300 AD: Not Humanly Possible

 

Saint Christopher, for reals.

Let's talk about non-human species for this game.

Now Runequest, RQ, is known for "strange" monsters. I put "strange" in quotations because the people saying these things think that Stat-Trap monsters designed to to play against rules and based on weird plastic dinosaurs, looking at the Rust Monster, are normal. So of course, me being so normal, I am going with based off of scholastic works that actually exist-- I am being scientific. Yeah right. Still using what we now call folkloric sources, which would be called "educated" at the start of the Seventh Century AD. I'm such good weird fantasist that reality falls into my lap. 

   The Dog-Heads
According to Wikipedia it's called "cynocephaly." I call them dog-heads, not "dogfaces." "Faces" is a World War Two term for Army grunts because ring-knocking West Point Officers giving orders to about 3/4-trained conscripts like they were dogs in combat. Dog-Heads have popped up throughout history. They start appearing in strict Biblical iconography since about 300 AD and didn't stop there. Despite Dog-heads being a metaphor for accomplished but illiterate people, I find them the most fascinating non-human "race" ever these days. Yes, they had that convention of language, metaphors,  before 1993. So mixing and mismatching  here's my lore:
  My-Take: Residing beside humanity since the skies were separated from the seas and trees grew on the land, dog-heads have been around humanity. It is said that they even older than wolves or real dogs, those species evolved from the cynophalids(?).  They have been able to avoid going MYTH because of their acceptance of the human regime of how things should be. Lately though, the muslin-wearing Islamic-worshiping mystics have associated the dog-heads with the ghul And when ghouls show their undead essence to to the travelers that those demons have been trying to seduced, the dog-like head of the collapsed corpse would remain. So Dog-Heads have been getting the short end of things especially for the last century and then some. 

PC Race- Dog-Head
   
   As they are canine in nature, they tend to adopt the Character with the highest Charisma around them as their leader. As people move in and out their lives, SAVES on CHARM will be required to maintain loyalty.

Dog Luck Keen Hearing, Smell, and Tastes- +15% to any Perception roll.


   Pilt-Downer
As the Sky continues to separate from the Sea and the Trees grow ever larger on the Land, Ogres continue to face the problem that the world just isn't big enough for them. Wherever more natural folks liked to live, the ogres would have to go away. Pilt-Downers are their last defense against the World Occurring. 
   The size of human children bit possessed with the presence (INT and CHR) and strength (STR and DEX) of an adult.While they try to avoid the World's attention (+10% to SNEAK rolls), they tend to die young (-10% on CON Saves).

Down and Pilt: 50% chance of learning any spell cast at or on them. 

300 AD: The everflowing River Po and its Playful People

Well, Runequestish

 So this session is going to be set in a city spread over the banks of the Po River known as Cataulado. To the historians in the crowd, I'm talking about Cremona, Italy. 

You as Players can play whatever you like. Try me fuckers, I'll work it in.

What I suggest, as only the GM for the session, are the folks that lived in and around the Exarchate of Ravenna in 600 AD, human or not.

For fun let's call them:

Natives- Did you know that Rome never actually conquered all of Italy? Just ask the Veneti and their swamp hub known as Venice. Let alone the Ravenners, that have spit at all the Imperials giving them money for centuries. The Cremonani have a nice touch of pagan as well as torch-holders for this Chrtistdom fad.
   Speaks: Cremonmani , or Ravenner, or Veniti (Latin 3, Italia 1)  then roll D4 per 6 on the PC's INT score.  Vulgate (Italia 2, Latin 2), Lombard (German 4), Romas (Latin 1, Italia 1), Latin (Italia 2, German 5) Illyrian (Italia 3 , Greek 3, Slav 3),  Greek (just Greek), Frank (German 2), Sicilian (Italia 2, Latin 3), or Western (Latin 2, Iberian 3, Frank 1, Arabi 9) 
   Skills: +10 points

Lombardi- Look, you're only teaching the damn Romans how to be people after they forgot how to be civilized. This is regardless, even irregardless, of all the money that they have been holding on to for way too long. 
   Speaks: Lombard (German 4, Italia 2)  then roll D4 per 6 on the PC's INT score.  Vulgate (Latin 2), , Romas (Latin 1), Latin, Greek, Frank (German 2), Sicilian (Latin 3)
   Skills: Nil bonus

