Posted in: Role Playing Games

The Power of Gaming 2025 Edition

The Well by Shoeless Pete Games

Every year on the RPG.net gaming forums members of the RPG community participate in a gift exchange called the “Secret Satan” (a play on Secret Santa). I’ve had the opportunity to participate in this gift exchange in the past where I was gifted Mutant Crawl Classics, two Ravenloft books, Teenagers from Outer Space and Fantasy Age 2nd Edition. Not only have I used these in past Character Creation Challenges, but I’ve also ran TfOS at a past SaltCON. I’ve sent my gifts off to my victim, and my gift just arrived yesterday. So many thanks to my Secret Satan for sending me The Well Roleplaying Game. I love the surprise that happens when I open the package.

This book is softbound with 122 pages. The Well was written by Peter Schaefer. The cover art was created by Chris Walton and the interior art was created by Kurt Komoda. No AI was used in the creation of this game. The ISBN number for this publication is 978-1-7364018-0-4. There is a single page character sheet and a character worksheet to assist in making a character. I will be using this game in the upcoming Character Creation Challenge.

The game setup for this game world is that decades ago, humanity has retreated underground in what’s called “The Well” which is 100 meters in diameter and capped at the top. Why? Well there are several options given in the GMs section, but none are set in stone to give the game master some freedom. At the bottom of this well is the last known city called “The Bastion”. The upper layers of the well above the city contain various crypts of the ancestors that, again for reasons unknown, the dead have started coming back to life. The city is under siege and could be overrun if the answer is not found. The characters, called Gravediggers, attempt to find unlooted crypts and sealed tombs to find loot, and hopefully some answers.

The system uses a D6 to reach a target number to achieve a task. Skills and equipment can added to the results of the roll. Additional dice can be added to the pool by teamwork, playing a gambit (taking on a possible complication) and others. The dice explode on a roll of a six, or you can save it in a pool for a future use. I wonder how it plays at the table.

Some of the interior artwork in The Well.

So once again thank you to the members of the RPG.net community. A special thank you to Kid Twist for organizing this festive event. You’ve all helped make this hectic December a better one. I hope that my contribution gives as much joy as I’ve received.

Have you had a chance to play The Well? Do you have any questions about this RPG? This article is open for discussion on the TardisCaptain dot Com Discord server. You can also email me at Carl (at) TardisCaptain.com or click on my social media links with any comments.

Posted in: Quotes, Star Trek

Daily Star Trek Quotes: December 22-28

How I feel after a sudden death in the family.

Here are the Daily Star Trek Quotes that will appear on the @STrekQuotes Mastodon account and the @STrekQuotes Bluesky account for the week of December 22nd through December 28th. Note: Because Twitter/X will use posts to train AI, we will no longer be posting on that platform. This is out of respect for the owners of Star Trek.

December 22
“That’s one trick you won’t be able to use again when we get back.” Janeway “I have more.” Chakotay- Ex Post Facto, Stardate: Unknown #StarTrek #StarTrekVOY #IDIC #Quote

December 23
Happy Birthday to Noel Wells. https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/No%C3%ABl_Wells #StarTrek #StarTrekLowerDecks #StarTrekStrangeNewWorlds #IDIC #Quote

“We’ll be friends, no matter what our ranks are. We’re going to spend tons of time hanging out, and talking about science, and telling jokes, and, you know, do all the things we used to do. And that’s an order!” Tendi “Yes, ma’am!” Rutherford “Oh my gosh, I just gave my first order.” Tendi- I Have No Bones Yet I Must Flee, Stardate: Unknown #StarTrek #StarTrekLowerDecks #IDIC #Quote

December 24
“Hear all, trust nothing” (190th Rule of Acquisition) Captain Sisko and Nog- Call to Arms, Stardate: Unknown #StarTrek #StarTrekDS9 #IDIC #Quote

