The Summer of Starhaven is Coming!

Sumer of Starhaven!

Society is in chaos, a city is born, and Europa needs heroes!

One of the most amazing things about starting Mutants & Masterminds Mondays and the M&M Patreon is our ability to hear directly from the fans about what excites them. The alien refuge city of Starhaven has been a setting element since the release of the Cosmic Handbook back in 2015, but aside from supporting details and the local villain, Null, in the SuperTeam Handbook, it has largely existed as a bit of background flavor.

But everyone was thrilled by the setting when our new designer, Alex Thomas, ran a live play adventure set in Starhaven for the Green Ronin staff. Fans were excited! We were excited! The shanty-singing robot pirates were excited! In the new Mutants & Masterminds Monday we even joked about making a Summer of Starhaven event and you told us you loved that idea.

So here we are, ready to kick off the Summer of Starhaven!

For real!

Star Island Bettin

We’re going to spend the summer of 2021 using the M&M Patreon to detail the fledgling city of Starhaven, a refugee colony on the nearby moon of Europa, into a full-fledged campaign setting for your Mutants & Masterminds game. It’s a community make up entirely of refugees carving out new lives in the ruins of an ancient Preserver ruin, dealing with political strife, differing cultures, overzealous oversight, and sinister factions looking to exploit the chaos—the sort of city that needs heroes!

But this isn’t going to be a straightforward campaign setting. We’re going to involve our patrons, casting you in the role of alien refugees who help shape the flavor of the city. You’ll vote on the city’s government, the regions the book explores in detail, and design a villain for the city as a whole group! We’ll post monthly articles delving into bits of Starhaven lore, and after the summer ends, we’ll collect and expand everything into a new book: The Guide to Starhaven, which includes all the patreon material and Alex’s Siege of Starhaven adventure to get your alien heroes started protecting their new home! Patrons will get a discount for all their help on the project, but the Guide itself will be available to every Mutants & Masterminds fan as a supplement for your own Earth-Prime campaigns!

The Summer of Starhaven will last three months—June, July, and August—so if you want to make your voice heard and help shape the city as it forms, tune in to Mutants & Masterminds Mondays and join the M&M Patreon!

 

Ships of the Expanse – Welcome Aboard

Ships of the Expanse<Incoming transmission.>

This is the book you’ve all been waiting for! The first major supplement for The Expanse RPG is all about ships and the dangers and rewards of space travel. So, strap into your crash couch–we’re in for a wild ride.

The focal point of many Expanse games is the characters’ ship. Characters are likely to spend most of their time on board a ship, and in many ways, the ship is a character in and of itself.  Ships of the Expanse features everything you’ll need to bring your spaceships to life. The book is packed full of new details and rules for ship construction and combat and also explores what life is like during long voyages throughout the solar system to the hazards and dangers of space travel. This transmission gives you a chapter-by-chapter overview of what all you can expect to find in Ships of the Expanse, but keep your comms open since there’s more to come.

Chapter 1 explores the various shipbuilding facilities throughout the solar system and offers rules for ship construction, repair, maintenance, and salvage. There are also tons of new vehicles, including drones, ground vehicles, mechs, rovers, and thruster packs for when you need to get around a space station or explore the surface of an alien world. For the ships themselves, there is an expanded list of Qualities and Flaws and detailed rules for upgrading your ship. You’re gonna need that new rail gun to fend off OPA pirates, after all. You’ll also find some guidelines for ship reputations, honorifics, and even ship Bonds.

Chapter 2 offers a ton of new rules for ship combat and operation. It’s full of new stunts, including cool things like Burn Them, which lets your turn your Epstein drive into a weapon. There are also new maneuvers and expanded rules for torpedoes and stealth technologies. A section on ship tactics covers things like hiding in space, using asteroid debris to shield yourself from incoming torpedoes, and expanded torpedo rules. You’ll also find new information on acquiring and carrying cargo and passengers, as well as smuggling and piracy. There are also a bunch of new hazards Game Masters can use to torment their players.

Chapter 3 is an in-depth look at life onboard a spaceship. What do the crew members do between the long passages between ports? What’s it like to live in micro-gravity? What do you eat in space? All these questions and more are answered here. There are also rules for Interludes while traveling between worlds, and guidelines for telling stories set entirely onboard a ship.

