Thursday, August 28, 2008

Stretchlinks


Most, if not all, of you have never heard of the Stretchlinks. Created by Uncle Wonkles and Heinous Rynes, the Stretchlinks create hilarious and slightly disturbing music and comedy. Have you always liked carny rides and ukuleles? Did you ever ponder the mysteries of using the telephone? Their website is up and running and their podcasts are up on iTunes.

Look for the Stretchlinks myspace page. They are twisted goodness wrapped in a catchy melody.

Bobby Regus is my favorite of what is up now, but the best is yet to come...

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Tannhäuser Tuesday - Krisztov Moeller v.2

Deep inside Reich Territory, German/Polish scientific genius Doktor Krisztov Moeller works secretly, desperately close to a treatment that would boost animal intelligence. He has been working with primates for years and has made good progress. The trouble is, the treatment also boosts aggression...

Doktor Krisztov Moeller was born July 17, 1925 in Poland, to a Polish mother and a German father. The senior Doktor Moeller, Hans Moeller, was an engineering genius and moved the family to Berlin to work in the Reich's labs. He had made several breakthroughs in mechanical intelligence and automatons. But the discoveries of 1939 in Egypt led the Reich away from science towards the Hermetic and Occult. Hans Moeller's work was shelved and he was let go. Bitter, he took his works in progress and continued on his own, moving his wife and son back to Poland.

The son, Krisztov, proved to be even brighter and more driven than the father. Krisztov specialized in the life sciences and became a surgeon and research scientist, eventually studying the differences between human and animal brains. His research grew more macabre, leading him to transplant portions of human brains (collected by a friend in a local hospital) into primates. The discovery of this research led to his prompt dismissal from the University of Warszawa.

Within a week Krisztov also lost his father to cancer. Krisztov was devastated. But the father left the son his greatest creation, a fully functional automaton and all of his papers and notes. Krisztov's grief was briefly distracted by the robot, learning its secrets. But he soon craved returning to his own work.

Krisztov's lover, Lady Kataryna Fürstenstein, invited him to set up a laboratory to continue his work at her family's ancestral home, Fürstenstein Castle. The place was ideal for its for secrecy and security. While having the RUR 07 clear rubble under the castle, Moeller discovered forgotten catacombs leading to the ruins of an occult temple. Upon reading the arcane texts discovered there, he gained unnatural insight and began combining his newfound Hermetic knowledge with his scientific research.

Moeller has recently begun using himself as a research subject. His love, Lady Fürstenstein is worried, but fully committed to him. Before meeting Moeller, she spent many years in the far east and has hidden skills of her own. She will fight to the death protecting him.





Doktor Krisztov Moeller

Special Object
«Staff of Storms»
Moeller's first discovery in the catacombs beneath Fürstenstein Castle was this ornate staff of great power.
During his action phase, you may choose an adversary located on Moeller's path. A Mental Duel is declared. If Moeller loses, there is no effect. If he wins, you may remove one Disposable Equipment token from the victim's Character Sheet and move it a number of circles (up to Moeller's current Mental Value) away from the victim. The item may not move closer to Moeller and it may not leave the current path. Additionally, while carrying the staff Moeller is immune to the effects of smoke.

Combat Pack
«Book of Hermetic Science - The All Seeing Eye of Terror»
The Eye of Terror allows Moeller to see many nearby figures and attack them.
Choose an adversary located on a Path adjacent to Moeller's Path. A Mental Duel is declared. If you win the duel, the target sustains as many wounds as successes, without benefit of a Shock Roll. Moeller may not target figures on his own path. The Eye of Terror may only be used one time per game.

«Shot of Morphine»
The drugs contained in this small metal tube allow instant pain relief when administered.
Whenever you use a Victory Point to heal a wound on Moeller, you can use the Shot of Morphine to heal an additional wound. Alternatively, Moeller may use the Shot of Morphine during his Action Phase to heal two wounds for another character, who must be on an adjacent circle on his Path. (This also costs a Victory Point.) Discard the token after either type of use.

