[Q&A] Mike Evans (The Barbarians of the Ruined Earth)

<+MikeEvans> Yo everyone!   Want to say thanks to Dan for inviting me to this and giving me the opportunity and thanks to everyone who’s expressed an interest in Barbarians of the Ruined Earth or any other of my products!   My name is Mike Evans and I run DIY RPG Productions.  I currently have released nine books.  Six myself and thee by other authors.    Feel free to ask

<+MikeEvans> Hi Mat

<+MikeEvans> Feel free to ask anything about those.  You can find them on Drivethru RPG- (Link: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/browse/pub/9599/DIY-RPG-Productions?term=Diy)https://www.drivethrurpg.com/browse/pub/9599/DIY-RPG-Productions?term=Diy  Or my meanderings on my Wrathofzombie’s Game Blog- (Link: https://wrathofzombie.wordpress.com/)https://wrathofzombie.wordpress.com/

<+Drewcifer> I just perused the Barbarians KS, looks pretty stellar!

<~Dan> (Please hold questions and comments until we get a (done) from our guest. Thanks! 🙂 )

<+MikeEvans> Dan invited me here to answer any questions you have about Barbarians of the Ruined Earth, which is currently on Kickstarter- (Link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/diyrpgproductions/the-barbarians-of-the-ruined-earth)https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/diyrpgproductions/the-barbarians-of-the-ruined-earth

<+MikeEvans> @drewcifer- Thanks!

<+MikeEvans> I think the best way to describe it is

<+MikeEvans> That Barbarians is inspired by Thundarr the Barbarian with some Pirates of Dark Water, and a fistful of Mad Max: Fury Road.

<+MikeEvans> The players take on the role of heroes (or maybe some feisty brigands or profiteers), wandering the Ruined Earth defeating evil Sorcerers, beating the crap out of mutated frog-men, bashing some raider skulls, or wandering through the stinking ruins of an Ancient Earth space shuttle hanger looking for bits of Stupendous Science!

<+MikeEvans> Done

<~Dan> Thanks, MikeEvans! The floor is open to questions!

<~Dan> What’s the source of the Ruined Earth?

<+MikeEvans> As far as inspiration, Dan?

<~Dan> Oh, no, I mean the source of the apocalypse.

<+MikeEvans> Ah.

<+MikeEvans> Well I wanted to do Thundarr justice and I decided a small plantetoid would crash into the moon, shattering it.  Bits of the moon and this planetoid rain down from the sky and obliterate everying.

<+MikeEvans> This new matter mixed with our own and created these new environments, both weird and strange.

<+MikeEvans> When I watch Thundarr I kept asking, “how did the environment get this way…?” and I decided to go that route- give just a bit of “gravity” to the why without being verbose.

* ~Dan nods

<~Dan> In what year does the disaster happen?

<+MikeEvans> The setting summary for the book (and really the whole fluff of the setting) is one paragraph.

<+MikeEvans> The rest of the fluff comes from the charts and tables and class descriptions.

<~Dan> (Howdy, gritglorygames!)

<+MikeEvans> I left that ambiguous intentionally.  I know Thundarr’s intro says the 90s, but I wanted the GM the flexibility to put it when they want.

<~Dan> (MikeEvans, meet gritglorygames, our guest for 8/13 and a fellow post-apocalypse game author. 🙂 )

<+MikeEvans> Hi Gritglorgames!

<+gritglorygames> Hello! I might be a little in and out of this, finally convinced the wife to watch stranger things with me lol

<~Dan> Well, I ask specifically in regards to the tech level of the setting.

<+MikeEvans> I just introduce the setting with “over two thousand years ago…” and leave it as that.

<~Dan> gritglorygames: No worries!

<+gritglorygames> (Another setting type is like to make one day, 80s horror)

<+Drewcifer> I saw the Sorcerer race-as-class class, and it looked pretty cool. Are they all mutants with mechanic stuff ingrained in them or is it more open of a concept?

<+gritglorygames> (I’d*)

<+Drewcifer> also what’s your favorite class in this release??

<+MikeEvans> Tech level is about now.  There are cellphones and tablets and shit that are used with Stupendous Science.

<+MikeEvans> But it’s ruined and hacked and spliced.

<+MikeEvans> Then there are weird things like robots, lasers, hoverboards, arcologies, etc.

<+MikeEvans> My favorite class for Barbarians…  hhhmmmm.

