Now Kickstarting: The Book of the Righteous for Fifth Edition

 

In case you missed it, we have a new Kickstarter campaign going!

We teamed up with Wizards of the Coast to bring you Out of the Abyss and the Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide. Now Green Ronin wants to bring you a divine sourcebook for Fifth Edition like no other.

“As the editor and developer of the 1E Deities & Demigods, I’m pulling hard for your Book of the Righteous Kickstarter. I backed it, and I encourage every other dedicated 5E player to do the same!”

—Lawrence Schick

Return of a Classic

In 2002 Green Ronin published The Book of the Righteous, a massive tome for the Third Edition rules describing an entire pantheon of gods, as well as their churches, worshipers, and defenders. It was a big hit for us and became one of the most critically-acclaimed books of the d20 era. Now we are bringing it back for the Fifth Edition rules as a beautiful, full-color hardback book. Even better, the new rules material will be designed by Robert J. Schwalb, one of the designers of Fifth Edition!

Update: D&D Fifth Edition and Lords of Waterdeep designer Rodney Thompson has also joined the design team!

Please check out the campaign, and of course, we would greatly appreciate your support.

Titansgrave: The Hermit’s Road (Fantasy AGE PDF)

Titansgrave: The Hermit's Road (Fantasy AGE PDF)

Titansgrave: The Hermit’s Road (Fantasy AGE PDF)

Just in time for International Tabletop Day, we have a brand-new Titansgrave adventure, The Hermit’s Road!

The Player Characters  are sent to investigate the existence of purported pre-Cataclysm ruins on the outskirts of the City-State of Karros. Here they discover more than they bargained for, as the ruins hide a secret more valuable than gold or jewels.

The Hermit’s Road is designed for characters of levels 2-4. You only need the Fantasy AGE Basic Rulebook to run it, though having Titansgrave: The Ashes of Valkana is certainly helpful.

Walk the Hermit’s Road for just $3.95

Ronin Round Table: This is What It Sounds Like

I hated writing this week’s Ronin Round Table.

However, I kind of felt I had to.

See, awhile back I paid tribute to the late great David Bowie by suggesting ways to draw inspiration from the musician’s songs for rpg plots, campaigns, adventures, and stories.

My reasoning for doing this was, I believe, sound. The idea was that while Bowie wasn’t a gamer, his music entertained many of us who were and he was definitely a player of roles who enjoyed adopting different identities and reinventing himself.

Then Prince died. Born Prince Rogers Nelson, he passed away on April 21st, 2016, leaving behind a staggering body of work and a great history as both a songwriter and performer.

And after the initial shock of losing yet another talented musicians with such a wide and varied body of work set in I realized…

All those things I said about Bowie applied to Prince.

And with that, despite really wishing there was no reason to do so, I set about doing the same thing with Prince’s music as I did with David Bowie. Because while his songs have different themes and imagery, they can inspire other stories and tales just as easily.

Now, like Bowie and many other artists, not every song is going to work for this sort of inspiration. In fact, a lot of Prince’s later work while obviously deeply personal to him also has a lot of fairly targeted message or meaning and unlike David Bowie, he didn’t know his life was nearing an end and plan and develop his music accordingly. Many of Prince’s recent albums also had limited releases, making them not nearly so widely known.

But that doesn’t mean there isn’t plenty to work with, especially from his earlier work. And so, here we go.

Thieves in the Temple

This one is pretty direct. The song itself would make a great soundtrack for an adventure. In a fantasy setting, the temple of the goddess of love is beset by thieves. The criminals seek to steal an important relic from the temple. With the relic gone, the goddess will withdraw her patronage from the temple and the city, turning love itself away from the populace. Without love, parents reject their children, couples split or turn on each other, and things get very bad very quickly. By the way the relic is a golden icon that looks like this:

symbolCan the PCs stop the thieves and return the relic? How long can the city survive without love? What do the thieves want? Why would they do such a thing? Who could they possibly be working for? Well…

7

Seven ancient and powerful sorcerers devoted transforming the world into a place of corruption and oppression have risen. They were thought dead and defeated long ago, but they have returned. The relic stolen by their agents is part of the secret to defeating them and allowing the world to advance to a golden age rather than falling into despair and ruin. Of course, it’s going to take a lot of intellect and savoir-faire to defeat the seven and their armies of followers. Still, they stand in the way of love so hopefully the PCs can smoke them all and someday all seven will die.

I Would Die 4 You

Sometime ago, an angel fell in love with a mortal they were assigned to protect. It’s not woman, man, or something that you can really comprehend. However, when the divine protection was withdrawn and the angel was ordered to let the mortal perish as part of some cosmic or divine plan, they refused. Rejecting their divine powers, the now-mortal angel seeks assistance from the PCs in protecting the love, who isn’t even aware of the angel or their feelings. Can the PCs protect the angel’s would-be lover? Can they bring the two together? Or is the mortal already in love with someone else?

