#black-sword-hack — Public Fediverse posts

Urlaubslektüre, die 2te: das neue Regelwerk des Autors von #BlackSwordHack … #Cyberpunk & #Sorcery

Urlaubslektüre, die 2te: das neue Regelwerk des Autors von #BlackSwordHack … #Cyberpunk & #Sorcery

The #BlackSwordHack is a #DnD / #OSR clone that deserves more attention in my opinion. Surprisingly, I quite liked the Ultimate Chaos Edition, exceptions prove the rule. #ttrpg

RE: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:3qus263ho4avjghicsvtcsfz/post/3lkkw3cbzps27

Nice. Funded. #BlackSwordHack scenario. One of the few exceptions I’ll make in avoiding crowd fundings going forward.

I just hope the flat international shipping rate of 6 USD will work out for him.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/jburneko/love-songs-of-the-death-goddess/description

Ayer noche acabamos la aventurilla de #BlackSwordHack donde el grupo se tenía que adentrar en la Torre de la Madre, la antigua base de operaciones de una hechicera que abría portales a otros mundos y, supuestamente, había transmigrado su alma a uno de ellos.

Sobrevivieron porque fueron indecisos y no caminaron las interminables escaleras de la torre hasta las plantas con encuentros. En vez de eso encontraron el mauselo y osario de la familia Gilespi, con una tumba especial.

Yesterday, we ran a game of #BlackSwordHack using the #LotFP module Black Blade of the Demon King: 2 referees, 13 players, half of which were playing sentient weapons and the rest their wielders. :blob_spin:

We had a blast, can't wait to conclude this epic quest next week! 😈

@ttrpg

#BSH #OSR #TTRPG

EL CASO es que ahora con #BlackSwordHack le veo más el rollito a mezclar la fantasía espada y brujería con conceptos locos sin pensar mucho en El WorldbuildingTM y quiero aprovechar este hilo para decir que el mapa de Hiperbórea clásico está bien guapo para un setting tonto.

EL CASO es que ahora con #BlackSwordHack le veo más el rollito a mezclar la fantasía espada y brujería con conceptos locos sin pensar mucho en El WorldbuildingTM y quiero aprovechar este hilo para decir que el mapa de Hiperbórea clásico está bien guapo para un setting tonto.

Some kind soul made this online SRD for the Black Sword Hack

https://blackswordhack.github.io/

These are the sort of wonderful things that happen when games use Creative Commons licenses.

#TTRPG #OSR #BlackHack #BlackSwordHack

Je continue à bosser doucement mais sûrement sur mon supplément hexcrawl pour the #BlackSwordHack tout en ayant trouvé le pitch et la structure du deuxième scénario de mon tryptique #MOTHERSHIPRPG
BRAIN GOES BRRRR

Petite couverture pour une aventure en préparation pour #blackswordhack. TW : décapitation.

Une nouvelle carte pour ma campagne de #blackswordhack #ttrpg #jdr #cartography #mapmaking

Pour fêter le FP de #blackswordhack en vf, je vais faire découvrir le jeu sur Harpy.gg ! :ablobcatbongo:

Ce projet est une occasion unique de découvrir ce JdR captivant en français, avec un contenu riche et des illustrations à couper le souffle. Si vous êtes passionné·e par les aventures épiques et les histoires profondes, ne manquez pas cette chance de faire partie de l'aventure !

👉 https://fr.ulule.com/black-sword-hack-ze-frainche-version/

#Ulule #Crowdfunding #BlackSwordHack #JdR

Les Mondes Brisés vont faire leurs grands come-back dans une campagne de #blackswordhack ! (Probablement sans attendre la VF :D) #jdr #cartographie #ttrpg #cartography

From the 1960s onward, the writer Michael Moorcock has been writing in many different genres, but he’s probably still most known for his character Elric, and the Eternal Champion series.

The Elric stories, about the adventures of an albino sorcerer, heir to a dead kingdom, were a big change from earlier pulp fantasy stories. Elric was a anti-hero, moodier and stranger than traditional sword & sorcery protagonists.

The Elric stories were not only a big influence on fantasy, but also on RPGs. I thought I’d cover a few games designed to run Elric-style stories.

Only one of these is an official adaptation, but the other four are heavily inspired by Moorcock. This is in no way a complete list. Feel free to add any suggestions to the comments.

What makes a game suitable for Elric style settings?