«Mauser C96»
In 43 years of loyal service, the C96, also called the "Conehammer" has undergone several modifications, the most notable being its 9.63mm barrel, its extractor, and its double cartridge bullet case, all of which have been substantial improvements.
Type: Close Combat Weapon • During a Combat Roll, the Mauser’s precision adds a 2-point bonus to the result of each die (except Natural 1s).

Stamina Pack
«Book of Hermetic Science - Spontaneous Resurrection»
Moeller performs this ritual every morning. When he remembers...
Discard this token immediately any time Moeller would die. Moeller does not die. Place his Health Indicator on the last row of his Character Sheet. If he has not been activated this Game Turn, he loses his Sequence.

«Surgeon»
Moeller is a trained doctor and can provide medical aid to himself or others.
Moeller may use his entire Sequence to heal a wound on himself or any other character. You may discard this Token to have Moeller heal up to 2 wounds on himself or on an adjacent friendly figure.

«Mauser C96» - In 43 years of loyal service, the C96, also called the "Conehammer" has undergone several modifications, the most notable being its 9.63mm barrel, its extractor, and its double cartridge bullet case, all of which have been substantial improvements.
Type: Close Combat Weapon • During a Combat Roll, the Mauser’s precision adds a 2-point bonus to the result of each die (except Natural 1s).



Mental Pack
«Book of Hermetic Science - Animate Corpse» - The ability to return the dead to life is one of the darkest secrets Moeller discovered in the many eldritch texts in Fürstenstein Castle.

Instead of playing his own Sequence, Moeller may attempt to use Animate Corpse on an adjacent deceased figure token; have a Mental Duel against the dead character's highest Mental Value. If Moeller wins you may immediately return the dead figure to the board and you now control that figure as part of your team. Set the Health Indicator Token to the lowest row. You may play a Sequence with that figure each turn until it is killed again.

When any figure dies, place a character token in the circle they occupied when they died. Animate Corpse can only be used once per game.

«Robotic Repair» - Moeller has learned much about the functions of the R.U.R. 07 from his fathers notes.
Instead of playing his Sequence, if Moeller is adjacent to the RUR 07 Rubble Token, you may swap the token with the RUR 07 figure. The RUR 07's Health Indicator is placed on the last row of his Character Sheet. If it has not had a sequence this Game Turn, it may take one immediately.

«Mauser C96»
In 43 years of loyal service, the C96, also called the "Conehammer" has undergone several modifications, the most notable being its 9.63mm barrel, its extractor, and its double cartridge bullet case, all of which have been substantial improvements.
Type: Close Combat Weapon • During a Combat Roll, the Mauser’s precision adds a 2-point bonus to the result of each die (except Natural 1s).

Thursday, August 14, 2008

FIGHT KLUB FRIDAY - Web Site Preview

Decipher has posted a preview of the upcoming Fight Klub card game web site.




You can see it bigger here.

So when the site opens remember . . .





© 2008 W. Peter Miller

Tannhäuser Thursday Bonus - Map Ideas

miah999 on the FFG Tannhäuser boards came up with an awesome idea - using the map tiles from Avalon Hill's Betrayal at House on the Hill as the basis for some modular Tannhäuser boards. He made them the correct size and put pathfinding circles on them. These are now posted at the Black Sheep Archives. There is a lot of cool custom Tannhäuser stuff there so check it out.


Because all the rooms have closed doors (except the hallways) the tiles can be put together in any way.

Beware - The real tiles in the game are too small as is. Betrayal at House on the Hill is out of print and goes for a lot of money ($100) used. So you don't need the game, just miah999's tiles.

MORE GAMES - MORE MAPS

Those tiles got me thinking about what other games have tiles that can be used for Tannhäuser. I think that most of these tiles can be played as is. You can use simple line of sight rules or a ruler or string. If you have one of these games you could just use the LOS and movement rules that come with the game. I would allow diagonal movement, but you can decide for yourself.

There are many games with Tannhäuser scale tiles:

Descent - Fantasy Flight's epic dungeon crawler has plenty of maps for cavern explorers.

Photo by Steve Wilson

Space Hulk - Games Workshop's great Space Marines versus alien horde is out of print. On Ebay you can pay up to $100 - $150. These might be too Science Fiction-ish for many, but the scale is perfect straight out of the box. Great for Aliens or Predator games. You could have both sides investigating a crashed alien ship. Or you could use them for a sewer.

