Usagi Yojimbo RPG

I'm going to run the Gold Rush Games version of Usagi Yojimbo RPG, a game built on the Instant Fuzion Rules from R. Talsorian and Hero Games.

I have spent most of the last week digging deeply into this 98 page game book and trying to grokk the rules. I do not have a background with Hero System or Cyberpunk (I played one game of Cyberpunk in 1989), so this is all new to me. I have owned Usagi Yojimbo RPG (UY from here on) for 15+ years, so I have read it before, in chunks. I have studied it to some degree. It is a simple system and I dig it.

But this game has issues. It is delightfully focused on Usagi material and feels like it will be a breeze to play. But it does suffer from some fairly significant layout and design flaws, in my opinion. I'll address one of them in this post.

There is a one-sheet breakdown of the entire Instant Fuzion (IF from here on) system on page 11 of the book. Under Actions it says a Hero can Dodge. By Dodging, they can't attack that phase* and they get +3 to Evasion. But the combat rules in UY simply say that when it's your turn in a fight you choose Total Attack, Cautious Attack, or you hold your action. When you are attacked, you can choose Total Defense. These actions are called the Three Strategies. There is no mention of Dodging.

Likewise, the IF rules do not mention the Three Strategies.

So reading between the lines, I assume the Three Strategies was an add-on by the author, Greg Stolze, to better simulate Usagi-style fights. When he wrote the rules for it he did not integrate IF rules into the text. So you have essentially two separate documents that can each stand alone. Which do you use? Both, either?

Here's the thing. They do not contradict each other regarding Dodging. So if I tell my players we're using the Three Strategies, not IF, then I'm cheating them out of the benefit of Dodging. And since Dodging doesn't contradict the Strategies I don't have much of a reason to do that. I want them to have that option. So I'm forced to say the combat rules are on page 11, but also there's the Three Strategies on page 43 and you need both in order to carry out a fight.

Bad design! Why aren't these things integrated? It feels like Stolze was asked to use IF as a base then he added things to it and just kind of let them be separate.

I did read somewhere that the Three Strategies were really intended for swordfights only. But that's not true because it literally says "Here's how fights happen in this game." and the examples listed do not limit themselves to swordfights.

My solution? I'm going to integrate these rules myself in a document for my players.

Also, if this plays well, I might just hack the shit out of UY RPG and make a new game. Why not? Seems like fun. Rabbits & Rangers deluxe?

*Regarding Phases... I will make a different post about that. But I'm not planning to use phases, only rounds. I don't see the benefit of phases in this game. More on that later.

Bad Bunny Landing

Here's a re-colored version of an old drawing. I like this much better. More atmo!

Happiness

I like cool animation. I will start sharing stuff like this on the blog here-and-there, as the mood hits me.



I ran across Steve Cutts' Happiness short and it was super cool. If you were thinking about buying that new car or going on a shopping spree maybe it's happiness you seek...

Krita and the Dog

I saw Krita a while back, maybe 1 or more years ago. I think it was actually last December right after I got my XP Pen tablet. I have been using Photoshop 6 or 7 for YEARS. I was using 6 when 7 was released and I switched over a year or two later. So I was still using PS 7 until this week.

All of you young folks and/or digital art geeks are grasping your chests, gasping for air. WHY would anyone continue using an old, old, ancient graphics program for that long??

Well, because it works for me. I'm a simple kind of guy and I want to use my art tools, not learn them. I dislike the learning phase because it makes me feel hobbled.

Anyway... I saw Krita and was drawn to it (pun intended) because it was current, well supported, and open source. So I downloaded the bastard and discovered that my cursor was offset by a mile. I tried to re-calibrate and all the usual tricks. Nothing worked. XP Pen and Krita did not get along. So I let it go and continued with PS 7.

Then recently I happened upon Krita again and decided to give it another whirl. This time I found the right answer online (you have to set your tablet as primary monitor) and WHAM... I'm cooking with fire.

Below is the first finished drawing I have created with Krita. The learning curve is not too steep. A lot of my beloved hotkeys are not the same (though I can modify that if I want). But Krita, so far, has not failed to do all the things that Photoshop 7 was able to do (well... the Save For Web function is PH is fantastic and Krita doesn't have it... grumble). What's more, I like the workspace better, the pre-installed brushes are better, and the whole thing seems to work more smoothly.

Still going to take some time. I had a few functions built into PS 7 that I'll have to work into Krita. For example, when I hit F4 in PS it would expand the current selection by a few pixels, fill the selection with black, then deselect it. I really got used to using that for fills. Also I had a lot of custom brushes in 7 that I already miss. I'll have to brush up on how to make more in Krita.

Straight inks with some halftone using the #5 round brush... a classic.

Added flat colors with some highlights.

