Arrows of Indra at Eternal Con

Our friend Gianni recenlty ran a demo of Arrows of Indra at Eternal Con 2013 in Bacharach Germany, held from May 17th to May 20th. Here is a photo of the event:

The names of the participants (from left to right): Nicola, Gwen, Elina, Gianni, Valentina, and John.

You can learn more about Eternal Con here: http://eternal-con.de/

Explore Arrows of Indra here: http://www.bedrockgames.net/about.html

Morrus was Right and I was Wrong

[Warning if you haven't seen the recent Doctor Who finale, do not read what follows]

This is a bit of an unusual entry for the blog, but I made a wager with Morrus of EN World (EN WORLD FORUM) that Clara in the current season of Doctor Who would turn out to be CAL from Silence in the Library. I was wrong and Morrus was right, she is not CAL.

Sertorius Preview: The Elves of Mandaru

We’ve been working hard on our latest project: Sertorius. This is our fantasy setting that takes the core mechanics of the Network System and pushes them to the limit with a robust selection of magic, monsters and gods. In Sertorius players assume the role of powerful spell-casters who can channel divine energy taken from a slain god. It is a complete world, with an entire continent of races and empires. Today I want to give you a glimpse of one of my favorite places: The Mandaru Empire.

The Mandaru are elven steppe nomads. They are one of a group of pastoral tribes in the region, and a large number of settled elves also live on the periphery of their grazing land. The nomadic tribes are organized around warrior bands. That doesn't mean most Mandaru are warriors, in fact few are, but fighting men and women are the elites and have greater authority than other members of the tribes. Usually they are not much of a threat to neighboring settlements, perhaps making the occasional raid. But sometimes they unite around a single leader, and in the last fifty or so years, the elves of Mandaru pledged their loyalty to Veja Kashan. Veja expanded Mandaru influence far beyond the steppes, forging critical alliances and taking key cities. The result was the Mandaru Empire, which stretches far across the eastern lands of Gamandria (the world on which Sertorius is set). The woman in the image is Vetanna Khusat, the emperor’s daughter and a queen of her own region. I want to explore the image a bit to introduce readers to our elves.

First it is important to know this is a single highborn elf from one place on the map. There are lots of elves throughout the world and they are all quite different. However they have a few things in common. In a moment I will address those common characteristics, but first I want to talk about Vetanna and the Mandaru. Like her father she has her own band of warriors that form her power-base, these are called a Benkrob. The leader of a warrior band is usually a chieftain (called a Khan) and each chieftain is pledged to one of four Kings or Queens (called Khusats). Vetanna is the Queen (or Khusat) of western Mandaru. All the kings and queens pledge their allegiance to the emperor (or Kashan).

Like all elves, Vetanna is immortal. Customs vary from place to place, but the Mandaru believe warriors who die in battle are born into the realm of their goddess Ranua (a kind of nature deity), whereas farmers and craftsmen are simply reborn as humans, dwarves or halflings. They also believe that the bond with their fellow warriors and their leader carries over to the next life.
As you can see in the image, Vetanna is clasping a skull goblet in her left hand. When Mandaru leaders defeat a worthy opponent, they use the skull as a drinking vessel. Here she is holding court in her tent with her fellow warriors, following a recent conquest.  The throne is made from wood shaped like tree branches. If you look at her face you can see a scar, which is quite common for elves. They are beings of beauty, but this is often marred by battle scars and lost limbs. They live a long time and can aquire many of these over time.

The gold leaf tattoo on her forehead is common among the Mandaru and indicates her status. Her's is a three layer leaf, signifying she is a Khusat (Khans have two, normal warriors have one). The dots represent important military victories. Though it is concealed by her clothing, Vetanna is wearing lamellar armor. The blue flowers at her throne's base are blue water flowers, which are sacred to Ranua. In addition to it's sacred status, it's common in a warrior tent because it can be used to ward off infection (not to mention vampires).

We have tried to make the elves a bit different but familiar. Elves are tall, athletic, and immortal.All elves were created by the nature goddess Ranua as a gift to the ogres (who once rules a powerful civilization). They were sent there as slaves and functioned as administrators and scribes for centuries before being liberated shortly before the ogre kingdoms fell. Their immortality made them especially skilled record keepers. Migrating south, they settled many lands and one of these was Mandaru. 

