Journeyman League and Journeymen.

So, first, to get this out of the way... my posts are gonna be shorter than usual for the foreseeable future. I think I mentioned - briefly - last week that I'd got a job, and it's turned out to be a lot more demanding than I'd expected. There's a big change-around occurring, people are leaving or taking holidays, and we all have to learn a new operating system, so... my 16 hours a week is currently at 36, and after waking up at 5 and doing an eight hour shift, you're not much in the mood to write out big long posts about the bird-bats of Jugisium... think about that sure, but not write it down.

So, yeah, anyway... sorry about that, but as soon as everything calms down I'll try and get back into the habit of longer, planned posts.

... So, Warmachine. Yeah, me and some mates are gonna do a campaign - a modified Journeymen league, which I was disappointed to find out does not mean taking Journeymen instead of actual 'casters... you should try it sometime - it's hilarious how terrified everyone is. No, instead it means making a force and adding around ten points a month to it. You get 3 points for winning, 2 points for a draw/loss, and 1-5 points for painting (depending on size and numbers). It's basically an excuse for us all to build up a 35 point painted army by Christmas, so... yeah, that's fun.

I'll tell you about the games as they pass - if they're notable - and share what I paint up with you. And, if all else fails, I'll make sure to include a weekly update of our positions in the league tables.

Speaking of which, here they are:

Circle Orboros: 6 points
Cygnar & Trollkin: 5 points
Retribution of Scyrah: 4 points
Protectorate of Menoth: 3 points
Khador: 2 points

... As you can probably guess a) I'm Cygnar, b) the Protectorate and Khador have only fought once each, and c) none of us have added painting points yet... they come at the end of the month.

As for my games; an utter failure against the Protectorate - Feora2 is just impossible in small games - and a kinda depressing victory against the Retribution... I tabled them, but I rolled more snake-eyes there than I every have before... and he didn't do much better.
But, yes... that's how it goes sometimes. I'll keep you posted on how it develops, and upload a picture of my Battlegroup as soon as the last model arrives.

... And, in other news, here's a model I painted a while ago and haven't had the chance to show off. Meet Lieutenant Ardin Fenwicks... a name I swiftly regretted choosing after several 'Captain Asda, Sergeant Next' jokes, so mostly we just call him Rutger Caster.

In essence, I don't like the standard Journeyman model, and I wanted to see if I could do better. The answer, happily, is yes, but sadly I now kinda wanna use him for Iron Kingdoms... the problem with cool models I suppose.

... anyway, enjoy him, and I'll speak to you all in a week. Volodanti out.

Iron Kingdoms - Sophie's Choice

The name makes sense at the end... no, I promise, it will.

So, it occurs to me that - whilst I mentioned Sergei's death last time, I never actually got round to mentioning his replacement... Quite rude, and I'll have to apologise now to Orthan - the happy-go-lucky Menite. He's a priest/warcaster who mostly focusses on fire magic, and running away if anyone gets to close. So far, he lacks his own warjack, and has a habit of telling Menite jokes whenever possible. Apparently, he'd been sent off to investigate a prophecy... but, really the other priests were just sick of him.

I love him already.

So, yes - we return to the wonderful land of rural Northern Khador, just in time to wake up, in a drunken heap, with strange metal collars about our throats. After several minutes of groans, "could you talk a little quieter"s and several bruises from Tiny, we manage to sober up enough to realise that we had far less bling when we went to bed...
So, obviously, something's not right. Especially since Tiny somehow ended up passing out - not easy when you're a trollkin - and the collars look worryingly similar to the technology Professor Finnean was working on. Cara - being our tech-spert decided to have a brief look at them. Whilst she couldn't puzzle out all of the the working of it, she discovered three important things: a) she couldn't remove them (at least, not without a full workshop, and even with would be 50/50 at best), b) that they were siphoning energy from us, and c) they did not possess any form of internal battery. So, at present, we were just bleeding energy... how much energy was debatable, but something we were quite interested in.

So, we decided to go and have a 'chat' with our landlord, and see what he new about it. His door was locked, but Tiny quickly remedied this...

... and smashed in the door to an empty room. The window had been smashed in, and there was obviously a struggle, but the innkeeper was nowhere to be seen. This was a bad sign, and pretty compelling evidence that he was not part of this conspiracy.

