attached to those old game than me. I knew I also didn’t want to just make a dungeon because I have a back burner project that is a big dungeon for Himbos that I’m hoping to get out by the end of the year. SO THEN WHAT.

I often have intrusive design thoughts while falling asleep. Things like “pvp face-off game” (vis-a-visage) or “time travel discord message editing game” (someday). A few weeks ago, the intrusive thought of the night was “Roguelike adventure generator”. Roguelike adventure generator? What do those words even mean. How does adding Roguelike to the classic idea of adventure generators change what it does? Well, it turns out im gonna try and figure it out. Or rather, I have been trying to figure it out.

For me, the thing about Roguelike video games, is the balance between the overarching narrative, buffs/powerups that make you feel like your progressing and random obstacles/environments/problems that occasionally repeat elements. The generation part is the easiest for me, breaking down the elements that an adventure needs to go brrrrr. For me this came down to Landmarks (fun environmentmental elements), Problems (adventure hooks), NPCs, Events/Complications, and then some Critters. What I didn’t want to do was just make a bunch of tables to roll on. I love a good table, but one of the things I love about randomly generated video games is the potential for a level to be strangely easy or just really overwhelming, so I wanted a way to change the amounts and rations of the elements being generated. I suppose i could have done something where you roll a d4 for each element to determine how many of them to include in a run, but that feels so uninspired and why not over complicate something when you can!

Enter custom tokens. Any tokens could do, really, but the idea of tossing a bunch of tokens onto a table to generate an adventure brings me joy! Originally, I thought this would just mean gleaning information from face up or down, each type of token representing one of the elements involved, giving a randomized number of NPCs or Problems and such. I then realized that there was another axis that could be accessed, that of rotation. The tokens could be read like tarot, as upright or inverted. Face up or down could also indicate a different state beyond simply present or not.

Ok, great, so level (adventure) generation sorted. But what about the overarching quest. How do you finish the whole thing?

I’ve recently started playing a game of Apocalypse Keys by Rae Nedjadi. It’s a great game, that takes the mystery mechanic from Brindlewood Bay, which I have priory been associated with through playing The Between. I love it. Everytime I encounter it I am reminded that, as a player, it is the single most fun I’ve had interacting with a mechanic in any game in recent memory. Each game does it a little differently, but the idea is simple - the players collect clues or hints, and when they feel like they have a good idea of what’s going on, they present their theory and then roll to determine how right they are. In Apocalypse Keys, the clues are extremely evocative vignettes that are all themed to the mystery at hand. But I’ve always wondered what happens if they were completely random. The wonderful thing about the mechanic is that the players will absolutely figure out a way to work each clue into their theory, they will justify that most seemingly random bit of information is ways previously unimaginable. So, it might actually work if random, or, for the application in this design, as more broad and less specific to the scene at hand. The clues have now become the reward for finishing the level at hand, and because giving your players a unique and special piece of equipment is always fun, i’ve linked them to Objects Of Power the entity causing the glitch has left behind. It’s important to remember that all this is for Himbos of Myth & Mettle so OoPs are things like a small box that emits exciting foley sounds when your character is in combat and the visions (clues) that you see when you grasp it for the first time range from images of rat kings to slightly more lewd moments between hidden figures.

The loop as it stands now - Generate level through tossing tokens and rolling on appropriate tables, characters hunt for Objects of Power, and the clues they hold to the larger mystery of the regenerating, repeat until characters feel confident they understand (again, Himbos, the theories will be wild), roll to see if right, and if so move on to a final confrontation with the entities they’ve designed, or they fail and must return to collect more clues till they come up with another idea.

I finally got around to printing some test tokens and attempting to generate a level. Behold, the first session of Bugbears of Unusual Size and Other Tales:

[maxwellander]

Zimo project is live!

Handbaskets (formerly Samhain) is one of two games available in the Low Res Futures book. The other is In A Mirror Brightly, by Aaron King.

