The Arkham Archivist

Snake People: A Game of Anticipatory Grief Now Kickstarting

Sun, 16 Feb 2020 11:00:57 +0000

After years of writing RPG scenarios and monster material for others and making kudzupunk gaming zines, I’ve finally written my own small story game. Snake People: A Game of Anticipatory Grief is now Kickstarting as part of ZineQuest 2 through February 26th.

Dueling Lords of Decay (Pt. 2)

Wed, 06 Jan 2016 11:00:46 +0000

This post is in the Eldritch Icons project which will weave a narrative to supplant the 13 Icons of the Dragon Empire with more sinister icons born of Weird Fiction. See Part 1 for an introduction to Mordiggian, the Great Ghoul. Also, if you want to read a more thorough take on the Great Ghoul, I was invited to contribute a Fallen Icon to the 13th Age Bestiary 2.

Plot Hooks

All that Remains: A party member’s hometown (pick someone who hasn’t had a focus in a few sessions, or a hometown shared by multiple party members) is the latest to be visited by Mordiggian’s Jackal Priests. They’re digging up the graveyard where families of the town have been buried for generations. Will the target’s friends and loved ones disappear into the gullet of the ghoul?

Dueling Lords of Decay (Pt. 1)

Wed, 02 Dec 2015 11:00:55 +0000

This post is in the Eldritch Icons project which will weave a narrative to supplant the 13 Icons of the Dragon Empire with more sinister icons born of Weird Fiction. If you want to read a more thorough take on the Great Ghoul, I was invited to contribute a Fallen Icon to the 13th Age Bestiary 2.

As the chill graveyard air touched their skin, the travelers quickened their stride. This graveyard, far from the well-minded heart of the Empire, had been left to decay and to him—the Lich King. When the first bereaved lover saw the silver-masked figures carrying off the body of his sweetheart, everyone called him deranged by grief. But reports spread of these stooped, robed, and gloved men—could they be called men if they could not be seen?— removing fresh corpses in the dead of night.

Prince of the Crawling Shadows (Pt. 2)

Wed, 29 Jul 2015 10:00:22 +0000

Following on to the introduction of the Prince of Crawling Shadows, let’s look at how he weakens the icons around him. While all others involve icon on icon conflicts, the Chaos is their sinister emissary. We may never know how or when he replaced the former Prince of Shadows, but can see the poisonous ivy of his intentions undermining foundations.

Plot Cracks

Three ways the new Prince of Shadows weakens the other twelve icons[^2]:

Prince of the Crawling Shadows (Pt. 1)

Wed, 01 Apr 2015 10:00:34 +0000

This post is in the Eldritch Icons project which will weave a narrative to supplant the 13 Icons of the Dragon Empire with more sinister icons born of Weird Fiction.

When the Elf Queen departed, the heart of the Dragon Empire skipped a beat. When the blood druids took control of the Wild Wood, the Dragon Empire felt its veins turn cold. When the cathedral of Santa Cora shattered, millions flinched without knowing why. Yet the coming of the Crawling Chaos was more frightening in its silence. Not everyone agrees that the Prince of Shadows has changed; none of those who do can fix a date to it.

The Enchantress and the Priestess (Pt. 2)

Wed, 04 Mar 2015 11:00:51 +0000

In part one, we saw the fall of Santa Cora. The Priestess has not left like the Elf Queen. She is not at war like the High Druid. She is simply—missing.

Possible ways the cathedral was destroyed:

A spell of iconic magnitude shattered its crystal surface.
A vital object which held the vast magical energies of so many gods in balance was stolen from within its sacred vaults.
The Priestess herself was the key to balancing the abundance of religions. Without her, the cathedral dissolves, both symbolically and in dramatic physical dissolution.
Deliberate architectural sabotage or a rite carried out by a splinter group within the cathedral.

The state of the city:

GUMSHOE GM Jam

Sat, 14 Feb 2015 16:06:08 +0000

Last weekend, I participated in a GUMSHOE GM Jam hosted by the Play on Target podcast. It included some fantastic GUMSHOE folks: Stephanie Bryant, who’s worked on some of the same GUMSHOE projects I have this year (Book of Changing Years, Dracula Dossier scenario); Yohann Delalande, a French translator for Pelgrane who I met on Twitter thanks to our mutual love of GUMSHOE; and Steve Dempsey, who’s basically the ur-GUMSHOE GM.

