Games so good they sneak up on you...

The Order of Iron Stars was founded some five hundred years ago as a small monastic cult dedicated to the worship of Syu, an aspect of Mulciber. The first monastery was built on the southern flank of the Spineback Mountains Range where a meteorite was seen crashing. This, the priests believed, was the sign telling them where to settle and build their order. The bright light produced by the meteorite and the large amount of pure iron it spilled on its crashing site gave the order its name. The iron is since collected and forged into various holy symbols, statues and ceremonial artifices. For a while the monks were content to spend their days in the study of the P’tau, their sacred text. Incre

Are you have trouble coming up with ideas for a Colonial Gothic adventure? Here are a collection of a few adventure hooks you can use for inspiration. These are grouped by the colonies found in New England. Massachusetts Witches have played a large role in the colony’s history. Some argue that these witches were not real, and were victims of persecution. Some claim, and do so in hushed tones, the real witches were the ones behind the trials. They were removing those who knew the truth. Though the Mather’s are one of Massachusetts most prominent families, the Mather’s harbor a secret, one of their own was a witch, and he still lives working his evil plans. Rhode Island Though small, Rhode Isl

Introduction Ok, what follows is something that is just strange. I came up with this as a plot for my regular group, and it turned into one of the most remembered long range plot point I’ve done. Originally this started out as a joke, when one of the regular players told us, at one time she was a crazed collector of Beanie Babies when she was younger. I think she said she had about 100+ of them, and as a kid went crazy with the collecting. So one day, out of the blue, I sprung this plot device. My players loved the idea, and loved it even more so, when one of the characters became hooked on getting all the Fluffy Babies. This led to many enjoyable roleplaying vignettes with the player’s char

The British North American possession colloquially known as Canada (but formally called the Province of Québec) first received European visitors sometime around the year 1000, when Vikings established a colony on the island of Newfoundland. The colony did not last and no permanent European settlements would again appear on Canadian soil until after Columbus’ famous voyage of discovery. The Italian explorer John Cabot, under letters patent issued by Henry VII of England, landed on Canada’s Atlantic coast (probably in Newfoundland) In 1497 and claimed the land for his patron. Unfortunately, King Henry and his immediate successors were too distracted with internal affairs to capitalize on the d

The Sisterhood is based in the city of Devna since its creation some two centuries ago. Devna is a client state of Neum, the former imperial capital now one of the city states of Döãrn. Back then the empire was still united but unstable and weakening rapidly. The Sisterhood was founded by members of the Empress Theadda’s all-women retinue, more specifically her private diviner, astrologer, spiritual guide and her half-sister. more In the years prior to the sack of Neum, this cabal of four managed to hide tomes of ancient lore from the archived as well as divert some of the imperial treasure to a secret base in Devna. The four would eventually cause the sack by offering to open the gates of N

It was supposed to be a four, maybe six month foray into the Wilderness to collect some skins, maybe process some salt from the rich lands of Kain-tuck-ee and then home. That was it. No dilly-dallying, no beating around the bush. All of them had family, all of them had homes they longed to return to, richer than when they had departed. They hadn’t counted on the keen eyes of Shawnee scouts nor their subsequent cruelty once they got captured. Of the five that set out, only three remained. It had now been a year and a half since the survivors had last seen their families. Roger got his skull split open when the warriors first attacked their camp, and Phillip died when a Shawnee musket ball fou

The long march to freedom begins here. The world’s attention is drawn to the Americas as the stirrings of revolution begin. As both sides draw up their plans of war, other forces lurk in the shadows, far more sinister than any could imagine, prowling massive forests and forgotten tunnels, with too few heroes to combat them. An ancient enemy sows seeds of strife, and a much larger battle than is about to begin, one for the very soul of the world, is about to begin. While Colonists cry for freedom and Loyalists struggle to reconcile with England, dark enemies gnaw and plague the unsuspecting. In Boston, the siege grinds on, but the end is in sight. The time is coming to break the yoke of tyran

These are simple gold hoop rings that must be worn in both ears. Once worn the wearer gains a +2 to all tests involving Quickness. If only 1 earring is worn the wearer has a -2 penalty to all tests involving Quickness. These earrings were created for a thief by then name of Lori Shadowcrawler. She wanted something that would give her an edge in her career. Sadly, Lori was arrested and executed before she got to wear the earrings. No one knows where they are today.

As I work on a number of projects related too both Colonial Gothic and Shadow, Sword & Spell I find I have mechanics, small pieces, as well as a host of other ideas that do not fit either game. These pieces involve such things as settings that are different from the two games. They also include rule sets that are applicable to super hero games, science fiction settings, and the like. Right now on the left side of my desk are a number of notebooks filled with this "stuff." The question I always face is this: What in the Hell do I do with this stuff? With a little polish, this material is not only usable, but perfect for the types of games 12° was specifically built for. The thought I have bee