In Which The Warlock States the Importance of an NPC...

As any gamer can tell you, NPCs tend to be fairly important to any game.  But, in the best of games, those NPCs take on lives of their own.  I've had quite a few great NPCs in my game--the GodDamned Jim Bob comes immediately to mind, as do Thulmir Quent and Elladan RedHand, though a non-human NPC seems to be taking charge of the situation in my most recent games.

Allow me to explain:  with the WittGuild starting back up and with games kicking into gear, it was only fitting to be able to throw down a game for the incoming frosh and the returning students. Hoping to get a full playtest in, I brought out "Killer Clowns 2:  Return to the Dempsey Islands", with three players entering the park, in search of those elusive canister reactors.

Felix the Bobcat, survivor of the Big Bang.
Cross this cat at your peril!

Here's where things get messy, though.  You see, if you've perused my "Reno Six-Pack", you might have noticed that the Librarian character, Garrett Walker, has a friend:  Felix, his bobcat animal companion.

When I first ran "Ravenous in Reno", Chaotic Frederick played Garrett.  And, while his actual waster couldn't hit the broad side of a barn, Felix seemed to be nothing short of a Cuisinart with the attitude of an angry velociraptor.  The bobcat never seemed to miss, always dealt appreciable damage, and never managed to take a wound!  While the first run of "Ravenous in Reno" was meant to be a deliberate TPK session, Felix managed to escape from the final battle before being eaten!

So, let's flash forward to this past week.  With my three players ready to go, I wasn't surprised to see one of them pick up Garrett and his feline buddy.  But, as the game proceeded, it swiftly became obvious:  Felix was the true leader of that posse!  That cat totaled nearly twice the kills of any other member of the posse, including the scenario's final boss, whom he ripped apart with the help of the infamous "Make No Mistake" Adventure Card.

I was astounded!  Felix the bobcat's legend lives on!

I'll be interested to see if this trend continues, should I run this scenario on next year's convention circuit.  I deliberately made each of the Reno Six-Pack to have strengths--Edward Castellan is a beast in melee, Doc Neutron is the most dangerous at range, The Main Man Marlow is the vehicles expert and a good secondary tank--but Walker's greatest strength has always been his Knowledge skills, coupled with Felix.  I don't believe that, statistically, Felix is too strong.  It just seems that this cat's luck never really runs out!

In Which The Warlock Celebrates...With Presents Even!

If I haven't mentioned it before, I love having summers off.  Summer is when I get the vast majority of my gaming work done, as I don't have grading, lesson plans, or any number of other responsibilites to work on. 

And, it's no surprise that I tend to get things done during the summer.  Things like...Cold Steel Wardens. 

Yes, cats and kittens, the first draft has finally been finished!  After about 13 months of writing and playtesting, I have a completed draft! 

Obviously, now comes the hard part.  I have two editors already hard at work on the draft, my cover-artist is refining her gorgeous cover design, and I'm now in contact with a new interior artist.  And that's just the little bits of news!

In celebration of this milestone, I decided to give you guys something to celebrate with--I'm officially opening my own adventure locker to you guys.  All of the one-shots and materials that I've retired, I'm putting up for anyone to use, via Google Docs.

Today, that starts with my Deadlands (Reloaded) adventure, "Westbound on the San Juan Express".  It comes complete with an adventure outline, character backgrounds, and NPCs in .doc format, with a pre-generated posse of six characters in .pdf format. 

Deadlands:  "Westbound on the San Juan Express"

From here on out, on the right side of this page, you can find my new "Bag of Holding" which will link to these materials.  Feel free to use them, print them, modify them, and enjoy them!   If you do, be sure to follow my blog here, and drop a comment on how your sessions went!

Enjoy!  There are even greater things in store!

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!

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!

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!