Most elven cultures are war-like, despite their immortality. Almost without exception they believe in rebirth, and for them death in battle is the only way to ensure prosperity in the next life. The Mandaru are unafraid of an early death in war, but other elven cultures fear this more than anything, reserving soldiery for elves who reach a certain age. They are still martial, but only those who have heard the ‘call of Ranua’ are expected to do the fighting. For them, the loss of an elven life before then is the greatest tragedy.  

This image was made by Samantha Fanti and is one of many to come to help us preview the setting. I should point out, if it does appear in our final book, in the printed version it will be black and white (since we don't print interior color images).

Arrows of Indra is now available in print: http://www.studio2publishing.com/shop/product_info.php?products_id=3712

Arrows of Indra is an RPG based on the original and most popular fantasy roleplaying rules; for old-school heroic fantasy adventure in a world that is exotic and at the same time highly recognizable, Inspired by the Epic Myths of India during the Age of Heroes. 

Players take on the roles of brave Kshatriya warriors, disciplined yogis, temple priests, rogues or scouts, assassins of the dark goddess, magic-using Siddhis seeking the mysteries of the universe, playing humans civilized or barbaric, immortal Gandharvas or Yakshas,  Vanara monkey-men or half-demonic Rakshasa; and adventure in Naga-filled jungles, fight Asura demons, visit the ruins of ancient Rakshasa empires, seek out the shining treasures of the truly massive Patala Underworld, fight duels for money or honor in the Kalari Arenas, or get caught up in the political and military intrigues of the human Bharata Kingdoms.

It’s the same heroic adventuring you know and love, but with a new and exciting environment.  No anthropology, history, theology or linguistics degree required; everything you need to play heroic characters and adventure in the Bharata kingdoms is found right here in this book!

Recruiting Demo Team for Arrows of Indra

We are interested in recruiting game masters to demo Arrows of Indra in tabletop stores of major cities. There will be a limit of 7 demos, so we will choose candidates based on location, preparedness and enthusiasm. 

We will request two demos: one for the PDF and one for the book when it is available. Everyone who conducts a successful PDF demo will receive a printed copy of Arrows of Indra. Then everyone who conducts a successful print demo will receive a bundle of all Bedrock Games PDFs. 

To volunteer, send an email with your name, the name of the store you intend  run the demo, and a brief description of how you plan to conduct it to: BedrockBrendan@gmail.com

Demo Rules

• Disclose that you receive a free copy of the game and free PDFs in exchange for running the demo
• Take a picture of each demo event and send to us for verification (we need a photo from each event and will require verification of the PDF event before we can provide a free print book of Arrows of Indra)

Arrows of Indra print pre-order

The print edition of Arrows of Indra is now available for pre-order at: Arrows of Indra Print 

The PDF was very successful and still in the top ten on RPGnow: Arrows of Indra PDF

Thanks to everyone for their support!

Interview with Bill Cavalier: The Dungeon Bastard

Bill Cavalier, the Dungeon Bastard, is a professional adventure coach and gaming personality. He is known for his no-non-sense advice at dungeonbastard.com, which is dedicated to helping gamers reach their maximum potential. Bill was kind enough to take time out for an interview with the Bedrock Blog. 

To learn more about the Dungeon Bastard and his gaming expertise, visit:  www.dungeonbastard.com

On Life as an Adventure Coach

 

Brendan Davis (BD): You are a highly regarded adventure coach, someone who helps gamers reach their full potential at the table. In the past few years you shifted from one-on-one consulting to the video format, which allows you to reach a much broader audience with your philosophy of: the game is not broken, the players are broken. How has your tough love message changed the hobby for the better since you took to Youtube?

Bill Cavalier (BC):  In the two years since I’ve started using YouTube to bring my PROFESSIONAL ADVENTURE COACHING to the masses of unwashed gamers who are CLEARLY doing it wrong, we’ve seen the AD&D books reprinted, a whole new version of D&D get underway, and a plethora of wildly-successful RPG KickStarter campaigns. I’d like to take credit for that. Some people will say I can’t. I would like to remind those people that I am a BASTARD.

BD: Being an adventure coach seems like the perfect job to most gamers. But few have achieved your level of success or fame. What sets you apart from the less successful adventure coaches?

BC: Look, EVERY gamer has an opinion on how to play the game – that’s just part of our genetic make-up. The difference between Lesser Adventure Coaches (or LACKEYS, as I like to call them) is that MY opinions are RIGHT. (For those who would disagree, I would refer you to the last sentence of the previous answer.)

