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Crikey, it only seems like ten minutes since Dirk and Blythy started up their podcast about returning to gaming after a gap to do adult things. It’s Old School by inclination, but willing to try new things. I’m a big fan and regular attendee of the Grogmeets, the small convention organised for fans of the podcast, both held locally in Manchester in the winter or the virtual ones.

• 10 Years of The GROGNARD Files

A quick bit of writing before I get dragged off to a University Open Day by my daughter this morning. This is the start of the How to Be a Sky Pirate chapter of Sky Pirates of the Floating Realms.  

There are many reasons why people become sky pirates, including the following.

1.       Out of necessity. Many communities cling to small sky islands and don’t have enough land for even meagre subsistence farming. So, the more able members of these remote communities end up “fishing” in the sky lanes for food and other resources.

2.       As a result of being exiled. Large, organised sky island communities tend to be highly organised and laden with rules and laws simply to survive. The threat of being cast out and abandoned on a distant floating sky rock is something that many lawmakers use to keep their people in line. Also, many communities will have an annual casting of the stones. Where two or more candidates for exile, people who have broken local laws or are simply intolerable in the eyes of their community, receive votes in the form of a stone with their name on it. The candidate with the most must leave the island for a set period (say ten to twenty years) or for life.  

3.       They are misfits. Like being exiled, but a choice rather than something being imposed upon them. Freethinkers, revolutionaries or out-and-out oddballs choose a life aboard a pirate ship, free to explore their ideas and be themselves.

4.       Freed prisoner. Some Tyrants have Sky-Island Prisons, where those who break their laws or simply get on their wrong side end up. The prisons range from camps made up of huts or tents, where the inmates labour in the fields, to highly secure fortresses, where there is a daily schedule of lockdowns, exercise in the yard, and sessions in the workshop making crafted goods for the Tyrant’s enrichment. Fortunately, Sky Pirates often attack these institutions, driven either because they are an affront to the pirates’ sense of freedom or because they need to supplement their crew.

5.       Promises of a life-changing fortune. Some people see it as a job and that they will either accumulate enough treasure over a career or have one big haul that gives them a post-pirate life of comfort in a villa in a big cosmopolitan sky city.

6.       For the sheer high-spirited adventure of it! The life of a sky pirate offers excitement and adventure in a way that many workers in the settlements can only dream of. Many pirates are simply aboard for the lifestyle.

Originally posted on my Patreon for Fantastic Odyseys Zine. Sign up for more posts like this and members-only previews of stuff I’m working on.

The latest book of for Mythras has just dropped.

• The Book of Schemes in print

Its also available in pdf from both the Design Mechanism and DriveThruRpg.com.

Here’s what Design Mechanism has to say about it.

This book is not a fairy tale. It is not about heroes and heroines. It is certainly not about standing up to and overcoming evil. This book is about grey morality, personal interests and rivalry. This is Book of Schemes, a Mythras supplement to help you weave scheming and intrigue into your campaigns – and turn your players into Machiavellian masterminds.

Set in the city-state of Guelden, in the lands known as Wittringia, Book of Schemes is a self-contained guide to the city, its politics, people, factions, secrets, feuds, plots and duplicities. In these pages you will find everything needed for an exciting campaign using Guelden’s streets as a backdrop. Book of Schemes also covers the cults, magic, guilds and gangs of the city, and contains a multitude of scenario ideas, and a complete introductory adventure: Chaos at the Quay.

Written by Dan True, mastermind behind the Combat Training Module series, Book of Schemes is a fascinating addition to the Mythras city book range, and is easily used with, and alongside, Mythic Constantinople, Fioracitta, and the cities found in the Book of Quests.

So prepare to walk the labyrinthine cobbles of Guelden… but watch your back. Treachery is only a footfall away.

And here’s the delightfully dark cover.

To all our customers, supporters and fans, have a lovely, restful and joyous Christmas.

I’m slacking off now until after New Year’s Day to play games and chill out with my family, but I’m grateful for all the support people have given D101 Games over what has been a tough year for everyone.

As a thank you, the pdfs of Crypts and Things, Monkey and OpenQuest are marked down to £5 until Boxing Day.

• Crypts and Things on Drivethrurpg.com
• Monkey the RPG on Drivethrurpg.com
• OpenQuest on Drivethrurpg.com

After which there will be a series of five flash sales on Drivethrurpg.com, where the following pdfs will be £1 for a day!

• Tuesday 26th December. Mandate of Heaven
• Wednesday 27th December. Catching the Wyrm
• Thursday 28th December. Reboot the Future
• Friday 29th December. Tales from the Sorcerer Under the Mountain
• Saturday 30th December. SimpleQuest

I’ll be back on New Year’s Day with the State of D101 Games address, with some exciting announcements. I’ll also be opening a New Year’s Sale to make space in D101 HQ for new books coming in the New Year.

Here’s our Christmas Card, once again, wishing you all the best!

I’m getting the nice ltd edition sown pages version as a reward sent to me soon, but I cashed in my at-cost pod voucher to get this beauty.

As Old School as it gets, Swords and Wizardry Complete Revised with the Erol Otus cover by Matt Finch and Mythmere Games.