<+MikeEvans> Off the top of my head, I’d say beastman.

<+Endroren> I’m a huge Thundarr fan.  What aspect of the Thundarr cartoon did you really want to make sure to capture in the game?

<+MikeEvans> I give the class an Ookla-like power where they are incredibly strong and can pick up pillars and the like and use them as weapons or whatever.  I’ve watched players create some fun interactions and strategy with that one.  And people seem to enjoy being a weird anthropomorphic toad man.

<+Drewcifer> toad men are great

<~Dan> There are so many untoad stories to tell.

<+MikeEvans> Second, I’d say is Death Priest.  I’m not a huge fan of clerics in my game.  I’m more of a the Sorcerer should have healing powers and protect from evil or whatever, and let’s call that good.  When I was thinking about the Death Priest, I was thinking a more spiritualist/voodoo/shaman.  Definitely nothing to do with any established religion.

<~Dan> (Welcome to #randomworlds, bouletsama!)

<+MikeEvans> Then I started thinking of fun things a Death Priest will do and I thought they would be great con men characters.  Go in to a town and say there are spirits that are evil and you can talk to em and banish em.  You cast a flashy miracle and say it’s done and bilk the village out of coin and food.

<+Drewcifer> As one does!

<+gritglorygames> And then get hunted by townsfolk

<~Dan> (Howdy, GrimmgardTodd!)

<+MikeEvans> Endroren- The thing I really want to capture from Thundarr is the absolute zaniness of it.  My favorite episode is still the one I saw as an adult, “Attack of the Amazon Women.”

<+MikeEvans> That episode has it all!

<+Endroren> Oh yeah! Great one.

<+MikeEvans> Ok- let’s start the episode and there are tall strong blue women with weird blaster rifles shooting at one another.  Then there’s a weird shark Sorcereress.  Ok- let’s throw in a squid that fires ink lasers, an underwater nuclear missile silo, a mutated spider, and a wizard’s duel…

<+MikeEvans> Boom!

<+gritglorygames> (Gonna jump onto a new tab real quick to Google thundarr, i feel like i know this but not by name. Hopefully i don’t get bored when i switch tabs lol)

<+MikeEvans> That’s what I want people to do and have fun with.

<+MikeEvans> (Link: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0181262/episodes?season=1&ref_=tt_eps_sn_1)https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0181262/episodes?season=1&ref_=tt_eps_sn_1

<+MikeEvans> Here’s info on the episode.

<+MikeEvans> Here’s the shows intro

<+MikeEvans> (Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4I9blXQEHyw)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4I9blXQEHyw

<~Dan> Do you explain where the high tech goodies come from, or are they just there in the same way that there’s high-tech stuff in Thundarr?

<+MikeEvans> And here’s the video for the KS for those who are interested: (Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfo3OrirHeo&t=4s)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfo3OrirHeo&t=4s

<+MattWang> I remember when Thundarr had acid rain and I thought acid rain really melted things away

<+gritglorygames> Ahhh i can’t even type thesound i made!!! My grandma had so many episodes of this recorded in tapes!

<~Dan> (Howdy, ChrisMennell!)

<~Dan> gritglorygames: Cool granny!

<+gritglorygames> I haven’t seen this show in so long! Now i know the name I’m changing that asap!

<+MattWang> When you posted the KS, I backed immediately! I can’t wait to get my hands on the book.

<+MikeEvans> @Dan- I don’t want to explain it.  That’s something I want to avoid.  Let the GM do that.  If their group wants that level of explanation.

<+MikeEvans> I think it’s fun to just let someone imagine.  That goes a long way vs explaining something.

* ~Dan nods

<+MikeEvans> In a weird fantasy setting.

<~Dan> Oh, sure. Again, Thundarr never explained it.

<+MikeEvans> Hi Chris Mennell ❤

<~Dan> Speaking of explaining things… is magic in this setting “real”, or is it “sufficiently advanced” science?

<+MattWang> Did you have the episodes or playlists in the background when you were writing it?

<+ChrisMennell> Hey buddy

<~Dan> (Howdy, TStrauss!)

<+MikeEvans> Oh magic.

<+TStrauss> (Hello!)

<+MikeEvans> What a pain in the ass magic is.

<+MikeEvans> lol

<~Dan> MikeEvans: Want to repost the link to the KS for those just joining us?