• Morally grey – Elric was very much an anti-hero.
• Magic items are intelligent with personalities and desires, like Stormbringer, Elric’s soul-devouring sword.
• A multiverse, with multiple parallel worlds, and planes of existence.
• Instead of individual Vancian spells, sorcery involves making pacts with otherworldly or infernal creatures.
• The world is influenced by the forces of Law and Chaos.

Law & Chaos

The alignments of the Eternal Champion world, where the universe was constantly being influenced by the forces of Law and Chaos, was a big influence on D&D. However, there is no concept of good or evil in Moorcock’s cosmology. Either Law or Chaos could be bad if taken to an extreme. The closet thing to “good” was the idea of Balance – keeping the universe stable.

Now the games:

Stormbringer / Elric

This is the big one. It was one of the few official licensed games set in the Elric/Eternal Champion universe.

Stormbringer uses the Basic Role Playing d100 system used by Runequest, Call of Cthulhu, and many other RPGs. There have been multiple editions of this system, some under the name Elric, up to Stormbringer 5th edition. This was the final version.

There were years of modules, sourcebooks, and adventures available for use as source material. Sadly, all versions of Stormbringer are out-of-print, but there are used copies that aren’t too uncommon. No legal PDFs are available.

The website Stormbringer is dedicated to these games. – https://stormbringerrpg.com/

If you can find a copy of this, I’d highly recommend you pick it up. Even if you don’t use the BRP system, the background material and adventures are invaluable. There are supplements for other characters in the Eternal Champion universe, like Hawkmoon or Corum.

I’ve made a fillable, cleaned-up version of the Stormbringer 5th Edition character sheet here.

Black Sword Hack

This is an adaptation of the OSR Black Hack system. Black Sword Hack uses the standard D&D stats. Players roll a d20, trying to roll below their stat to carry out actions.

It includes rules for demonic pacts, spirit alliances, weird science, and sorcery. There’s a usage die to keep track of Doom, a resource that can be spent, but attracts attention from the forces of Law & Chaos.

There’s a section about creating a world to play in, using various tables to select options. Lots of good ideas here.

I’m a big fan of this one. It’s an OSR game, so excellent for players transitioning from D&D. The art is lovely. If I were to run a Elric-style game today, this would be my first choice.

I made a custom character sheet for this one as well. I’ve also made a cheat sheet.

Champions of Wrath and Sorrow

Champions of Wrath and Sorrow, by Scott Malthouse, is a simple 2d6 system for running weird fantasy.

It uses a basic 2d6 system, where players roll, add abilities and attributes, and try to beat a 10. The game is player

Players are Champions, each with a cursed weapon, obsessions, and a pact with a god. These are generated randomly. Characters also get points to assign to attributes and skills.

Champions start off with 3 Wounds. If they lose them all they die. Some GM advice and a short bestiary are provided.

This is the only one of these games I haven’t run yet. It looks solid enough with a lot of ideas cribbed from other games.

Surprisingly, I don’t have a character sheet for this one. I’ll get around to it eventually.

Dancers in the Dreaming City

This is a one page RPG in pamphlet form, by Micah Anderson. It’s a hack of the What’s So Cool About Outer Space system by Jared Sinclair.

The rules are simple. Each character can choose to be Lawful or Chaotic, and is assigned a Target Number. Chaotic characters have a 7, Lawful characters have a 5. Every action a character might take is classified by the GM as either Lawful or Chaotic

For actions, the player rolls 2d6. For Chaotic actions, the player must roll lower than the Target Number. For Lawful actions, they need to roll higher. Rolls can be with advantage or disadvantage.

The game includes a list of sample spells, magic items, and 2 enemies. Not bad for a one-page game.

I’m fond of this one, but it’s probably best for one-shots and short campaigns. I made a custom character sheet for Dancers here.

Advanced Dungeons & Dragons

Despite Moorcock’s influence on the system, I wouldn’t call D&D, in any version, a Elric-style game. The basic cosmology, magic system, and general tone is too different.

However, back in 1980, in the first printing of Deities & Demigods, there was a section called the Melnibonéan Mythos, listing stats for Elric and many of the people and creatures of his world.

This section didn’t appear for rights reasons in later editions, but if you can get a copy, they might be useful for running an OSR game in the world of Elric.

https://polyhedralnonsense.com/2024/04/02/five-levels-of-elric/

#BlackSwordHack #ChampionsOfWrathAndSorrow #DancerInTheDreamingCity #Fantasy #Review #RPG #Stormbringer

@apontious It is something you see a lot in the #PbtA enviorement, so #ForgedInTheDark which is very influent for Candela Obscura, and #Trophy and #RootedInTrophy
You can see it in #BlackSwordHack #RatsInTheWalls and another Kobayashi's games.

