Sunday, August 16, 2015

Indiana Jones Judges Survival Pack

It's no secret that Indiana Jones movies and their many imitators (and forerunners) are a major source of inspiration for Exiled in Eris.


If you ever can, I recommend picking up a copy of the Indiana Jones Judges Survival Pack for the Indiana Jones RPG by TSR. It's VERY out-of-print, but it's got lots of great system-neutral resources that can be used by ANY RPG!

First, it comes with character generation rules for that RPG. Even they are pretty system neutral.

Next comes the real reason I bring it up: Random Ruins!

The Random Ruins chapter provides system neutral guidelines and random tables for generating ancient ruins and finds from scratch. These rules are easily adaptable to any RPG and are ESPECIALLY adaptable to Exiled in Eris!

It had random tables for determining the type of ruin, what you'll find within it, random entrances, corridors, and rooms, and tables for what you'll find in those rooms. Finally, it has random tables for the nature of and powers possessed by the artifact hidden within. It's somewhat similar to the random dungeon tables in D&D, but with more emphasis on the types of ancient abandoned archaeological ruins you'd find in Indiana Jones and less magic, which makes it more appropriate for Exiled in Eris.

Seriously, I'm going to create something like this for Exiled in Eris very soon.

Third, there are rules for making interesting chase scenes without mapping out everything first.

Also included is a handy conversion from the English alphabet to Cuneiform, Heiroglyphs, Greek, and Runes, and a few maps of actual historical ruined sites such as Knossos, Karnak, Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Giganteja, and Khosabad.

Here's a link to Amazon, and also eBay

Thursday, July 30, 2015

Outline for Acik Sehir Supplement

I'm starting work on a source book covering The Free City of Acik Sehir. This is going to take a few months of writing and illustrating and laying out. I've put together of an outline of what I'm planning to cover.




