RPGs

Role Playing Games, old and new

Urmalk the Boundless

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Prisma Gothic filter of the Echoes From Fomalhaut No. 12 players map

Open Tables

Packing for DunDraCon 49 last weekend I grabbed a few copies of Holmes & Clark in the off chance of organizing a pickup game. Leafing through a few adventures eventually settled on Urmalk the Boundless as I had run it a few months earlier at North Texas RPG con.

This is a fine little adventure for levels 3 to 5 offering an outdoor sandbox location and an underground dungeon. The outdoor area has some very interesting keyed locations though much of the exploration here is done though a series of random table roles.

I had such a fantastic time running this adventure at DunDraCon I was committed to doing so again as soon as possible.

Random Tables

The exploration in Urmalk the Boundless is driven by random tables, a series of d10 rolls with some conditional modifiers applied to these rolls. A little fiddly at the table and a prepared list would likely help streamline the play experience. In support of that effort I prepared a Google Sheet to generate these results quickly and consistently, available here.

Real Tables

Some thoughts on running Urmalk the Boundless:

  • Provide the PC with the highest Wis some rumors
  • PCs approach the Necropolis from a random (1d4) direction
  • The Necropolis is 1d6 hours form the nearby town
  • Provide the players a token to show there position on the map
  • Mark off explored locations with more tokens on the map
  • Mark the DM map with location of keyed monsters so that it can be understood if they will be draw by a nearby commotion
  • At North Texas RPG Con ‘25 we had as few as 2 players all the way up to 12 at one point, this was an epic session easily over 10 hour, Jeff Dee joined us in the final hours and that was a real highlight
  • At DunDraCon 49 my badge read “Can’t we just play D&D?” A buddy gathered a group and we explored the Necropolis for about 3h
  • Have at least 6 pre-generated characters so players can jump in quickly
The Google Sheet in action
Example table produced w/ afore mentioned Google Sheet
The player map in action
North Texas – Aron Clark, Tim, Glenn, and Jeff Dee
DunDraCon – Aron Clark, Jerry, Dave, Mike, Dan, Peter (who I’ve been gaming w/ for 40+ years)
The plays the thing…

…and now for the news from Lake Geneva

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There is a fundraiser going on for a Gygax memorial in Lake Geneva. Here’s your chance to be part of history.

I’m backing in for a paver but a worthy cause whatever you can contribute. The organizer, Paul Stormburg ran a game for me at Lake Geneva in the old Gygax house. Pretty special for me. Encourage you all to make the pilgrimage if and when you can.

Kickstarter link follows: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/617053430/gary-gygax-memorial-game-table-for-dungeons-and-dragons-fans

Some snaps of my 2024 GaryCon visit for the 50th Anniversary.

I’d also encourage you to check out the “When We Were Wizards” podcast. A great oral history of the dawn of D&D, link follows: https://pods.to/whenwewerewizards

County Road Z1ed

Aron Clark1 Comment
Still from “Return of the Living Dead” – Prisma Gothic filter

…2022

I stumbled on miniature game County Road Z being played in 15mm at Pacificon. I quickly sourced the rules and set them aside for a someday project.

…2023

Again at Pacificon, flea market delivered a large zombie wargaming collection in 15mm and I committed to hosting a game soonest.

…2024

I studied the rules, prepared a quick reference, and hosted a game for friends at Kublacon.

…today

The following are on offer in a workbook that collects:

  • a quick reference
  • an X / Y sheet
  • a random survivor generator
  • a 3×5 character card

Some thoughts

County Road Z (CRZ) is a fine little game from a first time indie publisher, Jordan Heckman – Earthbound Games. Looking forward to seeing what comes next.

CRZ at its heart is a solo or co-op miniatures wargame; but I can see room here for multiple players participating in something closer to an RPG.

Game play is nicely segmented into a tactical game of fighting off the living dead and a strategic game of resource management.

There is a virtual tabletop version! No miniatures, no space, no time – no problem – play online when you can.

My copy of the rules and supporting assets are based on v1 and should be compatible with the latest Modipus version, v2.

v2 is described as being a new layout for the same core rules, but with new settings – equipment – monsters – and so on.

I’m unlikely to pick-up the latest version of CRZ, but feel free to get in touch and request any edits that are linked to v2.

Five-O

Aron Clark3 Comments

Fifty – I’m Fifty

Today I’m celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of Dungeons & Dragons. I’m 53 myself this year and my experience with the game goes back over forty years. It’s strange to consider how this one game of imagination has impacted me on the whole, and I’ve written some about that here:

A Gift

My fascination with The Lichway adventure continues and today I’m happy to release a new copy edit of the adventure. Tomorrow I’ll run this adventure for a friend’s birthday celbration.

You can download this copy edit here.

Original art by James Richards

Print Copies

The last of the print copies were distributed at North Texas RPG Con ‘25. There is a small chance that there are still a few copies still at Black Blade Publishing. That means there are 99 copies in circulation + my own personal copy. There are no plans for another print run.

Acknowledgement

My own copy edit of The Lichway is not the first, there is a very fine effort from 2023 which you can find here. Please let me know if there are other such efforts so they can be linked here.

Holmes & Clark

Aron Clark6 Comments
Original artwork by Justin Russell – link tree

In 2019 I started running Basic D&D using the Holmes Blue Box, I’ve written about that here. During that time my games were heavily house ruled with ideas that addressed how I wanted the game to work at my table. As new players joined in my open table games I committed to convert these house rules to something that more resembled a traditional rulebook.

It was an interesting, if not difficult, project producing a complete rpg rulebook. Even when this project was informed by concepts that are now familiar within our hobby. My guiding principle in this work was to produce an accessible reference to my interpretation of the game; simplifying concepts and to perhaps offer something new.

2020 and the quiet years that followed allowed me to run more games using these rules, all the while shaping and refining the presentation. What exists now is something that matches my original vision and these rules have been tested in well over a hundred sessions with dozens of players.

This work which I’ve termed “Holmes & Clark” is offered here without charge. Print on demand copies are made available at cost. My hope is that others will pick up these rules and attempt a game like D&D that is not overly complicated with expense or minutia, and rather; enjoy a fantasy adventure that can propel the imagination and excite the mind.

Google Drive Folder – includes the following:

  • Google Doc of the Current Release
  • PDF w/o gutter offset
  • PDF w/ gutter offset
  • PC Control Panel
  • DM Control Panel

At Cost Lulu Print on Demand:

  • Softcover – w/ gutter offset – current Lulu price $4.50
  • Hardcover – no longer available, sadly Lulu cannot produce an acceptable full-bleed color cover.
  • We now have a Discord server! Please get in touch if you would be interested in joining the conversation there, or find the link in the rule book.

Preview Pages

Update Nov 10

Jason Conerly of the Nerds RPG Variety Podcast has be on as a guest recently to talk about ol’ school games and the Holmes & Clark rules in particular. You check out that episode here.

The You Tuber “Hex Pressed” has done a read through (flip through?) of the Holmes & Clark rulebook. Check that out here.

Update Sep 30

Even AI shares its opinion on Holmes & Clark, find that 10m podcast here.