<+MikeEvans> Sure:)

<+MikeEvans> (Link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/diyrpgproductions/the-barbarians-of-the-ruined-earth/)https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/diyrpgproductions/the-barbarians-of-the-ruined-earth/

<~Dan> Thanks! Okay, back to pain-in-the-ass magic…

<+gritglorygames> It’s just the worst lol

<+MikeEvans> So when I started writing I kept the original 1e Black Hack rules and I created a freeform style of magic that was optional.

<+MikeEvans> Because I felt the normal D&D spells weren’t really Thundarr-esque.

<+MikeEvans> But I understand not everyone enjoys improv magic casting and describing.

<~Dan> Not really, no, re: D&D spells

<+MikeEvans> So we playtested it and aside from an occasional cool utility spell- most of it boiled down to: I cast a damage thing, I cast a healing thing, and/or I cast an armor thing.

<+MikeEvans> Occasionally someone would do an entangle spell

<+MikeEvans> So I scratched it.

<+MikeEvans> I looked at what bothered me about D&D-style magic…  And I’ve always been irritated by spells past 3rd level.  Once a caster gets Fireball it’s a game changer and that’s where you see the other character classes begin to fall behind.

<+MikeEvans> And scramble for magic weapons and etc., especially in old school-style games.

<+MikeEvans> So I decided to look at spells from 1st through 3rd level and look at the mechanical ranges.  In the end I took away levels or having to find or learn a spell (kinda).

<~Dan> (Welcome to #randomworlds, SeventhGuest!)

<+MikeEvans> I created schools of magic, each with several spells that the Sorcerer can cast.  They become proficient with spells and must roll under their Intelligence to cast the spell.

<+MikeEvans> If it is a spell they aren’t proficient with, they roll with Disadvantage.

<+MikeEvans> Here’s a blog post I did with layout samples-

<+MikeEvans> (Link: https://wrathofzombie.wordpress.com/2019/07/25/the-updated-sorcerer-class-with-layout-images/)https://wrathofzombie.wordpress.com/2019/07/25/the-updated-sorcerer-class-with-layout-images/

<+MikeEvans> And here’s a post I did with the magic schools- (Link: https://wrathofzombie.wordpress.com/2019/03/05/further-design-thoughts-on-spells-for-the-sorcerer-class-of-barbarians-of-the-ruined-earth-updated-rules-and-some-new-art/)https://wrathofzombie.wordpress.com/2019/03/05/further-design-thoughts-on-spells-for-the-sorcerer-class-of-barbarians-of-the-ruined-earth-updated-rules-and-some-new-art/

<+MikeEvans> @Mattwang- I am not a fan of watching anything while writing.

<+MikeEvans> It’s gotta be music all the way.

<+MikeEvans> I have a playlist for Thundarr that is mostly industrial and metal.

<+gritglorygames> (Nice!)

<~Dan> And Sorcerers are a race in this setting?

<+MikeEvans> KMFDM, TOOL, A Perfect Circle, NIN, White Zombie, High on Fire, old Metallica, System of a Down, old Marilyn Manson, Anthrax, and Slayer.

<+MikeEvans> Then some electronica/dubstep.

<+MikeEvans> @Dan- Yup.

<+gritglorygames> (I like the necessary “old” mentions lol)

<+SeventhGuest> Are you going to offer POD during this campaign? Might get some more EU support. I just want it to fund so I can play 🙂

<+MikeEvans> There were several comments made in the show that made me think about moving a Sorcerer to a race-as-class.

<~Dan> Really? Like what?

<+MikeEvans> Largely I decided to do it because Sorcerers look weird.  I mean ALL of them do except Ariel- and let’s face it- she looks gorgeous because they want young boys to drool over her, young girls want to be here from a toys/marketing standpoint, and dad’s to think she’s hot and keep watching the show (which they should have done anyways, but whatever~_<).

* ~Dan chuckles

<+MikeEvans> Her perfectness exists though, so to me it is a mutation.  A rare thing that happens.

<+MikeEvans> Now I know it’s also supposed to show that Ariel is powerful without modding her body and that the Sorcerer’s physical form in the show is a representation of the lengths that Sorcerers got to to gain power.

<+MikeEvans> Blah blah blah… but that’s not gonna fly in a campaign.  How often do we get to all play together- me once a month if I’m lucky- so if the weirdness of their physical appearance is gained through play and adventuring, most will never get there- so then they are always boring human wizards- opportunity missed.

<+MikeEvans> So for the race as class they are born looking human, but as they age- shit starts happening and eventually they get weird looking.

