CASTLE OLDSKULL - Oldskull Gonneslingers
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For those who wish to know the exact specifics: This is a 146-page illustrated book¸ produced as a supplement to Old School Essentials¸ which is a direct translation of the classic 1981 Moldvay/Cook Basic/Expert version of the world's classic Fantasy Role-Playing Game (FRPG)¸ as created by Gygax and Arneson and originally published in 1974. This book can be most directly used with Holmes Basic (1978 blue book)¸ B/X (1981 blue and red books)¸ Mentzer BECMI (1983 red books with four supplementary boxed sets)¸ or 1E Advanced (hardcover volumes originally published by TSR¸ 1977-1979). If used with 5E¸ conversion work would be required. This book is not a standalone game. Oldskull Gonneslingers¸ the 50th volume in the Castle Oldskull supplement series¸ focuses on a new firearms-oriented character class¸ the Fusilier. Contents include: [1] an introduction to the concept and its developmental history; [2] an historical essay covering the use of firearms in the 1970s FRPG; [3] details concerning the Gygaxian approach to anachronistic missile weaponry in the FRPG; [4] a campaign timeline that highlights gonne- and technology-related events in folklore and mythologized history; [5] details on the gradual and controlled introduction of gunpowder to an FRPG campaign; [6] notes on the cloud city of Laputa¸ the cloud castles known as Laputa Shards¸ and the Laputan colony of Corvinia; [7] mechanics of the Fusilier class (ability scores¸ hit dice¸ saving throws¸ experience progression¸ etc.); [8] role-playing notes pertaining to Fusilier progression and honorifics; [9] notes on Laputan spirit deities; [10] details on gonneslinger armor¸ shields¸ and other equipment¸ such as holsters¸ bandoliers and accelerants; [11] game rule details on six tiers of arcane firearms and 33 subtypes¸ from firepots to hand bombards; [12] rules concerning the ritualistic attainment of gonnes by the worthy; [13] rules for the limited purchase of restricted firearms technologies and related material; [14] details on rounds and reloading¸ including 4 types of pulver (arcane gunpowder) and 12 types of ammunition; [15] guidelines for Fusilier retainers and followers; [16] detailed combat rules for loading¸ firing¸ reloading¸ cascading shot damage calculations¸ misfires¸ and clearing jams; [17] details on all Fusilier special abilities (Aimed Shot¸ Clear Jam¸ Makeshift Repair¸ Aura of the Embers¸ Quickdraw¸ Nerves of Steel¸ Trick Shot¸ Rapid Reload¸ Deadeye Shot¸ Shock Fire¸ Brimstone Glamours¸ Mephitic Shot¸ Pyremantle¸ Cinder Spirit; [18] notes on 15 Fusilier-specific spell-like magics; [19] a campaign lore appendix pertaining to Robert Browning's Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came; [20] a campaign lore appendix pertaining to Edgar Allan Poe's The Masque of the Red Death¸ as it relates to Castle Oldskull¸ the Chaos Plague¸ and the King in Yellow; [21] an About the Author section; [22] a Legal section as required by the OGL; and [23] a back cover. In addition to section divider graphics and headers and footers¸ this volume includes 80 illustrations inclusive of front and back cover¸ supporting 39¸900 total words of text. (By way of comparison¸ Stephen King's The Dark Tower I: The Gunslinger is a 55¸376-word volume.)
**
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to have your players dabbling in low anachronous-tech science fantasy¸ with anti-heroic gunslinger characters in the vein of Roland of Gilead¸ Solomon Kane¸ Lord John Roxton¸ Jack Sparrow¸ or even Don Kaye's Merlin-D? What do you think would have happened if Gary Gygax¸ in creating his fantastical medieval history RPG¸ had never arbitrarily erased gunpowder from the heroic fantasy lexicon? And in what possible world¸ pray tell¸ do the legendary Cloud City of Laputa¸ the ever-fabled City of Brass¸ Jack the Giant Killer¸ imp-loaded hand cannons¸ Doctor Mirabilis¸ the King in Yellow¸ and Great Cthulhu coexist with one another?
If you've never thought of these questions¸ let alone their potential answers¸ that is because you are sane. Fortunately¸ in the realms of Oldskull we long ago dispensed with sanity as a petty and needless obstacle¸ barring the way to endlessly strange and fun ideas.