December 25
“Merry Christmas, uncle.” Rene “And Merry Christmas to you too.” Picard- Star Trek Generations, Stardate: 48650.1 #StarTrek #StarTrekFilm #IDIC #Quote

December 26
“Sorry, fellas… bank must be closed today.” Tucker- Acquisition, Date: Unknown #StarTrek #StarTrekENT #IDIC #Quote

December 27
Happy Birthday to Wilson Cruz. https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Wilson_Cruz #StarTrek #StarTrekDiscovery #IDIC #Quote

“Ever since Jinaal, I’ve been trying to figure out what it means, this change inside of me, or whatever it is. I’m not sure if this will give me the answers, but it might. And at the very least, I can help him. I know I can.” Dr. Culber- Life Itself, Stardate: Unknown #StarTrek #StarTrekDiscovery #IDIC #Quote

December 28
Remembering Nichelle Nichols who was born on this date in 1932. https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Nichelle_Nichols #StarTrek #StarTrekTOS #StarTrekFilm #StarTrekDS9 #StarTrekProdigy #IDIC #Quote

“There is no shame in serving others when one does it of his own free will.” Uhura- Once Upon a Planet, Stardate: 5591.2 #StarTrek #StarTrekTAS #IDIC #Quote

What are your favorite daily Star Trek quotes selected for this week? This article is open for discussion on the TardisCaptain dot Com Discord server. You can also email me at Carl (at) TardisCaptain.com or click on my social media links with any comments.

Posted in: Quotes, Star Trek

Daily Star Trek Quotes: December 15-21

I wonder if we will see any intelligence out of Washington?

Here are the Daily Star Trek Quotes that will appear on the @STrekQuotes Mastodon account and the @STrekQuotes Bluesky account for the week of December 15th through December 21st. Note: Because Twitter/X will use posts to train AI, we will no longer be posting on that platform. This is out of respect for the owners of Star Trek.

December 15
Happy Birthday to Garrett Wang. https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Garrett_Wang #StarTrek #StarTrekVOY #StarTrekLowerDecks #IDIC #Quote

“The core is stable. That should take care of it.” Kim “Are you absolutely certain?” Loken “As a scientist, you should know there’s no such thing as absolute certainty.” Kim- Nightingale, Stardate: 54274.7 #StarTrek #StarTrekVOY #IDIC #Quote

December 16
“Things are only impossible until they are not.” Picard- When The Bough Breaks, Stardate: 41509.1 #StarTrek #StarTrekTNG #IDIC #Quote

December 17
“Captain. Striking a fellow officer is a court martial offense.” Spock “Well, if we’re both in the Brig, who’s going to build the subsonic transmitter?” Kirk “That is quite logical, Captain.” Spock- This Side of Paradise, Stardate: 3417.3 #StarTrek #StarTrekTOS #IDIC #Quote

December 18
Happy Birthday to Jason Mantzoukas. https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Jason_Mantzoukas #StarTrek #StarTrekProdigy #IDIC #Quote

“Good luck. Hasn’t run in years.” Chakotay “Who needs luck when you’ve got accessories?” Jankom Pog- Last Flight of the Protostar, Part I, Stardate: Unknown #StarTrek #StarTrekProdigy #IDIC #Quote

December 19
“Whatever we do, we’re going to have to do it fast.” Tucker “What are you proposing, Commander?” Dr. Phlox “I think it’s time we throw the rule book out the window.” Tucker- Hatchery, Date: January 8, 2154 #StarTrek #StarTrekENT #IDIC #Quote

December 20
Happy Birthday to Nicole de Boer. https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Nicole_de_Boer #StarTrek #StarTrekDS9 #IDIC #Quote

“Maybe you get claustrophobic for the same reason that I get spacesick. We’re both punishing ourselves for things that weren’t our fault. That’s it. Don’t you see? We both have to let go of all this misplaced guilt.” Ezri Dax- Chrysalis, Stardate: Unknown #StarTrek #StarTrekDS9 #IDIC #Quote

