Old Skulling

Art by Bradley K. McDevitt It’s really hard to define a foolproof formula for creating good adventures, but some elements certainly help make it more interesting and exciting for everyone playing it. Like everything else, however, a single group may not be interested in all of these elements, but it’s usually a good idea to try to insert them in the adventures first to see how they respond. Choices that Matter RPGs are first and foremost about making choices--choices that matter,not simply mechanical choices during character creation, or whether to attack one bandit or another,. Choices can  dramatically alter the events in the story, so these choices need to be informed choices too. It makes no difference to choose between two paths in the forest with absolutely nothing to tell them apart from each other. Give them information, feed their senses. Think about what you can tell them about the choices they have to help them make a judgment call, and let their choices really ...

Since my last blog post a lot of things have happened with Old Skull Publishing! I should update this more often but sometimes I get carried away with producing more and more stuff and push updates to “later” forever. Sorry! We have released a few products such as the following: The Egyptian Situation from Outer Time A campaign changing adventure for Solar Blades & Cosmic Spells involving time travel, ancient Egyptian gods and the mad priests surrounding it. Old Skull Zine #1 - Under the Cover of Darkness The first issue of our zine, focusing on our games brings a new adventure for Dark Streets & Darker Secrets; an organization to help or oppose them; a new supernatural Archetype and rules for relationships. Old Skull Zine #2 - Beyond the Prismatic Nebula The second issue focuses on Solar Blades & Cosmic Spells, bringing another adventure involving Space Amazons and a Void Star cult! It also presents new character options, information regarding sai...

Work on the revised edition of Sharp Swords & Sinister Spells is moving along. This will be a hefty tome, with a LOT of tools and new options to customize your campaign, keeping the style, simplicity and flexibility of the original game. Today I come to present my lateste addition to the draft, a new Archetype for those that want to insert some elements of more tradiotional fantasy into the game. The Faithful is an archetype inspired by the Cleric of more popular RPGs, but with some twist to fit SS&SS better. Following it, there is a sample "God" to use with it. The Faithful The gods have chosen you to represent them in the mortal realm, or at least that’s what you believe. Most of the priests, monks and shamans perform their rituals without any hope to get an answer from their patrons, but you know you are being listened to. Your patron, your god or your ancestors help you and those that they deem worthy through you. Your faith can actually operate miracles. ...

Artwork by Luis Filipe de Almeida I am writing the second edition of Sharp Swords & Sinister Spells , my first published game (a sword and sorcery RPG with streamlined rules, modern system with old school spirit) and I wrote an alternative spell system to go with it inspired by many things, including Barbarians of Lemuria, Blades in the Dark and the great articles about Magic Words written by Nick L. S. Whelan on his great blog Papers & Pencils . Words of Power The default magic system of Sharp Swords & Sinister Spells is inspired by a series of authors both in literature and in gaming. It assumes practitioners of sorcery dabble with incredible powerful and unstable energies to cast their spells, which they must learn the exact formula to cast. They usually can't devise new spells of modify the spells they know, as true sorcery is not a creation of mortals and these can only mimic this sinister arc with sinister consequences. This alternative system proposed ...