<~Dan> Heh. Cool.

<+MikeEvans> I created a charge to generate skin color, hair color, eye color, state of nails, teeth, weird feature, and wizard staff

<+MikeEvans> Roll a d10 for each

<~Dan> That’s a nice touch. 🙂

<+MikeEvans> @grit- lol.  That is very important.

<~Dan> What other classes are available?

<+MikeEvans> @Seventhguest- I have considered it.  Basically if the KS doesn’t fund, I am going to look at a straight POD release and do a limited run of full physical copies (250-500- I dunno, I’m talking outta my ass at the moment on the number) and then it’ll be POD.

<+gritglorygames> (Wouldn’t want people getting the wrong ideas)

<+MikeEvans> There’s some things we’ll have to shift around on that and rework- possibly the entire size of the book as POD is more limited in that and POD doesn’t do endsheets

<+SeventhGuest> Got it!

<+MikeEvans> But we will jump off that bridge when I get there.

<+MikeEvans> 😀

<+MikeEvans> Regardless of what happens with the KS (although of course I hope it funds) this book is coming out.

<+MikeEvans> I’ll just have to take a different tactic.

<+MikeEvans> @Dan- there are 4 classes and 4 race-as-class

<+SeventhGuest> Well you had my $$ at Pirates and Thundar

<+MikeEvans> Ha!  Thanks, @SeventhGuest.

<+MikeEvans> @Dan- Barbarian- Strong and brave! Physical combat focused. Beats up bad guys and tosses em aside.  Death Priest- Speak to spirits that linger in this world. Cast miracles to help and heal your allies or harm and hinder your foes. Banish spirits and put them to rest.  Scavenger- Roams the Ruined Earth looking for scrap and items worthwhile. Survives by smarts

<+MikeEvans> and stealth.

<+MikeEvans> Urchin- A bossy child that survives in the Ruined Earth, using their small stature and unassuming appearance to get what they want and beat people up.

<+MikeEvans> Those are the human classes.

<+MikeEvans> Then there is Race-as-class

<+MikeEvans> Beastman- Roll for bestial appearance. Impossibly strong- like picks-up-pillars-and-uses-them-like-clubs-level strong.   Sorcerer- Strange looking humanoids with mind-boggling machinations spinning through their heads. Hears the call of power through magic, casts amazing spells.

<+MikeEvans> Robot- Play a robot that has broken free from its fleshy masters and has forged its own path. Add modifications to its body through cannibalizing other robots.  Vek (Raptorfolk)- Super-intelligent anthropomorphic dinosaur-people with an obsession for Ancient Earth technology and Stupendous Science and a self-absurdness at their own superiority.

<+MikeEvans> Each class and race as class has starting equipment and a table to generate a unique trinket and life event to flesh out the character and get right to playing!

<+MikeEvans> Here’s links to the sample layout for barbarian- (Link: https://wrathofzombie.wordpress.com/2019/07/23/the-updated-barbarian-class-with-layout-images/)https://wrathofzombie.wordpress.com/2019/07/23/the-updated-barbarian-class-with-layout-images/

<+MikeEvans> And beastman- (Link: https://wrathofzombie.wordpress.com/2019/07/24/the-updated-beastman-class-with-layout-images/)https://wrathofzombie.wordpress.com/2019/07/24/the-updated-beastman-class-with-layout-images/

<~Dan> I think I saw this on your KS page, but are there cybernetics?

<~Dan> (brb)

<+MikeEvans> Yup and mutations- because it wouldn’t be Thundarr (or even He-Man) if there wasn’t that shit.

<+MikeEvans> I did six tables with to choices for mutations.  And there are 18 options for cyberware.

<+MikeEvans> I wanted to keep it simple without being too down the rabbit hole.

<+MikeEvans> It’s enough you could play Beastman or Man-at-Arms from He-Man, but you’re not playing a street samurai or anything 😛

<+SeventhGuest> No pizza eating mutants

<+MikeEvans> It’s more theme and keeping it simple vs full simulation

<+MikeEvans> Which is also not my play style.

<+MikeEvans> How do you change your name in this, Dan?

<~Dan> “/nick [name]”

<+SeventhGuest> LOL

<~Dan> SeventhGuest: How did you hear about us, by the way? 🙂

<+[Mike]> Back

<~Dan> Oh, you don’t actually need the brackets, sorry!