December 21
Happy Birthday to Michelle Hurd. https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Michelle_Hurd #StarTrek #StarTrekPicard #IDIC #Quote

“Goddamn it! You’re law enforcement for this city, right? Why else would I be here? Listen, my friend was taken by ICE officers. You must know something. You can’t just kidnap people.” Raffi Musiker- Watcher, Stardate: Unknown #StarTrek #StarTrekPicard #IDIC #Quote

What are your favorite daily Star Trek quotes selected for this week? This article is open for discussion on the TardisCaptain dot Com Discord server. You can also email me at Carl (at) TardisCaptain.com or click on my social media links with any comments.

Posted in: Quotes, Star Trek

Daily Star Trek Quotes: December 8-14

When I realize it’s Monday.

Here are the Daily Star Trek Quotes that will appear on the @STrekQuotes Mastodon account and the @STrekQuotes Bluesky account for the week of December 8th through December 14th. Note: Because Twitter/X will use posts to train AI, we will no longer be posting on that platform. This is out of respect for the owners of Star Trek.

December 8
“A sick worker is not an efficient worker.” Seven- Workforce, Stardate: 54584.3 #StarTrek #StarTrekVOY #IDIC #Quote

December 9
Happy Birthday to Michael Dorn. https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Michael_Dorn #StarTrek #StarTrekTNG #StarTrekDS9 #StarTrekFilm #StarTrekPicard #IDIC #Quote

“The Son’a wish to negotiate a cease-fire. It may have something to do with the fact that we only have three minutes of air left.” Worf- Star Trek: Insurrection, Stardate: Unknown #StarTrek #StarTrekFilm #IDIC #Quote

December 10
Remembering John Colicos who was born on this date in 1928. https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/John_Colicos #StarTrek #StarTrekTOS #StarTrekDS9 #IDIC #Quote

“Today we conquer! Oh, if someday we are defeated… well… war has its fortunes. Good and bad.” Kor- Errand of Mercy, Stardate: 3198.4 #StarTrek #StarTrekTOS #IDIC #Quote

December 11
Star Trek: Insurrection premiered on this date in 1998. https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Star_Trek:_Insurrection #StarTrek #StarTrekFilm #IDIC #Quote

“It took us centuries to learn that it doesn’t take centuries to learn.” Anij- Star Trek: Insurrection, Stardate: Unknown #StarTrek #StarTrekFilm #IDIC #Quote

December 12
“From what we’ve been able to learn, this happened eight months ago. Both sides have been decimated; there are no major cities left; millions are dead. Your faith was going to bring peace? Here it is.” Archer- Chosen Realm, Date: Unknown #StarTrek #StarTrekENT #IDIC #Quote

December 13
Remembering Christopher Plummer who was born on this date in 1929. https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Christopher_Plummer #StarTrek #StarTrekFilm #IDIC #Quote

“To be..or not to be, that is the question which troubles my people.” Chang- Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, Stardate: 9521.6 #StarTrek #StarTrekFilm #IDIC #Quote

Star Trek Nemesis premiered on this date in 2002. https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Star_Trek_Nemesis #StarTrek #StarTrekFilm #IDIC #Quote

“I aspire, sir, to be better than I am. The B-4 does not, nor does Shinzon.” Data- Star Trek Nemesis, Stardate: 56844.9 #StarTrek #StarTrekFilm #IDIC #Quote

December 14
“Escort Miss Karidian to the Bridge.” Uhura “How did you know this lady was coming aboard?” Spock “I’m the Captain.” Kirk- The Conscience of the King, Stardate: 2817.6 #StarTrek #StarTrekTOS #IDIC #Quote

What are your favorite daily Star Trek quotes selected for this week? This article is open for discussion on the TardisCaptain dot Com Discord server. You can also email me at Carl (at) TardisCaptain.com or click on my social media links with any comments.

