Highly recommend Carrion Hill

[rich pett]

HotWar?

Would that be too much to ask to share your experiences with us? Especially as to how the system works... I'm worried it does not allow to simulate character's freedom to act properly.

Regards,
Ruemere

PS. I've been toying with an idea to return to one of my old campaign ideas for Kult [1], and ColdCity/HotWar sounds like a nice background for a few twisted trips to London dark side. However, I remain undecided on the system to use (Kult, Savage Worlds or ColdCity/HotWar).

[1] To the uninitiated: Kult is about exploring and discovery. Unfortunately for the players (and many GMs), the process is incredibly disturbing, and it's really easy for the game to deviate into cheap torture porn [2]. So, unless you are reasonably sure of your sanity and ability to deal with mature stuff, do not try to find more about this particular game. And if you do, well, you were warned.

[2] For the record: I abhor this particular genre.

Hello Ruemere,

It's only written so far, we're just about to start playing, but it should work very well as our group love a good mix, a gore-fest followed by heavy RPG work very well for us.

It depends on what you're after, Hotwar certainly has an unusual take on collective actions and storybuilding, it wouldn't work with my group, who each tend to have agendas and like to have a story directed at them so they can work their way into it at their own pace. However, the setting is absolutely mad and ticks all my quatermass/day of the triffids/cthulhu/shifty politicans boxes so I feel I must play it and write it. I cannot, in truth, recommend it highly enough for anyone into that genre, even just as a read. Plus of course its a small British studio so I'm biased but it is clearly a labour of love.

We'll be using D20 modern, but to be honest it doesn't matter even if you don't want to stick with the rules in the book, its a very RPG game anyway so I think Cthulhu would work well for example.

Rich

 

[ruemere]

Hello Ruemere,

It's only written so far, we're just about to start playing, but it should work very well as our group love a good mix, a gore-fest followed by heavy RPG work very well for us.

In that case, kindly share your impressions after a session or two. I have a few months before any of my concepts will have a chance to solidify into scenario, and I would really welcome someone else's insights.

For now, two most entertaining ideas to pursue, would be to produce a sequel to certain semi-official campaign featuring Jim Morrison impersonator (the concept is not grandma friendly) with London being the final stand of humanity, and the other, quite more timid, would deal with V for Vendetta's type of a problem, albeit with a much darker conspiracy behind it.

It depends on what you're after, Hotwar certainly has an unusual take on collective actions and storybuilding, it wouldn't work with my group, who each tend to have agendas and like to have a story directed at them so they can work their way into it at their own pace. However, the setting is absolutely mad and ticks all my quatermass/day of the triffids/cthulhu/shifty politicans boxes so I feel I must play it and write it. I cannot, in truth, recommend it highly enough for anyone into that genre, even just as a read. Plus of course its a small British studio so I'm biased but it is clearly a labour of love.

That's all the recommendation I need

We'll be using D20 modern, but to be honest it doesn't matter even if you don't want to stick with the rules in the book, its a very RPG game anyway so I think Cthulhu would work well for example.

Rich

I've played both d20 Modern and d20 Cthulhu. You may want to go with the latter, as creation is much more freeform. Some d20 Modern conventions may be too one-sided for socially complicated interactions (at least as per HotWar preview - I have ordered both books, as per your stellar opinion).

Regards,
Ruemere

 

[mach1.9pants]

[/off topic] Ruemere, I am afraid your sig is not fit, the link is broken [/off topic]

Carry on

 

[SoldierBlue]

What I generally do is run adventures for my own group, where I can experiment a lot more, and cherry-pick the best bits to go into written adventures. So with Carrion Hill, the adventure is very much based upon an adventure I ran quite some time ago where the PCs were beseiged in a city district and confined by a religous order until they solved the adventure, which of course involved a high CR creature and people dying copiously about them.

So the answer is yes and no. The adventure as ran did go well, and as we're all old friends its pretty easy to pick out what runs well, what doesn't, and as a consequence never sees a draft, and those bits that need more work.

It's interesting as it also shows that adventures generally can work across genres - so for example I'm just about to start playing Hotwar, and the oppressive nature of that glorious setting will doubtless emerge in the future in my own adventures, so expect some backstabbing and dubious politicans in due course

Rich

Very cool - thanks. As I've indicated earlier, I really liked how smart PC actions early on were rewarded, and I like how interesting the set-piece encounters were. During many of our encounters, each PC was embroiled in his own sub-encounter (often struggling for his life!), and each of these were full of colour and drama.

One of my friends said the sessions re-ignited his gaming fire...

 

[ruemere]

[/off topic] Ruemere, I am afraid your sig is not fit, the link is broken [/off topic]

Carry on

Corrected. Been like that for 6 or 7 years
Shortened due to new .signature restrictions.

Regards,
Ruemere

 

[rich pett]

Very cool - thanks. As I've indicated earlier, I really liked how smart PC actions early on were rewarded, and I like how interesting the set-piece encounters were. During many of our encounters, each PC was embroiled in his own sub-encounter (often struggling for his life!), and each of these were full of colour and drama.

One of my friends said the sessions re-ignited his gaming fire...

Splendid stuff, and I'm particularly delighted one of your friends enjoyed it so much.

rich

 

[TheAuldGrump]

(heavy spoilers ahead)

Carrion Hill monsters are [sblock]
as follows:

Opponent (number appearing)
Dark Creepers (3)
Male Ghoul Rogue (1)
Human Zombies (8) - lifelike, possibly wearing protective suits (they are meant to look like ordinary workers)
Human Wizard (1) ... does not look like a wizard, more like a drunk industrialist
Human Rogue (1) ... killer looks, with a red bandanna over his mouth
Violet Fungi (4)
Human Orderly (up to 8 at any one time)
Human Lunatic (up to 6 at any one time)
Derro (1)
Advanced Morlock (1)
Chaos Beast (1)
Human Cleric (1) ... creepy undertaker type of a guy
BBEG (1) ... large something, invisible (can be made visible), let's just say it is like Chaos Beast on steroids with human-like face floating within that horror somewhere
[/sblock]

Regards,
Ruemere

The BBEG has some entertaining possibilities in regards to figures, once it is made visible.

One that I will be unable to use (Damn you Sota toys!) is the Sota Dagon figure.

$250 is a bit much, and the original plastic toy is long gone. If I had it, this would be my prime choice.

I might use some of the GW Chaos figures -

Beast of Nurgle

Chaos Spawn

RAFM has a figure based on

Spoiler

the HPL original from The Dunwich Horror

, but I am not overly fond of it.

The Auld Grump

 

[SoldierBlue]

Very cool. I hope you don't use these to scare the kids!

 

[TheAuldGrump]

Very cool. I hope you don't use these to scare the kids!

That's the whole point!

I have drowned 'em, mauled 'em, burned 'em, and left the frozen bodies of their friends encased in ice!

And they keep coming back for more.

The Auld Grump