On the evening of the celebration of the Goddess of love a robed figure approaches the party. With a flourish they reveal a small book. A dark red cover without a title and a small latch holding it shut give a foreboding aura to the little book. “A book of love spells” the stranger says “I have tried and failed to destroy it many times. Written by the Goddess herself some say. I wish it hidden. Hidden where it can never be found. It has brought me more pain and anguish than a lifetime of solitude could”. With that the stranger vanishes and the little red book drops to the floor.
Inside the book (for those who dare to look) are the following five spells (for HARP):
Love
PP Cost: 10
Spell Type: Utility
Range: Touch
RR: Will
Duration: 5 rounds / rank
Description: The target will instantly fall in love with the caster. During this period they continue to function and act as themselves (ie someone who is not particularly open about their emotions will continue to be not open about their emotions). The base level of this spell is best described as infatuation and will make the target more amenable to the caster and more likely to bend to their demands, but it does not remove all intellect.
Scaling options:
Familial love (the person would sacrifice anything to help you) +10pp
Madly in love (the person would give their own life to make you happy) +20pp
Stupid in love (the person can no longer function and will forget to eat or sleep unless you tell them to) + 30pp
Increase duration (10 rounds / rank) +4pp
Increase duration (1 minute / rank) +6pp
Increase duration (10 minutes / rank) +10pp
Increase range (per 10’) +2pp
Beautify
PP Cost: 15
Spell Type: Utility
Range: Touch
RR: —
Duration: 5 rounds / rank
Description: Make the target appear beautiful to all those who look upon them for the duration of the spell. This spell does not physically change the appearance of the target, merely the perception of the person in the eyes of those that look upon them. Given the difference in appearance between races, the base spell only works on people of the same race. The spell works on both genders and all sexual orientations. It does not make anyone necessarily fall in love with the target. It simply makes them believe that they are objectively beautiful. In some cases, this may result in infatuation.
Being beautiful gives you a +5 to all influence skills.
Scaling options:
Additional race +8pp
Increase duration (10 rounds / rank) +4pp
Increase duration (1 minute / rank) +6pp
Increase duration (10 minutes / rank) +10pp
Increase range (per 10’) +2pp
+10 to influence skills +20pp
Perfect partner
PP Cost: 10
Spell Type: Utility
Range: 10’
RR: —
Duration: 3 rounds / rank
Identify your perfect romantic partner. The caster will get a vague feeling of how happy they would be with someone when looking directly at them. This spell does NOT help you attain the affection of your perfect partner. It merely helps you identify them.
Scaling options:
Increase duration (5 rounds / rank) +4
Increase duration (10 rounds / rank) +6
Increase duration (1 minute / rank) +10
Increase range (per 10’) +2
Feel the timeline of your potential relationship in a five second burst of emotion +6
See visions of the highs and lows of your potential relationship +15
End-Love
PP Cost: 15
Spell Type: Utility
Range: Touch
RR: Will
Duration: 10 rounds / rank
Stop loving someone. The base version of this spell will stop the target from loving a person that they have loved for no longer than 1 year. While the spell is active, the target will have no feelings for that person and will be more than happy to see them and interact with them without any emotion. The targets love of a person cannot be increased while they are affected by the spell. Instead any interactions will be remembered normally but have no emotion attached to them.
Scaling options:
Increase duration (1 minute / rank) +6
Increase duration (10 minutes / rank) +10
Increase duration (1 hour / rank) +15
Increase length of time the target has been in love with the person (per year) +5pp
Forget someone entirely +30pp
Hide
PP Cost: 6
Spell Type: Utility
Range: Self
RR: Magic
Duration: 10 rounds / rank
The target becomes invisible to a single person for the duration of the spell.
