This is the 11th structure that will be detailed in The City of Great Lunden book. 20 are planned, all with a full colour elevation of all/part of the structure on one page, plan on a second page, and notes on a third page.
That’s 60 pages of fun you can drop into any game for starters!
Be sure to reserve some funds and follow me on Kickstarter to get notified when the next project launches (early March).
So, many of you know that I am underway with the planning and preparation stage for the third Midderlands book, The City of Great Lunden.
As it currently stands, the book is about 20k words in, with a 60-70k target, so still plenty more to do before I launch the Kickstarter between now and beginning of March.
So, what is currently planned:
Anyway… back to the grindstone.
Glynn
Happy 2019!
I’m back at the desk.
So, not necessarily RPG-related… but it kind of is. I watched the Oscar-winning The Shape of Water yesterday, having only the vaguest premise about what the film was about.
There was a unsubtle hint of green in the art direction — from the bad dude’s sweets to the jelly, the decor, the pies, almost everything. I thought about how a common colour theme really made the film seem sumptuous… It was like a 50’s, wet, fish-p0rn version of #themidderlands — obviously.
Anyway, for any of the my RPG friends that are wondering about watching it…
Suitable for use with The Midderlands setting.
HIT DICE: 8, 12, or 16
ARMOUR CLASS: 2 [17]
ATTACKS: 2 Fists (2d8 each) plus special
SAVING THROW: 8, 3, or 3
SPECIAL: Gloom Punch, Immune to non-magic weapons, Double damage from Middium weapons, Tear down stone.
MOVE: 6
ALIGNMENT: Chaotic
CHALLENGE LEVEL/XP: 8 HD (9/1,100), 12 HD (13/2,300), 16HD (17/3,500)
Gloomium Elementals are hulking, deformed and corrupted Earth Elementals. They favour the darkness and cold of the subterranean where they can track down veins of gloomium, and sate their addiction to the substance, absorbing it into their bodies.
As Earth Elementals can, Gloomium Elementals fist damage is reduced by 1d6 if the opponent is not standing on a stone or earth surface. They can also tear apart stone structures.
After two successful hits from a Gloomium Elemental’s fists, the victim suffers Gloom Punch, and should make a saving throw. If failed, the victim suffers a gloom-touched deformity (see The Midderlands, page 11). The deformity occurs over a period of 1d4+2 days and lasts until a Cure Disease spell is cast on the victim, or until the Game Master’s discretion.
Gloomium Elementals hate middium, and suffer double damage from any middium-made weapons.
A defeated Gloomium Elemental crumbles to inanimate boulders streaked with veins of gloomium. Albeit dangerous to handle, specialists can extract the ore to make gloomium ingots and other such small – and dangerous — curiosities.
HAPPY 2019
And to close… HAPPY NEW YEAR and I hope 2019 is your year!
I bought MORE dice! I blame Bud ;).
These will work a treat for my The Midderlands sessions, and anything with a high toxicity component!
These are from The Dice Shop Online. Chessex Vortex Bright Green.
I also have the ones below already… which I like, but the numbers are not as clear as the new ones above. I haven’t got any extra d6’s other than the one shown.
Chessex Gemini Green and Yellow
And finally, these ones I use quite a bit.
I snagged them for free during one of the Free RPG Day events, but I’m not sure what make/range they are or where to get more. I’d like to grab another 3d6. If anyone knows, please comment :).
So, if you haven’t got the 2018 Gold ENnie award-winning ‘The Midderlands’ physical book yet, now is a great opportunity, while stocks last.
If you want £5 off the purchase of The Midderlands book, head here https://monkeyblooddesign.co.uk/store/, add the Midderlands book in to your cart, and use the coupon MIDDERXMAS5 at checkout – expires on 28th December 2018.
Don’t forget to add a Midderlands map to your order. Why not pick up The Midderlands Expanded, and Midderzines Issues 1 and 2 as well.
Offer expires on 28th December 2018.
All orders expected to be shipped after Christmas.
Now available in digital and print-on-demand softcover versions at DriveThru RPG:
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/261303/Behind-The-Walls
Check out the product in my webstore also (only available to buy through DriveThruRPG, but you might see other nice shinies):
https://monkeyblooddesign.co.uk/product/behind-the-walls/
An old school adventure set in a damp version of the north of England (Havenland) near the Scottish (Scrottish) border. The Romans (Gomans) left their mark on the landscape in more ways than one. Of course, this adventure is compatible with The Midderlands settings, and Swords & Wizardry or other retroclone rules.
The adventure takes place in the north of Havenland, near to the Scrottish borders by the Kelderwater lake (see Hex M09 of The Haven Isles map).
Ebeneezer Garbett, a local farmer from the mushroom-filled valley village of Otterdale, returned to the hamlet with tales of riches he had found. Now, no-one has seen him since, and he villagers are becoming ill with a strange fungal infection.