Posted in: Collecting, Reviews, Role Playing Games, Science Fiction, Spy-Fi, Westerns

Modern Necessities a Kickstarter Reward

Continuing my catch up process, here is my report on the Kickstarter rewards that I have received for backing the Modern Necessities campaign by The Scrying Dutchman (that is the name used in the credits of the book). This set of books takes the B/X style rules from the Old-School Essentials books by Nerotic Gnome and provides different options for modern style games. This includes current times (with the Modern Necessities Professional Edition book), western times (with the Single Action book) and futuristic times (with the Cutting Edge book) that were included as part of the stretch goals. These three books are not stand-alone games, so they would need to be used with Old-School Essentials or another B/X set of rules. The level I backed included the PDFs as well as POD versions from DriveThruRPG. So far, I’ve been pleased with my POD purchases from DTRPG. You can read about my comparisons on this blog post.

The primary book is Modern Necessities Professional Edition. The two add-on books would need this book first. The ISBN for this softbound book is 2-370021-833733 and has 170 pages. While the cover has some color on it, all of the artwork is black and white. The cover was drawn by Noeland Collins with interior art provided by Galen Pejeau, Jonathan Torres, Carlos Castilho, Adam Black, Earl Geier, Jeshields and The Wonkee. The last two were listed that way in the credits.

The chapters covered in this book are Gameplay (primarily the use of modern firearms and a couple of optional skills system that can be used in OSR style games). New Classes (such as Crook, Detective, Face, Heavy Gunner, Hired Killer, Martial Artist, Medic, Ninja, Psychonaut (drug powered users of magic or mental powers), Sapper, Scout, Secret Agent, Sniper, Soldier, Survivalist, Tech Expert, Treasure Hunter (think Laura Croft), Vigilante (think Punisher) and Wheelman. Racial Traits used in modern based games (Dwarf, Elf, Gnome, Halfling, Half-Orc and Human). Chapter five covers all of the different weapons both modern and racial (such as the differences between a dwarven or elfin gun).

The next two chapters covers different types of armor and equipment. Magical items comes up in the next chapter (magically enhanced gun anyone?). Chapter nine tells us about the vehicles used within Modern Necessities.

Chapter ten takes us into a new section of the book, Technomancy. The use of magic with technology. I love the spell Crypto that converts physical monetary items into cryptocurrency. When you try to convert it back again, there’s a chance that the money/treasure returns at a lower value. In a similar vein, chapter 11 covers Psionics.

Chapters 12 and 13 provide information on NPCs and Hired Help. Kind of like a monster manual and lists of hirelings for modern times. There are some common types here (street punks, security guards, grey aliens, etc.) and some may be supernatural or alien in origin. I remember seeing a similar listing in the White Lies RPG and thinking how helpful it was. One of the opponents is obviously the Terminator with the serial numbers filed off.

The Extra Rules chapter is like a GMs section with information on how to make the game more cinematic. There are other rules that make the game unique if the GM wishes to add them. This is then followed by the Loot Tables in the next chapter. Different items that can be dropped by civilians, criminals, law enforcement, etc. The sixteenth chapter provides some different plot hooks with the last chapter presenting an introductory adventure for the GM to use.

Some of the examples of artwork used in Modern Necessities.

By contrast the two additional books, Cutting Edge and Single Action, have a smaller page count, 75 pages and 47 pages respectively. The ISBN for Cutting Edge is 2-370022-615949 and 2-370022-616014 for Single Action. Cutting Edge expands the Modern Necessities with information for cyberpunk and space opera games. This includes more technomancy spells, cybernetic implants, mechs, beam weapons and more. Some of the NPCs and Opponents include those inspired by Aliens, Predator, Blade Runner and more. Single Action allows the GM to run a western themed campaign with or without magic. Both books contain new character classes (six new for Cutting Edge and seven new for Single Action) and equipment.

Hey look, another familiar name.

