Monday, July 30, 2012

In Which The Warlock Chows Down...


Since our Friday night game group settled together a few years back, it's become custom for us to grab a meal together before slinging the dice.  The question, however, has always been, "What do we want to eat this week?"  Time isn't usually a factor for us, but taste is!  While we're not a picky bunch, we're always looking for great new places across the Miami Valley.

With that in mind, here's just a short run-down of our favorite places!

American and Barbeque

Oinkadoodlemoo, in Englewood:
Get the "Brisket Tips" with Smoky Sweet Sauce!
One of the nice things about the Englewood area is the ongoing war between the two local barbeque joints:  Oinkadoodlemoo on Union Ave. and Company 7 BBQ on Main.  While both are good, I tend to prefer Oinkadoodlemoo, as they serve Kansas City-style "burnt ends", with their deliciously spicy "baby bakers" roasted potatoes.  If you do go to Company 7, make sure to get the smoked sausage, which have a rich flavor and the authentic snap of natural casings.

For breakfast, few things beat the local Waffle House at midnight, after a long-running session.  However, we also have a running relationship with the fellows at Perkins, after our numerous times there.  Perkins is usually fairly quiet, but their omelettes are tasty and they serve latkes--a rare find at a typical breakfast joint.  When we're down near Springfield or Yellow Springs, we often stop at Young's Jersey Dairy, though not for the ice cream!  Rather, the Golden Jersey Inn serves up a fantastic menu of homestyle favorites..  Their pot roast is stick-to-your-ribs spectacular, and the cheese curds are not to be missed.

Indian and Middle-Eastern


Jeet India, in Fairborn
Get the Lamb Korma (spice-level 4)
and an order of Aloo Naan!
I love Indian food.  After getting hooked on various forms of curry while abroad in Liverpool, I will literally get the "curry shakes" if I go more than three weeks or so without a tasty tikka masala or a fruity lamb korma.  The Dayton area has a ton of great Indian restaurants, but my absolute favorite spot is Jeet India in Fairborn.  The PlatinumChick and I used to live a scant 5 minutes away from Jeet, and she would lure me awake on the weekends with promises of a trip to their lunch buffet.  Jeet is the sister restaurant of Amar India, located down by the Dayton Mall.  If you want to try some of the best curry in the States, get to Jeet or Amar post-haste.

I've only recently, though, been finding my way into Middle-Eastern food.  After my first foray into Lebanese food while on our honeymoon, I've been doing my best to hunt down some pita-centric delicacies.  Pasha Grill, over at The Greene in Beavercreek, is a spectacular choice when the PlatinumChick and I want a night out, but it's a little pricey.  However, their lamb is mind-blowingly tender and fragrant, making it well worth the trip.  For something a little cheaper, try CedarLand on Linden Ave.  We made our first trip there this evening, and were served more than the two of us could possibly eat for $20 total.  The fried kibbeh--spiced ground beef in a fried meat shell--were particularly tasty.

Chinese and Italian

For the longest time, we went without a good Chinese take-out place in the area.  Fairborn has a shortage on Chinese, though we found solace in the proximity of Jeet India and the PlatinumChick's favorite Korean place, Myong's Cafe.  However, upon moving to Englewood, we were lucky enough to have one of Dayton's storied China Cottage branches right nearby in Trotwood!  If you haven't been to China Cottage yet, go soon.  I recommend the walnut chicken--it comes covered in a savory plum sauce with tiny slivers of garlic, alongside carmelized walnuts.  Absolutely delicious.

Galo's Italian Grill, in Richmond IN
Get whatever you like, but make sure you add
an order of Wedding Soup and some bruschetta!
For Italian, there are a ton of options around, though we prefer small, family owned businesses over chains.  Tony's Italian Kitchen, right on OH-48 in Englewood, is a personal favorite.  Their cannelloni are spectacular, and the baked meatballs will fill you up like none other.  The PlatinumChick, who usually gets heartburn from red-sauce, even loves Tony's.  Though, if we're looking for a more sit-down friendly experience, we typically skip across the border to Richmond and have dinner at Galo's Italian Grill.  Get the veal parmasan and you'll be full for a week.  That said, don't miss out on the house wedding soup or the bruschetta specials.  They're to die for!