Scaling options:
Increase duration (1 minute / rank) +6
Increase duration (10 minutes / rank) +10
Increase duration (1 hour / rank) +15
Hide the results of your actions (ie they will not be able to hear your footsteps or notice if you smash a vase) + 20pp
The person the target is hiding from is also hidden from them +12pp
Director’s Briefing – February 2020
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Welcome
To the one hundred-and-fourth Briefing and second Briefing of 2020. I have been buried in the January marking and moderation marathon. More staff has reduced my teaching load during the semester but more students means more marking and moderation for me so the post-semester spike was higher. I am human again.
Shadow World
Terry Amthor has completed his next mini-adventure for Shadow World, entitled Aalk Vaalg : The Citadel of Osaran, as a Zor/Haalkitaine expansion. I have some final checks to make on this before we release as a $2 mini-adventure before the end of the month.
Terry is hard at work on the Emer IV sourcebook with occasional sidetreks into potential standalone adventures.
I also have a first volunteer to work on the HARP Handbook for Shadow World. If anyone else would like to volunteer to make this a team project, please get in touch.
HARP
HARP Beyond the Veil remains at the top of my queue to complete.
The artwork continues to be commissioned and arrive for HARP Subterfuge, HARP Bestiary, and HARP Garden of Rain. The artists are doing brilliant work and Colin is an excellent orchestrator – although I have not yet decrypted the pattern of how he maps artwork commissioned and received into nations. Other than HARP Subterfuge is in the lead, followed by HARP Bestiary.
RMU
Aaron and Jonathan have been doing some double-checking on Base Movement Rates, particularly with reference to movement talents and ensuring that Stride values make sense across the piece.
ERA for Rolemaster
Max has been working on a 64-bit Mac version of ERA for Rolemaster, so expect this to be released very shortly. Max would appreciate any feedback on how well this behaves in the latest incarnation of Mac OS.
Until next time
Back to progress on the very visible Citadel of Osaran and then into the main queue.
Best wishes,
Nicholas
Director, Iron Crown Enterprises Ltd
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Roleplaying adventure hooks – Science Fiction
Looking for inspiration for your next science fiction roleplaying adventure? Then look no further! We’ve put together these three adventure hooks to give you some ideas for your next gaming session. Enjoy!
Hidden intelligence
A highly advanced race have created an AI so intelligent it has become sentient. However, soon after its creation it escaped and is hiding out on a far flung, unexplored planet.
The creators of the AI have hired a group of explorers to visit the unknown planet and return the AI to its home. However, no one knows what the planet holds, why the AI fled there or how friendly the AI will be to those trying to take it ‘home’. The PCs will need to decide whether they will do the job they’re being paid for or adhere to the wishes of the AI.
Aiding Adam
While exploring a little known, and unpopulated world, the group stumble across an adult human. He is naked, alone and has no memory of how we got there.
The human (who refers to himself as Adam) has no obvious signs of trauma and there is no sign of any ship or vessel that may have brought him here. On further investigation the group find clues that begin to link Adam to a shady corporation rumoured to experiment of live test subjects. Could Adam be an experiment they were trying to dispose of? Who was he before? And what might their experimentation have done to him?
A bid for freedom
Generations back an eccentric billionaire purchased a habitable world and made it off limits so that evolution might take its course. Now a message has been received from the planet. It’s a sentient race and they want ownership of their planet.
The party must visit the planet (the first in generations) and negotiate with the creatures on behalf of the billionaire’s estate. While there it will also be worth doing a bit of investigating. Did these creatures really evolve on this planet? If so, how did they do it so quickly?