<+SeventhGuest> The KS? I follow a bunch of ppl. One must have been a backer because as soon as I saw it I pledged

<~Dan> Just type /nick Mike (or whatever). 🙂

<+[Mike]> @Seventhguest- Thanks.

<+[Mike]> I appreciate it 😀

<~Dan> Have we already talked about what the Black Hack is?

<+SeventhGuest> I know not everyone let’s you follow them but it is how I find a lot of the stuff I like.

<+[Mike]> My players have been having a great time.  We were playtesting another project I’m working on, Death is the New Pink: Going Medieval on Yo’ Ass, for awhile and this is zany just like that- so it was an easy transition- and they all like Mad Max.  Only my wife, out of my players, has seen Thundarr.

<+[Mike]> @Dan- We have not.

<~Dan> I was about to ask about the tweaks you’ve made to it, but perhaps you should explain what it is first?

<+[Mike]> Black Hack is a super easy rules-lite book that holds the OSR mantra- rulings over rules.  The original Black Hack is 20 pages.  You roll your stats, 3d6 in order and choose your class (human-centric, no races): Fighter, Thief, Wizard, or Cleric.  Each gets three abilities (very succinctly written) and rolls their HP.

<+[Mike]> Do do stuff, you have to roll under your attribute.  Want to hit something with your sword and your strength is an 8?  Better hope you roll a 7 or less!  Want to climb a wall?  Roll under your Dex of 16.  Each class usually has a save or action they can perform that they can do “better”, meaning they roll with Advantage.

<+[Mike]> Advantage and Disadvantage is a mechanic taken from D&D 5e and the like.  Good at something or it’s super easy- roll 2d20 and take the lower of the two.  Suck at something or it makes you sweat, cry, and bleed?  Roll 2d20 and take the higher of the two.

<+[Mike]> Each class has a damage die.  So instead of weapons have varying damage, it’s the classes.  Fighters deal 1d10 damage, Thieves deal 1d6, Clerics deal 1d8, and Wizards deal 1d4

<+[Mike]> And that’s it in a nutshell.

<+gritglorygames> Oh fun. I always thought BH was just another retroclone…

<~Dan> I see… So what tweaks have you made?

<+gritglorygames> And you’ve repurposed this for your game?

<+gritglorygames> (Oh, sorry dan)

<+[Mike]> BotRE uses 1e Black Hack- here’s the link.

<+[Mike]> (Link: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/178359/The-Black-Hack)https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/178359/The-Black-Hack

<~Dan> (No problem, gritglorygames. 🙂 )

<+[Mike]> And here’s the second edition which just came out.

<+[Mike]> (Link: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/255088/The-Black-Hack-Second-Edition)https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/255088/The-Black-Hack-Second-Edition

<+[Mike]> The entire rules are in Barbarians, so you don’t need to buy both books, but I highly recommend you do, because it’s a good game.

<+[Mike]> Second Edition is totally worth it and has great tables and charts in it.

<+[Mike]> @Grit- Yup.  I did.  It’s basically the same mechanics, but I changed magic, added race as class, and did some variant rules.

<+[Mike]> @Dan- which brings me to that.

<+[Mike]> ull-auto Fire Rules- for machine guns and laser weaponry.  Armor- now absorbs a static amount of damage each attack rather than being treated as hit point buffer.  Destiny Points- Burn a point to gain Advantage on a roll, reroll a failed save, etc.  Different Ability Score Generation- Roll 2d6+5 instead of standard 3d6 to create more rounded characters.

<+[Mike]> Mook and Horde Rules- Enemies with 1 hp that can band together to make the PC’s lives more difficult, but defeated easily, creating that heroic Saturday morning cartoon feel.  Luck Rolls- Need to leave a decision to chance? Roll a 1d6 and it’s a 50/50 flip.

<+[Mike]> Sample Traps- Rules and examples on creating fun traps, ways to detect an defeat them.  Vehicle and Chase Rules- Roar through the Ruined Earth in a motorcycle fueled by sorcery, chasing down raiders before they get to the local village to destroy it (or whatever). Quick and easy rules to accomplish this!

<~Dan> (brb)

<+[Mike]> And the spell system change I mentioned.

<+[Mike]> Then I added a bunch of tables and charts for the GM and a whole new set of monstes

<+[Mike]> monsters.

<+SeventhGuest> Sounds cool

<+[Mike]> @Seventh- Thanks!

<~Dan> (back)

<~Dan> So armor is damage resistance instead of AC?