Handbaskets is a game of ultraviolence, advanced technology and witchcraft for 1 GM and 3-6 players. It is a series of puzzles and mini-games that pit players against each other (and everyone else) to see who can outwit and outlast. The game contains no solutions for the puzzles and assumes the GM is willing to roll with the unknown and reward player creativity. It is set in a nameless future city that contains magic, demons, and weird unexplainable shit.

The barrier between hell and earth has been shattered. Everything is hot (and bloody, and sticky), witchcraft is real, and you can have lunch with a demon any day of the week. Technology advanced to allow sleeving and re-sleeving of human consciousness into any body, vessel or vehicle with the right hardware. It’s a far from perfect technology, and there are no guarantees on what you are waking up in.

With death having lost almost all meaning thanks to the technological development of sleeves, the number one entertainment of the times is a series of extreme bloodsports, referred to as the Handbaskets, intended to appease the gods (the devilish ones) through bloody sacrifice and an ever increasing body count. The player, or players, that accumulate the most Rep over the course of the games are granted the prestigious title “Lord of Hell”, a proverbial skeleton key to the cities back rooms and upper echelons and, in some cases, a literal position.

Nab the book in softcover or hardcover on Kickstarter, now through Feb 15

[maxwellander]

Prototyping some Augmented Reality for an upcoming game book with @aaronsrpgs

[maxwellander]

Here are some games to play

As a follow up to my last post, I wanna provide some good indie games that deliver on cool narrative moments, and make good radio. I'm gonna break this up a specific way, so

If you liked D&D because -> you should play

Also I'm trying to focus on things that'll make good campaigns instead of just good one shots, but like chase your bliss.

It's Gay

honestly babe love yourself we could be so much gayer

Himbos of Myth & Mettle by Huge Boar Games - Legitimately one of my favorite games to come out in the last few years, this delivers on the queer themes a lot of queer players actually want to see in game. It's campy, it's irreverent, it has long since left taste behind. It's rules lite enough to just pick up and play, without being so rules lite you don't know what to do next.

Thirsty Sword Lesbians by April Kit Walsh - Billed as "angsty disaster lesbians with swords" its a roleplaying game once again with queer players actually in mind. It uses PbtA framework so classes feel distinct without bogging you down; and actually guides you on creating your own settings and stories within the system (if you don't want to use any of the ones included that is and honestly... you probably do).

Apocalypse Keys by Rae Nedjadi - Only the quickstart is out there (grab it on bacerkit it's good) at the moment, but inside sources say the pdf at least is nearing public release. Its a loveletter to queer concepts of monstrous selves that isn't afraid to both swing for big feelings and big fun.

I Like Combat

Oh god do I have you set, I too like combat fellow reader

LUMEN games - The LUMEN srd was watershed moment when Spencer Campbell/Gila RPGs released it back in 2021. The system is a deceptively simple d6 pool system that really pushes stunts, combat, and quick narrative gameplay. I linked a collection with most of the games in it, but there are a ton of LUMEN engine games. Some of the best (imo) include Spencer's own LIGHT, Vibe Check by Ostrichmonkey Games, and In Extremis by ME

9 Lives to Valhalla by Gem Room Games - If you wanna fight I'm gonna let you fight, and that's a thing you can say about me. Play as deathmetal viking cats fighting for their spot in Valhalla. Fight giants, fight ghosts, fight your GM as the embodiment of Death and takeover the game and run it yourself instead. I'm not kidding these are all things we can do here.

Gubat Banwa by Makapatag - Its a Southeast Asian fantasy martial arts RPG about brave warrirors and knights who travel The Sword Isles to dictate the fate of the world. Deep tactical gridded gameplay in the vein of Final Fantasy Tactics, with a distinctly Philippine-centric take on violence and war. Its sick, it looks sick, you'll like it.