And finally, Chapter 4 is the section you’ve all been asking for: new ships! This chapter features expanded details on some of the ships provided in The Expanse RPG as well as a boatload of new ships from The Expanse novels. Not only are there stats and descriptions but also scaled deckplans. The deckplans are perfect for use if you like to use miniatures in your games or if you just want to get a better idea what these ships look like on the inside.

Check your seals and hang in there podnas! Ships of the Expanse is coming soon!

< Transmission ends.>

Putting Your Fantasy AGE Adventures in the Trojan War

Fantasy AGE Trojan War, out now (and at DriveThruRPG) is a condensed guide to running Fantasy AGE adventures in the Homeric Age, a mythic-historical period where ancient events inspired grand myths. The events around Troy can be thought of as one of the first popular fantasy series and shared universes, though to ancient Greeks and people who feel deeply connected to it today, they also represent the founding stories of a people. But let’s step back from profound musings to ask: How do I run adventures in it? The Trojan War has different participants, rewards, and challenges than mainstream fantasy RPG adventures, but that doesn’t mean you can’t convert various adventures to fit the period. Let’s get into tips on how to do just that.

Use other Adventures for Fantasy AGE Trojan War!

“The “tainted fey” Mallorsa should be framed as a renegade Nymph, corrupted by the valley.”

Use Greek Mythology

It’s common sense but needs to be said: Frame everything within Greek mythology! That means looking to the gods, titans, heroes, and their struggles for the origins of everything you use. Since Greek mythology is so influential, this often requires less effort than you might think. Monsters are the children or creations of immortals, or spring from their shed blood. Dungeons are the ruins of fallen heroes, secret temples, or built to house accursed creatures.

The Trojan War Isn’t All About Troy

As we note in Fantasy AGE Trojan War, it takes years for the Achaeans just to get to Troy, and they face plenty of challenges on the way. The Achaeans attack multiple islands, and raid Troy’s allies in Asia Minor, so there’s much more to do than simply make another run at the walls of Troy. Any island or rival kingdom can send an enemy force, rouse a divinely created enemy, or own a fortress that must be taken to reach a greater military objective. On the Trojan side, adventurers can ride out to aid allies against the Achaeans, or seek their help—and of course, these friends will want help in return, to retake land and fortifications seized by the Achaeans.

Heroes Are Monsters…Sometimes

The Trojan War is ultimately about heroes, and how the gods love or hate them, and meddle with their destinies. In Greek myths, heroes are not necessarily good or bad, but possess forms of excellence tied to their ultimate fates that attract the notice of the gods. Sometimes heroes act monstrously and can easily replace actual monsters. For example, when the Telamonian Ajax ravages Thrace, he even kills their animals, in a foreshadowing of the madness that would eventually seal his fate. With a small detachment of spear carriers, Ajax, a ruthless, spoils-hoarding killer, can fill the same role in an adventure as a dragon.

Monsters Sometimes, As a Divine Treat

Of course, in addition to using heroes as monsters, you can use, uh monster as monsters. In a Trojan War campaign, monsters are usually related to immortals such as gods and titans. In most cases, only the intelligent offspring of immortals are truly immortal, and even lesser immortals can be defeated, as they lack true divinity and access to the nectar and ambrosia the gods use to maintain their endless health. Animal and bestial creatures usually have an even more limited form of immortality, which is why killing the cattle of Helios is possible, but still a terrible idea. Other monsters are the result of divine curses. The Greeks created monsters as part of their stories, and when you create new stories, you can use them to justify monsters from other fantasy worlds, giving them an origin fitting the Homeric Age.

Example: Valley of the Whispering Titans…er Giants

As an example of converting a mainstream fantasy scenario, let’s look at Valley of the Whispering Titans from Fantasy AGE Lairs. First step: Rename the valley! That’s because while titans come from Greek mythology, the ones in this scenario left behind their skulls, which the immortal titans wouldn’t do. Instead, make the lair a remnant of the war between the Olympian gods and the giants. In fact, we can say that this is a place where Uranus’ blood fell, giving birth to giants and numerous other twisted creations.

The valley is the lair of a corrupt druid—except there are no druids in the Homeric Age (at least, none near Troy) so instead we should make main antagonist Callem Ressmil a pharmakeus: a sorcerer who manipulates divine power without the leave of the gods, as detailed in Fantasy AGE Trojan War. He’s probably a hero with an immortal ancestor who committed an act of hubris by claiming the valley and harvesting its power.

