Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Recruiting Demo Team for Arrows of Indra



We are interested in recruiting game masters to demo Arrows of Indra in tabletop stores of major cities. There will be a limit of 7 demos, so we will choose candidates based on location, preparedness and enthusiasm. 

We will request two demos: one for the PDF and one for the book when it is available. Everyone who conducts a successful PDF demo will receive a printed copy of Arrows of Indra. Then everyone who conducts a successful print demo will receive a bundle of all Bedrock Games PDFs. 

To volunteer, send an email with your name, the name of the store you intend  run the demo, and a brief description of how you plan to conduct it to: BedrockBrendan@gmail.com

Demo Rules


  • Disclose that you receive a free copy of the game and free PDFs in exchange for running the demo
  • Take a picture of each demo event and send to us for verification (we need a photo from each event and will require verification of the PDF event before we can provide a free print book of Arrows of Indra)

Thursday, March 14, 2013

Arrows of Indra print pre-order

The print edition of Arrows of Indra is now available for pre-order at: Arrows of Indra Print 

The PDF was very successful and still in the top ten on RPGnow: Arrows of Indra PDF

Thanks to everyone for their support!

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Interview with Bill Cavalier: The Dungeon Bastard

Bill Cavalier, the Dungeon Bastard, is a professional adventure coach and gaming personality. He is known for his no-non-sense advice at dungeonbastard.com, which is dedicated to helping gamers reach their maximum potential. Bill was kind enough to take time out for an interview with the Bedrock Blog. 

To learn more about the Dungeon Bastard and his gaming expertise, visit:  www.dungeonbastard.com

On Life as an Adventure Coach

 

Brendan Davis (BD): You are a highly regarded adventure coach, someone who helps gamers reach their full potential at the table. In the past few years you shifted from one-on-one consulting to the video format, which allows you to reach a much broader audience with your philosophy of: the game is not broken, the players are broken. How has your tough love message changed the hobby for the better since you took to Youtube?

Bill Cavalier (BC):  In the two years since I’ve started using YouTube to bring my PROFESSIONAL ADVENTURE COACHING to the masses of unwashed gamers who are CLEARLY doing it wrong, we’ve seen the AD&D books reprinted, a whole new version of D&D get underway, and a plethora of wildly-successful RPG KickStarter campaigns. I’d like to take credit for that. Some people will say I can’t. I would like to remind those people that I am a BASTARD.

BD: Being an adventure coach seems like the perfect job to most gamers. But few have achieved your level of success or fame. What sets you apart from the less successful adventure coaches?

BC: Look, EVERY gamer has an opinion on how to play the game – that’s just part of our genetic make-up. The difference between Lesser Adventure Coaches (or LACKEYS, as I like to call them) is that MY opinions are RIGHT. (For those who would disagree, I would refer you to the last sentence of the previous answer.)

On Winning the Game

 

BD: For years we were told “you don’t win D&D” but you seem to take the view not only can you win D&D, you must win D&D. Is this an accurate assessment of your position and if so, what are D&D’s victory conditions?

BC: A Lesser Adventure Coach (or Type V Demon, as I like to call them) would say that loot and XP are the hallmarks of a successful D&D game. WRONG. Loot and XP are firmly in the purview of the DM, and in my experience, that guy’s a JERK. A stingy, stingy jerk. If you’re settling for loot and XP, you’re just licking tablescraps off the salad bar in the Old Country Buffet of Imagination. The REAL sign of success: GLORY. Killing a troll is easy. BEHEADING a troll with your battleaxe, with one hit point, bathed in alchemist’s fire and ochre jelly… THAT’S what a D&D victory looks like. NOW you’re not only EATING from the Buffet of Imagination, you’re cooking your own sirloin steaks and guzzling fro-yo directly from the nozzle! The game is great when YOU MAKE IT GREAT! Just make sure to get a fresh plate every time.


BD: We all know you love dwarves, half-orcs, fighters, barbarians and clerics. Suppose you were in a full-length campaign where, out of fairness to the other players, you were not allowed to be any of those races or classes; what alternative combo would you choose and why?

BC: Minotaur Wizard. 1) Minotaur = BADASS. 2) FIREBALL. 3) THERE IS NO THREE!


