Conan 2d20 on Roll20. Using Decks for Doom, Fortune and Momentum.

This is a simple how to tutorial designed to walk you through setting up a way to use Roll20s decks to build piles of Doom, Fortune and Momentum. It will give you a nice visual way to track the use of these items within Conan 2d20.

The following steps will build a DOOM deck, and you should be able to create the other decks as you need. Lets get to it!

	The first thing we need to do is created a new deck. Go to the Macros and Deck sections of roll 20. Click "+Add", then click on the "New Deck" that was created. This will open the dialog box governing that new deck.
Give the deck a name, in this case "DOOM". The players don't need to see the decks. The players don't need to be able to draw cards. We only have 1 card in these decks, so the set Cards are infinite and disable being able to choose from the deck. The discard pile should show the backs of the cards. They don't need stats and I set my size to be 50x50, although that might change depending on your screen and resolution.
	Scroll down to the bottom of the deck dialog box and click "+ Add Card", in that new cards dialog box, add a name and drag and drop the icon you want to use. In this example I am using a basic doom icon, a red box with a black D in it. Once that is complete, save you changes and drag and drop the same icon into the Card backing area and again save those changes.
The deck is now set up. Click on "SHOW" (which will then change to "HIDE") and the new deck will be displayed on the side of your screen.

To use the deck, just hover over the deck and choose deal. Select the number of icons to distribute and select the player to give them to. In this case, 5 Doom tokens to the GM.

	Here we can see the GM has 5 Doom tokens. Click on the 5, displays a box showing each instance of the token.
	When you want to spend them, simply drag and drop them from this opened window onto the desktop. Once there they can be counted, compared and deleted when you are done with them.

Hopefully this quick guide gets you on your way to building a useable Roll20 interface for Conan 2d20 (and others!)

The Expanse RPG

Remember The Cant.

Sometimes things sneak along under my radar.  I am on a lot of forums and groups relating to RPGs and STILL, despite that, I miss things I am interested in.

Yesterday on Facebook a Kickstarter came across my feed that I vaguely knew would happen.  I didn't know much about it in terms of who, what, when, where, why and how.  Either way I was happy to see it. 

I was fairly late to the Expanse as a "thing". I hadn't picked up the first book until well after the TV show had started. Which I did not initially watch. Still I was aware of the series, and as a sci-fi fan, how could I not have been.

I downloaded the audio book and planned on listening to it on a flight to visit the Czech Republic a few years back. I didn't get much into it at the time, there was just too much going on.  That was the late summer.  I started again that winter and consumed the audio at a break neck speed.

I started watching the TV show.  I loved it. I still do.  I've watched most of the first and second seasons twice and just finished the third season.  Audio book wise I am caught up and anxiously await Tiamat's Wrath.

I am a fan.

Seeing an RPG being released?  I was in.  $70USD got me all the print stuff on Kickstarter.  Once I had backed it I grabbed a copy of the free quickstart rules to see what it was all about.

The game is being written by Green Ronin, whom I am not hugely familiar with.  They have an RPG system called AGE (Adventure Game Engine) and produce a few games based on it such as Fantasy AGE and Modern AGE.

My quick look at the rules showed me it's a roll over TN system much like d20, only we are using 3d6 to determine our roll, more on that in a moment.  Your roll is those 3d6+relevant attribute+2 if you have a focus.  Ie if your character has an intelligence of 2, and a focus on Computers, you might roll 3d6+3+2 when trying to work with computers.  Pretty basic system in regards to that. 

It also employs a "drama die" in that basic roll.  One of your 3d6 is a different color and can be used by the GM to determine the "drama" level around your success and failure.  Succeed with a 1 on the drama die?  Maybe you aren't as successful as you thought?  It's an interesting mechanic that will allow some interesting story telling opportunities for the clever GM.

The Kickstarter is going well, making it's goal in an hour and breaking all of it's planned stretch goals in a day. 

As I was writing this an update showed up in my mailbox saying we will see new stretch goals today. Stay tuned.

Don't forget to check out my TeePublic shop! I just had a look through and added some cool Expanse designs to the shop!

Be sure to check out my other articles on the Expanse RPG!

Howard Days 2018 - What is coming up.