... Not that it stopped Lunexa and Tiny from stealing a couple Crowns.

So, downstairs we found the same situation - i.e. an empty bar - and decided to go outside... after Tiny stole a keg. As soon as we stepped outside, we knew something was wrong... mostly because of the dishevelled old man sprinting at us yelling "Run!"

As he approached, we realised that he, too, was wearing a collar, and more importantly was being chased by more of the Servitors... and, as we were soon to learn, they'd had an upgrade. Cara fired up her 'jacks, and the rest of us took cover behind a wall.

The fight started well - with Tiny screaming four to death, before a minor question lead to a startling discovery... you can only use the offensive shout once per turn... oh, balls. Flying, metal balls that fire spikes to be precise. They quickly surrounded Tiny and punctured him to concussion... somehow.
On the other hand, Spartan and Smiter did very well at killing off the servitors - well, Smiter did, but mostly due to having Electrocution cast on him. Spartan took a ton of damage - no really, he ended up with around 4-5 boxes left by the end of the fight. Smiter escaped with pretty minimal damage, and managed to kill off a few enemies besides. Lunexa came to regret only carrying assassin blades due to their penalty to hit - to be fair, it was mostly just poor luck - and Cara stuck to cover whenever possible, and Orthan threw out several
and, Elyas proved to worth of a weapon with a 19" range, and discovered the fun of trick shot - saving Spartan from an ignoble death.

As the battle came to a close, Lunexa woke Tiny, Cara went off to start her repairs on Spartan, Elyas went off to scout out where the enemies had come from, and Orthan decided to question the runaway slave.

Alright, so, from here, I'm gonna separate it down in "The Group's Story" and "Elyas' Story", because we have zero interaction until the final moment... plus, Elyas' part is shorter and mostly boring.

So, imagine it sorta like the latter half of the LoTR books... except, you know, not as good.

So, the main group joined Orthan to interroga- chat with the elderly gent. From it, they learnt that he was part of a Cult of Cyriss, which had once been the usual deal - do equations, stargaze, invent awesome robots... you know, standard Cyriss stuff. But, then their leader had been replaced by a very different individual - Vladoslav; the Khadoran from Southshield! Cara, quite self-assuredly, declared he'd been dealt with... to which the man replied that Vladislav was alive and kicking when he'd fled.
So, following this rabbit-hole as it went, we discovered the extent of Vladoslav's plotting; he'd become as a dictator - intent on attaining immortality for himself and his lieutenants at the expense of their fellow cultists. The collars, it transpired, were designed to siphon off an individual's life-force to power the soul-transference process - allowing a slave to be worked to death without waste... sorta. In essence, he'd stopped caring about his methods, and was willing to follow any line of enquiry - Cyriss, necromancy or mechanikal - if it led to the expansion of his power.
So, with that, my partners decided that they could not wait long enough to fix Cara's jacks - Smiter could follow us, whilst Spartan must be abandoned for the present. We'd pick him up later, if all went well. They told the man to hide out in the inn, and left just after he told them the combination for unlocking the door. So, they set off - pausing just long enough to beat down some more of the 'badgers' from the first session - and rejoined me as the session ended.

... And, as for Elyas - he followed the tracks through the woods, leaving marks so that the group could follow him. Passing a chapel, he eventually found himself before some remarkably familiar rocks amid a forest. A quick search later, he'd found the entrance - this one in excellent repair... damn. Next to it stood a keypad, but I worried a wrong combination would set off an alarm. So, I did what any good assassin would do - I waited. Found myself a good hiding spot, with a great view of the keypad, and waited.
So, eventually, the door opens, and out steps a young girl - maybe early teens or so - carrying a water bucket. The door closed too quickly for me to dart in, and frankly, I wouldn't want to find myself locked inside... But, a short while later she returned, and headed towards the door.

... Which she knocked. No keypad, she just knocked on it, declared something in Khadoran, and the door opened. Inside stood a guard, holding the door, and she stepped towards him.