BD: You have taught gamers how to be better players, but what about Gamemasters. Beyond funny voices, what other qualities does a good GM need?

BC: A good GM realizes it’s not HIS game, it’s OUR game. Sure, someone has to make the map, and put in the creatures, and come up with some sort of perfunctory shoe-string plot which we’ll all dutifully ignore. But a good GM doesn’t just CHALLENGE players, he creates moments of opportunity for MAXIMUM GLORY. Maybe that’s a rickety minecart the party can use as an impromptu battle chariot, or a jug full of electric bees, or a magic sword that shoots poison fireballs. WHATEVER. When the players do cool stuff EVERYBODY WINS. Also, a good GM doesn’t make the players bring all the snacks. KICK IN ONCE IN A WHILE, CHEAPSKATE.

Controversies

BD: You’ve proclaimed your hatred of gnomes to the public. You have such disdain for them that you refused any comment on gnomes in your Guide to Racial Profiling. This would seem to go well beyond a simple critique of racial abilities or bonuses. Are there personal reasons for this anti-gnome stance?

BC: Look, I’m a BASTARD, it’s ALL personal! So in one of my early Con experiences, the GM handed out pre-gen characters and when all the squabbling over characters was over, I got stuck with the gnome. You know what I did that adventure?? I RODE A BADGER. I cast AUDIBLE GLAMER. And I got killed by a GIANT LEECH. Needless to say: TRAUMATIZED FOR LIFE. It was at that point I realized: Shorter than a dwarf, AXE TO THE NECK. NO QUESTIONS ASKED. Gnomes. Feh.


BD: Recently, actor Tom Lommel from Fear of Girls claimed credit for your fame in a recent interview. He also called your advice “terrible and over the top”. What is your response?

BC: I’ll begrudgingly agree that guy is magnetically handsome in a quirky, hey-can-you-check-my-computer-for-malware kind of way, but there is NO WAY he is qualified to pass judgment on my advice. He’s not even a LESSER Adventure Coach (or “Gnome Illusionist” as I like to call them.) He’s more of a WANNABE Adventure Coach (aka “Giant Leech.”) If I ever meet him face-to-face, there is going to be a THROWDOWN.


BD: Your victories at the gaming table are certainly without precedent. You beat the Temple of Elemental Evil and have claimed at various points to have stats ranging from 17 to 20 (the odds of which are astronomically low). No one doubts the validity of these claims, but some have suggested these may not be the product of natural talent. Pointing to your frequent bursts of rage, and constant threats to punch people in the face, the question of stat doping has come up. How do you answer these charges?

BC: Hey man, nobody will admit it to your face, but EVERYBODY buffs. Bear’s Endurance, bless spells, Gauntlets of Ogre Power – it’s EVERYWHERE. I’m not naming names, but let’s just say I know a certain DARK ELF with a pair of SCIMITARS who wears a Girdle of Stone Giant Strength under his fancy pantaloons. So, yeah, people TALK about keeping the game clean, but when you’re staring down a horde of gnoll archers about to unleash a pack of fiendish dire wolves on your party… you do what needs to be done. Hate the game, man, not the player. The FANS demand it, I just deliver.

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Arrows of Indra Preview

Arrows of Indra is finally here in PDF (Arrows of Indra PDF), and I thought it would be a good time to go over the contents of the book. The resolution of the interior pages is higher in the actual PDF. I had to lower it to for the blog but this should give you a general idea of what the book looks like on the inside.

Cover

This is one of our best covers ever. It was created by Michael Prescott, who did cover art for many of our Terror Network books as well as Servants of Gaius. It really captures the feel of the setting.


Borders and Interior Art

The borders were also done by Michael Prescott (something he has done for all of our books since Crime Network) and the interior is mostly by Federico Pintos. Richard Iorio II did the layout and exceeded his previous work on Servants of Gaius. We wanted an old school aesthetic and I think our artists succeeded.

Setting

The book includes a full gazetteer of the Bharata Kingdoms (the civilized human lands of the world of Jagat) with descriptions of the cultures and geography.