Herein you will find the Fusilier¸ an optional Player Character (or NPC) fighter sub-class¸ inspired in part by Arneson¸ Gygax and Perren¸ Howard¸ King¸ Poe¸ Browning¸ Hodgson¸ and Jonathan Swift. Secrets revealed in this tome include the following: Oldskull lore¸ binding old school fantasy firearms and asynchronous tech lore cohesively together; a Gygaxian history of guns in 1970s play; rules for introducing the wondrous Cloud City and its like; alchemical pulver (arcane gunpowder from out of another reality); medieval handgonnes; misfires; trick shots; kill shots; brimstone Glamours; and more. If you've ever looked for a way to introduce guns to the classic fantasy RPG in a limited fashion without ruining the lore of your campaign¸ you will find this supplement to your liking. Particularly if you've been drinking.
This book has been written to interface directly with the Old School Essentials game¸ as derived from compatible systems under the rules originally published by Gygax (1974-1985)¸ Holmes (1978)¸ Moldvay (1981)¸ Mentzer (1983-1986)¸ and many others. Even if it's just a one-shot¸ why not give your players a game experience they will never forget?
A rather bizarre and thoroughly volatile supplement from Kent David Kelly and Wonderland Imprints¸ Only the Finest Works of Fantasy. (146 pages¸ 39¸900 words.)
~
To view the entire library of available titles for Castle Oldskull¸ Hawk & Moor¸ Old School Essentials compatible supplements¸ and more¸ please visit Kent David Kelly's Wonderland Imprints publisher page.
The Wonderland Imprints Swords & Sorcery Library
Code
Supplement Title
Primary Game Topics
CO1
The Classic Dungeon Design Guide I
Dungeons / Lore / Random Tables
CO2
The Classic Dungeon Design Guide II
Dungeons / Lore / Random Tables
CO3
The Classic Dungeon Design Guide III
Dungeons / Lore / Random Tables
CO4
Oldskull Dungeon Generator
Dungeons / Solo Gaming Tools
CO5
The Book of Dungeon Traps
Dungeons / Random Tables
CO6
Oldskull Dungeon Tools
Generators / Solo Gaming Tools
CO7
Game World Generator - Deluxe Edition
Game World / Random Tables
CO8
Oldskull Adventure Generator
Game World / Random Tables
CO9
Chaotic Descriptor Table
Generators / Random Tables
CO10
Dungeon Delver Enhancer
Characters / Lore / Random Tables
CO11
Oldskull Warriors
Characters / Classes / Lore
CO12
Oldskull Knights
Characters / Classes / Lore
CO13
Oldskull Anti-Paladins
Characters / Classes / Lore
CO14
Oldskull Plague Doctors
Characters / Classes / Lore
CO15
Oldskull Gonneslingers
Characters / Classes / Lore
CO16
Serpentine
Characters / Races
CO17
Oldskull Half-Ogres
Characters / Races
CO18
Oldskull D100 NPC Generator
Characters / Generators
CO19
Character Tables
Gameplay / Tabletop Reference
CO20
Combat Tables
Gameplay / Tabletop Reference
CO21
Dungeon Monsters & Treasures Level 1
Monsters / Treasure
CO22
Oldskull Dungeon Encounters
Lore / Monsters / Treasure
CO23
Oldskull Dungeon Bestiary
Monsters / Random Tables
CO24
Oldskull Dragons
Monsters / Treasure
CO25
Oldskull Trolls
Lore / Monsters / Races
CO26
Oldskull Monster Generator
Generators / Lore / Monsters
CO27
Oldskull Treasure Trove
Random Tables / Treasure
CO28
The Oldskull Deck of Strangest Things
Lore / Random Tables / Treasure
CO29
City State Encounters
Random Tables / Urban Adventures
CO30
The Order of the Scarlet Tabard
Characters / Lore / Random Tables
CO31
Captains of the Scarlet Tabard
Characters / Lore
CO32
Oldskull Tyrrhenia Map Pack
Game World / Lore / Realm Maps
CO33
333 Realms of Entropy
Game World / Lore / Monsters
CO34
1¸000 Rooms of Chaos
Dungeons / Solo Gaming Tools
CO35
1¸000 Rooms of Chaos II
Dungeons / Solo Gaming Tools
CO36
The Pegana Mythos
Characters / Game World / Lore
CO37
The Oldskull Necronomicon
Characters / Game World / Lore
CO38
Lords of Oldskull: Krampus
Classes / Lore / Monsters
OSE1
Character Creation
Basic / Expert (B/X) Characters
OSE2
1977 Bestiary
Basic / Expert (B/X) Monsters
OSE3
Adventurer's Arsenal
Basic / Expert (B/X) Equipment
OSE4
Turn Tracker
Basic / Expert (B/X) Gameplay
OSE5
Oldskull Grid War
Basic / Expert (B/X) Gameplay
HM1
Hawk & Moor Book I
TSR / Gary Gygax History 1973
HM2
Hawk & Moor Book II
TSR / Gary Gygax History 1974
HM3
Hawk & Moor Book III
TSR / Gary Gygax History 1975
HM4
Hawk & Moor Book IV
TSR / Gary Gygax History 1976
HM5
Hawk & Moor Book V
TSR / Gary Gygax History 1977
HM6
The Steam Tunnel Incident
TSR History / 1980s
(And more can be found at the Wonderland Imprints publisher page.)