Now, here comes the choice, which me GM quite sadistically laid out for me: do I allow them to close the door on me, and risk loosing the element of surprise - after all, Elyas could likely sneak his way quite well into the heart of the facility - certainly better than with two Menites and a Fellcaller as back-up. Or, do I shoot. I have the ability to strike them both with a single silenced shot from my rifle... then I could dump the bodies, and sneak in, hopefully unnoticed... But, I'd have to kill a child.

I was offered this choice at the start of the combat with the badgers, and I still didn't have an answer by the end. It really was a difficult choice for Elyas - a defining moment as it were. One that would very much affect his entire characterisation from then on... A true Morrowan would not do it - but, well, she was Khadoran. And her kin had killed mine...

... The door slammed shut, as Elyas dropped his rifle. He is, in many ways, a bad man. But, that's a line he won't cross.

... Lets see how that works out for him, shall we? Tune in next time - and thanks for reading this far. Volodanti out.

Fauna and flora... no, just Fauna.

Welp, I done it again... completely forgot about an update til the day of posting, and even then spent the morning playing Assassins Creed 4... incidentally, now really wanting to start The Isles Campaign. I've had a busy - and annoying - week though, so I'll cut myself a bit of slack. I've also decided - like the fool that I am - to start Magic: the Gathering by next update, so that'll take some time... and a lot of money.

But, you don't wanna hear about that - you wanna know about the amazing lands of Jugisium, and the animals that dwell there, don't you?

So, this started the other day... tuesday I think, though I could be wrong. You see, just before my sister flew back to Mexico, we spent the day watching films, Firefly, and playing games... so, one of the films we watched was The Croods. And I was looking at all the funky animals that they'd created, and I though to myself "Jugisium needs a land whale".

Yes, strange origins, but it got better... I'd say it got good, but that's horrible grammar, and a lie besides. You see, I thought to myself - why not add fantastic animals to Jugisium. Not monsters - there're more than enough of those things - just, animals. Pests, or pets, or whatever - just something to make it a bit less of 'generic fantasy world' and more unique... think of Morrowind (I know I did), where there're strange insects called Netch, which fulfil a host of roles - food, leather, and chitin which is used as armour, weapons and tools. Really, it's like a Cow with swords instead of milk.

But, yes, so I got to talking with one of the players in my campaign, and we worked to create half a dozen new animals to replace, supplement, and compete with normal animals... so, without further ado-

No, actually, that's a lie. There is further ado - because I need to explain something beforehand. You may remember from the map that Jugisium is a sorta peninsula of a larger continent. Well, I'm gonna make mention of the other sub-continents of 'The Three Lands', so I oughta give you a brief introduction:

Jugisium: the northernmost of the Three Lands, it is the only one without any native inhabitants. You already have a pretty decent idea of the climate - western Europe, but a little drier on the whole - so I'll move on.
Senhekanto: The South-western area, it's the ancestral homelands of the Tiefling, but contains colonies of Elves, Dwarves and Men. There may also be Dragonborn in the north - not sure if that's still the case after the move from 4th Edition to Pathfinder. Climate wise... roughly analogous to the Middle-east, mostly around the Arabian Peninsula. Varies though - the north gives way to a thick swamp, the far south has a pretty good forest.
The Lands of the Kah'li: Southeastern area, and... well, don't have much written about it. Gunpowder was invented there, a sizeable portion of it is taken up by a sprawling desert, and the people tend towards traders... It's meant to have a Moorish theme, but nothing much is fixed. None of us have a real interest in visiting it at present, so by the time we do our needs may have changed.
Aran: Quick mention to it - it's the continent north of Jugisium. Vaguely Scandinavian in climate and culture, once more - haven't got that much down at present. I prefer to make vague generalisations about somewhere we don't plan to visit because then I can change stuff later without it affecting the setting.

Anyway, now that's over... the animals! Which may get there names changed...

-         Standing approximately three foot tall, with a leathery skin and a thick coat of fur, the Rhoniss is distantly related to the Rhino. Whilst wild in the Southlands, it has been domesticated in the north, where they are used in a manner akin to guard dogs. Fiercely loyal when trained, and armed with a horn that can pierce maille, it is rarely seen away from the side of its owner. It's considered poor-form in Jugisium to use Rhoniss fur or leather, but in the other lands they're regularly used as a cheap alternative for clothing.