The Patala Underworld

Arrows of Indra has a number of planes in its cosmology. The surface world inhabited by mortals is connected to the Naraka hell realms by the Patala Underworld. Full of adventure possibilities, the Patala Underworld is described in its own chapter. It also comes with a cavern generation system.
 

Skills

Characters have skills based on their caste and their class. Skills are determined randomly, enabling characters to perform things like rituals and combat maneuvers.


Enlightenment Powers

Priests and Siddhis have a chance of gaining these special powers as their personal enlightenment develops. Like skills these are also determined randomly. One of my personal favorites is Atman-Sealing Gaze, which disrupts the target’s connection between his physical body and his soul.

Monsters

I think the monster chapter is particularly impressive. It offers a wide range of setting appropriate monsters. There are plenty of Asura, Devas, giant reptiles and magical creatures for any campaign.

Magic Items

The treasure and items chapter details a number of Indian-inspired magical items like Mala Beads, Sutras and Astras (or celestial arrows).

Table of Contents

Here is a look at the table of contents.
 
 
 

Procedures

The Game Master Procedures chapter covers everything from reaction rolls to combat and wilderness survival.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 


Monday, March 11, 2013

Arrows of Indra is available in PDF

We are pleased to announce that Arrows of Indra (an old school epic fantasy Indian RPG) is now available in PDF and will be released in print soon.

You can buy your copy of the PDF here: Arrows of Indra PDF


 
From the back:

Arrows of Indra is an RPG based on the original and most popular fantasy roleplaying rules; for old-school heroic fantasy adventure in a world that is exotic and at the same time highly recognizable, Inspired by the Epic Myths of India during the Age of Heroes.
Players take on the roles of brave Kshatriya warriors, disciplined yogis, temple priests, rogues or scouts, assassins of the dark goddess, magic-using Siddhis seeking the mysteries of the universe, playing humans civilized or barbaric, immortal Gandharvas or Yakshas,  Vanara monkey-men or half-demonic Rakshasa; and adventure in Naga-filled jungles, fight Asura demons, visit the ruins of ancient Rakshasa empires, seek out the shining treasures of the truly massive Patala Underworld, fight duels for money or honor in the Kalari Arenas, or get caught up in the political and military intrigues of the human Bharata Kingdoms.
It’s the same heroic adventuring you know and love, but with a new and exciting environment.  No anthropology, history, theology or linguistics degree required; everything you need to play heroic characters and adventure in the Bharata kingdoms is found right here in this book!

Sunday, March 3, 2013

Slayers is Available in PDF

A while back Bill and I made a small game called Slayers. It was different from our others, used new mechanics and had an even grittier vibe than Network. Avalon Games has just released it in PDF. It should be noted that this is technically not a Bedrock product, it was produced by Avalon and we simple supplied the design and writing:

SLAYERS PDF

Saturday, March 2, 2013

Interview with Julia Okrusko

While I usually interview game designers, a new kickstarter by Julia Okrusko offering violin melodies for fantasy gaming caught my attention. Music is something I like to incorporate into my game sessions, so I decided to have a chat with Julia about her project.

Julia is a professional violinist. She is classically trained and currently performs as first violinist with the New England String Quartet. To learn more about her kickstarter, Legends: Fantasy Violin CD, visit the following webpage: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/okrusko/legends-fantasy-violin-album-release.
For her other projects visit:
      www.okrusko.com (Julia’s official website)
      http://www.nestringquartet.com/index.html (the New England String Quartet’s website)

Brendan Davis (BD): You were inspired to start writing fantasy music in 2011 after years of classical training and performance. What was it about the sound of fantasy game music you found so compelling?
Julia Okrusko (JO): Imagination: beauty and power with lots of space for imagination. I felt that I was creating the music I was reading and that may be the most precious feeling for a performer. There is so much wonderful music in the world, as a classical musician I am very lucky to have a chance to explore it, but fantasy was a real revelation to me. It was a level of inspiration and involvement I never experienced on stage before.  I guess I discovered my path as a musician.

