About Four Against Darkness

Four Against Darkness is a great game by veteran designer Andrea Sfiligoi, author and publisher of an enormous amount of RPGs and miniatures games such as the hugely popular Song of Blades and Heroes, or my personal favorite Battlesworn.

4AD is a pen and paper solo dungeon crawler, which can also optionally be played as a gmless group game. It is a WILDLY successful game (see that MITHRAL badge on drivethru? Now check those 242 ratings on Amazon...), and has received a rich line of supplements, and a few spin-offs into other genres and play styles.

What I like about it is that rules are simple and straightforward, with the level of crunch and detail that I find enjoyable for a solo game! 

The core book contains all the basic rules which are needed in order to play, and a  dungeon which, probably, is the weakest part of it, as it feels too generic to really be engaging. This very problem is fixed with the expansions, each of which offers a focused story or dungeon, with full flavor, and story events triggered while you play.

The spin-off games derive from 4AD, but include all the rules needed to play, and usually expand them to fit different themes, settings and narrative structures, and as such are stand-alone products. They include titles such as the atomic age sci-fi Four Against Mars, or the survival horror Alone Against Fear.

The latest spin-off, one that looks VERY interesting (and I'm definitely going to grab soon) is the stand-alone game Four Against the Great Old Ones. Designed by Marco Arnaudo, it is an adaptation of the 4AD "engine", turned into a Cthulhu themed game where investigators must find clues and foil the plans of insane cultists in the 1930s US before doom happens.

As I said, Four Against Darkness is an ever-growing line. I hit Andrea for some sneaky preview of the an upcoming supplement, and he passed me a succulent preview!

The next 4AD product is Labyrinth of the Lurking Lepidopterae, an adventure written by Erick Bouchard who's already authored Warlike Woes and Greedy Gitfts of the Guildmasters, with illustrations by Andrea Sfiligoi.

Here's the description Andrea gave me:

Labyrinth of the Lurking Lepidopterae
This adventure occurs on the western continent of An-Mòr, north of the fungi-infested land known as the Sun-Kissed Vale, and to the west of King Ven’s dwarf kingdom of Kestar Kell. A merchant family from the southern isle of Enotria, the Van Pontoretto, is trying to cut the grass under their Dorintian rivals by finding new trade routes between the realms of Man and the dreaded Sun-Kissed Vale, rich in fabulous alchemical ingredients and delicious edibles. The safest path goes through Kassar Du, the mythical Green Door to the underground kingdom of Kestar Kell, but unfortunately it is forbidden to you. Maestro Van Pontoretto (that’s his actual name) has run afoul of Lyonette of Midlands, king Ven’s Guildmistress of the Armorers Guild. Rumors speak of crookery and romantic entanglements. Whatever the cause, the miner dwarves will not let the Enotrians nor your agents enter their lands, nor will they tolerate armed soldiers at their frontier.

The Labile Labyrinth

Fortunately, there still lies a path the Dorintians dare not thread – the Labile Labyrinth, a shimmering canyon between harsh mountain fangs inhabited by the sinister moth people and their insane queen. Ever since the gods cursed the moth folk to lose their flight, they have become vicious, forcing captives to obsessively collect insect wings when they are not killing trespassers outright. If a safe path could be established for caravans, the lucrative trade with the fungi folk – for they are not all dangerous psychopaths – would drive a hard blow to the Dorintian traders, and especially the Orfeld Company which has been denying the Von Pontoretto for far too long. All that’s needed is to establish a beachhead by having a first convoy arriving safely at the Outpost, the only known passage from human lands to the Sun-Kissed Vale. In the name of profit, free trade and maybe Enotrian patriotism, your party has been tasked with escorting a caravan of four chariots, half a dozen workers and as many llamas across this wicked and treacherous land.

Will You Survive the Labile Labyrinth? Four hundred gold pieces for escorting a caravan across a valley populated by butterfly people. Who could refuse that? Of course, it won’t be that simple. The moth folk fiercely defend their valley with treacherous traps and bruising brigades. Not to mention the menacing mushroom men, weird temples, shape-changers and the ominous Tower of the Screaming Virgins. Things wouldn’t be so bad were it not for the quarrelsome, alcoholic, lustful and dishonest crew members who you will have to keep an eye on. Add the bad roads, broken wheels, stolen cargo, tactical ambushes… and the llamas. Oh dear. Requires only the core Four Against Darkness book. This book contains adult humor, flamingos and lecherous llamas.

And here's also a preview of the cover, with art still not finalized, but nice to see!

 

KS Watch! For Coin and Blood Second Edition

 For Coin and Blood Second Edition is currently crowdfunding on Kickstarter.

The project has already been funded, and the campaign goal achieved, with almost 600 backers and still four days before the campaign ends.

So what is it? For Coin and Blood is a grim old school fantasy game designed by Alan Bahr (with several contributions by other authors) where tropes are turned upside down as players take on the roles of the bad guys. The really BAD guys. Cutthroats, cult leaders, assassins, necromancers, and so on. You get to play the villains, in short!