CHOKE. by Vagabond Pen & Paper - After dying to forever I finally got to play this and its sick. Billing itself as a TTRPG FPS, play as "corporate knights" licensed killers for on company payroll, and break your body, your mind, and and your guns as you haul ass through series of missions. It has a sick like teris style inventory system that interacts with a ton of systems across the game, and another really solid take on violence, you, and corporations.

I Like Highjinks with my Friends

You're so valid for this

Patchwork World by Aaron King - Legit one of my favorite games ever (lil plug listen to me talk about it here). Aaron does an incredible job throughout of looking at the fundamentals of what makes sitting around a table and playing games with your friends fun, and simply capitalizes on it. I can't say enough good things about this game, but I also don't know how to talk about it quickly and in a way that makes sense; just trust me go pick it up, it's a free download and if you like it you can go pay Aaron later (and you should).

I'm not gonna list a second one go get Patchwork I believe in you so much

I like Dungeon Fantasy

There are so many good indies in this

Down We Go by Markus Linderum - Markus does an incredible job here at breaking a style of game down to its core, and then building it back up into something that feels both recognizable and brand new all at once. Your classes are your stats, the game is ever shifting and defined in play, and its easy to pick up with a surprising amount of growth possible. Core gameplay fits on one page, but with expanding space for additional mechanics, and it has a solid selection of pack in adventures, dungeons, and procedures.

A Dungeon Game by Chris Bissette - The second edition of A Dragon Game, A Dungeon Game has a wildly easy to use website (as well as traditional pdf, epubs, and a print edition) with brutally simple mechanics that make playing the game easy as fuck, especially when partnered with the aforementioned website to make rules complications pass by with little more than a breeze. Chris has long been the king of this exact style of gameplay, and A Dungeon Game reminds everyone exactly why.

Slayers by Gila RPGs - Eagle eyed viewers might catch that rn Spencer is the only one on this list twice, and that's because he's just really good at making games I'm sorry. Slayers is a take on traditional Dungeon Fantasy with an emphasis on asymetrical combat, and an extremely active group of third party publishers consistently bumping out great new classes, scenarios, and parts of the city.

[maxwellander]

[maxwellander]

Bullying works!

Accepting a challenge from @ostrichmonkey-games and @temporalhiccup to write a PbtA move every day. Not sure I’ll post daily; maybe a monthly digest? Anyway, happy 2023.

[maxwellander]

I found a GEM for creators: 600+ pages from a printing set catalog!

It's like the biggest clip art collection you've ever seen. Typography, diagrams, floorplans, maps, sketches, zoology, architecture, plants, etc.

Download pages for free here. All public domain!

And if you needed some help cleaning up and using these images, I have a little guide here: https://www.technicalgrimoire.com/david/2021/09/jalopyfreeart

[maxwellander]

I love rainy graveyard walks

#photographers #photography #landscape #graveyard #atmosphere #dartmouth

[maxwellander]

Solstice on the Isle of Aldharcach

My holiday adventure lives!

Solstice is an adventure/hex pamphlet designed for use with Himbos of Myth & Mettle (but could easily be adapted for any game). The details of the adventure can all be randomly rolled including the truth about what has happened to the horned god. It's got random encounters,weird creatures, and some cool NPCs! It's a balance of dark winter adventure and campy Himbo humour. 

It also incorporates session wrap downtime activities inspired by the wiccan traditions i grew up with - one of them is an actual thing we did every year (guesses?)

It's PWYW and I would love to hear if you give it a play through!

Grab Solstice on the Isle of Aldharcach here!

#ttrpg #rpg adventures #tabletop #himbos

[maxwellander]

So, I’ve been working on a little Solstice pamphlet for Himbos for the holiday season and I thought I would share a little preview. I want the pamphlet to have a good amount of adventure but also some downtime activities because SOLSTICE FESTIVITIES! I’ve been very inspired by SpeedRune by @aaronsrpgs and how much fun the downtime has been to play and wanted try and capture some of that feel. Since Himbos is super light on mechanics and this is designed to be a one or two shot, I didn’t want the solstice activities to involve any mechanical implications but instead to function as a wrap for the adventure.