Furthermore, what is the threat to the mortal and why did the angel’s superiors suddenly pull their protection. Is the mortal a threat to cosmic order? Do they hold some terrible or amazing secret? If the PCs help the angel and their love, are they risking some greater doom?

This adventure can work in nearly any setting, from supers to fantasy, though how much the PCs can do and what sorts of threats they might deal with would vary with the exact campaign setting and genre.

1999

Let’s take a step back to the end of the last millennia. There were definitely some people suggesting that the world would end or forever change around that time. Now of course it didn’t.

But what if it had?

What if it was New Year’s Eve, 1999 and some major world-shattering event happened? What if its 1999, the PCs are all at a kickin’ party and the sky starts falling? What do they do? What can they do? Can they save the world, or will they just have to survive what’s coming?

The genre and type of game affect this idea greatly. In a supers game you can probably stop the threat and save the world. In a horror game you might be lucky to even have some of the PCs survive the night. In any event remember that your PC’s life is just a party and parties aren’t meant 2 last.

Delirious

It can be fun to take something written dripping with innuendo and just totally ignore it, interpreting everything just as it seems on the surface.

Because if you do? The lyrics of this song just screams “Supervillain!” Shaking, losing control, and possibly exploding whenever this person is near? Maybe the poor soul can’t control their effect on people but that’s still really extreme. PC heroes have to avoid losing control of themselves when they get to close to this villain and find a way to shut down their powers of there will be widespread chaos and calamity.

Darling Nikki

Okay it’s a favorite of mine but…yeah, not going to do that sort of role-playing inspiration here. Honestly there are a couple of really great Prince songs that probably fit into this category. Or a couple dozen. Moving on…

Sign O’ the Times

Not a happy song. A really darned bleak one, in fact. But it paints a picture for a compelling modern urban noir with a bit of glam around the edges (because its Prince, everything is going to have that). By itself the song doesn’t suggest a theme or story, instead it sets a mood where heroes try to fight the darkness growing from daily cynicism, corruption, and despair. You could slap this in front of a game styled as an “HBO style” cop or detective game and you’re all set. Maybe throw in the opening for Let’s Go Crazy at some point too.

Well, there we have it. And it’s just some of the songs from not only Prince but many other talented folks that we can use to inspire our own creations.

Now hopefully I won’t be back in a few months to do this for Tom Waits or something. I honestly might start a riot.

Peace, love, and happy gaming.

Ronin Roundtable: Useful Resources for A Song of Ice & Fire

SIFRP-thinkingRunning a campaign of A Song of Ice and Fire Roleplaying can be quite involved. As the Narrator, you have to breathe life into the setting with interesting Narrator Characters, keep the plot moving forward (with or without the player characters!), evolve the storyline to respond to the players actions, and on and on.

It’s great fun, but it’s also a lot of work.

Once you’ve been doing this for a while, though, you figure out some short cuts. So, to make your lives easier, I figured I might share some of my favorite resources that I use to make life a little easier.

Just click on the name of the site below to go to it!

A Wiki of Ice and Fire

Probably the first and most indispensable of these resources is the Song of Ice and Fire Wiki. These are the fruits of the labors of a huge population of dedicated and knowledgeable fans. There are timelines of what happens in the books, detailed examinations of major (and a few minor!) characters, descriptions of a variety of important locations in Westeros and beyond…there really is a little bit of everything there.

Estalia.Net

Though created for another setting entirely, the castles on this page are wonderful. They are relatively simple in design (I believe most of them were made in MS Paint!), but excellent for all that. They really capture the authentic design of a great many of the castles that inspired those in Westeros, so if your group doesn’t have someone who wants to design the interior details of your chronicle’s castles and keeps, this is a great place to turn. They even remember to include privies and jakes!

Donjon

This site has a huge and interesting collection of random generators. While many of them are more appropriate for other higher-fantasy settings, there are some crazy useful ones. My favorite is probably the Medieval Demographics Generator, which lets you enter the population of a settlement, and it’ll generate the space it takes up, details of who rules it, and provides a population breakdown by job. Great stuff.

Westeros Name Generator

Though pretty simple looking in design, this name generator manages to capture a great deal of the flavor of Westerosi names. If you’re like me, you’re always in need of some name or another, so this is a great one: generate a list of fifty mens’ names and fifty womens’ names and you’re pretty ready to go naming Narrator Characters.

House Generator

This is from one of my personal bookmarks, and it’s great for generating one of the many Narrator Character Houses in the game. This utility can be used to generate a random House, using the rules for House Generation in A Song of Ice and Fire Roleplaying. It works quick and well, with some great history and detail all the way around.