R&R: Ready and Willing

Here's a new Rabbits & Rangers drawing for the upcoming project. This was based on a sketch that  had been sitting around for at least 3 years, maybe more. I had actually started inking it over a year ago and finally sat down and knocked it out this morning. Turned out pretty cool, I think.

I don't like predicting what I'll do in the future because I'm constantly changing my mind and in the end what I do is what I end up doing. Hell, that's what Black Pudding is... just the stuff I do, not the stuff I planned to do. There's a difference. If I did all the stuff I planned to do I'd be the most prolific creator in history.

This drawing made me think about flying rules, which I cover fairly well in the current book. I am going to re-write that section to make it simpler, less fiddly. But the point is simple. A bird character can't fly and carry their normal amount of equipment. The bird in this drawing cannot fly without doffing their cloak, at least. I say in the book that you can hold one small item and still fly. So the staff would be out too. But I'm considering some ways in which a flying caster could still fly with a staff, as part of the fabric of the setting. Like a spell or special skill they learn. I'm not sure yet.

Lizards vs. Wizards: a Very Silly Game

I made a new game. It's about talking lizards vs. weirdo wizards in a post-apoc world. It's 32 pages, cartoony, and not very serious. Enjoy.

 

Hoofnar the Barbullian!

The age of beasts, witches, and sorcerers! A time red in tooth and claw! Witness now, o traveler, these tales of daring deeds and hirsute heroics. Truly these are the days of furious four-fingered adventure!

Hoofnar is a comic character I've been thinking about for a few years. Probably posted about him before. I did this cover mock up in a moment of inspiration. Maybe this might lead to an actual comic book? I do love my funny animal comics.

NOTE: I actually have no memory of how I ended up with two distinct comic book character ideas that are reddish-skinned, horned adventurers. Zarp and Hoofnar are vastly different in tone, but have certain shared traits. In fact, all my Hoofnar art prior to this cover shows him with very red skin and I labelled him a "red bull". I moved to a brown skin here to distinguish him a little bit more from the skinny little devil character.

Rabbits & Rangers in PDF and Print

Bears? Tigers? Stoats? Fossas?

Yes to all.

Rabbits & Rangers, a Labyrinth Lord supplement, is now available in PDF and print. If you like funny animals and fantasy then I got you covered.

Rabbits & Rangers!

At long last, Rabbits & Rangers is live and available for download! It's rascally.

DCC Class: Chainmail Chicken

I'm always thinking about how to put funny animals into RPGs in a way that feels right for me. So here's a pass at doing a DCC class based on the ubiquitous chainmail chicken...

Get the PDF here...

CHAINMAIL CHICKEN

You are no mere seed-pecker, no simple egg-layer. You were born under a brighter star and will submit before no man or rooster. With a hefty blade in your feathered hand you hack, slash, and cluck your way to a heroic destiny.

Hit Points: You gain 1d10 hit points per level.

Weapon Training: You can use any weapon that is common to your place of origin. Upon using a new weapon for the first time you lose 2 die steps on your attack, but this penalty vanishes immediately.

Alignment: You are a free spirit, often battling against an oppressive hierarchy. You lean toward neutrality or chaos but may also be lawful.

Warrior Tricks: As a clever fighter you share the warrior’s Mighty Deed Die and can perform awesome Deeds. You use the warrior’s level advancement table.

Initiative: You add your level +1 to initiative rolls. You are perhaps a little too keyed up.

Aura of Awesome: Something about a chainmail chicken fascinates her enemies. When you issue a challenge to your enemies before striking a blow they must all pass a Will save or be temporarily impressed, suffering a -1d3 to all attacks against you until the save is made or until you take a blow or miss an attack. The DC for this save is your Luck score + Personality modifier + half your level, rounded down.

Flogger: In combat you sometimes go a bit nuts, launching into a wild flurry of attacks that, while awkward and clumsy, can be quite devastating. When you have lost half or more of your hit points in a single fight you can flog. If you do not wish to flog you must pass a Will save vs. a DC equal to the last successful attack roll against you. Only then can you quell the furious anger swelling in your bosom.

Level	Title
1	Squawker
2	Pecker
3	Seed Slayer
4	Flogger
5	Feathered Champion

A flogging attack must be in melee. During a flogging, you make a number of attacks against any enemies within a 10’ radius equal to your Luck + level. These attacks cannot be Deeds and you do not gain the benefit of a Deed Die modifier, though your Luck modifier must be added to the roll. Each time you miss a flogging attack your Action Die is reduced a die step. These quick, shallow, unfocused attacks deal only half damage. Crits count only as automatic hits but gain no other benefits. A flogging attack lasts one round. Your AC and next attack roll are reduced by 1d3 for one round following such a frenzy of blows.

Feathered Faller: You can’t fly but you do have feathery wings. For every 10’ you fall up to 100’ you may make a DC 10 Ref save to avoid all damage, applying the appropriate check penalty based on armor worn. If you are carrying an excessive amount of equipment the Judge should assign a check penalty for that as well.