Over last weekend (June 8-10, 2018), fans of REH got together and celebrated his life and works.

As usual Ben Friberg filmed many of the panels. This one should of interest to REH and Conan fans. Check out what is coming up for Conan and the Howard properties.

Lots of talk about the plans for the upcoming TV show.

Check out Ben's channel and give him some love!

June 11, 1936

Not much to say today, but that date, or at least the result of that date has been on my mind all day.

So instead of my words I give you the words of the man on my thoughts today.

"He was a man," said Conan. "I drink to his shade, and to the shade of the dog, who knew no fear." He quaffed part of the wine, then emptied the rest upon the floor, with a curious heathen gesture, and smashed the goblet. "The heads of ten Picts shall pay for his, and seven heads for the dog, who was a better warrior than many a man."

-Robert E Howard, Beyond the Black River.
January 22, 1906 - June 11, 1936

It Came From the Outerdark. Friday June 8, 2018

It has been a little while between posts. Between playing Conan Exiles (WAY TOO MUCH), work and other things I haven't had any really cool ideas to write about. I am pretty sure that has not changed. However that is NOT what this post is about. This post is about telling you what is going on out there in the big bad world! What is cool! What can I spend my hard earned coins on!?

KICKSTARTER!

We shall start with Kickstarters as there are a couple of note that I want to mention.

The first is Monolith's Mythic Battles: Pantheon 1.5. This kickstarter has some rule upgrades, but more importantly it gives you a chance to get in and get a copy of this awesome wargame. The figures are beautiful and range in size from the small to the GIANT. Check out my unboxing video from the original kickstarter to see them in more detail.

This kickstarter also has an add-on teaser for the "YMIR" which will be featured in their follow-up (and I understand compatible under the 1.5 rules) Mythic Battles: Ragnarok.

All in all this is an excellent game full of lovely plastic figures, that I heartily recommend you get on board for if you do any miniature gaming in the 28mm-32mm scale.

The second kickstarter I am watching, or rather will be watching, as it has not quite launched yet is "Solomon Kane" by Mythic Games. Mythic announced this back in February and I have been excited for it since. I am always happy to see more of Howard brought to a larger potential fan base.

It is billed as a game with 35mm figures so I will be interested to see how they stack up vs. the Conan BG and MB: Pantheon (as well as a host of other ranges.) Either way this hits Kickstarter on June 12th, so get your wallets ready!

DriveThruRPG!

There has been a few things cross my social network feeds, but only one has really caught my attention. Not surprisingly it's RuneHammers latest edition of index cards. This time they focus on his Ghost Mountain setting available in ICRPG worlds, but you will find cards in here for any weird west setting. So head on over and grab your copy of INDEX CARDS Vol.4!

Hankerin' over at RuneHammer also just released a combined publication of his three novels called "The Legacy of Mud", which is available over on amazon.ca. Not only is it available, it is listed as "PRIME".

Howard Days!

This weekend is also "Howard Days", a convention of Howard enthusiasts hosted by Project Pride down in Cross Plains, Texas. I had some serious thoughts on attending this year, but never got around to putting my money down for a ticket so it will have to wait for another year.

If you are like me and wish you could be there to see some of the talks or get a feel for the event, I will direct you to a small YouTube channel run by Ben Ben Friberg. Ben has been attending Howard Days and recording many of the talks and posting them to YouTube. I am sure this year will be no different. Check him out and give him a few subscriptions!

That is all for this week! I hope to have some new videos up on YouTube soon, some as companion pieces to my Conan mechanics series, a few box openings and MAYBE even a craft! Have a great weekend and remember to KEEP IT WEIRD!

Easy DIY Gaming Table Upgrade!

Welcome back!

Last year, late in November I did a quick video on what I use for a gaming table. It was easy and cheap and created a cool lifted surface. You can find that video here: Gaming Table!

I have always planned on rebuilding the top and making it nicer. Over the last year it has also warped a little, but not enough to be unusable. Since it functions and it would be a solely aesthetic upgrade it has become a low priority in my life. I did however have another idea I wanted to try out; under table LED lighting.

As you can see it creates a pretty cool effect! I got this inexpensive set of lights from Aliexpress which has a nifty remote and allows changing of colors pretty easily! All of the colors are good except for the pure yellow, which looks more yellowy green.