Overall I got excited looking over these books. This is something that I could have homebrewed myself and seeing the ideas already in print give me energy as per my favorite Ray Bradbury quote. I inquired about a character sheet for Modern Necessities as I want to use this game in the upcoming Character Creation Challenge. The Scrying Dutchman responded that he was only planning to use the Old-School Essentials sheet, but he seemed open to the idea of generating a specific sheet for this game. While I love the art in the books, I was a little confused by one thing. It shows the different fantasy races in modern equipment and garb, but one race in particular was used in different pieces of art. The devil-looking Tieflings. Yet there were not gaming information for this race in Modern Necessities or the Old-School Essentials Advanced Fantasy Player’s Tomb. I’m sure it wouldn’t be that difficult to port the races over, especially after the players see the artwork showing goblin, tiefling and draconian characters in the book. After reading the Skill Throw System and the 2d6 Skill System, I wonder how these would play at the table. Overall I’m very happy backing this project because I started thinking about how I could use the information in a game. I don’t know if I could pull this off as a one-shot for SaltCON or try to put together a campaign. I guess it would have to depend upon finding players to sit at the table and when I get the last stretch goal reward of Bunker on the Borderlands which has an adventure in it. But these books made me want to write and homebrew for roleplaying games.

Do you have any questions about Modern Necessities or the two companion books? Have you backed any Kickstarters lately? Tell me about it. This article is open for discussion on the TardisCaptain dot Com Discord server. You can also email me at Carl (at) TardisCaptain.com with any comments.

Posted in: Collecting, Role Playing Games

National Dice Day 2025

My leather dice bag.

As I’ve posted before, December 4th is National Dice Day. I was wondering what I was going to post about for this year. In the past I had reviewed various dice products or showed off some of my collection, but I wanted to do something different. The original idea fell through (mostly because the artists working on it hadn’t completed it yet, so hopefully a future blog post) but while talking with a friend inspiration struck.

Today I’m going to talk about something that every gamer should have for their dice. Dice Bags. The old joke is that gamers would have Crown Royal bags to use to hold their dice. But I was never much of a drinker. So for the longest time I was trying to find a good dice bag. Sometimes you can find them for sale at conventions. I’ve also seen some unique ones where they store some dice but also roll out to be a place where you can roll the dice. I haven’t picked up one of those yet, but I have picked up a few others. My main dice bag (pictured above) is a hand made leather bag that is very sturdy. It would have to be to travel around in my Convention Backpack. I don’t recall who made it, or how much I spent on it, but I know it’s served me very faithfully for years. It holds a TON of dice to the point where I have to get some snack bags to separate out some of the different dice sets. This makes it easier to grab when I’m sitting down at the table.

Side view of the dice holder with locking battleaxe.
Top down view showing the interior and lid with battleaxe key to the side.

Earlier this year at a farmers market I found some local makers who were selling roleplaying game gadgets to use at the table. One that caught my eye that I picked up for the Geek Wife was this purple die holder that had a rotating lid that locked down with a “battleaxe key”. She was quite impressed when we gave it to her for Mother’s Day.

And speaking of local makers, I have two other dice bags from a friend who is also on my Discord. Sarah uses her skills at crocheting to make dice bags for sale. I had purchased one to go with a past Secret Satan gift that I had sent off. The receiver wanted something local so I had purchased one of Sarah’s from The Queen’s Realm where she had them on consignment. I then went back and purchased another one to hold some poker chips that I’ve used for various games such as Star Trek Adventures and others. She is still selling a bunch of them and I offered to show them here in this blog post. If you are interested in picking one up, she uses the handle of Arsenic_Angel on the TardisCaptain dot com Discord server under the #-promote-yourself channel.

As you can see, they come in different sizes and colors. Some have metal holders to close up the drawstrings. Yes that is a pokeyball for Pokemon fans. The one I’ve been using for my poker chips has held up quite nicely.

So happy Dice Day everyone. I hope that the dice fall in your favor for your next gaming session.