<+SeventhGuest> It always seems like a challenge when you mix swords and lasers.

<+[Mike]> @Dan- that was something I wasn’t a fan of in The Black Hack.

<+[Mike]> Armor is basically bonus HP in TBH and replenishes with rest.

<~Dan> That… doesn’t make any sense.

<+[Mike]> Like I get thematically it’s supposed to represent a level of endurance of the character.

<+gritglorygames> To an extent maybe. Do light repairs or something…

<+[Mike]> In many games, HP doesn’t represent physical well-being, it represents a character’s endurance of getting bashed or punched, etc.  And that lucky blow that actually hits you and drops you- that’s the one that really hit.

<~Dan> I suppose… I definitely prefer Mike’s way, though.

<+[Mike]> So I get where David Black was going, but it wasn’t for me.

<+[Mike]> We would play and each player’s armor HP was consumed within the first few rounds of combat

<+SeventhGuest> HP representing heroic endurance goes all the way back but I’ve never cared for it

<+[Mike]> So I decided to make it ablative.  I didn’t want to do an AC bonus per say because that messes with the numbers of the attributes.

<~Dan> Yeah, me neither, really.

<+[Mike]> And you could quickly find yourself with untouchable players.

<~Dan> Well, I think AC gets funky when you start dealing with high-powered weapons anyway.

<+[Mike]> So I just did light, medium, and heavy.  They reduce damage by 1, 2, and 3 respectively.

<~Dan> i.e., you shouldn’t have to be a sharpshooter for a bazooka to blow through someone’s armor.

<+[Mike]> Then I used took Trollsmyth’s delicious idea about all shields must be shattered- (Link: http://trollsmyth.blogspot.com/2008/05/shields-shall-be-splintered.html)http://trollsmyth.blogspot.com/2008/05/shields-shall-be-splintered.html

<+SeventhGuest> Does armor ever wear out from damage?

<+gritglorygames> (Alright guys i g2g for the night. BotRE seems legitimately interesting, if i can shift the money around I’ll definitely back it)

<+[Mike]> There are light and heavy shields.  Light shields can absorb the damage of a single blow, determined by the PC.

<+[Mike]> Good night!

<+[Mike]> Whereas heavy absorb two blows

<+[Mike]> Then the shield is destroyed

<+SeventhGuest> Nice and simple

<+[Mike]> Yup.  My players really seem to like that mechanic.

<~Dan> Can you give us some sample monsters from your bestiary?

<+SeventhGuest> It almost like duels where you get 3 shields or in this case 2 hits

<+[Mike]> Kinda.  Yeah.  The players like deciding when they are about to get fucked by damage…  Gives a little flexibility- especially when dealing with a disastrous roll.

<+[Mike]> @Dan-

<+[Mike]> One I had to put in there was the crazy alien thing that was capturing those humans in that snow village.

<+[Mike]> So I called it Alien Vampire Spider Lizard.

<~Dan> (Howdy, Akyla!)

<+[Mike]> Description: This creature hails from the infinite that is space and has come to Earth to hunt prey and drain their life force. It is a keen and intelligent hunter that uses its ability to turn invisible to stalk lone prey and snag them before anyone notices.

<+[Mike]> The creature has red skin, slug-like eye stalks, a wide mouth with fangs, four arms, and thick hind legs that allow it to stand upright.

<+[Mike]> Special: Invisibility: The AVSL is able to cast invisibility (pg XX) as often as it likes. Laser Eyes: The ASVL can shoot yellow lasers from its eye stalks at any target that is Not so Nearby (1dd6+1d8).

<~Dan> [Mike]: That alien thing that was immune to the Sun Sword?

<+[Mike]> Fangs: The AVSL will drain the life force from a captured target (ensnared in their webs), draining 1d4 CON per round.

<+[Mike]> Spinnerets: The AVSL can spew thick spider webs from its four arms. A target must succeed on a Dexterity test to avoid becoming caught in the web. Once caught the AVSL will wrap the victim up and carry them back to its lair.

<+[Mike]> An ensnared victim can attempt to break free with a successful Strength test (with Disadvantage) once per turn or be cut free by another person.

<+[Mike]> Another is the Animated Trash Man.

<+[Mike]> Description: This creature is a construct composed of garbage and scrap, created by dark sorcery. The creature wanders the Ruined Earth, adding more trash and scrap to itself, growing larger and more powerful.