Fast Food

Okay--confession time.  I hate typical fast food.  I haven't been to a McDonalds in nearly a decade, and avoid places of their ilk as much as possible.  But, when we're in a pinch and have to grab a bite, we try to find places with more natural ingredients and better taste.  Luckily, that seems to be the general trend in the area:  there are several Five Guys Burgers and Fries in the area and a Smashburger on nearby Miller Lane.  Of the two, I tend to prefer Smashburger, as they have more options.  Plus, the SmashFries are absolutely delicious.

That's just a quick run-down of the places we tend to frequent on our various forays before game night.  But, we're always on the lookout for new places!  With a major new shopping development coming up in Huber Heights, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that some new restaurants pop up with it! 

Thursday, July 26, 2012

In Which The Warlock Walks The Golden Mean...


The Oracle at Delphi
The so-called “Golden Mean”—as a philosophical concept, mind you—dates back literally thousands of years to the days of Aristotle and Plato.  Supposedly, as one entered the revered Oracle of Delphi, two sayings were inscribed on the doorway:  on the way in, “Know thyself”; on the way out, “All Things in Moderation”.  And, sure as anything, gaming tends to take a page from greater themes in life and in philosophy in general.


On its most basic level, balance must be achieved in terms of theme—even in the most dire of horror games like Call of Cthulhu or Kult, moments of success, lightness, and even humor must break up the oppressive atmosphere.  Even in a light-hearted or humorous game like Paranoia or ICONS has to come with degree of threat, else the players have no reason to actually play.  Role-players role-play to have fun, but also to tell a unique, collaborative story.  If there’s no story, the game loses focus and falls apart.  If there’s no fun, well…what’s the point?


I’m going to avoid going on another “Wizards of the Coast has it wrong” rant, but I will cite another of Rodney Thompson's editorials, this time as a grand step in maintaining balance in design.  Here, Thompson expounds upon the ratio that the 5e/D&D Next team intends to hold up in their coming rules-set.  Essentially, they’re shooting for a 1:1:1 split between exploration, role-playing, and combat.  While I think that that ratio can work well for D&D, it’s obviously not a sure-fire ratio for every game—just try having that much combat in a Call of Cthulhu campaign and see how long your investigators survive!


General Treister:
The inspiration for our Admiral Birmingham
Our weekly Deadlands game, in many ways, has walked both venues of this treacherous balance for the duration of the game.  Interestingly enough, I think that’s one of the reasons I’ve become such a fan of the setting:  while nominally a horror setting, it’s one where the players can achieve real victory against the forces of darkness; while full of ‘wacky’ mad scientists and hexslinging hucksters, Western genre tropes are played straight to the hilt.  In our sessions, we regularly drift directly from the high action of steam-wagon chase scenes and gunfights, to creeping investigative horror, to outright comedy—just ask ChaoticFrederick and Chris II about Confederate Admiral Birmingham’s waffle iron! 


Without that variety, without those alternated scenes, our game just wouldn’t be the same.  And, fittingly enough, Deadlands (and the Savage Worlds rules behind it) provides ample opportunity for flexibility in this regard.  Players are able to pick the skills, the edges, and the powers that provide them the most “awesome” for their XP.  And, that’s really the way it should be.


As I’ve mentioned in some of my prior design previews for Cold Steel Wardens, I’ve spent a good deal of my original design work establishing a degree of parallelism in my first draft.  Physical and Mental Strain run on parallel tracks—literally on opposite edges of the character sheet—and contribute equally to a burgeoning Hero’s well-being.  Skills are broken up into five categories of five Skills each, making them easy to manipulate and remember.  Those Skills have a nearly even distribution of linked Vitals, ensuring that no “dump stat” arises and that every choice—every XP spent and every choice made—matters.


But what about theme?  Surely, Cold Steel Wardens would suffer in this regard, as the game itself revolves around the rain-spattered dystopia of Iron Age comics?  Well, yes and no.  While maintaining mood is going to be of great import for any would-be Warden, the comfort and enjoyment of the table must always remain paramount. 


As for maintaining that Golden Mean?  Well, it seems I’ve already come across an answer for that…


Pendulum Theory!
While Pendulum Theory isn’t going to be part and parcel with Cold Steel Wardens, it’s a near and dear thing to carry over the innovations of The Pendulum Method into running a solid session of Cold Steel Wardens.


Stay tuned, friends and neighbors!  Grand things are in store!

