Goolomps - Paper Minis

Here's the paper mini follow up to the goolomps post of last week. 4x6" PDF

Update: the source image:

X-Plorer Paper Minis and Pre-Gen Cards

A little while back (and with Brave Halfling's blessing), I put together a set of paper minis and pre-generated character cards from the artwork and PCs listed in the back of the X-Plorers rules. It seems like the box sets should be arriving any day now so I thought I'd post it up here in case anyone can use them. Formatted for 4x6" index cards - they should scale to Letter size pretty well if you don't want or need minis but can still use the character records.

Click the thumbnail image above for a closer look or to download.

Two for the Kids - Puzzle Post

In the interest of encouraging kids to take up pen and paper games, here's a couple of word search puzzles - find the B/X monsters (some will be reversed). Maybe this could come in handy for those long vacation car rides or flights? Click the thumbnail image to download them or for a closer look.

Last week's crossword post has been updated with the answers.

The Maria LX Series Robot: Price Reduced!

Message from Acme Advertising Dept: For Immediate Release

Recent upgrades to our manufacturing facility have allowed us to dramatically reduce the cost of our “Maria LX” retro-design model from our line of general purpose and servant staff robots. They're not just for nobles any more!

Recalling a simpler time of working class idealism and introspection - the Maria LX’s appearance is inspired by the very first “moving pictures” of early 20th century Terra. Retro is back! Maria utilizes polished stainless steel construction throughout, with advanced gyroscopic stabilization, energy efficient servos and a commercial-grade performance battery. Charges last for weeks - not days, and recharge times are nearly instantaneous. Shock absorbent gel surrounds the LX CPU, providing additional protection for your investment, and our award winning voice recognition software makes engaging with Maria a pleasurable experience - whatever your homeworld.

“Our customers are enthralled by our Marias’ grace and charm, and their antique exterior appearance fits wonderfully with our decor!”
Alfred Abel, Owner
Librari of Eldish Libaxions, New London

~

The Maria LX series skirts many local prohibitions against a “too human- like” appearance with its quaint, early android design. Its hackability makes it attractive to both smugglers and sexual deviants, creating a back alley industry of meat clothiers and illegal software programmers. Such hacked units have a reputation for malfunctioning spectacularly and without warning - seemingly at the least opportune times.

Here's a 2d6 table of suggestions for when the GM determines a malfunction occurs:

2: Explodes: minor/serious damage to those nearby.
3: Stuck in a loop: repeats numbers while head continually spins around a la The Exorcist.
4. Replays overheard snippets of private conversations - in multiple languages, loudly.
5. A massive belch/fart of flame: sets nearby object(s) on fire.
6. Error in Translation: Conveys insult or otherwise miscommunicates important information.
7. Electrical discharge: short circuits nearby tech.
8. Vents huge amount of steam or smoke, obscuring everything in 5m radius.
9. Acts lasciviously, speaks with a helium affected voice.
10. Electro-magnetic implosion: Attracts all loose, small metal objects to itself within 5m radius.
11. “Pees” itself* and collapses shortly thereafter (oil=slippery!).
12. Eyes pop out: Minor/serious damage to someone at a distance.
* suggested by Carolyn, age 10

Click the thumbnail image above to enlarge or download the 4x6" PDF of the Maria LX series paper miniatures.

Fritz Lang's "Metropolis"

Ulyulengs - Paper Minis from Monsters of Myth

Here's one I made weeks ago and forgot about... 4x6" PDF, click the thumbnail below to download or for a closer look.

B-B-bears?!? Paper Minis

I've been meaning to put this one together for some time, looks like I just missed JB's Bear Week too. Click the thumbnail image below for a closer look or to download the 4x6" PDF.

Fungus Among Us - Paper Minis

This set comes from the OSRIC module "The Pod-Caverns of the Sinister Shroom" by Matt Finch, published by Expeditious Press. I'd been meaning to pick it up for a long time and finally got around to it when I saw the "Damaged Copies" sale (the copy I received looks great and was only $4). Formatted for a 4x6" index card - click the thumbnail image below for a closer look or to download the PDF.