  1. Introduction
    1. How to Use this Supplement
    2. Inspiration
  2. Why Come to Acik-Sehir?
    1. Trade
      1. Raganan, Zinjani, Norukaran, and Kaidan traders
    2. Exploration
      1. Vrildarian scholars, Raganan, Demetrian and Ohnan explorers, Deru prospectors
    3. Intrigue
      1. Agents of the Demetrian Resistance, Inquisitors of the Syntechnium, Agents of Imperial Intelligence, Raganan agents
    4. Opportunity
      1. Demetrian refugees, former POWs, mercenaries, entrepreneurs, Raganan
    5. Recreation
      1. Prospectors, soldiers, traders, explorers
  3. Welcome Traveller
    1. Riverboat
      1. Last navigable point before Falls of Kanos.
      2. riverboat access upriver to Rudos and Yurk
    2. Arriving by Airship
      1. Coming from Ragana
        1. The Cliffs of Gava
      2. Coming from Cydoria
        1. Apparian Mountains
        2. Crossing the Mazizi Rift - pirates of Dazumi
        3. The Gatan plains
        4. The Loka Loka Mountains and the Erisian Plateau
      3. More remote visitors: Bansya, Sya, Gallo, Yarpa, etc.
    3. Arriving by Land
      1. Coming from Ragana
        1. Must ascend the Cliffs of Gava at one of two points: city of Ragana or the Falls of Kanos
      2. Coming from Cydoria
        1. Must travel north to Tagrum to avoid Mazizi Rift, then travel across Awa and Gatas.
      3. Coming from other directions: Bansya, Sakata, Gallo
        1. Very rare.
        2. Bansyans must travel down the west coast, skirting the western mountain range and the Cliffs of Gava, then cross the Valley of No Return in order to avoid the choking ash and lava fields of Agnia and the vast desert of Narvus.
        3. Galloans, meanwhile, might take a ship up the Gulf of Vermo and travel to the Falls of Kanos.
        4. Sakatans would travel south through the haunted lands of Haru and across the plains of Gatas and over the Loka Loka mountains, else they would travel through the dangerous badlands of Mung and through the mountainous kingdom of Otar.
  4. Customs
    1. The kingdom of Ragana requires all travellers to Acik-Sehir to register upon arrival. Passports are not required. All visitors are welcome to Free City. Only Raganans with valid passports are allowed entry to the Old City.
    2. Personal weapons are allowed in the Free City. Heavy weapons are not allowed.
    3. Trade goods are inspected to ensure nothing dangerous is allowed into the city, but there are otherwise no restrictions on trade.
  5. What do you do when you arrive?
    1. Secure a room in a local hostel, inn, or hotel. Take a bath at a local bath house.
      1. Accomodations
    2. Purchase a meal or refreshment from one of the local inns, restaurants, or street vendors.
      1. Restaurants and Street Vendors
    3. Other entertainments:
      1. Gambling establishments
      2. Brothels
      3. Saloons and Cantinas
  6. Finding Work
    1. Occupations
      1. Traders and Merchants
      2. Entertainment, Hospitality, and other Services
      3. Laborers and Craftsmen
      4. Explorers and Guides
      5. Mechanics, Technicians, and Engineers
      6. Experts and Scholars
      7. Mercenaries, Guards, and Soldiers
      8. Thieves, Gamblers, and Swindlers
      9. Smugglers and Forgers
      10. Espionage and Assassination
    2. Employers
      1. University of Vrildar
      2. Vrildarian Empire
      3. Demetrian Resistance
      4. Trade Guild
      5. Airship Crew
      6. Syntechnium
      7. Mining Guild
      8. Techno-Heretics
      9. Hidden Hand
      10. Kanli Bizak
      11. Oculus Mortis
      12. Katari
      13. Bandits
      14. Air Pirates
  7. Guide to Acik-Sehir
    1. History
    2. Geography
    3. Old City
      1. Government and Administration
      2. Religion
        1. Temple of the Sun
        2. Temple of the Dragon
      3. Law Enforcement
      4. Defense
        1. North Garrison
        2. Proton Batteries
        3. Deflection Beams
      5. Business and Trade
      6. Other Institutions
      7. Underworld
      8. Neighborhoods
        1. Noble Quarter
        2. West market district
        3. Temple district
        4. Arena of Champions
        5. Merchant quarter
        6. Industrial Quarter
        7. Palace of One Thousand Steps
        8. Reservoir
        9. Livestock Paddock
        10. West Bank Warehouse District
        11. Warrens
          1. Tintazi
    4. Free City
      1. Administration
      2. Religion
      3. Law Enforcement
      4. Business and Trade
        1. Guilds
          1. Trade
          2. Mining
          3. Shipping
        2. Independents
      5. Diplomacy
        1. Vrildarian Empire
        2. Kingdom of Otar
        3. Kingdom of Gallo
        4. Kingdom of Bansya
        5. Home
        6. Demetrian Resistance
        7. Rhakadian League
        8. Phanosian Alliance
      6. Syntechnium
        1. Techno-Heretics
      7. University of Vrildar
      8. Explorer’s Guild
      9. Underworld
        1. HIdden Hand
        2. Oculus Mortis
        3. Katari
        4. Kanli Bizak (Raganan mafia)
        5. Tsirisian Trade Alliance
        6. Air Pirates
        7. Bandits
      10. Neighborhoods
        1. South Bazaar
        2. Outlander Quarter
        3. Trade District
        4. Embassy
        5. East Market District
        6. North Garrison
        7. Airship Landing Field
        8. East Bank Warehouse District
    5. North Bridge
    6. South Bridge
  8. Notable personalities
    1. Krall Kastar'r
    2. Dakazi Captain
    3. Dakazi Gaurds
    4. Dakazi Merchant (hedonistic)
    5. Air Pirate Captain (queen)
    6. Bandit Warlord (scuzzy)
    7. Leader of Hidden Hand (slick goatee guy)
    8. Oculus Mortis
    9. Katari representative
    10. leader of Kanli Bizak (snooty Dakazi)
    11. Tsirisian Trade Alliance representative
    12. Vrildian commander
    13. Demetrian Resistance cell leader
    14. Owner of Cantina (Myrmidon Bartender)
    15. Vorat slaver
    16. Tarvo (broker)
    17. Karris Wati (Norukarian noble, black market contact)
    18. Leader of Trade Guild (Ramanamian businessman)
    19. Chief Constable
    20. Magister Whillick, Historian and Antiquarian
    21. Inquisitor Millet
    22. Fire and Brimstone priest
    23. Deru mercenary
    24. Savant scholar
    25. Drudge laborer
    26. Dim-witted Factotum gambler
    27. Demetrian Prostitute
  9. Encounters
    1. Mistaken Identity
      1. Assassination attempt leads to offer to help assassinate real target - help or warn the target?
    2. Smuggler’s Escort
      1. serve guard duty vs. bandits and pirates for smugglers making a rendezvous with Tsirisian aliens in desert.
    3. Warren Raid
      1. Hired by Dakazi to explore tunnels in the warrens to retrieve a noble’s kidnapped child
    4. Second Story Job
      1. Hired by Hidden Hand to steal artifact from a noble’s compound