Do you have any questions about these dice bags? Do you have a unique dice bag that you’d like to share? This article is open for discussion on the TardisCaptain dot Com Discord server. You can also email me at Carl (at) TardisCaptain.com with any comments.

Posted in: Quotes, Star Trek

Daily Star Trek Quotes: December 1-7

Trying to get out when the first snow hits the ground.

Here are the Daily Star Trek Quotes that will appear on the @STrekQuotes Mastodon account and the @STrekQuotes Bluesky account for the week of December 1st through December 7th. Note: Because Twitter/X will use posts to train AI, we will no longer be posting on that platform. This is out of respect for the owners of Star Trek.

December 1
(Minuet appears on the holodeck) “Gentlemen, if this is what you call enhancement you’ve got a gift for understatement.” Riker- 11001001, Stardate: 41365.9 #StarTrek #StarTrekTNG #IDIC #Quote

December 2
“A-koo-chee-moya. We are far from the sacred places of our grandfathers, and the bones of our people, but perhaps there is one powerful being who will embrace this good crew and give them the answers they seek.” Janeway- The Cloud, Stardate: 48546.2 #StarTrek #StarTrekVOY #IDIC #Quote

December 3
“As far as I know there are no species in the galaxy that have mastered the art of mixing romance and vocation… This is the one ailment that is universally untreatable, you’ll have to suffer through it.” Dr. Phlox- The Aenar, Date: Unknown #StarTrek #StarTrekENT #IDIC #Quote

December 4
Remembering Tony Todd who was born on this date in 1954. https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Tony_Todd #StarTrek #StarTrekTNG #StarTrekDS9 #StarTrekVOY #IDIC #Quote

“The family of Duras must never be allowed to lead the Council. Our leaders have failed us. They no longer deserve our loyalty.” Kurn- Redemption, Stardate: 44995.3 #StarTrek #StarTrekTNG #IDIC #Quote

December 5
“You think my father is evil?” Ziyal “I think… you can’t judge people by what they think… or say… only by what they do.” Kira- By Inferno’s Light, Stardate: 50564.2 #StarTrek #StarTrekDS9 #IDIC #Quote

December 6
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country premiered on this date in 1991. https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Star_Trek_VI:_The_Undiscovered_Country #StarTrek #StarTrekFilm #IDIC #Quote

“You must be very proud.” Kirk “I don’t believe so, sir.” Valeris “She’s a Vulcan all right.” Dr. McCoy- Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, Stardate: 9521.6 #StarTrek #StarTrekFilm #IDIC #Quote

December 7
Star Trek: The Motion Picture premiered on this date in 1979. https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Star_Trek:_The_Motion_Picture #StarTrek #StarTrekFilm #IDIC #Quote

“I would never take advantage of a sexually immature species.” Ilia- Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Stardate: 7410.2 #StarTrek #StarTrekFilm #IDIC #Quote

What are your favorite daily Star Trek quotes selected for this week? This article is open for discussion on the TardisCaptain dot Com Discord server. You can also email me at Carl (at) TardisCaptain.com or click on my social media links with any comments.

Posted in: Quotes, Star Trek

Daily Star Trek Quotes: November 24-30

When it’s Thanksgiving.

Here are the Daily Star Trek Quotes that will appear on the @STrekQuotes Mastodon account and the @STrekQuotes Bluesky account for the week of November 24th through November 30th. Note: Because Twitter/X will use posts to train AI, we will no longer be posting on that platform. This is out of respect for the owners of Star Trek.