Sunday, July 22, 2012

The Warlock's Review: The Dark Knight Rises

When our weekly game group went to see Avengers in May, I could hardly believe my eyes.  Walking from the theater, all I could think of was the magnitude of what I had just seen.  As a film experience, Avengers was simply mind-blowing:  a four-panel blowout translated seamlessly onto the screen.

The question looming, however, was "How could The Dark Knight Rises possibly measure up?"  With huge shoes to fill in terms of its predecessor, TDKR now would suffer comparison to its massively successful Marvel competitor as well.  So, how did it do?

It pains me to say this.  The Dark Knight Rises just isn't as good as The Dark Knight.  It's not even as good as Batman Begins.  While it's far from being a bad movie--it's still head and shoulders over dreck like Daredevil or Green Lantern--it's just not a good movie either.  This was supposed to be Christopher Nolan's "piece de resistance," but The Dark Knight Rises collapses under its own bulk, entangled in a bloated, unwieldy plot.

The Dark Knight Rises
An unsatisfying ending to
Christopher Nolan's genre-defining run.
TDKR begins eight years following the events of The Dark Knight.  After the death of Harvey Dent, Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) has vanished from the public eye and has retired the Batman mantle.  When rumors of a mercenary named Bane (Tom Hardy) begin emerging, coupled with links to the League of Shadows, Wayne takes up his cape and cowl once more to investigate the motives behind Bane's activities.  However, as he does so, Wayne's company teeters on the edge of default as a new technologies firm run by Miranda Tate (Marion Cotillard) appears on the verge of takeover.  Cotillard's performance may be the weakest out of the cast, as she vacillates between being a canny entrepreneur and a piece of arm candy for Bruce Wayne, only truly showing her true colors (in an incredibly unsatisfying manner) in the last ten minutes of the film

Bane's appearance is concurrent with that of Selina Kyle (Anne Hathaway), an intensely skilled burglar--never once called Catwoman--who steals Bruce Wayne's fingerprints in exchange for a chance at wiping her criminal record clean.  Hathaway's Kyle is truly the brightest spot in this movie, using her femininity for manipulation and lethality while simultaneously providing a vulnerable, sympathetic viewpoint.  It'd be a revelatory performance...if Scarlett Johansson didn't already play these same cards as Black Widow in The Avengers

Also joining the story is John Blake (Joseph Gordon Levitt), a beat cop-turned-detective who has somehow deduced Batman's identity--it's never stated or shown how--and who pushes Wayne into action.  While Blake's character is meant to be an uncompromising idealist and a point of entry for the viewer, he seems to just stumble across major clues haphazardly which, when exposed, advance the plot. 

If The Dark Knight was based in part on Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale's The Long Halloween, TDKR pulls primarily from the Knightfall and No Man's Land arcs.  Without spoiling too much, if you've read Knightfall and know the basic premise of Bane's character, you can anticipate exactly what happens to our cowled hero.  But, the scene in question occurs less than halfway through the film, just after Wayne "learns how to be Batman again"....resulting in an entire second hour of Batman doing the same thing he just did, just in a different setting! 

With Batman out of the way after said incident, Bane and his allies are free to establish martial law in Gotham City, stealing the fuel core from a Wayne Enterprises nuclear fusion reactor and using it as extortion fuel against the surrounding government.  "What about the police?", you might ask.  Well, Bane has them trapped in a warren of tunnels beneath the city, yet for some reason keeps them alive with regular shipments of food and water.  The city descends into chaos absent their protectors, holding kangaroo courts to exterminate the city's entitled elite.

Unfortunately, this is where the plot bogs down.  Why does Bane keep the police alive?  So that we can have a climactic police-vs.-anarchist beatdown scene in the third act, of course!  Bane and his lackeys know that their fuel core-turned-bomb can be shut down by reattaching it to the reactor, but the reactor has a flood control to prevent meltdowns.  Why not just trigger the flood control and prevent the possibility in the first place?  For that matter, why extort the populace in the first place?  The plot simply breaks down upon cursory examination, with both villains and heroes taking actions directly contradictory to their own motives and even logic itself! 