<+[Mike]> Special: It is immune to magic. Trash Fling: Animated Trash Men do not just use their fists to slam a target, they fling refuse instead. Trash Fling can done against any Nearby target, who must succeed on Dexterity check (with Disadvantage) to avoid. What is being thrown?

<+[Mike]> Roll 1d12- 1-4) Bits of rubbish, egg shells, and coffee grounds (standard damage, CON save or become sickened, suffering Disadvantage to all rolls for 1 round); 5) Sludge (standard damage, CON save or blinded for 1d4 rounds); 6) 100 banana peels (standard damage, targets in the 15’ radius must pass a Dexterity test or fall prone);

<+[Mike]> 7) Kitchen sink (literally a kitchen sink goes flying at the character, additional 2d6+2 damage); 8) Huge bag of garbage (standard damage and target is knocked prone); 9) Horde of rats (1d6 rats are flung at the target, standard damage +1d6 damage per round until critters are knocked off target);

<+[Mike]> 10) Decaying dead animal (standard damage- WIS save or freak out and run away until new WIS save is passed); 11) Wet toilet paper (1d4 damage only, target is stunned for 1d3 round as the sheer horror of what just occurred hits them);

<+[Mike]> 12) Buried- huge pile of garbage flows from the arms (standard damage, targets in a 5’ radius are buried in garbage and must spend 1d4 rounds digging themselves out).

<+[Mike]> I’ll do two more 😛

<~Dan> Okay. 🙂

<+[Mike]> Fungal Killer- Description: These anthropomorphic fungal creatures exist to spread decay and rot. They constantly hunger for living creatures they can murder and put in their mulching beds.

<+[Mike]> Special: Spore: Once per hour a Fungal Killer can release a cloud of spores in a Nearby radius. All targets must succeed on a CON test or be knocked unconscious for 1 minute. Those that fail must make a Luck roll. If it does not favor them, an infant Fungal Killer spore has implanted itself on them.

<+[Mike]> es not favor them, an infant Fungal Killer spore has implanted itself on them. After two days the spore will start to grow rapidly into a mushroom, reaching the size of a house cat in another two days. On the third day the Fungal Killer wakes up and bursts off the host, dealing 2d6 damage (ignores armor).

<+[Mike]> The infant Fungal Killer will attempt to run away unless forced to fight. If the Luck roll favors the unconscious character(s), the Fungal Killer will slit one of their throats, and take them off to their mold den to feast.

<+[Mike]> Blend With Plants: Fungal Killers can blend in with other large fungi or plants. Targets suffer Disadvantage to WIS checks to spot these hidden assassins.

<+[Mike]> And finally- of course I had to do Demon Dogs

<+[Mike]> Description: Demon Dogs are vicious creatures with ragged fur, bulging red eyes, and long yellowed fangs. These creatures are said to be spawned from the depths of Hell and wander the Ruined Earth looking for hapless prey. A keen adventurer can always tell when they are close to the den of a Demon Dog, for the smell of sulfur is thick upon the air.

<+[Mike]> Special: Flame Breath: Once per day a Demon Dog can spew a ball of flame at a target, dealing 1d8 damage. There is a 1-in-6 chance the target catches fire, taking 1d6 fire damage per round until extinguished.

<+[Mike]> Water Sensitivity: Demon Dogs take an additional 1d6 damage from water/cold magic. Dousing a Demon Dog in a large amount of water also deals 1d6 damage and stuns the creature for 1 round. Submerging a Demon Dog in a river, lake, etc. instantly kills the creature.

<+[Mike]> Split: One reason the Demon Dog is such a terrifying adversary is that any physical damage to the creature causes it to split into two. Both copies have the same HP, which is equal to the remaining HP of the attacked Demon Dog. Magical damage does not cause a Demon Dog to split.

<+[Mike]> -Done-

<~Dan> Nice!

<~Dan> Do you see this as the start of a game line/

<~Dan> ?

<+[Mike]> Absolutely.  I already have one module done (which is a stretch goal of the KS) and I have notes on a world book/advice for running these type of games.

<+[Mike]> I will be focusing on the three settings I’ve released- Hubris: A World of Visceral Adventure, Death is the New Pink, and Barbarians of the Ruined Earth

<~Dan> How would you describe these?

<~Dan> Oh, wait…

<~Dan> I misread. Those aren’t setting for Barbarians, but separate games?

<+[Mike]> Yup.

<+[Mike]> Hubris was my first major release.