November 24
Happy Birthday to Dwight Schultz. https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Dwight_Schultz #StarTrek #StarTrekTNG #StarTrekFilm #StarTrekVOY #IDIC #Quote

“I perceive the universe as a single equation and it is so simple.” Barclay- The Nth Degree, Stardate: 44704.2 #StarTrek #StarTrekTNG #IDIC #Quote

Happy Birthday to Denise Crosby. https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Denise_Crosby #StarTrek #StarTrekTNG #IDIC #Quote

“Helping is more important. Geordi, how can I help you?” Yar- The Naked Now, Stardate: 41209.2 #StarTrek #StarTrekTNG #IDIC #Quote

November 25
Remembering Ricardo Montalban who was born on this date in 1920. https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Ricardo_Montalban #StarTrek #StarTrekTOS #StarTrekFilm #IDIC #Quote

“You are an excellent tactician, Captain. You let your second in command attack while you sit and watch for weakness.” Khan Noonian Singh- Space Seed, Stardate: 3141.9 #StarTrek #StarTrekTOS #IDIC #Quote

November 26
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home premiered on this date in 1986. https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Star_Trek_IV:_The_Voyage_Home #StarTrek #StarTrekFilm #IDIC #Quote

“May fortune favor the foolish.” Kirk- Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, Stardate: 8390.0 #StarTrek #StarTrekFilm #IDIC #Quote

November 27
Happy Birthday to Alison Pill. https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Alison_Pill #StarTrek #StarTrekPicard #IDIC #Quote

“I think you need rest.” Picard “Thinking is my rest. Can’t even comprehend how relaxing calculus can be.” Dr. Jurati- Watcher, Stardate: Unknown #StarTrek #StarTrekPicard #IDIC #Quote

November 28
Happy Birthday to Scarlett Pomers. https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Scarlett_Pomers #StarTrek #StarTrekVOY #IDIC #Quote

“My mom says cooperation is more important than competition.” Naomi- Once Upon A Time, Stardate: Unknown #StarTrek #StarTrekVOY #IDIC #Quote

November 29
“Humanoids are not very tolerant of difference.” Laas “Some of them are. There are dozens of species on this station. They tolerate each other’s differences very well.” Odo- Chimera, Stardate: Unknown #StarTrek #StarTrekDS9 #IDIC #Quote

November 30
(Knocks Hayes down in a fight) “What was that?” Hayes “It was a little Klingon move I picked up.” Reed- Harbinger, Date: December 27, 2153 #StarTrek #StarTrekENT #IDIC #Quote

What are your favorite daily Star Trek quotes selected for this week? This article is open for discussion on the TardisCaptain dot Com Discord server. You can also email me at Carl (at) TardisCaptain.com or click on my social media links with any comments.

Posted in: Collecting, Role Playing Games

Underhaven Kickstarter Reward

The cover to Underhaven with the weathering as part of the art.

Here is another catch up article for you. This is my Kickstarter reward post about the Underhaven OSR Heroic Fantasy Roleplaying Game that I had backed earlier this year. Again, after my disastrous kickstarter lesson from the Cowboy Bebop disaster, I made sure I understood what RPG system would be used before pulling the trigger. For Underhaven they are using an OSR inspired system called TN13. It uses the standard character attributes seen in the original D20 D&D games (STR, DEX, CON, INT, WIS and CHA) and to resolve the most common checks, the player rolls a D20 and the action die associated with the attribute (D4 to D10) and any other bonuses with a target number of 13 to meet or beat. This target number may be lowered or raised depending upon the difficulty of the task. For any opposed challenges, the target number would be determined by the actions or stats of the opponent. Since the Kickstarter website had the system listed, I felt comfortable backing the project. Especially since the reward prices were reasonable as well. There have been a few Kickstarter campaigns where the reward prices were higher than what I wanted to part with.

The game world set up for Underhaven is all underground (hence the name). The surface world was subject to a disastrous war between two fey courts centuries ago leaving it covered in darkness, ice and completely uninhabitable. The various surface races were driven underground in an attempt to keep their societies alive, only to discover that the realms below contained additional dangers the deeper they went.