The “tainted fey” Mallorsa should be framed as a renegade Nymph, corrupted by the valley. The Valley Huntsman requires the most changes, turning from a corpse possessing ghost (Hades usually prevents that sort of thing) to a phenomenon specific to the valley, where the blood of Uranus animates dead creatures to face the characters once again—perhaps under the control of the resident witch. The Hanging Vine is another creature made or changed by Uranus’ blood. The “titans’ skulls” should belong to giants but can be used as-is; Greek myths include stories of the Aegis, made from a fallen monster, and it is fitting that other semi-immortal remains should retain special powers.

Plus of course, you need to change the names!

You can set the valley in an obscure peninsula or large island if this challenge is for Achaean heroes, or within the territory of Troy but outside the city for heroes from all sides. Apollo may demand the Trojans do something about the cursed valley before helping them. Artemis may be offended by the phenomena in the valley, and demand the Achaeans deal with it, since they already offended her on the way to Troy.

Fantasy AGE Trojan War: Now Available!

Fantasy AGE Trojan War

Available Now! In the Green Ronin Online Store, and DrivethruRPG!

Cross the Wine-Dark Sea and Storm the Walls of Troy Again!

Fantasy AGE Trojan War, which is available now, revives the classic 3rd Era historical fantasy supplement in streamlined form for Fantasy AGE. This book explores the Homeric Age: a period that’s half history, half myth, and all about dramatic action, where gods and heroes battle each other…and the inescapable judgment of destiny. Enter the Iliad and other ancient tales in Fantasy AGE, using a host of new options:

  • Play Achaean Greeks, Trojans, and other ancient peoples, from Amazons to the divine offspring, with new backgrounds appropriate to the era.
  • Five new talents and six new specializations, from the Swift-Footed fighting style to Amazon ferocity and the strange magic of the Pharmakeus.
  • Three new magical Arcana, over 30 new magic items, and discussions of the role of magic in Homeric mythology.
  • Weapons, armor, and other gear appropriate to the Homeric Age, including rules for hit locations and partial armor in combat.
  • Chariots and ships of the Homeric Age, and how to use them.
  • Rules for divine intervention which let gods and heroes meaningfully interact without compromising divine immortality. Fall under the eye of a deity through a Divine Bond, or feel the wrath of their manifestations.
  • Advice for Game Mastering the Homeric Age, from changing mythology to suit you to interpreting Fantasy AGE monsters through the lens of Greek Mythology.

Inspired by the original d20 release, Fantasy AGE Trojan War takes a “Fantasy AGE native” design approach, where instead of a formulaic subject by subject conversion, we substantially designed for Fantasy AGE from the ground up, from specializations to divine intervention. This includes updating research to support a wider range of interpretations, from stricter Mycenaean technology to the ahistorical blend that made up the Iliad itself, and discussions of how to bring increased diversity to the legends.

Return to the Battlefields of Troy

Available in PDF and Print On Demand at DrivethruRPG, Fantasy AGE Trojan War requires the Fantasy AGE Basic Rulebook to play, and while it refers to the Fantasy AGE Companion, that book is not required. With minimal adaptation, it can be converted for use with other Adventure Game Engine roleplaying games.

Welcome Alex Thomas to the Ronin Roundtable!

Rogues Gallery

Some of Alex’s first freelance work for Green Ronin was in this very book!

Hello heroes! My name is Alex Thomas and I am the newest member of the Mutants & Masterminds team here at Green Ronin. Crystal asked me to come on board as her Assistant Developer and I am so excited to get started! My favorite genre in fiction is super heroes. There’s something about the larger than life nature, astonishing powers, and moral goodness of most super heroes that sparks my imagination and keeps me coming back for more.  These characters translate so well to the world of RPGs, and M&M is my favorite way to bring that fun to my table each week.

I’ve been playing Mutants & Masterminds for about 10 years now, and I have been a freelance writer for M&M since 2013. In that time, I’ve run over a hundred sessions of M&M at cons across the Midwest, streamed a number of M&M series on Twitch, and contributed to products from Rogues Gallery all the way to Danger Zones. Introducing new players to M&M and allowing them to play their favorite characters from film and comics is one of the great joys of my life.