On Winning the Game

 

BD: For years we were told “you don’t win D&D” but you seem to take the view not only can you win D&D, you must win D&D. Is this an accurate assessment of your position and if so, what are D&D’s victory conditions?

BC: A Lesser Adventure Coach (or Type V Demon, as I like to call them) would say that loot and XP are the hallmarks of a successful D&D game. WRONG. Loot and XP are firmly in the purview of the DM, and in my experience, that guy’s a JERK. A stingy, stingy jerk. If you’re settling for loot and XP, you’re just licking tablescraps off the salad bar in the Old Country Buffet of Imagination. The REAL sign of success: GLORY. Killing a troll is easy. BEHEADING a troll with your battleaxe, with one hit point, bathed in alchemist’s fire and ochre jelly… THAT’S what a D&D victory looks like. NOW you’re not only EATING from the Buffet of Imagination, you’re cooking your own sirloin steaks and guzzling fro-yo directly from the nozzle! The game is great when YOU MAKE IT GREAT! Just make sure to get a fresh plate every time.

BD: We all know you love dwarves, half-orcs, fighters, barbarians and clerics. Suppose you were in a full-length campaign where, out of fairness to the other players, you were not allowed to be any of those races or classes; what alternative combo would you choose and why?

BC: Minotaur Wizard. 1) Minotaur = BADASS. 2) FIREBALL. 3) THERE IS NO THREE!

BD: You have taught gamers how to be better players, but what about Gamemasters. Beyond funny voices, what other qualities does a good GM need?

BC: A good GM realizes it’s not HIS game, it’s OUR game. Sure, someone has to make the map, and put in the creatures, and come up with some sort of perfunctory shoe-string plot which we’ll all dutifully ignore. But a good GM doesn’t just CHALLENGE players, he creates moments of opportunity for MAXIMUM GLORY. Maybe that’s a rickety minecart the party can use as an impromptu battle chariot, or a jug full of electric bees, or a magic sword that shoots poison fireballs. WHATEVER. When the players do cool stuff EVERYBODY WINS. Also, a good GM doesn’t make the players bring all the snacks. KICK IN ONCE IN A WHILE, CHEAPSKATE.

Controversies

BD: You’ve proclaimed your hatred of gnomes to the public. You have such disdain for them that you refused any comment on gnomes in your Guide to Racial Profiling. This would seem to go well beyond a simple critique of racial abilities or bonuses. Are there personal reasons for this anti-gnome stance?

BC: Look, I’m a BASTARD, it’s ALL personal! So in one of my early Con experiences, the GM handed out pre-gen characters and when all the squabbling over characters was over, I got stuck with the gnome. You know what I did that adventure?? I RODE A BADGER. I cast AUDIBLE GLAMER. And I got killed by a GIANT LEECH. Needless to say: TRAUMATIZED FOR LIFE. It was at that point I realized: Shorter than a dwarf, AXE TO THE NECK. NO QUESTIONS ASKED. Gnomes. Feh.

BD: Recently, actor Tom Lommel from Fear of Girls claimed credit for your fame in a recent interview. He also called your advice “terrible and over the top”. What is your response?

BC: I’ll begrudgingly agree that guy is magnetically handsome in a quirky, hey-can-you-check-my-computer-for-malware kind of way, but there is NO WAY he is qualified to pass judgment on my advice. He’s not even a LESSER Adventure Coach (or “Gnome Illusionist” as I like to call them.) He’s more of a WANNABE Adventure Coach (aka “Giant Leech.”) If I ever meet him face-to-face, there is going to be a THROWDOWN.

BD: Your victories at the gaming table are certainly without precedent. You beat the Temple of Elemental Evil and have claimed at various points to have stats ranging from 17 to 20 (the odds of which are astronomically low). No one doubts the validity of these claims, but some have suggested these may not be the product of natural talent. Pointing to your frequent bursts of rage, and constant threats to punch people in the face, the question of stat doping has come up. How do you answer these charges?

BC: Hey man, nobody will admit it to your face, but EVERYBODY buffs. Bear’s Endurance, bless spells, Gauntlets of Ogre Power – it’s EVERYWHERE. I’m not naming names, but let’s just say I know a certain DARK ELF with a pair of SCIMITARS who wears a Girdle of Stone Giant Strength under his fancy pantaloons. So, yeah, people TALK about keeping the game clean, but when you’re staring down a horde of gnoll archers about to unleash a pack of fiendish dire wolves on your party… you do what needs to be done. Hate the game, man, not the player. The FANS demand it, I just deliver.