50 celebrities for your fantasy tabletop RPG
Even in fantasy worlds, there are bound to be people who are famous and well known. They might just be well known in their town or village or they might be world-famous. Whatever the level of fame (or reason for their fame) including ‘celebrities’ in your fantasy tabletop RPG are often a good way to include some variety in your NPCs. For that reason, here are 50 NPCs you can use in your fantasy tabletop RPG (preferably Rolemaster or HARP though):
- A major royal
- A minor royal much loved by all
- A former king of a foreign land who has been deposed
- A foreign dignitary
- The greatest warrior in the land
- The most beautiful woman you will ever see
- The most handsome man to have ever lived
- An exotic foreigner
- The woman who brought down a dynasty
- The richest person alive
- The general of a great battle
- The person who slayed a dragon singlehanded
- The greatest singer of a generation
- The inventor of a popular item
- An eccentric artist
- A notorious (but friendly) pirate
- A champion wrestler
- The person who saved the city
- The king’s consort
- The master of whispers
- A gang boss
- A famous acting group
- The greatest hunter ever
- A reclusive magic user suspected of being a necromancer
- The magic user who destroyed a town by mistake
- The man that used to be a goat
- The healer who saved the king’s life
- The recluse that can talk to animals
- A prolific playwright
- The adventurer that all the songs speak of
- The person who saved the world
- A supposed demi-god
- A saint
- The person who helped forge the big alliance
- The greatest sailor to ever set sail
- The jeweller favoured by royalty and all manner of dignitaries
- The man who supposedly killed his family and got away with it
- Someone who sold their soul to become the greatest fiddle player ever
- A former jousting champion
- The leader of a popular religious order
- A rising star in the fighting pits
- The discoverer of new lands and creatures
- A notorious serial killer (no one knows who they are)
- The world’s strongest man
- The rebel leader
- The most powerful magic user alive
- The great explorer who has been to all corners of the planet
- The gods’ chosen one
- A local weirdo
- The king who gave up his throne to save the one he loved
Director’s Briefing – January 2020
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Welcome
To the one hundred-and-third Briefing and first scheduled Briefing of 2020, and a very happy new year to all of you.
My reading over Christmas has been finishing the seven volume “Crown of Stars” fantasy epic by Kate Elliott (which will necessitate an extra paragraph in HARP Beyond the Veil) and starting The Witcher sequence by Andrzej Sapkowski (which has so far been very good). The key films were Jumanji: The Next Level and obviously The Rise of Skywalker (a fitting end to the trilogy of trilogies).
A retrospective on 2019
2019 could be described as a year of unseen progress in that much has been accomplished, but it’s not made it out the door in terms of many new releases.
Our visible progress was primarily in Shadow World with the release of the Haunted Village mini-adventure and the enhanced Haalkitaine sourcebook. Haalkitaine is now available in softcover and hardcover editions as well as pdf, and various early-bird discount offers are still available. We also had ongoing support of ERA for Rolemaster, and convention presences at Dragonmeet and, thanks to Pointy Hat Games and our volunteers, at GenCon.
The unseen progress was in HARP, Cyradon, and RMU. Three HARP products (HARP Subterfuge, HARP Bestiary and HARP Garden of Rain) completed the editing phase with me and are now in artwork commissioning phase with Colin orchestrating a team of artists, old and new. In Cyradon, Colin completed all his amendments and additions for the Cyradon setting base book refresh. In RMU, Aaron Smalley and Jonathan Dale have tamed Creature Law to an extent that I have been able to formally add RMU to the editing queue.
2020
Shadow World will see another mini-adventure release, entitled The Citadel of Osaran. This is already in final stages. The major target for Terry is to complete the all-new Emer IV sourcebook. Priest-King of Shade is in my editing queue and I will edit it before I enter the RMU editing cycle. As detailed last month, we would like to see a HARP Handbook for Shadow World and I would be happy for this to be a team project.
In HARP, the artists will be variously concluding their efforts on Subterfuge, Garden of Rain and Bestiary over the next six months and these products will then transfer into layout phase. We hope to publish all three this year. HARP Beyond the Veil is still with me for final editing – one chapter requires an additional paragraph from me, one chapter requires a “Did Jon miss any spells?” check, and one chapter requires some additional thought. Still with their authors are HARP SF Poseidon Gambit, HARP SF Vehicles Compendium, HARP Dark Hunt, Caer Glais, and HARP Something Wicked Something Wondrous.
With Cyradon, I need to perform an editing sweep and make arrangements with Colin to undertake the next portion of the work in bringing back Cyradon. This is likely to be an area where we will report progress but nothing may be visible outside the work team for months.