Inkwell Ideas Online Heraldry Generator

Last but very, very far from least is the online Heraldry Generator from Inkwell ideas. It’s a nifty system that lets you set the details of the noble Houses that populate your part of Westeros, giving House symbols and colors to each of them. The nice thing about this set-up is that you don’t have to know what you’re wanting to create going in. You can browse the options and toggle those that interest you all you like.

Now Pre-Ordering: Dragon Age GM’s Kit

Dragon Age GM's Kit, Revised (Pre-Order)

Dragon Age GM’s Kit, Revised (Pre-Order)

The Dragon Age GM’s Kit, Revised is now available for pre-order. Also, when you pre-order through our Green Ronin Online Store, or from participating retailers, you’ll get to buy the PDF version of this product for just $5!

Dragon Age Game Master’s Kit, Revised
Authors: Chris Pramas and Dave Brookshaw
Format: 3-panel hardback GM Screen, 5 reference cards, and a 36 page booklet
ISBN: 978-1-934547-69-4

The Game Master’s Kit is a key accessory for your Dragon Age RPG campaign. It features a three-panel hardback screen that puts all the essential game info right in front you, and features a brand new 36-page adventure that takes your PCs into the Deep Roads. It also includes 4 quick reference cards that put the stunts and actions at your fingertips, and a combat tracker that you can write on with wet or dry erase markers. The Game Master’s Kit is the perfect complement to the Dragon Age Core Rulebook and will help you run your game with style.

Atlas of Earth-Prime: Sub-Terra (PDF)

Atlas of Earth-Prime: Sub-Terra (PDF)

Atlas of Earth-Prime: Sub-Terra (PDF)

The penultimate Atlas of Earth-Prime entry is here! Learn about Sub-Terra and the strange creatures that inhabit Earth-Prime’s “underdark!”

From the surface…to the center of the Earth! The realm of Sub-Terra appears to lie deep beneath the Earth’s surface, and at least part of it does, but its twisting tunnels and vast caverns connect to an inter-dimensional realm inhabited by Morlocks, Serpent People, Fomorians, and ancient, ruined, and abandoned cities, including Agartha, the stronghold of the surface man who proclaimed himself the Terra-King, ruler of the Sub-Terran realm. You can send your heroes to explore the mysteries of Sub-Terra, or have its inhabitants surface to challenge them!

Download includes one eight-page, full-color PDF and nine Hero Lab files, for just $3.95!

Atlas of Earth-Prime: Sub-Terra (PDF)

Back in Stock: Dragon Age RPG Core Rulebook

Dragon Age RPG Core Rules

Dragon Age RPG Core Rulebook

The Dragon Age RPG Core Rulebook, hardback version, is back in print and available through game and book stores everywhere, and in our Green Ronin Online Store.

Dragon Age RPG Core Rulebook

SIFRP Narrator’s Kit, Revised Edition

We have completely revised the Narrator’s Kit for A Song of Ice and Fire Roleplaying, and it’s available now!

SIFRP Narrator's Kit, Revised Edition

SIFRP Narrator’s Kit, Revised Edition

A Song of Ice and Fire Roleplaying Narrator’s Kit, Revised Edition
Author: Steve Kenson
Cover Artist: 
Helge Balzer
Format: 3-panel hardback screen with poster map, reference cards, and 16-page booklet

As a narrator you have your hands full when running the game, but that just got easier with the Narrator’s Kit for A Song of Ice and Fire Roleplaying. This handy accessory features a 3-panel hardback screen with useful tables and charts on one side and a beautiful illustration of the Wall on the other, as well as a full color poster map of Westeros and a 16-page introductory adventure by Steve Kenson. It also includes 4 quick reference cards that put key rules at your fingertips, and a combat tracker that you can write on with wet or dry erase markers.

Kickstart your chronicle with the Song of Ice and Fire Narrator’s Kit!

Rogues Gallery: Chakram (PDF)

Chakram (PDF)

Chakram (PDF)

A talented stuntwoman tried to stand in the way of a villain and was casually tossed aside, ending her career. However, the experience triggered latent powers–powers she now uses as a villain-for-hire. Unlike villains motivated by greed or insanity, Chakram is a pro and has earned the respect of the people she works for.

Get Chakram today—just $1.95!

Fantasy AGE Encounters: Children’s Crusade (PDF)

Fantasy AGE Encounters: Children's Crusade (PDF)

Fantasy AGE Encounters: Children’s Crusade (PDF)

We are pleased to present the first entry in a new series of monthly PDFs for the Fantasy AGE RPG. Fantasy AGE Encounters are short “side quests” that can be used as is or expanded into longer adventures.

In Children’s Crusade, our heroes come across a group of children beset by bandits. But bandits turn out to be the least of their worries, and it’s difficult to know if all is as it seems…

Children’s Crusade is a Fantasy AGE RPG adventure for heroes of levels 1-4. It can be yours for just $2.95!

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