<+[Mike]> Death is the New Pink came out last year.

<~Dan> What are those two about?

<+[Mike]> I was hoping to have Barbarians out this year, but with RL work, Demon City in pre-production, I just didnt’ have the time.

<+GrimmgardTodd> How long altogether have you been working on Barbarians, from concept til now?

<+[Mike]> May 2016.

<+[Mike]> I went to a friend’s house to hang and he found I hadn’t seen it since I was a kid, like 3 or 4, and we watched about five random episodes throughout the weekend.

<+[Mike]> I was hooked and ordered it from Amazon immediately.

<+[Mike]> Started writing shit shortly after our get together.

<+[Mike]> Here’s the first post I did- (Link: https://wrathofzombie.wordpress.com/2016/05/24/why-thundarr-the-barbarian-is-epic-and-epitomizes-how-minimalistrules-lites-are-fun-and-viable/)https://wrathofzombie.wordpress.com/2016/05/24/why-thundarr-the-barbarian-is-epic-and-epitomizes-how-minimalistrules-lites-are-fun-and-viable/

<+GrimmgardTodd> Was there any element from the show that you were like “hmmmm but how to really capture THAT in an RPG?”

<~Dan> (Howdy, Codi!)

<+[Mike]> Yeah- it’s the zaniness and gonzo.  Just let go.  I give brief suggestions in the GM section, but I didn’t want to bloat the book.  I’ll dive into that later- like I really want to do an analysis of all the episodes (I have notes on all of them) and how it makes an adventure.

<~Dan> (wb, SeventhGuest)

<+[Mike]> I try to keep my adventures at the table to be slightly episodic, but the challenge is how do you cram all that shit into a game…?  So I’d like to delve a little deeper on pacing, chewing off the fat of a session, and move to the action.  Treat everything like beats rather than the full languid journey of Lord of the Rings.

<+[Mike]> I know that can be challenging for some players

<+[Mike]> game masters, I mean.

<+GrimmgardTodd> That’s awesome. I used to run games like that when time was shorter, so I think the game style is actually really good to have practiced. Especially when people’s schedules can be busy.

<~Dan> In the time remaining, is there anything we haven’t covered that you’d like to bring up?

<+[Mike]> For your other question- Hubris: A World of Visceral Adventure is a for DCC, but you can use it for pretty much any system.  I designed to game to be useful at the table.  I’m not a huge fan of fluff in RPG books.  Too much history and shit and my eyes glaze over.  I’ve been running games for 26 years and I’ve never seen my players give much of

<+[Mike]> about the 10,000 year old wizard war where Dingus McCrackle the Terrible subjugated the people of Boring Town…    But a thief that steals their horses while they are in a dungeon, because they didn’t hire a red shirt to stand guard?  They will spend an entire campaign hunting down the bandit known as Sticky-fingered Pete.

<+[Mike]> So I give a single page of real “fluff” for Hubris.  Everything else is told through classes, the territories, the 24 charts and tables for GMs to use on the fly, the monsters, and two adventures.    There are 10 territories of Hubris, each with a small paragraph description.

<+[Mike]> Then there is a d100 Lay of the Land table to generate cool and unique things and a d100 encounter chart.    (Link: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/198726/Hubris-A-World-of-Visceral-Adventure?src=hottest_filtered)https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/198726/Hubris-A-World-of-Visceral-Adventure?src=hottest_filtered

<+[Mike]> Death is the New Pink uses Into the Odd and is inspired by Tank Girl, Borderlands, and Fallout.

<+[Mike]> (Link: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/214126/Death-is-the-New-Pink?src=hottest_filtered)https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/214126/Death-is-the-New-Pink?src=hottest_filtered

<+[Mike]> It is a quick and easy game.  Very similar to The Black Hack.  Create a character in a few minutes and get out and kill some shit and die epically.

<+[Mike]> It is another post-apocalyptic game

<~Dan> Cool!

<+[Mike]> Thanks for this opportunity, Dan.  And thanks to everyone for their questions and interest!

<~Dan> You’re very welcome!

<+SeventhGuest> Thanks

<~Dan> Usual reminder: Tips are welcome at (Link: https://www.ko-fi.com/gmshoe)https://www.ko-fi.com/gmshoe 😀

<~Dan> Anything’s appreciated. 🙂

<~Dan> Now, if you’ll give me just a minute, I’ll get the log posted and link you!

<+[Mike]> Awesome 😀