So this is what I’ve come up with so far:

To conclude the adventure, have each of the players select a solstice activity they want to participate in. Each activity comes with a couple questions for the players to choose from to help prompt their description of a small vignette of festivity. These descriptions could include their characters or could be solely a picture into the life of the people of Adharcach.

With a first sample activity being The Web (a real life thing my family did every year for solstice during my childhood):

The web is an activity of connection. Each person takes a ball of yarn in a unique colour. Everyone stands in a circle and ties the loose end of their ball around a part of their off hand. The main bulk of their ball of is then thrown to someone at a different part of the circle, who will grab end to wrap in their off hand before throwing the ball onto the next person. Making eye contact with your target catcher is crucial. This continues until there is no more yarn and you are left with a multicoloured web, meant to be hung in the roof of your home until nexts years celebrations.

— A thrown ball falls short and drops below the web, describe the meeting of two people who’ve descended to retrieve it.

— Two people make eye contact accross the web. They’ve met before but they did not expect to find one another here. What lies in their shared history.

It feels really fun to put something personal into this little adventure and to spend time thinking about the rituals and traditions of my childhood. I have a complicated relationship to family and as such have often disliked the holiday season as an adult but this feels like a small way I can get into the spirit.

Also, the map looks great.

#ttrpg #pagan #solstice #himbos #adventure

[maxwellander]

WIP - Samhain

Since I shared that soundclip yesterday and mentioned that it thematically aligned with one of my WIPs, I thought maybe I should talk about that WIP a little.

Working title is Samhain, because originally this was going to be a halloween game, but then the scope creep got me.

Samhain is an game of ultraviolence, competition and reputation for 1 GM and 3-6 players. It is a series of puzzles and games that pit players against everyone to see who can outwit and outlast. This book contains no solutions for the puzzles herein and assumes the GM is willing to roll with the unknown and reward the players creativity. It is set in a nameless future city that contains magic, demons, and weird unexplainable shit.

It started as an adventure module for Cybermetal 2012, an amazing game by World Champ Game Co. // Adam Vass, but has become it's own thing now I think. I love the mechanics of Cybermetal but I also cannot stop myself from coming up with systems, so here we are.

Largely inspired by Alice in Borderland and The Mole, the game is a series of of contest/puzzles that are designed to encourage players to play EXTREMELY DIRTY. This is my first major undertaking of puzzle design within something I tend to release and so I've been thinking a lot about what makes a puzzle in ttrpgs compelling. For Samhain, this has manifested as Details, Complications and Secrets, a section I'm including for each game.

A little sample:

#ttrpg #game design #current wip

[maxwellander]

Working on getting better playing with samples, summoning some demons.

I might be overcommitting but I decided to learn electronic music to make dungeon synth cause I love the idea of releasing music along with ttrpg stuff and this definitely aligns with one of my WIPs…

#elektron #digitakt #electronicmusic #dungeon synth #ttrpg

[maxwellander]

A Real Introduction

Hey there! figured I should make a real introduction post. I’m Max Lander and I make games (as Huge Boar Games) and co-host an RPG bookclub podcast with Aaron King. I’m also a photographer and occasionally other kind of artist and by day work as a Unity Developer and University Instructor.

My largest game release to date is Himbos of Myth & Mettle, a high fantasy, high camp games of bid bodies and small brains. I think it’s pretty great!

Himbos and all of my other games can be found on my itch page along with my latest release, Night Walks, a horror photo zine that includes use of the photos for you projects with purchase! Night walks is a new adventure for me and my plan going forward is to release small photo zine/asset packs quarterly.

Every two weeks, Aaron and I release a new episode of Read the Fucking Manual, a podcast where we read old or interesting RPG books and discuss them primarily as books. We often have great guests join us and are ramping up to our 1 year anniversary!

I’m going to make another post talking about the projects I’m currently working on, as they are numerous and exciting.