The Dark Knight Rises further suffers from a core storytelling flaw of "telling" rather than "showing".  Rather than acting through or physically demonstrating his frustration with Bruce Wayne, Alfred (Michael Caine) goes on a literal three minute diatribe directly into the camera, telling Bruce why his retreat from the world was so wrong.  Rather than show romantic interest in Bruce Wayne, we merely hear from other characters that Miranda Tate is interested in Bruce Wayne romantically, which makes a love scene between the two halfway through the film seem totally unrealistic.  Rather than demonstrating the decadence and corruption of Gotham's elite, we merely hear speeches from Bane, culminating in a stolen speech from Commissioner Gordon (Gary Oldman) that went undelivered in the first act.  Bane's attack on a Wall Street-esque investment area made good progress in this regard, but the focus shifts almost immediately from Bane's mysterious motives to the police's erroneous pursuit of Batman.

As I mentioned in my previous entry, the element that separated The Dark Knight from the majority of genre-movies out there was its willingness to address greater ethical and philosophical questions.  We didn't simply deal with Batman and The Joker--we examined the fundamental flaws with moral absolutism and addressed the depths to which men and women would sink in order to preserve their status quo.  These sociological and philosophical questions arise in The Dark Knight Rises, but as quick as the questions arise, they are simultaneously backhanded back down. 

Bane...you won! 
You got exactlywhat you wanted!
What more are you trying to accomplish?
Case in point, Bane's fundamental plan for Gotham.  Bane encourages the populace to rise up against their upper-class oppressors, distributing arms to any willing takers.  CEOs and socialites are put on trial and exterminated while Bane himself simply stands by and lets the people do their thing.  However, even as thousands flock to Bane's cause, he still plans to detonate the fuel core, destroying Gotham City entirely!  Why?  Well, it's never really explained.  His goal worked.  He was successful!  Why destroy the fruits of your labors?  It simply doesn't make sense. 

I almost want to give The Dark Knight Rises a pass, simply because of the massive steps it had to follow in. The basic flaws in storytelling, editing, and scene structure found here really are uncharacteristic of Nolan's work and of the series in general.  But, at the end of the day, I'm left with one defining decision that sums it all up for me:

When I left the theater after The Avengers, I immediately thought to myself, "This is awesome!  I need to see this again!  I need to get this on Blu-Ray/DVD!"  I'm even contemplating shelling out for the massive 10 disc ultimate edition.

When I left the theater after The Dark Knight Rises, I felt let down.  I might ask for it as a Christmas present on DVD, but I don't want to shell out to buy this myself.  And, certainly, I don't care to see it again in a theater.  It's a servicable, if unsatisfying ending, but it's not the magnum opus we were all hoping for. 

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

In Which The Warlock Examines Some Ethical Dilemmas...


A bit of honesty here to begin this entry:  I've been a little bit skeptical of the upcoming The Dark Knight Rises.  While it's been extremely well-reviewed thusfar, 2008's The Dark Knight and Inception only made me more appreciative of Christopher Nolan as an introspective, nuanced filmmaker.

While I'll still be seeing it on Friday with the PlatinumChick before game night, The Dark Knight Rises has massive shoes to fill in the wake of both its predecessor and The Avengers, both of which stand as the crowning achievements in genre-filmmaking in this decade, maybe of all time.

The inspiration for 2008's
The Dark Knight.
The reason I'm so skeptical of TDKR comes from the moral and ethical weight of its predecessor, stemming directly from Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale's timeless Batman storyline "The Long Halloween".  The majority of the plot from The Dark Knight comes from that comic series, as Batman, Commissioner Gordon, and Harvey Dent work towards taking down the mob-influences that infest the city.  However, their uncompromising war on crime comes crashing down through the death of Rachel Dawes or, in the comics, the search for the killer known as Holiday.

The Joker sums this up concisely towards the end of the film.  Dangling upside-down from a half-finished building, he tells Batman: "This is what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object. You truly are incorruptible, aren't you? You won't kill me out of some misplaced sense of self-righteousness. And I won't kill you because you're just too much fun. I think you and I are destined to do this forever."
The Joker:  madman, or simply
demonstrating the flaws in
moral objectivism?
Batman's attempts to do things "the right way" and without loss of life often serves to bring about great tragedy and  heartbreak, simply because he attempts to do what is "just" and "right".  The story could have ended much, much earlier had Bruce Wayne simply stepped forward though, truth be told, negotiating with The Joker isn't exactly something reasonable in and of itself!  That's what makes The Dark Knight such a great film, as well as what puts The Dark Knight Rises in such a difficult position.