The rewards for backing this campaign was produced and delivered by DriveThruRPG. I had backed the level where I would receive a physical softback book and the PDF of the rules. The book was produced by Shadow Drifter Games and was written by Mike Brodu and Daymon Mills without AI. The cover contains color art and the interior illustrations are in black and white. I was also impressed that extra funds raised from the Kickstarter were distributed to the artists who contributed to the project. There are 196 pages in the book and it has an ISBN number of 2-370022-177621.

The back cover with some details of the game.
A sample of the internal text displayed within the book.
Some of the black and white internal art.

Overall I’m very happy with my backing of this Kickstarter project. I found the information contained within the book inspiring and well laid out. I wish there had been more on some of the monsters and how they had adapted to the new life underground. But the world has more of a sandbox feel instead of a “forced into this world” feel that I had felt in other games trying to differentiate from the glut of OSR fantasy RPGs. The system has an OSR feel with enough of a difference to make it something that works. I’m still exploring the different magic system, but I like the TN13 numbers and how it is used with common actions that characters would use in the game (perception, dodging, resisting magical attacks, etc.) I will be using this game in the 2026 Character Creation Challenge and I could easily see myself running a one-shot at an upcoming SaltCON.

Do you have any questions about Underhaven? Have you backed any Kickstarters lately? Tell me about it. This article is open for discussion on the TardisCaptain dot Com Discord server. You can also email me at Carl (at) TardisCaptain.com with any comments.

Posted in: Character Creation Challenge, Role Playing Games

2026 Character Creation Challenge

31 Day Character Creation Challenge
Feel free to share this image on social media to spread the word.

We are in November, and this is the time that those wishing to participate in the Character Creation Challenge should start planning. With how 2025 has felt like a year from hell (just as bad as 2020), I can’t wait to kick off 2026 by doing something fun with my RPG hobby. Especially since I’ve discovered how interactive the geek community has been on the BlueSky social media website. It was really reminding me of Twitter back in 2012-19 back when it was fun and a source of information. I’m seeing feeds as I want them (not four days later like other social media websites). When I ask questions, I get answers instead of ridicule. I’ve made a ton of new connections. I hope you all enjoy reading this blog.

I’ve been getting this website updated in preparation for the upcoming challenge. The 2025 entries and links of participating sites have been moved to their own section. This has the effect of making the main Character Creation Challenge page look pretty blank for participating forums and blogs. If you are participating again this year, shoot me a message and I’ll get you added. I’ll try to search out what I can, but I know I won’t get all of them. This event has been growing every year and now we have reached the fifth year. I can’t wait to see what creativity you all come up with.

I’ve got a few new games to use in the next challenge. Some I had received as thank you gifts from SaltCON for volunteering as a GM, some were Kickstarter rewards. There are also some games that I picked up in different charity bundles or DriveThruRPG sales. Plus I don’t know if I’ll be gifted a game in the upcoming “Secret Satan” gift exchange that always happens on the RPG.net forums. I’m not certain which game will be my Day 1 entry (aka the game I’m most excited about), but I’m sure I’ll pick one for that honor. I’ll have a better idea which 31 games I’m going to use soon when I post my “Prepping for the 2026 Character Creation Challenge” post coming next month. And even then (as I discovered in past challenges) the list of games might change depending upon what falls in my hands.

It feels good to get an actual blog post up about Roleplaying Games. I know that I’ve been able to keep my Star Trek Quotes reports fresh, but I want to type, I want to pass on knowledge, I want to grow and explore. I’m still working on new blog themes such as the Better Plus One Sword series. So look for more soon and thanks for being patient with me.

If you would like to participate, email me at Carl (at) TardisCaptain.com, post on the TardisCaptain.com Discord Channel or find me on social media/message boards and let me know where you will be posting your challenge characters at. If you are posting them on a website, I’ll add the link to my Character Creation Challenge page.

Some forever GMs use this as a challenge to create a character like they were actually going to just play. There are a few other themes posted on the main Character Creation Challenge page. Remember, this is for fun, so have fun with it.

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