Witch and Watchers - Free Paper Minis

Hats off to Telecanter for bringing the art of Beatrice Elvery to my attention - some of her work reminds me of Trampier and seems well suited to reproducing as paper minis. I had to squash and edit these a bit from the originals but I like how they came out. The Watchers seem to have especially benefited, becoming more buff and dangerous looking. I'll write these guys up in a day or two, meanwhile here's some inspirational reading.

Formatted for a 4x6" index card, click image below to enlarge or download.

Creatures of the Lumberwoods Paper Minis

I've got the Squonk statted, but still have to do these other two. The Tripodero is my second favorite from the book. Telescopic legs! Brilliant. I'll have to get to work on that one in the next couple of days... Click the thumbnail below for a closer look or to download the 4x6" index card sized PDF.
Update: I statted the Tripodero here.

Have some Ghoul Monkeys

I've always liked the ghoul monkey from the Monsters of Myth book, so I made a paper miniature of it. Click the thumbnail below to view in your browser or download. Formatted for a 4x6" index card.

Rogues - Free Paper Miniatures

I haven't made any of these in a long time... Originally, I was going to call this one "Two thieves and an assassin" but then I figured they're pretty much all just rogues, right? The dagger wielding assassin with dagger dripping poison could just as easily be a backstabbing thief with a dagger dripping blood...

Here's the 4x6" PDF for printing on an index card or other heavier weight paper. Thanks to Telecanter for sharing the source images used here (and in many of my other paper minis).

A Zoo is a Dungeon Too

I was considering Zoopocalypse again the other night, and then started thinking about a zoo’s similarity to our games’ dungeon - its winding paths that lead to exhibits is rather like a dungeon's tunnels, leading to larger chambers and creatures perhaps never seen before… The fun of discovering something new in a zoo visit is something like what we create with dungeon crawls, enhanced with an element of supposed danger.

So I went looking for some zoo maps online and ended up getting totally carried away, downloading one after another to look at more closely for inspiration in creating my own maps later. Some inspire with their art and design; perspective, cut-away views, and colors being used to provide ease of navigation and more information. Others I could even see GIMP’ing, replacing the animal descriptions and icons with monsters, and turning the whole thing into a dungeon.

I went through just about every major zoo’s website in the U.S. and Canada I could easily find, downloaded their maps, and merged them into one gigantic PDF. I put in some interesting aquarium maps that I found along the way too, but I had to leave a lot out due to poor resolution. You can download it on Scribd if interested.

The Cook: A Gonzo Class by John Anon

A couple summers back I purchased a large D&D collection I’d found via Craigslist. I spent a few hundred bucks on it but it turned out to be quite a score - probably the best items were the Tradervale, and a Tegel Manor. Some of the collection I sold on eBay and elsewhere to recover the initial cost.

The previous owner had also included many of his own campaign materials and though I quickly looked through them, they weren't that interesting to me at the time. So they went into a corner of my office where they've been gathering dust. Last week I took them out again, and found a copy of The Living Greyhawk Journal with a very nice pull out map of the city of Greyhawk.

Then, between some character sheets, I found a stapled version of a class he’d typed up and entitled “The Cook”, complete with level progression, weapon and armor restrictions, and a host of magic spells he refers to as “recipes”. There’s reference to mana on the bottom of the first page which I don’t fully grok - is this a class for GURPS? I’ve never played it - the only game I’ve played with mana is Galloway’s HLFW.

It’s pretty silly stuff - check out that spell list! I’d credit him here but no longer remember his full name (it was John something - a veterinarian who lived on the Oregon coast). So for your edification and amusement, I present John Anon’s “The Cook Class”...
The Cook Class

Download Yer Dice (d10's)

I'd give you all real dice if I could, but these are the best I can manage. Click the thumbnail above to download. Open in GIMP or Photoshop and personalize beforehand if you like (there's another version here with circles around the numbers for better readability)... Construction instructions:

• Print on index card or heavy weight paper. Do not scale/make sure scaling is at 100%.
Dexterity checks:
• Cut out with scissors and/or razor.
• Lightly score with razor on lines and where black flaps attach to die faces. Gently fold your new cut out model along these scored lines.
• Glue larger black folds on either half first. Place small amount of glue on smaller black flaps. Take a deep breath and close the two halves of the die together, making sure the small flaps are tucked in and are each touching an adjacent edge. Hold for several seconds (exhale). Blow on completed die for a half minute to make sure it'll hold. Voila!