A farmer from the small village of Otterdale has discovered the ruins of an ancient Goman fortification. Half-buried in a hillside, it has been revealed by recent torrential rains.
Taking the gold he discovered there back to the village, the farmer is unaware that he has disturbed a dormant fungal creature known as the Mullach Dubh – a mould that grows on the dead, absorbing their memories and re-animating their bodies into a terrible half-life.
Unaware of this, the farmer — Ebeneezer Garbett — returned to his farmstead and succumbed to the toxic spores that he had breathed in. However, his stories had already drawn treasure seekers to the area in search of Goman riches. These adventurers, the Eagle’s Talon Adventuring Company, disappeared into the fortress and were likewise subsumed into the fungal colony.
People in Otterdale who had contact with Ebeneezer have begun to succumb to the spores, growing sick and then returning from death as grim parodies of their former selves. Meanwhile, the controlling colony seeks to use these new ‘workers’ to rebuild the glories of the long-gone Goman Empire.
This adventure is intended for low level play and can be scaled up or down accordingly. It should work best with 4× Level 1-4 player characters.
48-pages, die-drop chart to rear. You can check out the quick flip-through here:
Oh crap! I might have a new addiction I need to curb. As well as Kickstarters for books I hoard on shelves, I now have a need to buy miniatures I don’t use much.
Thanks Schleich.
For comparison, this critter is non-Schleich. The rust monster in the featured image header above (and below) was one I got in a pack of plastic soldiers or something or other. I think there is a story about this creature, and that the D&D rust monster was actually designed because of the availability of this miniature. I’m sure there is a link on the web somewhere to its origins.
To be fair, the mini is shit. Quality was not at the forefront of the manufacturers mind here. I suspect that they envisaged it being covered in baby saliva and getting gummed to death.
Anyhow. Back to Schleich. I’m getting a T-Rex for Christmas. Because I am a 40+ year old man-baby, and it makes me smile. However, not before I garnered two more delightful character-killers…
Octopus
And a Crocodile… Yes, a damn, big crocodile.
I’m feeling pretty pleased with myself about these. I shall attempt to weave them into my setting sessions with as much game-juice as I can siphon.
Shit the bed. Proofs have shipped. Getting close now.
While I am here. Two crowdfunding campaigns to advise you of (again)… but these are now ending VERY SOON.
Yes, THE Deathtrap Dungeon. Currently 71% funded at 30hrs remaining mark. I’m on in game maps, so please give it some love:
https://www.fig.co/campaigns/deathtrap-dungeon
And I shall be crafting maps for this one, which is already safely funded…
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2101297466/lost-hall-of-tyr-2nd-edition-maps-and-print-run
It is done… Behind The Walls is coming very soon in A5 Print and PDF formats…
Uploaded to OBS, print proof will be ordered as soon as it’s freed pre-press.
Great writing by John.
Front cover art by Glynn Seal.
In this series of blog posts, we take a look at possible adventures or scenarios that are a really good fit for use in The Midderlands setting, and how they can be tweaked to make them seamless.
For this post, it’s Something Stinks in Stilton. You can get hold of it by heading over here and supporting the good folks at the MAC… https://www.melsonia.com/something-stinks-in-stilton-8-p.asp
This is for low level, and can stay that way – suggested levels 1-3.
Something Stinks in Stilton is a great adventure written by Oli Palmer, illustrated by Oli along with Anxious P, and layout, editing and design by Daniel Sell. Chris Lawson and James Maliszewski were consultants. It is published by Melsonian Arts Council. The blerb for the adventure reads…
“In the 13th century, Stilton produced amazing cheese. Then the Church came and suddenly the cheese trade died out. Now it’s 1730 and the village of Stilton has started producing great cheese again.
You intend to find out why.
An adventure into darkest Cambridgeshire, for levels 1-3. Compatible with Lamentations of the Flame Princess and most other old-fashioned Dungeons & Dragons clones.”
To be honest, there really isn’t much to do to make this fit into The Midderlands. So, without further ado, let’s look at how this can be made to be a seamless fit for adventuring in The Midderlands.
The real-life village of Stilton is located just south of Peterborough in the UK.
In terms of The Haven Isles, you can place it in Cameshire somewhere along its northern border with Linkernshire, on the route between Stainford and Came Bridge – see map.
There are a couple of references to other locations, Wymondham and Melton Mowbray.
For the purposes of running the session in the Midderlands:
The monetary standard used is silver pieces or sp (as befits LotFP).
Murder Knights of Corvendark
Price range: £11.00 through £22.00
The Bats of Saint Abbans
Price range: £10.00 through £38.50
Midderstore
£27.50
The Midderlands
£40.00
A5 Graph Paper Pad: 5mm Squares
£6.00
Midderzine Issue 4
Price range: £4.00 through £7.00