It is a great way to decrease combat complexity, but removes a lot of DM strategy and simulation.

I prefer NPCs Do Not Roll, so DM reacting games (PbtA being my real cup of tea).

I just noticed @ng76 posted a Cheat Sheet for #BlackSwordHack after his customer character sheets recently.

https://polyhedralnonsense.com/2023/10/04/a-cheat-sheet-for-the-black-sword-hack/

#ttrpg

I ran The Darkness over Nijmauwrgen, an adventure for #BlackSwordHack from Chaos Crier #0.

I though that by speeding it up I could make it fit in a single evening, and boy was I wrong 😅.

The players really enjoyed the atmosphere of the city and its mysteries, which is great, but it meant that they took their sweet time luxuriating in the creepy backstreets and the adventure progressed at snail pace 🐌.

Nice module, clearly better suited for a short campaign. 🐟

#TTRPG #OSR #TBH #BSH @ttrpg

For a one-shot of the Black Sword Hack, I've made my own custom cheat sheet. Free to download in US Letter & A4 versions

https://polyhedralnonsense.com/2023/10/04/a-cheat-sheet-for-the-black-sword-hack/

#TTRPG #CheatSheet #BlackSwordHack #BlackHack #OSR

For #SeptembeRPG #SeptemberRPG #SeptembeRPG2023 5 I have some thoughts.

When I began DMing I tried to railroad and not railroad at the same time. I tried to guide into scenes as good as I could without forcing a lot.

Until I forced a scene really bad.

And I went into the other point and I finished into #PbtA and then I learnt how not to prepare and I got used and comfy by not preparing.

But I felt not so right sometimes.

I felt lost, but could not say how or why.

Recently I found #TrophyDark and #TrophyGold #FateOfCthulhu #CarvedFromBrindlewood ...

Ways to prepare not tight at all, but having some kind of prep.

And it clicked si well. I have DM'd things like #BlackSwordHack by facing the prep as a Trophy incursion, for exemple.

And that is the greatest change I've got: learning how to prep as it fits with my DMing

Finally got around to setting up my first face to face #TTRPG campaign in a while.

Posted on Reddit for players, both in LFG and the local group, and am now waiting for responses.

I've even set up a quick paper.wf page as an introduction.
https://paper.wf/pinellas-black-sword-hack/introduction-to-the-game

Might also set up a local Meetup account - not sure if it's worth the effort.

Any other ideas about how to attract players would be appreciated.

#LFG #BlackSwordHack #BlackHack #Florida #stpetersburg

Finally got around to setting up my first face to face #TTRPG campaign in a while.

Posted on Reddit for players, both in LFG and the local group, and am now waiting for responses.

I've even set up a quick paper.wf page as an introduction.
https://paper.wf/pinellas-black-sword-hack/introduction-to-the-game

Might also set up a local Meetup account - not sure if it's worth the effort.

Any other ideas about how to attract players would be appreciated.

#LFG #BlackSwordHack #BlackHack #Florida #stpetersburg

@takeonrules

You said
"Then bust out #DCC #blackSwordHack #blackHack #OSE #whiteHack #intoTheOdd or some such thing."

This is called a "bait and switch".

Please do not assume ignorance in this conversation. You're allowed (encouraged!) to like different things but I'm also allowed to like different things. OK?

@Sandra @[email protected]

It’d be nice to see more chatter for Black Sword Hack. Am I missing out on a site or a Discord channel? Maybe there’ll be an uptick after they get around to adding the Ultimate Chaos Edition to DriveThruRPG.

#TTRPG #BlackSwordHack

OSSARIAS, THE GHOUL-QUEEN
Your might united the fragmented ghoul houses under your bloody iron fist, restored the former splendor of your dying race, and breathed fear on your enemies.
But it comes, cruelty and violence were not great tools for a stable government and less than a year later your sister and fellow warlocks overthrew you, put you in chains, and threw you in the first ship that sailed away from the kingdom.
Time to start from scratch again!
#BlackSwordHack #TTRPG #CharacterDesign

I’m generating 52 news stories for my sector, and it’s been good at forcing me to develop individual planets. I will barely scratch the total number of planets, but I’ll at least have a little better idea of what’s out there, and a sample from each faction.

