For my new playtest of Agents of the O.D.D., I'm running a series of one-shots and short arcs, linked into a campaign. Some of that is my own material (like the intro adventure from the currently available edition of Agents), but most of it is adapted from published adventures, including several from Michael Prescott's excellent … Continue reading On a mission from O.D.D.
Tag: Into the Odd
QZ: Welcome to the Quarantine Zone
This week I released a new game for the Eclectic Bastion Jam titled QZ, short for "quarantine zone." It's a science-fiction RPG inspired by Roadside Picnic and Annihilation, designed to send modern-day scientists, soldiers, and scavengers on expeditions into an area where the laws of nature no longer apply. QZ is by far my longest … Continue reading QZ: Welcome to the Quarantine Zone
How to learn spells in Bastionland
I love the simplicity of Electric Bastionland and Into the Odd and "foreground growth" in place of advancement, but I also understand the appeal of detailed character upgrade options. For a lot of players, getting to plan out and optimize their character trajectory is an essential part of the fun of RPGs. There are, of … Continue reading How to learn spells in Bastionland
100 O.D.D. items
I initially released Agents of the O.D.D. with a list of 20 magic items, or "arcana," but admitted right out the gate that I felt it needed a lot more. So, here are a lot more. The first 20 are rituals, which take longer to perform safely; you might only be able to do them … Continue reading 100 O.D.D. items
Collecting magic items with a day job
I love roleplaying games with tons of weird little magic items and strange oddities. They're the secret sauce in games like Into the Odd, Numenera, and (since I realized what those games were doing that I liked so much) my own in-progress game Odd Luck Charms. I think those sorts of things work even better … Continue reading Collecting magic items with a day job
Change Agents of the O.D.D.
I'm running Agents of the O.D.D. tonight for the first time since Metatopia, and looking to playtest some changes. (Please feel free to grab a free "community copy" of the earlier edition if you're practicing good social distancing or performing essential services during the pandemic, by the way.) We likely won't even get to all … Continue reading Change Agents of the O.D.D.
Down Town draft: Into the Odd meets Blue Blazes
Awhile back, I blogged about a work-in-progress RPG tentatively titled "Down Town," a hack of Into the Odd about modern-day urban spelunkers delving into the weird underworld far beneath the streets. I think this game will be super fun to run, so I keep getting distracted thinking about it—but I have more pressing projects, and, … Continue reading Down Town draft: Into the Odd meets Blue Blazes
Metatopia Design Diary: Agents of the O.D.D.
I ran two sessions of Agents of the O.D.D. at Metatopia, a convention geared toward playtesting games in development. The feedback was a mix of things that made me go, "Great, I was planning on doing that already!" and things that made me go, "Hmm, I'm really going to have to think about that." Some key takeaways: More … Continue reading Metatopia Design Diary: Agents of the O.D.D.
Agents of the O.D.D. now out in the field
Late last night, I uploaded my Cryptid Jam submission, Agents of the O.D.D., a game of (paranormal) paranormal investigators. The implied setting is something of a mashup of Hellboy, Planetary, and The Laundry Files, with rules based on Into the Odd and Electric Bastionland. It's got 100 agent profiles, 20 arcane objects, 1 short scenario … Continue reading Agents of the O.D.D. now out in the field
Exhumed: Pamphlet Dungeon Edition
Last night, I completed a version of Exhumed for the Pamphlet Dungeon Jam hosted by Nate Treme—about half a minute after the jam closed at 1:00am local time. (It's been a rough week.) I was disappointed to be unable to show it off among the other excellent pieces, but I figured, hey, I made the … Continue reading Exhumed: Pamphlet Dungeon Edition
Pretendo Games 