Why do I bring this up?  Well, you see, Cold Steel Wardens is deliberately built to allow players to emulate and even play through this continued moral quagmire.  Every Hero in Cold Steel Wardens begins play with a series of Stances, in addition to their more standard background elements (Motivations, Flaws, and Origins).  These Stances represent important portions of a Hero's mindset and comprise their own moral and ethical "high ground" as they fight crime.  Perhaps a given Hero refuses to fight against police, or won't attack what he views as "children".  Maybe a Hero is driven towards vengeance against those who have committed sex crimes or crimes against police.  Maybe the Hero is outright bloodthirsty and doesn't care who gets hurt as they wage their war on crime.  There's room for all these at the table, as they're consistently meant to be challenged.

In addition to providing impetus for great role-playing opportunities, Stances provide a method for Heroes to add dice to the communal Hero Pool.  When the GM of a Cold Steel Wardens session challenges a Hero's Stance, the GM must add a die to the Pool.  However, if the player themself places their Stance into question--let the mafia thug get away, or pick up the gun on the floor and keep him from reporting back to his superiors?--he gets to add two dice  to the Hero Pool!  It pays to role-play!

Stances are simply one way to add dice to the Hero Pool, though they may certainly be the most dramatic.  When Heroes are forced into uncomfortable situations which question their morals, players themselves become engaged with the plot and its characters.  Here's for hoping that we see it  out soon!  With the first draft of Cold Steel Wardens nearly wrapped up--and in the hands of my two editors already--here's for hoping that we hit print in time for next August!

Next time, friends and neighbors--the results of my name-poll and my review of The Dark Knight Rises!

Sunday, July 15, 2012

In Which The Warlock Polishes off the Six-Pack...


Whew!  Fitting title for this one today, cats and kittens.  The PlatinumChick and I love entertaining, and we just held our mid-summer barbeque last night.  Friends of ours streamed in from all over Ohio to raise a glass, enjoy some burgers and brats, and enjoy a glorious fire in our firepit.  Luckily enough for us, we haven't been under a burn ban!

But, all that hasn't stopped me from finishing out a six-pack of a different sort!  Just a few moments ago, I've finished off my present to you, faithful readers:  the final touches on the "Reno Six-Pack"--a ready to play set of six pre-generated characters for Hell on Earth Reloaded setting by Pinnacle Entertainment.

You can access the full Reno Six-Pack through this link:  Reno Six-Pack!

Inside, you'll find our six adventurers:
  • Doc Neutron--a Heretic Doomsayer
  • "The Main Man" Marlow--a chainsaw-wielding road warrior
  • Edward Castellan--a mighty Templar
  • Carrie Ann Waltrip--a Harrowed gunslinger
  • Leslie Marvin--a plucky Junker
  • Garrett Walker--an intrepid Librarian, with his faithful companion Felix, the Bobcat
All six characters are built at Veteran tier (40 XP) and are equipped and ready to play.  Naturally, you'll need the Hell on Earth Reloaded book and Savage Worlds Deluxe to make the most of these.

Enjoy, gang!

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

In Which The Warlock Needs a Name...


As I've been rushing towards finishing Cold Steel Wardens, I've also been doing quite a bit of research on incorporation.  Before I start any Kickstarters or establish any copyrights, I'm going to need to exist as a corporate entity--boy isn't that scary to think of!

And, while I have several ideas, I've decided to take the actualy decision out of my hands...and put it into yours, friends and neighbors!  Below are the five names that I've been contemplating.  I'll leave up a poll on the right sidebar for you to vote on your favorite--the most popular name becomes the name that I'll submit for registration for my company, and will be used on everything I ever publish!

  1. Stormcrown Press:  This was my first idea.  It very much "feels" like a gaming company name, evoking references to royalty and thunder.  The 'storm' idea came from my full-time gig, as my school's mascot is the thunderbolt.  Depending on how things hash out, I may be working with their DECA program for some marketing opportunities, but nothing's confirmed yet.
  2. Pendulum Press:  Obviously, the name for this one comes from my upcoming Pendulum essay compilation, which will hopefully be one of my first products.  I like the alliterative nature of it though I'm unsure about having something so closely tied to a single one of my products.
  3. Steel Witt Productions:  Get the pun?  Yeah...this may be my least favorite of the choices.  But, it shows both my relationship to the Steel City and my connection to Wittenberg, while making a pseudo-funny joke.  It's memorable, but do I really want my company to be memorable as a joke?
  4. Blackfall Press:  Ah, the obscure one!  Blackfall refers to a city in which I ran series of one-shots while back at Wittenberg, legendary for their lethality and their player-vs-player conniving.  Really, if I can point to a part of my time at Witt that really led me towards game design as something I'm good at, it would be these.  It's tied to my history, but not overtly.
  5. Iron Pendulum Productions:  A combination of #2 and #3, with a little less emphasis on Pendulum and a little more towards Pittsburgh and the Iron Age of Comics.  That said, the name is a little on the long side, which would make it harder to remember. 
Okay, those are my options, amices!  Name my company!!!