I used the plasma effect in GIMP and they came out looking like this:
Rather festive I thought. But how would they hold up to those Gamescience dice to the left of 'em? In my quick, non-scientific 100 roll test, the variance was 26 again - same as the last time with my slightly larger prototype (Chessex was 24 and GS was 22). It was kind of fun to test with some eggnog and bourbon on the side. Happy Holidays everyone! Party on.

Updated 12-25-10: I put a bunch of colored examples up here.

B2 Gnoll Lair Map and Note Card

I'm still plodding away at these. All that's left is the Shrine of Evil Chaos, which is a bit larger and will probably have to take up one whole side of an index card. I've left out secret doors on all of these, and the missing secret door in the Gnoll Lair (area #50 leading to #63 in the Shrine area) is truly missed here. The idea of a previous adventurer, a thief, being found just inside the doorway in obvious hasty retreat is a nice touch, as would be finding his elven boots. In fact, all the secret doors missing in these dissections are missed to an extent - being able to run away from a group of monsters directly into the lair of another is just cool. I'm still glad to have chopped them up like this though. Our sessions are so short that it feels like they'll mesh well, and having them handy is a nice insurance policy against the party veering off at the last second from where I'd expected them to travel. As usual, click the image above to download or for a closer look.

B2 Shunned Cavern and Minotaur Caves Maps and Note Cards

Continuing my chopping up of B2 into mini-adventures on index cards, here's the Shunned Cavern (area G) and the Caves of the Minotaur (area I) again formatted for ye olde 4x6's. Since these are especially small maps, I put two of them onto the same PDF. If you can use these or like the idea, you might also be interested in Fenway5's recent "Pocketful of Peril" posts. As usual, click the image above for a closer look or to download the PDF.

B2 Bugbear Lair Map and Note Card

It's fun to see these piling up... This latest one seemed to work better on an index card in portrait orientation. Click the pic above to download.

B2 Kobold Lair Map and Note Card

Here's another index card for notes with map pulled from B2 to use as a minidungeon wherever... I'd hoped to get more done this week but work hasn't left me much time. This one came out a little brighter. Click the image above for the PDF.

B2 Orc Lairs Note Card & Map

Here's another mini-dungeon culled from B2, formatted as a map/note card. Like the previous post here, only this one is of the orc lairs at the Caves of Chaos... click the image below for a closer look or to download.

The Caves of Chaos as Mini Dungeons

Spoilers ahead - please stop reading if you're a player in this game.

Being caught completely off-guard by the direction the party took last time, I'd grabbed B2 off the shelf to fill in for one of the half dozen castles found in the area that I hadn't sketched out yet. While at the keep, they heard about some caves not far away, and as they're conveniently just off the road to the central part of the Dordogne Valley, I'm assuming they'll want to check them out. I'll probably be incorrect if recent history is any guide but I figure it's good to have at least something prepared for a session.

We were going to play Tuesday but it was rescheduled for tonight, so I spent some time today looking over B2 again, and the Caves of Chaos in particular. It's easy to chop them up into mini-dungeons and use them anywhere they're suddenly needed. I decided I'd take the Goblin Lair and Ogre's Cave and excise them from the rest of the module's map for tonight if they decide to investigate. The secret doors in rooms 17 and 21 are erased and voila! Simple as that. I haven't bothered to look again at the other caves because I already rumored the existence of an ogre nearby during the last session. This seemed to interest Wagstaff. Little do they know that it's the same ogre that tore the legs off of little Timmy (or even who that is), but it'll make for some fun role-playing if they can drop the thing and then meet up with Tim the half halfling (quarterling?) down the road.

My desk space is limited, and regular readers know I'm obsessed with putting everything onto index cards - the small map of the caves the party might explore tonight is no exception. I hate fussing with larger maps unless I really have to - although I probably spent a little too much time making this index card version today. If it's of interest or use, you can download the PDF by clicking the thumbnail image below. The resolution is pretty good so I suppose it could work for a 8.5x11" landscape also.