The Enchantress and the Priestess (Pt. 1)

Wed, 04 Feb 2015 11:00:49 +0000

This post is in the Eldritch Icons project which will weave a narrative to supplant the 13 Icons of the Dragon Empire with more sinister icons born of Weird Fiction.

The Sacking of Santa Cora

We had thought the Priestess would always be here. Some of us were born here. Others, damaged souls, came to her for healing. In the vast halls of her Cathedral, we found the solace we needed. We thrived under her protection&

The Druid and the Elk (Pt. 2)

Mon, 05 Jan 2015 11:00:43 +0000

The previous Eldritch Icons post for Yhoundeh described her conflict with the High Druid and gave a background on her description in literature. It introduced her strange connection to the powers of nature. Now, let’s take a look at some of plot hooks her introduction might produce, what kinds of priests and others you might find working for her, and how someone might become a Blood Druid in her service.

Area of Effect

As mentioned in pt. 1, Yhoundeh has a magical area of effect which breaks other nature-casters’ ties with the land. Druids are forced to fight with traditional arms and without magical bonuses. The High Druid has one as well. But what are the specific numbers associated?

The Druid and the Elk (Pt. 1)

Wed, 10 Dec 2014 11:00:38 +0000

This post is in the Eldritch Icons project which will weave a narrative to supplant the 13 Icons of the Dragon Empire with more sinister icons born of Weird Fiction.

Elk Over Druid

Those who saw it happen, the Rangers and others who chose not to take sides, said the battle ended almost before it had begun. Druids, secure in their bond with the forests surrounding their Iconic mistress raised their staffs and called on the power of the land—but that power did not come. The blades of the fanatical priests cut them down and the forest was silent.

The Goat in the Queen's Wood (Pt. 2)

Sun, 19 Oct 2014 10:00:23 +0000

The previous Eldritch Icons post for Shub-Niggurath described her conflict with the Elf Queen and gave a background on her description in literature. Now, let’s take a look at some of plot hooks her introduction might produce and what kind of beasts you’ll find fighting on her side.

Plot Hooks

Havoc Among the Halflings: the noxious influence of the Wood is extending into one of the Halfling towns that sit near its borders (Old Town, Twist, or Burrow on the map). This may include attacks by The Goat’s minions or a taint spreading among the Halflings or their farms/livestock. Can you quarantine it? Or is hope lost and should you cover their retreat?

The Goat in the Queen’s Wood (Pt. 1)

Wed, 01 Oct 2014 10:00:26 +0000

This post is in the Eldritch Icons Project, which will weave a narrative to supplant the 13 Icons of the Dragon Empire with more sinister icons born of Weird Fiction.

The Goat Against The Queen

It began when travelers reported dozens of beautifully-crafted Elven ships sailing from the mouth of the Goldleaf into the Iron Sea. Halflings in Old Town, Twist, and Burrow, and residents of Concord noticed that their elven neighbors in the town had disappeared overnight, leaving neat, empty, abodes. Those with icon relationships with the Elf Queen could barely sense her presence. Many half-elves who remained behind fell into melancholy and some began journeys to reunite with their elven kin.

The Eldritch Icons Project

Thu, 25 Sep 2014 10:00:26 +0000

This project was originally posted elsewhere. I have since removed my posts from that site as I no longer wish to be personally or professionally associated with the man who currently owns it. I have reposted the best here, primarily the Eldritch Icons project.

I previously gave an overview of how I imagine re-skinning the Dragon Empire of 13th Age to fit a Clark Ashton Smithian/Lovecraftian theme: Eldritch Icons. I plan to write pairings of a mythos entity and a default icon. I’ll be doing them in an order that reflects how I see an order of emergence. The mythos icons would not supplant those of the Dragon Empire overnight. Rather, the campaign would be more insidious. This order reflects a move Westward, as though the new icons arose from the Iron Sea.

Lovecraftian vs./and Smithian Icons in 13th Age

Wed, 09 Jul 2014 10:00:53 +0000

Note: the Eldritch Icons Series was originally published elsewhere but now only exist on the Arkham Archivist.