-          Roughly the size of a sheep, the Giant Monitor is common across all the Three Lands, though less so in Jugisium than the others. It is a herbivorous reptile that can grow to four foot tall, and ten long on occasion, which can make them terrifying to those unused to such beasts, but it is a placid, herd animal that generally responds to threats by freezing. Despite its size, it has a remarkably slow metabolism, giving it little to do but sleep, graze, and sunbathe. As with all reptiles, it sheds its skin – though, twice a year in this case – that can be used for clothing. Additionally, the meat, whilst a little chewy, is regularly used by peasants, as the tail can be regrown, giving the cut a remarkably low price.

-          An import from the Eastern Deserts, the Hyiss is something like a snake with forelegs – wiry limbs that can drag its long body surprisingly quickly. Typically less than two feet long, and with a distinct ‘moustache’, it has been used as a pet by the wealthy for centuries, often seen curled about the shoulders of a wealthy merchant in markets across the Three Lands.

-          Similar to an Elephant, and only slightly taller than a man, the Berna is a herd animal, prized for its meat. Native to plains surrounding Lake Vash, it has been cultivated by Elves and Men for as a replacement for Cattle – which have yet to make the crossing from Aran. Its hide can be tanned into an effective replacement for cow leather, but typically comes out a dull greyish colour that is difficult to dye.

-          Dwelling in the rivers and lakes of Aran, this breed of seal is – to some extent – farmed. Though the meat tends to be chewy and flavourless, it is still palatable, but the real reason is for the skin. Aran Seals are covered in a fine layer of fur, which is not only waterproof but very good insulation. Many individuals choose to make their winter-wear out their skin for just this reason, despite the cost inherent in shipping the commodity. It has become so ubiquitous in Aranian society that everyman is given a cloak of it upon coming of age, and will often offer a cape of it to a woman as a proposal.

The Crot is an unusual bird - a featherless scavenger more akin to a bat than a hawk. It possess two stubby legs at the back, and leathery wings tipped with a trio of claws, allowing it to walk on four limbs. It's head is blunt, with a flat beak covering much of it's face, and several quills extending as a crest from the top of the skull. They tend to be around the size of a spaniel, and live in flocks of a few dozen at most. Whilst they prefer to eat the recently deceased, a sufficiently hungry flock can strip an Berna in under ten minutes. Thankfully, they avoid any other predator - even humans - whenever possible.

And, there you have it good friends - a block of new creatures for Jugisium, to make it that little less generic. For anyone else doing a campaign in a homebrew setting, I'd advise doing this to start with - rather than retconning them into existence. But, well, this is still my first setting that I've made, and I don't much mind being a little behind.

So, yes, Volodanti out.

Magic, and Settings

I dunno how long this'll be, because I'm not entirely sure what I'm writing, but I'm gonna try anyway... Basically, this is gonna be a rambling post about the role magic in the campaign settings I've devised; it's breadth, how it works, where it fits into society... you know the like.

So, to start, I should probably say this: I don't much like magic-heavy settings. I probably prefer low-fantasy to high-fantasy, but that's not to say I actively dislike high-fantasy - Brent Weeks is one of my favourite fantasy authors, and his current series is about a mage in a theocratic magocracy trying to fight down a rebellion by mages trying to set up their own magocracy... Also, everyone wears sunglasses.

But, no, the thing is I'm not too fond of high magic-settings for the simple reason that I physically cannot comprehend what it would be like to live there. I mean, if anyone can become a mage, why wouldn't everyone? You have a choice between spending a years learning to swing a sword and not fall over a lot whilst wearing a suit of armour... or spend a year or two extra and be able to make fire come out of your hand.

And that's just for an individual adventurer. When you imagine it on a civic scale, it just gets silly really. How does trade really work when you can magic something into existence and then teleport it directly to the consumer - infinite supply and finite demand rarely combine well, not least to say taxes would be ruined by lack of import and export duties... and what about building? No need for an architect, because a wizard can just enchant it to not fall down... and why hire a builder when a mage can summon some form of stone golem and have him make it for you - or, hell, just enchant the bricks to hop into place!

So, yeah, basically, what I'm saying here is that, to my mind, a wizard needs to be a specialist; not one-in-a-million, but also not a dozen-a-dime... or however that phrase goes. Think, well... I remember reading on a far better blog that magic-users should be like professional athletes, or other minor celebrities - someone you might occasionally bump into on a street, where it's rare enough that you'll comment on it afterwards, but not so rare you're struck dumb by their mere existence.