Greek-Peakers- Home is so far away. You're only re-teaching this "civilization thing" to people that forgot how to be civilized.
   Speaks: GREEK  and Latin,  then roll D4 per 6 on the PC's INT score.  Vulgate (Italia 2, Latin 2), Syrian (Arabi 2),  Lombard (German 4), Romas (Latin 1, Italia 1), Latin, Illyrian (Italia 3 , Greek 3, Slav 3),  Greek (just Greek), Frank (German 2), Sicilian (Italia 2, Latin 3), or Western (Latin 2, Iberian 3, Frank 1, Arabi 9)
   Skills: +45 

Romaners- As soon as all these Italians, Greeks, and Germans realize that the peninsula belongs to Rome the easier things will go.
 Speaks: Romas (Italia 1, Latin 2)  then roll D4 per 6 on the PC's INT score.  Vulgate (Latin 2), Latin , Sicilian (Italia 1, Greek 1,Latin 1), Latin, Greek, Frank (German 2), Sicilian (Latin 3) 
   Skills: +5 

Catholic- Does anyone on the Peninsula follow the will of Jesus and Saint Peter?
   Speaks: Latin and Vulgate  then roll D8 per 6 on the PC's INT score.  Vulgate (Latin 2), , Romas (Latin 1), Greek, Frank (German 1), Sicilian (Italia 3)
   Skills: +40

Far Off Franks- Does anyone on the Peninsula follow the will of Jesus accepting our Nestorian faith and our King? Home is so far away.
   Speaks: Frank (German 1)  and Latin,  then roll D6 per 6 on the PC's INT score.  Vulgate (Italia 2, Latin 2), Syrian (Arabi 2),  Lombard (German 4), Romas (Latin 1, Italia 1), Latin,  Illyrian (Italia 3 , Greek 3, Slav 3),  Greek (just Greek), Frank (German 2), Sicilian (Italia 3, Latin 3), or Western (Latin 2, Iberian 3, Arabi 9) 
   Skills: +15 



The Language Mechanic

When a PC speaks a certain Language, out in the wider world, miles from where they were born, the other character that they are talking to might not have their background. Whatever is (the root) means that have a lot of linguistic speaking in common. Failing that the number after the root language can bring their idioms closer to an understanding. It goes the other way, Characters having a root language in common will have difficulties because of their dialects indicated by the number score.

Tabletop Tales: Wobble 2026, "The Nu-World Chronicle"

Over the course of eight sessions played from January through May this year, the saga of Rudolph Viago, Wobbler Extraordinaire, continued.

  

Prof. Vi

 The professor from the Prime Earth (Prime-H) universe of the Mu Continuum had been residing in a between-dimensions spot known as the Groovy Grove ran by transdimensionally-traveling vegetation known as Clock Trees. While great wobbling scientists, the "C-Tree" are on flora time, so he was getting bored. His lover, Alejandro, was screwing some satyrs and hikers at the other end of the woods around their cottage, so domestic bliss was not his lot. When Xver, Primrose Corporation Executive-4 operative,  Xavier Handspand, showed up asking the Wobbler to come to work for the Explorations Division, it was not a hard sell.
The specific mission was to get some specifics as to what the progress on multidimensional traveling hacks of Apple-55 (our Earth, still in the Mu Continuum). Rumors had it that those barbarians, especially the fearsome Canadians, were conquering the main Earth spot of the Nu Continuum.  
Meanwhile, on Lost Earth, the main Earth spot of the Kappa Continuum, the accomplished warrior, Praetorus, had been selected to try to get his species, the Kardaz,  doing this thing called transdimensional travel again. Armed with a sword as well a holder of many micro-level technologies known as a Sera Monee Ol Stick, he wobbled into the multiverse. His picture is below.



His mission assigned by the Vissu Order, Lost Earth's would-be Wobbler officials, to re-establish ways to get to Juxta. That between-dimensions spot being a key connection between the Lambda to Zeta Continuums. The Kappa connections having been severed during the Glorp Blort 4 specie's crusades against Infernal influences from the Omicron Continuum some six centuries before. 

While Viago meant to show up over the skies of Baffin Island, Earth-Apple 55, in his jacked-out wobbleship, the Gypsy Drifter, Praetorus did not in his man-sized and egg-shaped environmental-protection apparatus. Two Wobblers showing up at the same time over and on Apple-55's only Multinational Transdimensional Applications Portal Region, "Map Spot", caused some alarm. Frankly the two arrivals happening almost at once, triggered every developed military in the world to be ready for an invasion.
   It was not a warm welcom to start things off. The Gypsy Drifter was hit by anti-aircraft missiles by Map Spot's forces. Praetorus would emerge from his egg shell to have tanks and a brigade of infantry aiming at him. Viago was ready for a fistfight when he almost crash landed, but eight hundred and sixteen rifles and a couple tanks for good measure pointed at him, calmed his rage.