Total price for the strip and remote was about $10cad. Super inexpensive! I did have to get a battery for the remote that ran be a couple of dollars as well, but it didn't turn this from a $10 upgrade to a $30 upgrade. It was still under $15 when it was all said and done.

This project is based on a raised tabletop, but if you had a sunken play area you could use it on that as well just as easily. It adds a new quick and easy dimension to your game that can really help with mood, if you can add this to your area, I highly recommend it!

Have you done any upgrades like this to your gaming area? LED lights? something else cool? Drop me a note and let everyone know what cool things you have done!

One last thing don't forget that buying items through quite a few of the links I provide gives me a small kick back which helps to support both the blog and the YouTube channel! Thank you to everyone that stops by and enjoys my ramblings!

Until next time! Keep it weird!

It Came From the OuterDark. Thursday May 10, 2018

I used to do a YouTube segment on Fridays, but time has become tighter and I find myself unable to get those done, even as live streams. I thought I might be able to convert it to a regular segment on my blog instead.

The basic idea of this segment was a rundown of the things in gaming and popular culture that I came across that I thought were interesting and fit into my niche.

SALES!

The first thing I wanted to talk about is the sale for may over at DriveThruRPG. Billed as the MAY D&D sale a quick look shows that it encompasses more than just D&D. I picked out a couple of titles that I either own, have heard good things about or just thought they looked interesting!

	Four Against The Darkness This rules light solo or cooperative game pits you, as a party of four adventures, against a randomly generated dungeon. All you need is a pencil, some graph paper and a 2 six sided dice! I just picked this up so look for a detailed review soon.
	Song of Blades and Heroes A rules light wargame system. Easy to learn and fun to play. A go to set of rules for easy skirmish level gaming. Highly recommend.
	Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea (Second Edition) One of the premier set of rules for swords & sorcery settings. Clearly influenced by Conan and other entries in the genre. I have never played this system but have hard many good things about it and it maintains a 5 star rating on DriveThruRPG. Certainly on my long list of things to check out!
	Remarkable Inns & Their Drinks This is another one I have not picked up, but has certainly caught my eye. Taverns are quite central to the fantasy RPG genre and a few of Conan's tales certainly start there. This Gold Seller on Drivethru looks like a great way to pick up some quick tavern ideas!

KICKSTARTER!

My Kickstarter radar has been fairly quiet lately. Zombicide: invader was my last backed project. I actually have nothing waiting for completion, all my money has been taken. I suspect this is a good thing even if it seems weird.

Modiphius launched the pledge manager for John Carter this week as well. If you are a backer and didn't see the message you should check your spam bins and contact Modiphius!
NOTE: There is an issue with the shipping costs so the pledgemanager is currently frozen.

One kickstarter that has crossed my path is Hellboy. A 1-4 player co-op boardgame playable in about an hour and a half. The teaser video doesn't go a whole lot into mechanics, but it looks like I might be a fun addition.

I suspect many of you are Hellboy fans, and if so this is probably a game that you will want to add to your collection, and has already received nearly 1.8 million CAD in pledges.

It comes with a lot of miniatures which is awesome if you like that sort of thing (and we all know I do!). The pledge is about $165cad and looks to get you well over 100 little plastic men! Head on over to check it out soon, there is only about 14 days left in the campaign.

VIDEO GAMES!

I don't play a lot of games, so you won't see much here from me. With that caveat I am excited to see Conan Exiles go from early access to full retail launch. There are of course a lot of people who dislike it for various reasons and these people, as always, are incredibly loud. However reviews from 3rd parties are positive and I have talked with actual players who believe it is a good game and fun! Check out my own review!

Speaking of EXILES, I also picked up my collector's edition yesterday. Although I don't think this collector's edition is as nice as the one they did for Age of Conan, it does have some cool stuff in it and I am glad I have picked it up, even if I would have preferred a form factor that would have allowed for full sized books.

That is it for this week, I hope to return to this on a weekly basis depending on what content sifts across my internet presence. If you found something interesting this week drop me a comment below so the reader of the blog can check it out!

Until next time. KEEP IT WEIRD.