Photo by Rob Robinson

Space Hulk Tiles by jamz - A graphic artist going by the name jamz has created a great set of tiles ready to be downloaded.

Picture by jamz

Space Crusade - This game has 4 large tiles and many door and wall pieces. Out of Print - On Ebay $20 - $80 usually from the UK...

Photo by W a t e r z e r 0 from BoardgameGeek

Tyranid Attack - The tiles in this out of print Games Workshop Game are very colorful. They depict the organic ship interior of a Tyranid Hive ship. Who knows what eldritch horrors lurk in there?

Photo by Robert Kuster

Dungeon and Dragon Miniatures have many packs of tiles that are $10 - $15.

Star Wars Miniatures - has a line of tiles in addition to the paper maps that come with the game.


And don't forget the older out of print Star Wars Epic Duels. This great game has a bunch of little maps, some of which could be of use...

Photo by Daniel Leitl

Okko - is a new game from Asmodee that has some great japanese tiles. These could work great with the Rising Sun (or is it Eastern Dynasty) faction I'm working on...

Photo by Chritophe Arnoult

Photo by Vincent Appel

Mutant Chronicles: Siege of the Citadel - This is another out of print game that has a limited number of tiles, but also has 3d stair going up to the central room. A great game on its own.

Photo by Andrea Lana

I'm sure there are many others. Most of these tiles have grids on them. Don't fear them. Sometimes a special campaign game or scenario needs a new map. Don't be afraid to use the ones you may already have.

Thanks miah999 for the inspiration and for your work on the 'Betrayal' tiles.



Savage Tales is on vacation next week. See you Tannhäuser Tuesday - August 26th.


I FEEL U-CHRONIC!!!



© 2008 Peter Miller

Our custom additions to Tannhäuser are not created by, distributed, or endorsed by Take on You, Asmodee, or Fantasy Flight. Tannhäuser and all related characters are trademarks of Take on You and © Take on You LTD. All Rights Reserved.

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Tannhäuser Tuesday - The Map Finally!!!

I have finished the 1st full version of my map. This map is set up with 4 entry points and lots of places for your troops to get to.

The original map is on rpgmapshare and was created by Marshal E. Sullivan. I did quite a bit of editing to get it to work with Tannhäuser including removing doors and moving walls. I also got rid of TVs, satellite dishes, and modern cars. I widened the stairs and moved some bushes around.

I also added all the pathfindings. My circles are too thick, but I couldn't get them better. Perhaps with some photoshop tips from Malechi on the FFG Tannhauser boards I can get them more official looking.

What I am looking for is feedback on what I need to fix or work on. I must have missed something. I know my circles are not the official distance apart.

You should also start thinking about scenarios, and where objectives should go and what they should be. You will be glad you did.

Now, without further delay is Apt. Complex X-83, located very near the Eastern Front. The region is a hotbed of Matriarch, Reich, and Union activity.


You can download the full size map here. I just (Tues 9:10 pm) changed the map to a smaller file. It is an 12 MB .jpg file.

Tannhäuser Tuesday will be on holiday next week, but check in Thursday for more Tannhäuser!



I FEEL U-CHRONIC!!!



© 2008 Peter Miller

Our custom additions to Tannhäuser are not created by, distributed, or endorsed by Take on You, Asmodee, or Fantasy Flight. Tannhäuser and all related characters are trademarks of Take on You and © Take on You LTD. All Rights Reserved.

Tuesday, August 5, 2008

Tannhäuser Tuesday - Hellboy Summer Pack


By littlewars

This month we feature not just one U-Chronic Token of the Month, but an entire alternate pack!


A few weeks ago, Doc Savage and I presented a complete Hellboy character for Tannhäuser Tuesday. We also posted an alternate card for Hellboy. I took to refering to this as his "Summer Pack" card, since Hellboy was clad in his trademark Mignola shorts.