Next time: "Captivity." 

T&T-is Rules Drafts

 If you need outside ideas for your own creative process, feel free to actually type mine up. By the way "T&T-ish" is a campaign name for a high (higher) fantasy feel not the concept behind the rules being developed. 

The T7T-ish Campaign: the Piltdowner

When Cyclops demanded that the world is HIS, the World responded with less than enthusiastic response. Thereupon, Cyclops not only endowed onto that planet the cyclpsi and trolls, but included many lesser (in statistical measures) beings. Piltdown man, also know as the Piltodowners, are one of those species.Already at war with the humans, dwarves, and elves, things were getting tight. So the one-eyed god in his failed claim to to all around him, let this particular instance rest. He, Cyclops, might be wrong.
  Regardless of how things might turn out, Cyclops made sure to leave his imprint on the World. First came the Ogres, along with the angle's mortal off-spring, they were called seraphim. They and Cyclops, himself would see the mortals around them and covet them. This, of course, would lead to more off-spring. While everybody knows of the connection of the Og to Cyclops, few know that the Piltdowners species are his grand children. 

 

The Piltdowner

  Physically-speaking they are only the size of a human child. They as strong as a grown adult of that mentioned species. Hair grows in all the nooks and crannies of their bodies, it isn't common, though,  on the heads and faces. Like most human-like species, they like to build cover to shelter them when they don't have a shallow cave-- they are wary of deeper ones as well they should be. Like their grandfather god, they are not subterranean beings.
   The "downers," as they are often called, are not exactly dimwitted or stupid. They are though challenged when it comes to figuring out stuff that the rest of the world around them have already figured out. For various reasions, they would rather not adapt to figure out the rest of the world.
   They are genetically predisposed towards obeying any ogre that is near them (MEN at 30 to resist).

They can be very stealthy.
     +5 to PHYS when sneaking.

Their perception is amazing. 
     +5 to LUCK when awareness matters.

The problem is their constitution.
   -10 the any health check. 

The T&T-ish Campaign: Player-Character Origins Outlined Starting Point

 My Summer through Fall Swords and Sorcery campaign is going to be awesome. So of course, my rules system is going to be first fast, then descriptive-- that means that I am going to be using my T&T-derived (REV Bat) rules instead of D&D plod along using whatever edition.

Here's the "races" available to PCs:

Balds:
As old as the sky, but prone to habits.
   Gnomes- Garden keepers gone wild. You also know a thing or three.
   Kobalds- Live in that cave already, the sun is not your friend. You're tough even when burning into a reptile. 
   Pecks- Goblin out with your looks, you can cook-- err um, "cook" means "skills."

Elves
    As a species they are older than the sky. As Player-Characters you aren't so shabby either.

Humans
    Whatever. You know you're going to be the greatest at whatever already.

Leprechauns
    On other worlds you're a king. Step off if you want, at least one hundred paces away at that.

Og
    You're not a Neanderthal, you are the off-spring of Ogres. 

Piltdowners
    You're the grandchildren of Ogres. That is whether or not you want to be. 
    

State of the Hobby For Me

 Say what you will about that picture, but you can be pretty sure that it's not AI-generated. It took me less time to draw this as it would take an AI user to prompt something in this style-- the folded paper and blue lines would be problematic to say the least. Given there are tools where I can produce about a dozen pages of text per day and a passable images for about 30$ a month, this crappy drawing is me showing my Players that I haven't gone "meta" with crafting the scenarios that we will share. Since we do something about every three weeks I could have a whole paperback novel ready to go every time there's a session. Frankly two to three paragraphs, a couple Stat blocks, and maybe a hand-drawn piece is enough for the standard sit-down these days with the regular games. Weirdly enough, I feel my creative energies are being better maintained than otherwise. 

In the background, I am still adding paragraphs at a time to various projects. Spacers: 180° (that means using multiple dice not just 2D6), scribbles to do with Atlantis, and then something about goblins and fairies. As March approaches, I have to get in gear for my GenCon scenarios. May even get serious about revising Crawlspace for a more complete feel and try them on folks at the convention. BUT first, I have to organize the dinner for pre-Con Wednesday night. 

As you see, my priorities just aren't industrial enough for the hobby these days.