Rogues Gallery: Arctic Fox

Arctic Fox was one of the first Villains Alex created for Mutants & Masterminds, and will even be featured in an upcoming Astonishing Adventure!

I actually got my start working in Mutants & Masterminds thanks to running a game at a convention. The convention did this thing where the guests of honor were placed in games by lottery. One of the guests of honor happened to be Steve Kenson that year. 15 minutes before my event started, someone from the con came up and asked me if it was okay for Steve to play in my game. I was SO unprepared, but Steve had a great time playing Deadshot in my Task Force X game, and afterwards he was gracious enough to get me in touch with Green Ronin to discuss freelancing, and I’ve been here ever since.

My first job as Assistant Developer is to help Crystal with the development duties on the Astonishing Adventures line. I will be spending the next few weeks learning the ropes and getting some exciting stories out to all of you. Thank you so much for letting me introduce myself, and happy gaming!

Fantasy AGE Trojan War: Sing, O Muse, of the Rage of Achilles

Fantasy AGE Trojan War is a compact adaptation of its D20 System predecessor. Instead of just doing item for item conversions, we worked on this as a shorter Fantasy AGE work, with most design happening from the ground up. Over the course of doing this we omitted a few things—most notably, game statistics for Troy’s heroes. We figured GMs might prefer their own interpretations, and in any event, the focus is on Player Characters, who in most games will be the true heroes.

Nevertheless, I’m sure some of you are curious about how we would do it! So here are Fantasy AGE statistics for Aristos Achaion, greatest of the Greeks: Achilles, son of Peleus and the goddess Thetis. Achilles represents the apex of power possible for Fantasy AGE Trojan War Heroes—and the raw might of this hero at the apex of his power. These game statistics represent Achilles after the death of Patroclus, but before he slays Hector.


Achilles, 20th Level Divine Offspring Warrior

Achilles, son of Peleus and the goddess ThetisAbilities (Focuses)

Accuracy 8 (Brawling, Bows, Light Blades, Throwing +3), Communication 5 (Leadership), Constitution 6 (Running), Dexterity 6 (Initiative +3), Fighting 8 (Bludgeons, Heavy Blades +3, Spears +3), Intelligence 2 (Military Lore), Perception 5, Strength 6 (Driving +3, Intimidation +3), Will 5 (Courage +3, Morale +3)

Speed: 20, Health: 230, Defense: 18, Armor Rating: 10

Talents: Arete (Master), Athletics (Expert), Berserker (Specialization; Master), Charioteer (Specialization; Master), Swift-Footed Style (Master), Thrown Weapon Style (Expert), Weapon and Shield Style (Master)

Attacks

Spear of Peleus: +13 to attack rolls, 1d6 + 9 damage

Special Qualities

Special qualities are in addition to class abilities, talents, and specializations, though they may note the specifics of these traits.

Advanced Focuses: Achilles has several focuses with +3 listed, indicating they provide a +3 focus bonus instead of the usual +2.

Arms of Peleus: Achilles carries a bronze-headed spear and ornate shield, each from his father, Peleus. The spear adds +2 to attack and damage rolls and the shield adds +2 to Defense.

Arete: Due to the Arete talent, Achilles can use his choice of the Defensive Stance, Lightning Attack, or Seize the Initiative Stunts for 0 SP on any successful attack, even if it doesn’t score doubles.

Athletics: Due to the Athletics talent in Fantasy AGE Trojan War, Achilles can re-roll a failed Constitution (Running) and Strength (Jumping) test, but he must keep the results of the second roll.

Balius and Xanthus: These are Achilles’ divine horses, which he employs (sometimes along with a third, mortal horse) to pull his chariot. These are horses (Fantasy AGE Bestiary, p. 129) with the Epic template for beefing up adversaries found in the Fantasy AGE Basic Rulebook and Bestiary. Each also has an Intelligence of 1 and the Bestial Immortality quality: If reduced to 0 Health, they appear dead, but spring to full Health if left undisturbed until the next sunrise. If burned, dismembered, or eaten, however, they remain dead.

Epic Warrior: As per Fantasy AGE’s Level 20 Warrior benefit, Achilles gains +1 SP to spend on combat stunts when scoring doubles.