Saturday, July 07, 2012

In Which The Warlock Presents The Main Man...

I finished him up a little early, so I figured, "why not?!" 

Here's my latest entry in my Reno Six-Pack:  "The Main Man" Marlow!

And, if you missed out on his predecessor, Doc Neutron, here's the link for the full stack!

Friday, July 06, 2012

In Which The Warlock Contemplates a Cluster of Points...


Friends and neighbors, it's hot here.  Whooo, man, is it hot!  Too hot to think, all told.  So, mes amices, while I prep your next participant in my ongoing Hell on Earth series, here's some random points!

  • As per my usual, I've all but taken on a nocturnal schedule here in the summer.  I stay up late, either working on Cold Steel Wardens or playing Diablo III, then go to sleep in the early morning.  Most people tend to think I'm a little nuts, but it tends to work for me.  I stay out of the oppressive heat of the morning, and still manage to be productive.  Besides, I'm more of a night-owl anyway!
  • My long-running (and almost as long on hiatus!) campaign of "The Flood" is finally reaching its conclusion.  After a stopover at Fort 51 with "Mr. Eddington" and "Mr. Andrew Lane", my posse has only two glyphs to find--which they've already located and mapped out--before triggering the titular flood in Lost Angels.  While I've been enjoying this game through and through, it makes me wonder what we're going to be doing next.  The PlatinumChick has mentioned the possibility of running Hell on Earth, and I'm still contemplating that All For One: Regime Diabolique game, but nothing's concrete yet.  We'd better get our ducks in a row:  we only have about 3 sessions left in Deadlands!
  • Instead of braving the heat and traffic on the 4th of July, the PlatinumChick and I decided to go see Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.  Figuring it'd be a better bet than the up-and-down Amazing Spider-Man, we weren't disappointed in any sense of the word.  It's an over-the top action flick with a goofy premise and some great scenes. In fact, there's a point near the end that I'd swear is ripped straight from John Goff's infamous Night Train scenario.  Not that that's a bad thing, mind you!   Go give it a run, if you find yourself near a theater!
  • What's in a name?  In the hopes of taking a serious run at seeing myself in print, I've been planning on incorporating (most likely through an LLC) in the very near future.  However, in doing so, it occurs to me how important naming my company will be.  Obviously, you want a name that will stand out, but will also be able to be taken seriously.  I've come up with one idea which has tested well, but I'll keep under my hat for the time being...
  • It appears that, following the current "Avengers vs. X-Men" crossover event, Marvel appears to be headed towards some restructuring.  While I'm sad to see Brian Michael Bendis leave the core Avengers books, Johnathan Hickman makes for a fantastic heir to the big chair.  That said, it makes me wonder who will be taking up Fantastic Four!  In either case, the PlatinumChick will no doubt be happy with the upcoming Captain Marvel ongoing series.  I'm eager to read that one myself!
I think that's about all my brain can take before baking, friends and neighbors!  Next entry, you'll meet "The Main Man" Marlow!  Until then!

Monday, July 02, 2012

In Which The Warlock Posts a Pre-Gen...


A few weeks ago, DigitalKat decided to put out a great little utility for all those Savage Worlds/Deadlands players:  a folio of eight pre-generated archetypal characters, complete with backgrounds and motivations,  ready to use in your favorite one-sheet or plot-point campaign.

Her work is really spectacular and it served as a really great idea so, deciding that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery...the recent release of Hell on Earth really needs some supplements, like pre-generated characters!

As such, enjoy the first of the pre-gens I originally created for my classic "Ravenous in Reno" scenario, now updated for the Hell on Earth Reloaded rule-set!

If you'd like me to complete the set, just drop me a comment down below.  If I get enough interest, I'll write up the full posse for you!

"Doc Neutron"--Heretic Doomsayer!