One of the beauties of 13th Age is that it comes with a fully-fleshed setting, the Dragon Empire, with 13 icons who provide compelling forces in your campaign. However, those icons, and even the empire and world itself, are not necessary aspects of a 13th Age game. Players are encouraged to take the rules into any fantasy or other setting. But what does one then do about the icons? In their FAQ, the designers encourage shifting settings and icons to fit the needs of your game:

Introducing The Double Shadow: A Clark Ashton Smith Project

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 10:00:37 +0000

…because the world needs more weird fiction podcasts. Obviously there’s the H.P. Lovecraft Literary Podcast. Last fall, a couple of awesome British guys started an M.R. James “Podcast to the Curious.” And this week, a couple of weird-fic loving friends and I started “The Double Shadow: A Clark Ashton Smith Podcast.” You can subscribe via iTunes or through our regular feed. We also have a Twitter account and a Facebook page for those active on social media.

The Complete Works of Lovecraft eBook Now in PDF

Mon, 01 Aug 2011 10:00:18 +0000

A while back, I released a complete works of H.P. Lovecraft eBook in EPUB and Kindle formats. While that works for most people, some had asked for a PDF copy for their computers or other devices. Creating the PDF wasn’t a priority (the stories are all available online and the two version I’ve created can be read on nearly every device, including computers), but it was still something I wanted to get around to. So last weekend, I got it put together.

Lovecraft Recommended Reading List

Wed, 22 Jun 2011 10:00:43 +0000

Even before I released the Lovecraft eBook, people have asked me where they should start with Lovecraft or what his best stories were. As with any fiction, this is my entirely subjective take. I added my thoughts but tried not to give things away.

As always, I recommend reading these along with the H.P. Lovecraft Literary Podcast if you want company (and for the ones not on this list, the podcast really helps get through them and even see fun things in them). There are a number of good recordings available at the Lovecraft eZine and some on Librivox. I’ve also linked to three below which I especially recommend.

Wordcount for Lovecraft’s Favorite Words

Wed, 23 Feb 2011 15:20:33 +0000

One of the things any fan of Lovecraft discovers early on is that Lovecraft was very attached to certain words. We either laugh or groan every time we hear something described as “indescribable” or called “unnamable” or “antiquarian” or “cyclopean.” And sometimes we wonder how many times he actually used the words.

In working on the Lovecraft ebook project (which is nearly complete and is in final proofreading), I compiled all of Lovecraft’s original works in one file. So I took suggestions for words to count on the H.P. Podcraft forums and on Twitter.

Free EPUB version of the Complete Works of H.P. Lovecraft

Tue, 07 Dec 2010 11:00:57 +0000

This eBook has been completely revised and greatly improved since it was postd in 2010. The download link is for the improved version of the book.

I have completely redone the book listed below and created a chronologically-organized ebook of Lovecraft’s complete original works. It can be downloaded here and you can read more about it in my complete works of Lovecraft ebook launch post.

I recently got a Nook, which is a real wonder if I want to read and crochet at the same time. I’d been casting around for a good ebook of H.P. Lovecraft’s complete works, or as many of them as I could get. I couldn’t find anything that I really liked, but then remembered a compilation of 69 Lovecraft stories on the Australian Project Gutenberg.

Need to Read "Call of Cthulhu"? Listen to the H.P. Podcraft

Fri, 21 May 2010 06:00:11 +0000

So after years of knowing about Cthulhu, I finally decided last summer that I was going to read Lovecraft. I think my Neil Gaiman kick was the main catalyst. I got myself one of the anthologies and read all the stories it contained. While I was doing that, I started searching online for everything Cthulhu & Lovecraft.

Of what I found, the two things which really stuck were the pattern for my crocheted Cthulhus and the H.P. Lovecraft Literary Podcast (at HPPodcraft.com). The podcast goes week by week through Lovecraft’s short stories and novellas (excluding childhood stories), starting with “The Tomb.”

My favorite D&D spell — Phantasmal Killer

Mon, 03 May 2010 06:00:34 +0000

For a little Monday fun, what’s your favorite spell/weapon/tool in an RPG? Doesn’t have to be D&D, but since that’s the only one I played, mine comes from there.

My favorite character was Anya (strangely enough, I didn’t start Buffy until after naming her), a half-elf/half-human battle sorceress. If you’re not familiar with the class, a battle sorcerer/ess is a variant of sorcerer who knows fewer spells than a regular sorcerer but has much better battle skills.

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