On RMU, there has been major progress on the Creature Law front with Aaron having balanced all of the creatures going into Creature Law I and many of those for Creature Law II. He is currently pulling data from the spreadsheet version into the Creature Law manuscript. Unless any additional complete manuscripts arrive on my desk, I will immerse myself in RMU editing as soon as I have cleared Beyond the Veil, Cyradon and Priest-King.
On software, I will be shortly uploading the next version of ERA for Rolemaster.
On the convention front, we want to strengthen the visibility of ICE games, so we will be looking to support fans who are willing to run games at conventions, through prizes and other support.
Until next time
Back to making unseen progress on multiple projects.
Best wishes,
Nicholas
Director, Iron Crown Enterprises Ltd
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Fantasy feasts and festivals
With Christmas fast approaching, I’ve been thinking about feasts and festivals. Our own calendars are littered with ‘holidays’ whether they are based on the country we live in, the religion we follow or our own esoteric view of the world (I personally celebrate my half birthday every year). Feasts and festivals are a huge part of culture and society and so will naturally appear in fantasy settings. To help inspire GMs in their next roleplaying adventure, I have put together a list of different reasons for festivities in fantasy settings along with ways that theses festivals might be celebrated:
Religious festivals
Most religious festivals are based around the birth, death or actions of a religious figure. Who these figures are and what they have done to warrant festivals will be down to the setting in which you are playing.
If your setting doesn’t have an existing pantheon of gods or if this festival takes place in a far flung corner of the world where people follow religions different to those of the PCs, you may want to create something new (or create something quickly) in which case the below list of common types of god will help.
You will need to make up your mind as to whether the gods of this religion are distant and separate from the world or play a more active role in what happens to their followers. Regardless of this, deities tend to fall into a number of different archetypes. Below I have listed a few to get you started:
The mother / creator
The father / overseer
Gods of children
Gods of fertility
Gods of light / fire / the sun
Gods of the moon / other celestial objects
Gods of animals / all living things
Gods of love
Gods of life / health
Gods of farming / plants
Gods of war
Gods of peace
Gods of death
Gods of the sea / water
Gods of the winds / sky
Gods of knowledge / intelligence
Gods of happiness and joy
Gods of sadness / pain / suffering
Gods of food and drink
Gods of lies / tricks / cheats
Gods of justice
Gods of sleep / dreams
Gods of stupidity / foolishness
Gods of strength
Gods of art / crafts
Gods of luck / chance
Fates
In terms of archetypes, any aspect of life that is particularly important to the people of a society is likely to have a deity attached. The more important the aspect, the more prominent the god. For instance, if a culture is heavily reliant on apple trees for survival, there may be a specific god of apples or the apple tree. For cultures that are less reliant on the apple tree, it is more likely that a god of food or plants or the natural world will suffice.
Social and cultural festivals
Social and cultural festivals are those that aren’t tied to a specific religion or deity. Instead they celebrate life and the experiences of the living. This may be in the form of celebrations marking the changing of the seasons or celebrating historical figures and their accomplishments.
These celebrations are a bit wider ranging and will depend heavily on the setting in which you are playing. Think about the history of your world and what major events are likely to be commemorated with festivals and how these festivals would be celebrated. To give you some ideas, here are some common reasons for social and cultural festivals:
New year / month / week / New beginnings
Lunar activity (new moon / full moon / multiple moons)
Solar activity (Solstice / long nights / long days)
Historical commemorations
Harvest
Family celebrations
Celebrating / commemorating the dead
Fertility festivals
Celebrating the sun
Celebrating the planets / planetary activity
Merry making
Magic
Seasons
Augers / Omens / Groundhog day
Sporting events
Celebrating cultures / countries / races
Minority groups in societies and cultures will often bring their own festivals to new lands / cultures. The indigenous cultures may then adopt the celebration in a wider sense (St Patricks Day isn’t just celebrated by the Irish or those of Irish descent).
What happens at a festival?