BD: In your opinion is the fantasy music in games like Final Fantasy VII something that deserves more serious attention?
Oh absolutely! I would love to also hear it performed live more often. This music is a huge part of today's culture and it is incredibly beautiful.
BD: How is composing and performing fantasy music different from performing and composing classical?
JO: The technical aspects are the same to me (just one more thing I love about fantasy music): rich orchestration, form possibilities and expressive performance, which are also present in classical music.  To me, the difference is in inspiration and desire to create.

BD: This looks like a pretty substantial project. There is a splendid demo video on the website and the cover art is nicely done. How many people are involved in the development of Legends: Fantasy Violin?
JO: Thank you. I actually made the video and cover art myself using the Durian Open Movie Project files to create the video and some Photoshop magic on the cover art. But since the project launched, I am working with professional artists on album graphics and pictures, and I welcome everyone who would like to contribute to the CD artistically.

BD: Can you tell us a bit about the concept behind the CD and what listeners can expect to hear when it’s released?
JO: I want to share with my listeners the same power of imagination I experience when writing and hearing fantasy music. I see this CD as a window to a whole world full of stories, emotions, and memories, scenes of past and future life... Fantasy music is a wonderful opportunity to convey my stories and connect with listeners’ imagination at the same time.

BD: How do you normally record violin for release on CD? Are the tracks for Legends: Fantasy Violin currently being recorded?
The recording process for "Legends" hasn't started yet as I would need the Kickstarter resources to actually move forward with the project. Normally I record violin in the studio, and the professional equipment and audio services would be made possible with everyone's support.

BD: You are a professional violinist, have won several awards and performed globally; tell us about your history with the violin.
JO: I was born into a musical family and started playing at the age of 6. From the very start I was blessed with the best teachers who raised and inspired me, and yes, I got to travel all around Europe and USA and won several competitions as a classical soloist. I’ve lived in Boston for 7 years now and perform as a member of the New England String Quartet, a group we founded in 2007.

BD: How do you usually compose music? For those who don’t know about the process and about musical notation, can you explain writing music for a violin?
JO: Composing is a complex process, and as I got to talk with many composers — both classical and video game/movie music—it’s slightly different for everyone. I combine the old-fashioned music notation with sampling and improvisation, and when I write for violin I start off by writing down on paper the melody I hear in my mind. I sing it to myself and play it, and usually the harmony appears almost instantly. From there, I work on voicing and instrumentation— I combine real instruments with electronic until the music is there exactly the way I hear it in my mind.

BD: How long did it take to compose the pieces for Legends: Fantasy Violin?
I started working on the pieces in 2011 but it didn't take two years to write, of course. Musical sketches were being set aside, sometimes for months, in the absence of a solid plan for release, until I finally just realized there is so much material that I ought to share it (and I am very fortunate to find so much support so far).

BD: Why do you think the violin is a good choice for fantasy music?
JO: Violin is so expressive. I may be biased here but I feel that violin and human voice are the closest expressions of the soul.

BD: What is fantasy music? In terms of things like scales, chords and time signatures, what separates this style of music from traditional classical music?
JO: Fantasy music uses a variety of scales, chords, and time signatures that are also used in classical music. The difference, in my opinion, would be approach to melody and harmony progressions which in fantasy music often rely on Medieval and Renaissance structures, even when some of the fantasy pieces sound very modern.

BD: How do Medieval and Renaissance structures differ from Baroque, Classical and Romantic Structures?
JO: With regard to melody and harmony structures, Medieval and Renaissance music could be characterized as modal (and consonant), whereas towards the end of Renaissance, Baroque and later styles developed more defining characteristics of tonal structures and became increasingly focused on dissonance. Fantasy music does employ techniques and progressions of later styles as well, but in my mind, consonance and modality remain imperative at a core of each composition.

BD: Can you explain what modal and consonant music sounds like compared to music readers may be more familiar with?
Some may be familiar with a beautiful piece of Renaissance music: The Song of Songs by Palestrina. And a very popular example of modal elements applied in modern music could be Carmina Burana by Carl Orff.

BD: Why do you think gamers in particular will like this CD?
JO: As a collection of nine instrumental fantasy tracks, this CD may be used as an “orchestration” or musical background for the game. I think the gamers will enjoy the combination of expression and flow of the music.

BD: What is the projected release date of Legends: Fantasy Violin?
JO: The projected release date is September 22nd, 2013!