So, where do I like my magic levels? Truth be told... I'm not sure. It really does depend on the setting and system. Warhammer's magic level suits it, because it is a game wherein huge armies fight to the death... So, having several powerful mages on each side really doesn't affect the balance too much. And, since magic is a) rare, b) dangerous and c) difficult, the setting doesn't suffer for it.

The problem is, in most rpg's, magic is at most, 2 of these... Under something like Vancian magic, the only real problem is the cost, and the requirement to drag a cart of odds and ends around in case you need to cast greater rabbit or whatever.

Wow, this has gone off on a tangent... I'd meant to slip into an explanation on the magic levels in my settings about three paragraphs ago, but, eh, this works.

So, start off with Jugisium. I did a bit on that earlier, but just to clarify... anyone *can* become a wizard, but it's not easy. Sorcerers are rare, and warlocks are semi-legal at best. Maybe 1% of the population studies magic in some way, and that of course is highly regulated, in state sponsored schools. Mages from other nations have to acquire a permit to enter the nations, and must pass competency tests to practice their art... And, if they desire to become permanent residents, they have to enter the Collegiate.
So this, hopefully creates a world wherein magic exists, and most people will have contact with it at some point or other, but is not so ubiquitous that a rural farmer will have a magic shovel. On the national level, mages and their ilk are a powerful force economically, politically and militarily, but even on a provincial level they're not something with much of a presence... and, barring capitals, they have no say in any settlement.

In the Isles meanwhile, things are a bit less clear cut... for me. I imagined it as a very low-magic setting... something along the lines of the Riyria Revelations... my friends however (i.e. the ones who'll actually be playing in the setting) are somewhat less keen on the idea... so, I'll give you the two ideas, and let you decide for yourself which is the best:

1. Magic is rare. Humans cannot usually control the arcane forces necessary to become a wizard under their own volition; only inherent abilities (such as granted by the Sorcerer class) or divine intervention (such as the Cleric or Druid classes) can enable a human character to use magic. Bel-Yahm, and Half-Orcs are also banned from selecting the Wizard class, due to their human ancestry.
Elves, by contrast, are fully able to understand and manipulate the forces of magic to their own ends, allowing access to the Wizard class... but, their desire toward racial purity bans them from being Sorcerers (barring Fey sorcerers... for self-evident reasons). Half-Elves, by dint of their combined ancestry, enables access to all forms of magic.
... And not a clue about Dwarves. Hadn't got that far to be hones.t

2. Magic is not something you can learn - you have it, or you don't. How you choose to channel it though, is the important thing.
In this setting, being able to use magic is something that you are born with - some spark of power that certain individuals are just born with. Where it comes from, no one is quite sure, but the effect is the same - these people can become powerful Clerics, Wizards, Druids or Sorcerers.
Under this system, perhaps 1% of the population is born with the spark... but, there's no real way to know it. It manifests itself spontaneously, for whatever reason - sometimes a potential magic-user will call upon their power to protect themselves when they are in danger, or perhaps simply to help solve a frustration... or perhaps it will never surface, and they will live out their lives without it ever coming to the fore.
So, maybe one in five hundred realise their power, and maybe one in six hundred decide to pursue this further than the bare minimum of control to avoid burning down a barn. Now, with these few individuals, their is still variance - many will be incapable of anything but the simplest cantrips, and others will require years of study and practice to amount to anything but a simple fortune-teller. So, somewhere in the region of one in a thousand people possess the capability to become an Archmage, High Priest, or whatever...

I gotta admit, the more time goes by, the more I think my friends were right. Functionally, the latter has zero effect on gameplay, but makes a much more interesting setting that 'no human mages'. It's still about as low-magic as you can really get, but keeps them as a viable minority, wherein everything from a peddler of minor enchantments to a master magician capable of changing the very laws of existence can co-exist.

... though, if anyone tries to play as the latter, I'll be a tad miffed.

Anyway, I think that's enough of a rant for this week. I'll see what I can't get sorted for next time, and if all else fails, I painted up a cool Jr. Caster last week. Volodanti out.