Golden Chariot: A gift from Peleus to Achilles, this gilded kingly chariot has a Hull Rating of 3 and grants a +3 to Strength (Driving) tests.

Second Armor of Achilles: This version of Achilles wears the armor he was given after his previous panoply was taken from the body of his lover, Patroclus. It provides an Armor Rating of 10 with no Armor Penalty, and when fighting under the sun, its shine imposes a -2 penalty to enemies’ ranged attack rolls.

Swift-Footed: Achilles’ mastery of the Swift-Footed Style (detailed in Fantasy AGE Trojan War) gives him +2 to Speed in combat, included in his statistics along with a further bonus for his divine offspring ancestry.

Stygian Armor (Optional): The Iliad doesn’t include the later legend that Thetis dipped Achilles into the River Styx as a baby to make him nearly invulnerable. If the legend is true in your campaign Achilles suffers a permanent -2 to all Communication tests, but adds +4 to his Armor Rating, even when unarmored (increasing it to 14 in the statistics above). However, attacks to Achilles’ left ankle inflict penetrating damage. To hit it, an attacker must roll a 5 when determining hit location using the rules in Fantasy AGE Trojan War, or deliberately aim for it by attacking with a -3 penalty. In either case, the attacker only strikes true if they roll 6 on the Stunt Die. All other attacks that reduce the effectiveness of armor do not reduce the Armor Rating given by this quality. The Stygian salve item in Fantasy AGE Trojan War represents a lessened form of this ability; the GM may decide Achilles simply has access to it instead of this quality.

Divine Bonds

Zeus 5 (Ambiguous): As Achilles sets out to kill Hector, his doom may be predestined but he has not yet demonstrated the combination of arrogance, cruelty, and impiety that will seal his fate—that happens after he kills Hector. This Bond is assigned to Zeus as the king of the gods and arbiter of Fate, but he represents the attitudes of the Olympians in general.

Thetis 3 (Favorable): Achilles’ mother Thetis supports her son through such acts as providing him with new armor, made by Hephaestus, after his previous armor is taken from Patroclus’ corpse by Hector.


Fantasy AGE: Trojan War will be available for purchase in PDF and Print On Demand, next Thursday May 13th!

A Session Zero for Blue Rose

A number of weeks ago, I was invited by Juce of Master the Game to take part in a three-act Blue Rose campaign he is hosting on his YouTube channel. Before we launched into the full campaign, however, our Narrator Aaron wanted for us to do a Session Zero, to talk about the concept for the campaign, establish content limits, and to create characters.
Blue Rose on Master the Game

I don’t want to give too much away, as it’s a fun watch (if we do say so ourselves). In particular, I appreciated the open creativity the other players approached the entire session with. There were folks with some familiarity with Blue Rose and others who’d only ever been introduced to it after their invite to this very game.

I ended up playing Tesera, a rhy-cat Expert who was raised in the city of Aldis. Urbane and sophisticated, she aspires to serve on the Rhydan Council someday (her mother is part of the council). She’s sort of an odd rhydan, though, because of her background – she has never lived in wild places before and is not particularly well-suited to wilderness areas. (She does love a well-cultivated garden, though!)

Because rhydan and the rhy-bond are something I consider to be sort of central to the Blue Rose experience, I asked if any of the other players wanted to play my bondmate. I ended up with a rhy-bond to a young vata’an adept who fled theocratic Jarzon. He seems a touch repressed and even a little ascetic, so obviously the Light paired us up so that Tesera can teach this poor deprived soul how to live a little!

We also have a young adept who joined the Roamers when he was younger, but who has now joined the Sovereign’s Finest because, well, he sort of harbors one of those courtly, from-afar type of infatuations with the beauty of the Queen, and he’s sure that being a national hero will get her to notice him. Surely. The other is a woodsman warrior who was raised in the Pavin Weald and is very comfortable in wild spaces, but a little less so in settled lands. (Honestly, Tesera kind of resents being around him because he’s SO much more comfortable in the wild than she is, and she’s pretty sure that makes her a bad rhydan.)

Because one of the campaign themes is love (not just romantic), Aaron opens the session with each of us – as players – answering the question: “When was the last time you felt loved?” The answers were warm and delightful, and really helped to set the tone for the collaborative process that followed.

Please take a gander for yourself, and we hope you’ll join us on game days!