To generate ideas I’ve been using the “event theme” chart in Black Sword Hack (The Dark Gods' Oracle, page 98) and the TNS generator on Freelance Traveller. Could use another news Oracle.

#TTRPG #BlackSwordHack #TNS #TravellerRpg #GMPrep

Arioch! Arioch! Blood and souls for my lord Arioch!

Finally it came! #TTRPG #OSR #BlackSwordHack

I didn't get my copy of #BlackSwordHack (yet), but I did just receive my free monthly allotment of #COVID tests. If you live in #Wisconsin, #Minnesota, or #Washington, you can order free tests from this site (in Wisconsin, you can order new tests monthly):

https://sayyescovidhometest.org/

Just picked up my KS copy of the Black Sword Hack and a large pastrami sandwich.

My day is complete.

#TTRPG #OSR #BlackSwordHack #MailCall

@moonmoth erinnert mich daran, dass das #BlackSwordHack PDF hier noch schlummert 😅

I finished up my custom character sheets for the #BlackSwordHack

I also made some separate sheets for the various powers a character might have - Demonic Pacts, Faerie Ties, Twisted Science, etc.
https://polyhedralnonsense.com/2023/03/20/black-sword-hack-custom-character-sheets-for-a-moorcock-style-osr-game/
#OSR #TTRPG #CharSheet #CharacterSheets

Just ran a one-shot of Black Sword Hack, just out of KS. I liked it quite a bit. All of the extra combat maneuvers, Spirit Alliances, and Demonic Pact rules give it a nice flavor. Definitely revisiting this one.

Since the game is heavily Moorcock inspired, I used a old Stormbringer adventure - "The Fang and the Fountain" from the Perils of the Young Kingdoms book. It's suitably grim, through I had to trim it a little to fit in a one-shot.

#TTRPG #OSR #BlackSwordHack #BlackHack

🐍 CITY OF THE COBRA: Servant's Quarter 🐍
Let's be clear; for a tyrant to stay in power you need people who consent to their power, no matter how big is their Death Star. Finding what they need (and not all needs the same things) may be more productive than just ignoring or disdain them (just saying!).
#Dungeon23 #TTRPG #OSR #BlackSwordHack

🐍CITY OF THE COBRA: The Gold & Ivory Quarter🐍
A chance to play in the grey areas; here other awful powers conspire against the serpenate and each other in a complex game of hide and seek. A nest of vipers in human clothes!
#Dungeon23 #TTRPG #OSR #BlackSwordHack

🐍CITY OF THE COBRA: The Ziggurat🐍
Bothered by human tribes or other empires trying to dominate the city you conquered? Easy! Build your own Death Star and vaporize all opposition! Serpentra started vaporizing the poor people's quarter (not that it may come to bite her ophideus ass back...)
#Dungeon23 #TTRPG #OSR #BlackSwordHack

🐍 CITY OF THE COBRA: The City Gates 🐍
A sword & sorcery fan's favorite: SNAKES! Let's start with some pretty generic north African souk quarter to prepare our heroes for what is to come... More snakes and other slithering surprises!
"In the middle of the wastes, an ancient city conquered by powerful snake-men from the forgotten past!"
A city for @TMushmen & Kobayashi's #BlackSwordHack Ultimate Chaos Edition!
#Dungeon23 #TTRPG #OSR

Been messing around with a custom character sheet for the #BlackSwordHack

Still a WIP

#TTRPG #CharacterSheet #OSR #BlackHack

I recently got the updated PDFs of the 2nd edition Black Sword Hack.

It's a lovely streamlined version of the #BlackHack designed to run Michael Moorcock-style fantasy.

I'm going to try it out this week, by running an old Stormbringer adventure as a one-shot.

Haven't decided on which one yet.

#TTRPG #OSR #BlackSwordHack

Downloaded Black Sword Hack.

I already like the Usage Die and the Doom mechanic.

Will have to spent some time looking at it later. Definitely looks cool.

#TTRPG #BlackSwordHack #BSH #OSR #NSR #DND #OpenDND

I just backed the new edition of the Black Sword Hack:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/896102915/black-sword-hack-ultimate-chaos-edition

Three reasons why:

1. I loved the 1st edition - one of my favorite versions of the #BlackHack

2. Made by the same people behind the Knock! #OSR books, so they've got a track record.

3. They didn't include a bunch of complicated stretch goals, so it seems more likely to be completed.
#TTRPG #kickstarter #BlackSwordHack