There are an almost infinite number of ways to celebrate a festival and I’m afraid that once again it will depend a lot on the setting in which you are playing. It is worth remembering that if people are celebrating a specific deity or event, the way they celebrate will often be related to that deity or that event. However, it is also worth remembering that festivities are meant to be therapeutic and cathartic. Maybe not for the whole population, but for those celebrating it should. With that in mind, here are some ways that people might celebrate a festival:
Giving gifts to each other
Giving gifts to the gods / sacrifices
Prayer / meditation / thoughtfulness
Silence
Building
Singing / Dancing
Eating a specific food
Drinking a specific drink
Eating and drinking / feasting / cooking
Wearing specific clothes
Procreating
Spending time with loved ones
Charity
Spending time in a specific place
Spending time ‘amongst nature’
Fasting
Staying awake / going to sleep
Telling stories
Lighting fires / candles / fireworks
Drawing / painting / creating artworks
Playing music
Cleaning
Breaking / smashing things
Holidays from work / resting
Competitions / sports / activities
People switching jobs / class (ie the servants becoming the master)
Washing
Magic usage
Avoidance of magic
Hopefully you found these lists useful and you’ve come up with some great ideas for festivals in your own tabletop roleplaying game. If you’d like to share them, feel free to visit the Iron Crown Enterprises forum and let us know what you came up with.
Alien monster for your next Sci Fi adventure
Tired of the same creatures in your game of HARP-SF? Then GOOD NEWS! I have created a brand new creature to populate your science fiction setting with. It was created using the HARP and HARP-SF creature creation rules, but the essence of the creature could easily be recreated in Spacemaster if that is your Science fiction RPG of choice.
Don’t have a Sci-Fi TTRPG of choice? May I recommend reading more about HARP-SF or Spacemaster on our website.
Now without further ado, I give you the Varbonus…
VARBONUS
Level: 4
Size: Medium
BMR Type: Worm/Snake
BMR: 7
# Enc: 1
Outlook: Aloof
Treasure: – – –
DB: 58
Hits: 156
Init: 1
St: 0 (3)
Co: 6 (8)
Ag: -5 (2)
Qu: -2 (1)
SD: 4 (8)
Re: 2 (3)
In: 0 (2)
Pr: 0 (3)
End: 60
PP: 0
Stamina: 53
Will: 99
Magic: 59
Attacks
Tendril Attack – Small crush 50
Skills
Climbing (15) 80, Endurance (15) 96, Perception (15) 74, Resistance – Magic (10) 59, Resistance – Stamina (5) 53, Resistance – Will (10) 99, Stalking & Hiding (15) 129, Foraging/Survival Forest (15) 67, Tendril Attack – Small crush (10) 50
Talents
Critical Resistance (Minor), Enhanced Scent, Immunity to Stuns, Limited Regeneration (Major), Natural Camouflage, Natural Climber, Natural Weapon (Tendrils), Quiet Stride, Subtle , Tough Hide (Greater), Toughness
Description
Varbonus have numerous tendrils sprouting from a bulbous ‘head’. The number of tendrils depends mostly on the age of the specimen. When they are first born, they have two tendrils but will quickly develop more. An adult male can have anywhere between twenty and fifty tendrils. It is not uncommon for varbonus to lose tendrils (due to accident or being attacked) without having any negative effect on the creature. Tendrils can reach lengths of up to twelve feet in older males.
The varbonus’ ‘head’ is roughly spherical in shape and about six inches in diameter. At the bottom of the head (where the tendrils emerge) there is a cavity into which all food stuff is placed for digestion. The creature’s ‘skin’ greenish brown in colour but it is often thought to be moss green. This is due to the fact that a number of mosses and grasses often grow on older varbonus. Their skin is very tough and similar to tree bark. For this reason they are often mistaken for plants.
Lifestyle
The varbonus lives in any area that has a dense enough population of trees regardless of the climate. They are born and spend their entire lives in the branches of trees, never once touching the ground below. For this reason populations of varbonus cannot move between different areas of forest unless there is a direct route through interlocking branches of trees.