Seriously, these are the classes available: Assassin, Blackguard, Cutpurse, Diabolist, Executioner, Knight, Machiavellian, Magus, Priest, Sellsword, and Witch Hunter.

The game features a solid old school ruleset, with a few modern mechanics. Most rules are the type you may expect in any BX/OE retro-clone: no skill list, just six core attributes, for example. But there's also room for an Advantage/Disadvantage mechanic, and things like class-based melee damage. And since the game is about villains, characters have an Infamy score, and there are rules for gangs and organizations.

This is a second edition as the game has been expanded and streamlined, with extra options and better editing, and more art, and the crowdfunding campaign's only goal is to make an offset print run, so this you won't find the usual, endless lists of backer options, stretch goals, and add-ons. 

I've had the opportunity of reading the pdf before release (because yes, the game is ready and the funds are only needed for the print run) and I must admit I find the rules intriguing and, strangely enough, fresh.

The book is a complete game so it also includes spells, monsters, and magic items. These I found particularly delightful, with wonders such as the Belt of Oppression, the Blade of Hero's Bane and the Rod of Rebellion.

The final section is The Port of Perchoir du Corbeau, a 15 pages city setting written by the well known freelance writer Darren W. Pearce!

KS Watch! New Bristol: A Campaign Setting for your Supers

New Bristol is a superhero setting currently campaigning on kickstarter.

It will be available in two versions: one for Savage Worlds Adventure Edition version and another using the Endless Realms rules engine.

The project is lead by Andrew J Lucas, freelance author and game designer with several contributions under his belt, and involves a solid group of writers and artists.

So what is it about? New Bristol is a city setting and a campaign. Here's a bit from the KS page that really intrigued me:

And here's a nice piece of art from the KS page, captioned "The Valiant Captain Daring":

So... I'm a curious person. I contacted Andrew and asked for something cool to show here, which hadn't been revealed elsewhere. and this is what I got!

A cool piece of art by Akira Luca, portraying "The Metranome", an alien probe which serves the setting's main villain Baron Faustus.

And I was also allowed to share the current (because the stretch goals might boost it quite a bit) Table of Content! If you're curious what a Triceratops Rex looks like, check it on the KS page!

Designing Curse of Aufgartz

My current project is Curse of Aufgartz - A Savage Worlds Solo/GMless Game.

It is a dark fantasy story with a heavy Diablo 1 feel, offering several quests that you can tackle, and that will keep you busy for about one to four hours, depending on which optional rules you use.

Here's an early sketch for The Chainer, one of the agents of the Curse that you'll have to face in the game. Looks familiar?

Curse of Aufgartz builds on the experience I developed from the Gold & Glory solo rules, as well as from reading and playing the recently released Deadlands - Crater Lake Chronicles.

The design goal is to make a game that you can play with no GM, alone or with a group.

It works a bit like a Choose Your Own Adventure book, because you make story choices and go back and forth through the book, and also a bit like a board game.

You choose which quests you want to tackle, in a structure that resembles a typical Savage Worlds Plot Point Campaign, with Plot Points and secondary quests.

Each quest is a two-page spread, and it does not ask you to flip the book back and forth. All the options, events and game contents are there in that two-page spread. You finish the quest, you return to Aufgartz (the "home base" chapter), and select a new one.

I'm so excited about this project because it involves more than writing a standard adventure. It needs a structure and and a set of procedures that will allow the book to function as a GM, using some tokens and trackers.

The current iteration of the game includes a single-sheet printout called Adventuring Journal, which features: 

• A Time Tracker, where you mark the passing of time. You mark boxes when you solve a Quest or as a consequence of some events. As time passes, more quests unlock, but the Curse also grows stronger.
• A Quest Log, where you mark which quests are available and which you've already solved.
• An Advancement Tracker, where you mark boxes as you complete certain quests or events. After a certain number of marks, you gain an Advance.
• A Clue Tracker, keeping track of your success at unveiling the secrets of the Curse.
• A table to roll random Curse Effects, which are triggered as you advance in the game and Evil spreads in the land.

All these bits work together fine... so far! But I'll sure need a group of playtesters to check how it works for good!

10 QUESTIONS TO: Eric Lamoureux

Eric Lamoureux is one of the voices of the Wild Die Podcast, and one of the brains behind Just Insert Imagination. As such, he’s designed a lot of stuff. His most recent hit is Wiseguys: The Savage Guide to Organized Crime, a Savage Worlds setting book that got launched with a successful kickstarter last year. To celebrate its one year anniversary, Wiseguys will be on sale for the whole month of September, so you should definitely take a look!