So, in the spirit of the John MacNeal and Eva Kramer Winter Packs, this month we present the Hellboy Summer Pack:


Making Better Tannhäuser Tokens - Part III

Previously I talked about using a circular craft punch to make your Tannhauser tokens. Last Month I posted all the official tokens currently available on the Fantasy Flight Games website with a full bleed, to accommodate the craft punch. This month, I am posting all the remaining untranslated french T.O.Y. tokens with a full bleed. You can download a PDF I made of the unofficial token translations from the Black Sheep Archives site here.


As a bonus this month, the newer token translations that do not appear in the PDF are provided below:

NEW TOKEN OF THE MONTH TRANSLATIONS

French Take On You bonus tokens can be viewed here.

Sgt. 4th Grade
Promoted by Major MacNeal to Sgt. Technician 4th Grade, Sergio Ramirez Delastillas now occupies the post responsible for the weapons of the 42nd Marine Special Forces.

During the Deployment Roll, the rank of Sgt. 4th Grade offers a 2-point bonus to the die result. This bonus is cumulative with bonuses from other ranking characters. This rank replaces the one in Ramirez's Mental Pack.

.54 Caliber Walker Colt
The preferred handgun of the "Hurricanes" of the 82nd Combat Propulsion Unit, this powerful gun fires rounds of special .54 caliber ammuniton. Sergeant Brown surreptitiously acquired one during a brawl at the Fort Tilden Fleet Club.

Type: Close Combat Weapon
During a Combat Roll, the precision of Walker Colt adds a 1-point bonus to the result of each die (except Natural 1s), or 2-point bonus if the target is not separated by more than 3 circles from the attacker.

Dee's Glyph
In the Forbidden Library of Brasov, the original frontispiece of John Dee's Monas Hieroglyphica has been discovered in a secret hiding place. The father of Enochian magic, he had uncovered the Glyph which allowed one to gain the favor of the Upper Worlds.

Before making a roll, declare the use of the Glyph. All Natural 1s count as Successes. The Glyph can only be used once per Turn.

Mechanischer Arm
When troops have suffered serious injuries, they are sometimes treated by the surgeons of the Baron Colonel Reimard Von Karloff. The casualty is then incorporated into the dreaded Iron Division. Only Schocktruppen of the 13th Occult Division can rejoin their original unit, but at what price…

This prosthesis increases the strength and usefulness of the original limb. The Schocktruppen can, by spending an Action Phase, carry out one of these two tasks, on an adjacent circle, on the same Path:
- Remove a Smoke Screen Token and immediately place it on any other circle on their Path.
- Remove a Debris Token from the board that was placed during the game as a result of a Grenade weapon. A token with a 1-point penalty is immediately discarded. A token with a 2-point penalty is replaced by a 1-point token. Then, if the Schocktruppen spends another action, consecutive or not, the token will then be discarded.

IRINA KRAVCHENKO - SPIRITUAL GUIDE PACK TRANSLATION

Irina's Spiritual Pack card can be viewed here.

Volt-Nagant
Irina's 1920 Nagant was modified by Prime Steltsy Voronin to reproduce the effects of the Volta Gun. The Volt-Nagant simultaneously fires 7.62mm guage ammunition and produces a low amperage electrical discharge.

Type: Close Combat Weapon
During a Combat Roll, the precision of the Volt-Nagant allows the firer to add a 1-point bonus to the result of each die (except Natural 1s). Also, any successful Combat Roll is enough to detonate a Meteop attached to the target.

Reliquary Of Rurik
Son of Haffdarne, the military chieftain of the steppes of Central Europe, in 862 he became the first Prince of Novgorod. The reliquary was entrusted by Prince Metropolite Bukharha to Irina for the Svarog Project.

Consider her Stamina Characteristic column to have the following
Values: 5, 4, 4, 4.

Spiritual Guide
As the Black Angel reveals the meanings of old Krygyz poems, Irina becomes, a little more each day, the new Spiritual Guide of the Matriarchy.

Before the beginning of the game, characters allied with Irina may make a custom Pack and retain their Special Item. Spiritual Guide does not apply to Irina.


I FEEL U-CHRONIC!!!



© 2008 littlewars

Our custom additions to Tannhäuser are not created by, distributed, or endorsed by Take on You, Asmodee, or Fantasy Flight. Tannhäuser and all related characters are trademarks of Take on You and © Take on You LTD. All Rights Reserved.