The varbonus are of benefit to the trees and forests that they live in as they keep the trees free of parasites and in some instances are used by specific species to distribute seeds.
Varbonus give birth to live young. A mother will birth the child, attach it to the tree using one of her own tendrils and then detach the tendril and leave the child and never return. The varbonus young will remain attached via its mother’s tendril for between two weeks and a month during which time its own tendrils will grow bigger and strong enough to support its own weight.
Varbonus are solitary creatures but have been known to attack each other if there is too great a number of varbonus within a small population of trees.
Abilities & combat
The skin of the varbonus is incredibly thick and almost impossible for most predators to bite through. Their impressive ability to camouflage into their surroundings and appear as just another part of the tree is yet another reason that varbonus have very few predators.
For the most part varbonus move very slowly. Their tendrils will snake them in a direction so slow as to be almost imperceptible to the naked eye. This helps maintain their camouflage. However, their tendrils are capable of moving at great speed when catching prey. A tendril will slowly move into position before suddenly pouncing and grasping the prey. For the most part the varbonus will squeeze it until it is dead but they can also simply hold their prey in one place for so long that they starve. Once the creature is dead it is slowly moved to the varbonus’ ‘mouth’ and digested.
The varbonus have very small hairs on their tendrils that can both feel the movement of other creatures on the tree around them and can detect the aromas given off by most fruit. These senses are so strong that they can detect any movement within the tree they’re on (and sometimes others if the trees are close enough) and can sense fruit from over 100m away.
Background & adventure notes
The varbonus has special cells in its tendrils which regenerate when a tendril is lost or damaged. There is great value in harvesting these creatures to create regenerative medicines. However, because the creatures are so slow to reproduce, taking or killing one can seriously impact the species survival so it is mostly illegal. Instead species of varbonus are bred in captivity specifically for the purpose of harvesting these cells.
Director’s Briefing – December 2019
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Welcome
To the one hundred-and-second Briefing and final scheduled Briefing of 2019.
Dragonmeet 2019
Colin, John and I attended Dragonmeet in force, with some support from my family in the setup and takedown phases of the event. We attended and so did Haalkitaine in both hardcover and softcover editions. We sold many books and much use was made of the new handheld payment device. Colin talked to artists, both established and new. I spoke to freelance writers, both established and new, and to a fan who was up for running a game demo next Dragonmeet. The three of us also chatted about how we can improve our presence at gaming conventions more generally and we think we have a potential solution.
Shadow World
In chatting to people new to the systems and worlds of ICE at Dragonmeet, it nagged at me that we had all these lovely HARP products and all these lovely Shadow World books but the two did not intersect. Now granted Cyradon will return for HARP and other settings for HARP will arise, and Rolemaster and Shadow World maintain their symbiotic relationship, but it really is time we made it easy for HARP fans to tap into the wonders of Shadow World. With Subterfuge and Bestiary now at artwork stage, Beyond the Veil in an advanced stage, and the mechanics-heavy chapters of Something Wicked Something Wondrous equally advanced, HARP finally has all the muscles for Shadow World.
In the first instance, I would like to see the creation of a HARP Handbook for Shadow World. I don’t mean a Master Atlas, but a system handbook that details the additional professions, races, creatures, etc., the extra rules needed to effectively run HARP in Shadow World, and conversion guidance from Rolemaster stats to HARP. In the second instance, we might consider producing HARP stat blocks for existing Shadow World sourcebooks but we would not be reworking those existing Shadow World sourcebooks. In the third instance, we would in due course be able to add a HARP stats appendix to future Shadow World sourcebooks.
