X1, The Rings of Doom

X1, The Rings of Doom, my adventure for The Secret Fire RPG, made it to DriveThruRPG.com just in time for Halloween. You get 18 pages of old-schooly, underground mystery and death for $7.99. I recommend it highly, of course, but I would. With any luck, it will garner a few impartial reviews before too long.

I'd love to write more about it now, but I'm swirling round and round in the deadline drainpipe and if I don't keep my mind on the money, I'll get flushed. So it's back to work. I promise that I will give a fuller accounting of X1 sometime in the next couple of weeks.

X1, The Rings of Doom Cover

Earlier this week I got my first look at the cover for my adventure written for The Secret Fire RPG, "X1 The Rings of Doom" (slight title change from the original "Rings of Death"). I'm told there might be slight tweaks to the illo or layout before it's finalized but nothing anyone is likely to notice.

The illustration doesn't show any specific scene from the adventure (wolves don't play much of a role in it), but I dig the painting anyway. It's a great piece of art for a Halloween release, which this is slated to be.

If you haven't tried The Secret Fire RPG, it's well worth a look. George Strayton and Tony Reyes packed more than a few interesting ideas into it. If any more X1 news comes my way, I'll be sure to pass it along here.

X1, The Rings of Death

A few months ago, I wrapped up writing on an adventure for The Secret Fire RPG. It's titled (in a style reminiscent of the old TSR numbering system) "X1 The Rings of Death."

To give an idea of what it's about, I offer up the introduction. This reveals slightly more than what characters know at the start of the adventure, so if you suspect you might face the Rings of Death as a player sometime, read on at the risk of spoiling a bit of your own enjoyment at uncovering the mystery surrounding the rings.

The Rings of Cernossen have stood for millennia. They were raised by a race of men that ruled this part of the world thousands of years ago. These kings were among the first to learn the secret of iron. With it they dominated their neighbors, drove the marauding, blood-worshiping beast men into the forests and bogs, and cemented their rule.

The great hill and its hollowed-out heart were sacred to this tribe. They erected the stones to honor their tribal deity Cernossen (a being who drew its power from the Elder God of Life), the antlered entity that brought fertility and abundance to their plains. Over the centuries, the tribe carved tombs from the hill to hold their royal families and further catacombs where priests could carry out rites to Cernossen.