But who is Eric? Eric is a French Canadian living in the USA, a family man, and a person that strikes me as some kind of “well-adapted introvert”, which I have no idea what it is supposed to mean, but he sure is fun to talk to… or listen to, on his podcast. Plus, he's portrayed like this, Wiseguys style:

1 Hello Eric. Tell us about Wiseguys as if you were trying to sell it to your aunt!

It’s full of Italian recipes! hehe
Wiseguys is Tarantino meets Ocean’s Eleven and Goodfellas. You play mob associates and soldiers trying to strike it big in Las Vegas in the nineties after the Giuliani led Mafia Commission Trials put all the godfathers back in New York behind bars and left Las Vegas ripe for the taking!
It’s also a modern bestiary with over 100 NPC stat blocks, primers on 6 other crime syndicates, and setting rules to run heist and manage contacts that you can use in pretty much any other setting or genre.

2 Let’s talk about design. How long did you work on it? Was it a night job? How would you describe your creative process?

Wiseguys began with the adventure scenario published 4 years ago that followed the misadventures of five mobsters on a road trip in the Nevada desert with a body in the trunk of their Cadillac. People wanted more so Wiseguys was born.

I worked on Wiseguys for over two years part-time. I started by doing a lot of research. I wanted it to be about more than just Italian American men. I read countless articles and books and watched documentaries, tv-series, and movies. That’s where Tarantino influences came in with its strong female leads. That’s where I also learned that the Italian American Mob employed people of all ethnic backgrounds. This opened up the scope of the game and the characters that people could play quite a lot. If you look at the pregens included in the Jumpstart, you’ve got a Latina roller derby player, a black Elvis impersonator, and a former med student showgirl with a pet venomous snake. You can’t get this roleplay experience anywhere else!
I then wrote the Demo Kit which was also a playtest document. I ran a playtest group, ran it at conventions, and also used feedback from a few playtest groups. After that came the Jumpstart which was more polished and used all that feedback and experience from the first year. This was pretty close to the final product. The last six months was a lot of grinding, rewrites, edits, and incorporating material from other writers.

3 Let’s get deeper into the design. Which was the hardest part of designing Wiseguys? And which was the easiest?

The hardest part of designing Wiseguys was to decide what made the cut. I ended up with way more than the 180 pages included in the final version. Managing the whole project from writing to managing the Kickstarter campaign to art direction was also quite the challenge. There were about 20 people working on this project from writers, editors, proofreaders, layout, graphic designers, and artists. The easiest part for me was probably running the playtest. It was a lot of fun.

4 Let’s talk about the Kickstarter that launched Wiseguys. How do you rate this experience? What have you learned?

The Kickstarter campaign was an amazing experience. It was my first project and it was quite stressful; I didn’t want to disappoint anyone. I’ve learned that we, at Just Insert Imagination, have the support of the Savage Worlds community and we’re so grateful for that!

5 Are you currently working on something? Can you tell us about it?

I’m currently working on two freelance projects. However, I’ll let the publishers talk about them when they’re ready.

Morne and I at Just Insert Imagination are currently exploring mini-settings for Savage Worlds. One is an urban fantasy setting that takes place in Cape Town, South Africa where Morne is from. The other one is a stone & sorcery setting where cavemen must save their homeland from cosmic threats. Think Genndy Tartakovsky,s Primal meets the Cthulhu mythos.

6 If you could buy any franchise and make an RPG of it, what would it be? Tell us about the franchise and the game you’d make out of it.

That’s a tough one!
I think the Chronicles of Riddick series would work great in Savage Worlds with planets trying to kill you and the Necromongers being the secondary antagonists. I’d design a deadly planet generator for sure!
The other one would have to be the Evil Dead franchise. Savage Worlds would be a great fit for Evil Dead’s campy and slapstick style.

7 Let’s see how good you really are as a role player. You are a Hollywood screenwriter, and you must now write a five lines email to convince Mr. Warner Bros to produce a movie based on one of Mr. Lamoureux’s adventures or settings. Go.

I would spike my hair straight up, show up unshaven and rant on about explosions, the underdogs taking on a bully, big guns, exotic location, and six-pack abs!
So...Do we have a deal?!

9 Talking about Savage Worlds, you are quite the authority. Which are your top three settings? Actually, I’m pretty sure one is Beasts and Barbarians, right? So tell us about the other two.

Yeah, Beasts & Barbarians has been a steady top 3 for me since the day it came out and satisfies my cravings for sword and sorcery stories.

The other two are very seasonal. Right now I’m quite enjoying Deadlands: The Weird West. It has a lot of depth and is quite versatile. Some people play it as a straight-up western, others use the horror elements, while some play it as a spaghetti western.
I’m on an Arabian Nights kick right now so I’m quite enjoying reading Hellfrost: Land of Fire. 

 

10 One last question before we say goodbye. Please point us to a song you think we should listen to.

Very few songs move me the way Jeff Buckley’s Lover, you should've come over does.

Thank you, Eric!

Thanks for having me, Giuseppe! Keep writing great games and doing this service for the community!

Stay tuned for more interviews! Hit me on the Axian Spice Facebook page, on Twitter or even on Telegram to never miss one! 

If you want to support this blog, check my OSR and Savage Worlds stuff, or simply shop on DriveTrhuRPG (affiliate link).