What do I think might be in a HARP Handbook for Shadow World? Not necessarily in this order –
1. Mapping Rolemaster’s stats to HARP stats
2. A Professions chapter which would both map Rolemaster professions to existing HARP professions and probably include new Loremaster and Navigator professions
3. A Races chapter providing writeups for as many playable Shadow World races as possible
4. Guidance on choosing Cultures for Shadow World with some possibility of additional cultures beyond those available in HARP Fantasy and Folkways
5. Mapping Rolemaster skills to HARP skills
6. Providing any additional talents required to support the Shadow World races
7. New Spell Spheres for Loremaster and Navigator and any additional spells deemed necessary to reflect special Shadow World needs
8. Customising the Cleric to match the religions of Kulthea
9. Herbs and Poisons converted in terms of effects from Rolemaster to Shadow World
10. Treasure conversions of standard Shadow World magical items (such as power point multipliers which already are toned down for RMSS)
11. Creatures specific to Shadow World which are not in HARP Fantasy or HARP Bestiary
12. Rules for handling Shadow World special circumstances such as Navigator travel and Flowstorms.
13. And doubtless other things that I have missed!
Anyone interested in writing or helping to write the Handbook? If so, please get in touch via our forum.
HARP Fantasy and HARP SF
Lots of lovely artwork has arrived for HARP Subterfuge with more still to come in. More art is underway for HARP Garden of Rain and HARP Bestiary as well. Currently HARP Subterfuge is leading in terms of most art already completed.
I am halfway through my editing sweep of HARP Beyond the Veil.
My queue is still HARP Beyond the Veil, Cyradon, Priest-King and RMU.
Until next time
As the next scheduled Briefing will be in the new year, all that remains for me to do is wish you a very Merry Christmas (or other holiday of your choice).
Best wishes,
Nicholas
Director, Iron Crown Enterprises Ltd
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Gift guide for the tabletop roleplaying game fan
It’s that time of year again. The time when we are forced to wrack our brains to think of gifts that will show our loved ones just how much they mean to us. With that in mind, we thought we’d help out by giving you a few ideas for things to buy your nearest and dearest this year. While some of our suggestions are (ahem) created by Iron Crown, we’ve also included a number of items that we just think are cool and are secretly hoping someone will buy for us. So without further ado, here is our gift guide for the tabletop roleplaying game fan in your life:
Shadow World: Haalkitaine & The Court of Rhakhaan
The Imperial city of Rhakhaan is teeming with intrigue and adventure, from scandals in the nobility, to criminals roaming the dark alleys, to terrors in the sewers… and most terrifying: a dark conspiracy of evil!
Haalkitaine & The Court of Rhakhaan (Haalkitaine for short) is the latest release from Iron Crown Enterprises and another brilliant addition to the Shadow World setting. You can currently pick it up as a PDF for just $15 and we will very soon be releasing it in hardcover and softcover.
Haalkitaine contains maps, adventures and setting material that can quickly and easily be used with any system or setting (though we recommend Rolemaster and Shadow World).
Buy it now >>
Drivethru RPG gift certificates
If you (or the loved one you’re buying for) already has Haalkitaine or you’re not sure what they have and haven’t got, you can always buy them a gift certificate for DrivethruRPG. All Iron Crown products are available exclusively through Drivethru RPG so there is nowhere better to buy gift certificates for the ICE fan in your life.
Certificates range in size from $5 to $100 and can be used on any Drivethru RPG products (though we recommend you spend it on ICE products).
We have a lot of products in the pipeline that we expect to be released next year, so why not give your loved one a gift certificate with instructions that it be spent on the product that they are most eagerly anticipating.
One of the great things about these certificates is that you don’t have to use them in one transaction. It adds money to your account which can then be spent whenever on whatever.
Find out more >>
ICE Merchandise
Already own everything that ICE has ever released? Then why not check out our range of ICE merchandise in our CafePress shop. We have a range of items from T-shirts and caps to mugs and glasses. All items feature logos or artwork from your favourite ICE products whether it is Rolemaster, Spacemaster, HARP or HARP-SF. A great gift for the ICE fan that has it all.
Check out the shop >>
Fantasy Grounds licences
Fantasy Grounds is a Virtual Table Top system that allows you to play tabletop RPGs with groups across different locations, time zones and devices. As well as being a great way of bridging the distance between players, Fantasy Grounds will do all the calculations for you including character creation and combat. Buy the Rolemaster ruleset and everything that you need to run a game of Rolemaster will be automatically loaded into the system, saving you even more time.