For those who wish to know the exact specifics: This is a 146-page illustrated book¸ produced as a supplement to Old School Essentials¸ which is a direct translation of the classic 1981 Moldvay/Cook Basic/Expert version of the world's classic Fantasy Role-Playing Game (FRPG)¸ as created by Gygax and Arneson and originally published in 1974. This book can be most directly used with Holmes Basic (1978 blue book)¸ B/X (1981 blue and red books)¸ Mentzer BECMI (1983 red books with four supplementary boxed sets)¸ or 1E Advanced (hardcover volumes originally published by TSR¸ 1977-1979). If used with 5E¸ conversion work would be required. This book is not a standalone game. Oldskull Gonneslingers¸ the 50th volume in the Castle Oldskull supplement series¸ focuses on a new firearms-oriented character class¸ the Fusilier. Contents include: [1] an introduction to the concept and its developmental history; [2] an historical essay covering the use of firearms in the 1970s FRPG; [3] details concerning the Gygaxian approach to anachronistic missile weaponry in the FRPG; [4] a campaign timeline that highlights gonne- and technology-related events in folklore and mythologized history; [5] details on the gradual and controlled introduction of gunpowder to an FRPG campaign; [6] notes on the cloud city of Laputa¸ the cloud castles known as Laputa Shards¸ and the Laputan colony of Corvinia; [7] mechanics of the Fusilier class (ability scores¸ hit dice¸ saving throws¸ experience progression¸ etc.); [8] role-playing notes pertaining to Fusilier progression and honorifics; [9] notes on Laputan spirit deities; [10] details on gonneslinger armor¸ shields¸ and other equipment¸ such as holsters¸ bandoliers and accelerants; [11] game rule details on six tiers of arcane firearms and 33 subtypes¸ from firepots to hand bombards; [12] rules concerning the ritualistic attainment of gonnes by the worthy; [13] rules for the limited purchase of restricted firearms technologies and related material; [14] details on rounds and reloading¸ including 4 types of pulver (arcane gunpowder) and 12 types of ammunition; [15] guidelines for Fusilier retainers and followers; [16] detailed combat rules for loading¸ firing¸ reloading¸ cascading shot damage calculations¸ misfires¸ and clearing jams; [17] details on all Fusilier special abilities (Aimed Shot¸ Clear Jam¸ Makeshift Repair¸ Aura of the Embers¸ Quickdraw¸ Nerves of Steel¸ Trick Shot¸ Rapid Reload¸ Deadeye Shot¸ Shock Fire¸ Brimstone Glamours¸ Mephitic Shot¸ Pyremantle¸ Cinder Spirit; [18] notes on 15 Fusilier-specific spell-like magics; [19] a campaign lore appendix pertaining to Robert Browning's Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came; [20] a campaign lore appendix pertaining to Edgar Allan Poe's The Masque of the Red Death¸ as it relates to Castle Oldskull¸ the Chaos Plague¸ and the King in Yellow; [21] an About the Author section; [22] a Legal section as required by the OGL; and [23] a back cover. In addition to section divider graphics and headers and footers¸ this volume includes 80 illustrations inclusive of front and back cover¸ supporting 39¸900 total words of text. (By way of comparison¸ Stephen King's The Dark Tower I: The Gunslinger is a 55¸376-word volume.)
**
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to have your players dabbling in low anachronous-tech science fantasy¸ with anti-heroic gunslinger characters in the vein of Roland of Gilead¸ Solomon Kane¸ Lord John Roxton¸ Jack Sparrow¸ or even Don Kaye's Merlin-D? What do you think would have happened if Gary Gygax¸ in creating his fantastical medieval history RPG¸ had never arbitrarily erased gunpowder from the heroic fantasy lexicon? And in what possible world¸ pray tell¸ do the legendary Cloud City of Laputa¸ the ever-fabled City of Brass¸ Jack the Giant Killer¸ imp-loaded hand cannons¸ Doctor Mirabilis¸ the King in Yellow¸ and Great Cthulhu coexist with one another?
If you've never thought of these questions¸ let alo