Find out more >>
Wooden display boat
Bored of normal hex paper? Having an adventure on the high seas? Then check out this brilliant three level wooden display boat to mark the positions and actions of your adventurers. The instant I saw this item, I wanted it. In addition to this, the creators (CZYY) sell smaller row boats and Viking long ships along with brick walls, taverns and mage’s towers (and a lot more). I highly recommend checking out their website: https://www.czyy.me/
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Geeky chef cookbook
Improve the quality of your game night snacks by making genuine lambas bread (Lord of the rings), Butterbeer (Harry Potter) or Lemon cake (Game of Thrones). Over 60 different recipes from fantasy, sci-fi and geek culture all in one place!
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Ron Weasley life size cut out
I think this one explains itself.
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Thing explainer
I have had the great pleasure of meeting the author of this book (Randall Munroe) and having owned it for over a year now I can highly recommend it (and Mr Munroe’s other works). Thing explainer is a brilliantly fun and informative book that explains in simple terms (using brilliantly drawn blueprints) some of the most complicated and interesting parts of modern science, technology and everyday life. It is a great present for anyone who likes learning new things in a fun and interesting way.
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Amazing custom made GM screen
Ok, so these are a little on the expensive side for a GM screen. They are however BEAUTIFUL! The designs are fully customisable and come with a lifetime guarantee. As well as the base screen (which is amazing on its own) you can also add a number of optional extras including a dice tower, shelf, dice rack, pen holder, lights and custom initiative trackers.
The creators of these screens (Dog Might Games) create a wide array of amazing tabletop roleplaying accessories including token holders, boxes and dice rolling areas. I highly recommend taking a look at their website.
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Please note: We have not been paid or sponsored in any way to promote any of these products. With the exception of the obvious benefits of promoting ICE products and merchandise we’re getting nothing in return for this blog. We just did it because we thought you might find it interesting.
Shadow World report – November 2019
Terry Amthor here with the second special Shadow World update! Be sure to subscribe to the ICE newsletter to get every issue, with general ICE news from Colin, and Shadow World updates direct from me. I might also answer an email question or two! Just send to THIS ADDRESS (via Colin).
The first in a series of small Adventure PDFs has been recently released. This one a twelve-page self-contained adventure called The Haunted Village. It is set in southwestern Emer as an introduction to the upcoming Emer IV (more on that later). It is linked via a Jinteni Portal for easy access; this also allows the GM to set in anywhere, including Jaiman if s/he wishes. I hope we can do more of these in the future, possibly bringing in more authors this way.
Don’t forget about the free PDF with the backgrounds and stats of our intrepid quartet of Shadow World adventurers, which you can get at RPGNow. They are referenced and seen frequently in recent books. Now with their stats handy, you GMs can use them as helpful non-player characters
I am pleased to announce that Haalkitaine Second Edition PDF is now available! The print edition is soon to follow.
This is a massive update from the old spiral-bound first edition release way back in the 1990s. The timeline has been updated, several sections expanded, and at last there are layouts of the sewers and the catacombs under the city, with a complete text key and the many NPCs and creatures inhabiting these underground areas. And finally, there are over a dozen all-new adventures! (The first edition had no adventures at all!) This book is looking to be over 262 pages, in full color of course.
Haalkitaine Second Edition includes:
- New: Sewer and Catacombs maps, with detailed descriptions and encounter charts.
- More than a dozen all-new adventures, including palace intrigues, a few mysteries, and a growing threat from the Iron Wind.
- Extensive price and commerce charts.
- Overview of the city government, and dozens of profiles of members of the Rhakhaan nobility.
- Updated history/timeline.
- Many new NPCs that the players are likely to meet.
- Many new organizations, including religions, cartels, and gangs.
- A complete map of the city (including a full-size PDF for printing, which you can download for free in the ICE forum), with a text key to dozens of shops and other locations.
- Updated index.
- All the Rolemaster Classic/RM2 and RMSS/FRP stats.