Thursday, 16 October 2025

Episode #1 – The MacKenzie House Showdown

 The first episode in the latest run through of a (very much expanded, due to its unintelligible plotlines..) ‘Shadows of Yog Sothoth’, with the players from the Wednesday Night Bunker. There are scenarios from other older supplements, and even some ‘made up crap’ in the context of this campaign. If it suddenly ends, you know that the players have en masse, taken the ‘Keeper of Arcane Lore’ out back and beat him with bricks…

Dramatis Personae

Professor Wolgang Schmidt (not used to hide his true surname: Von Junzt, definitely not, honest) – ex German officer from the trenches of France, now the doyenne of English Archaeology through means not altogether wholesome.

Cameron McDaid – the English officer who took him prisoner at the end of the war, now his great friend, and an artist, with a penchant for chemical cocktails of explosive import.

 

Sinead Maguire – Irish explosives expert fleeing after the civil war, and on the run… (sensing a theme). App7, due to an 'accident' in the past. 
 
John MacLeòid - A Scottish Private Investigator, contracted to catch the Maguire woman, by organisation(s) unknown.

Wolfgang and Cameron attend the London funeral of Willard Gibson, a noted palaeontologist found murdered at Gregor, near Inverness, in Scotland.

They comfort his daughter Elaine, a student at the London university, who gives the men letters she had received from her father, having asked for Schmidt’s help. They undertake to accompany her north to determine what happened at Loch Feinn, as information from the authorities is sparse. She advises that her father had asked if Wolfgang could find a copy of ‘Unspeakable Cults’ from the university library, which he dutifully ‘borrows’ with McDaid running interference.

Meanwhile, McCleod is closing in on Maguire in the remote Scottish village of Gregor, north of Inverness. He is at Inverness station when he bumps into his old friend McDade, and the Wolfgang party…

They head north, opting to check the guest house and room where Willard Gibson stayed…Erma McKenzie (who runs a fine boarding house), welcomes them, informing them (1) they should not waken her enormous, drunk and sleeping husband currently occupying the entire lounge, and (2) an Irish woman is in Willard’s old room currently.

Maguire, over-hearing the whole thing, grabs her gear, and the notebook she found in the room, and leaves via the window, escaping into the street below…

Using her superb disguise still, she opts to return dressed as a bloke – hoping to spring a trap. At the top of the stairs, McLeod ‘s eyes narrow, as he recognises his prey at the door, despite best disguise…

 



 End of Part One

Monday, 25 August 2025

Aaaaand we're back...again! Apparently Great Cthulhu is upset

 On the 4th anniversary of the 6th regenerative rub at re-beginning, the blog that will eternal lie (in true politician style - see what I did there...) - I HAVE RETURNED.

In this episode of 'Return of the Keeper of Arcane Lore Who Never Came back... I am re-constituting this (apparently Fantasy Wargaming) Blog into an RPG 'thing', mainly since after my 5e D&D expedition(s), I am now running the one true game - Call of Cthulhu.

Currently running this campaign every other week, and likely to run it again on a weekly basis with a different group: 

 Now, if I am good, and blog in timely fashion..updates may appear here, with character details etc., as I might also run...this (yes - that 1st edition version...I am what you might call a Tradionalist - watch this space):  

  

Now, Call of Cthulhu has been on my shelves for many a year (Ed: tell the truth - since 1984) - in fact I may have sold more of it off, than I currently have, but I am resisting the temptation to buy it all back from ebay...so far. Of course, I am running a mish-mash lying between 2nd, 4th and Edition 5.6 - I mentioned Tradition right?

Did I mention the Fantasy Wargaming blog is now an RPG 'thing'? 

 

Saturday, 10 February 2024

That movie was crap!

 Having extolled the relative inadequacies of 'Napoleon' on my other blog, I finally got to see the D&D movie. I thought Napoleon was baaad but as for D&D - What a load of shit! Acting, plotting, story, ...the poor and obvious choices made re. casting. GAHHH! What the f**k?... this movie is not D&D!


Now, for a better old school Sword & Sorcery movie - try this:


It never gets old...and is where Fantasy RPG really lies...check out Appendix N in the 1st ed AD&D...


Sunday, 26 April 2020

That is not dead which can eternal lie...

As H.P.Lovecraft said, 'that is not dead which can eternal lie', and I can really tell some whoppers!

(Wait ...is he talking about lying...or 'lie'ing ...)

Enough! This blog is not dead. Here's the best sketch Monty Python ever did to prove it:


Sunday, 30 June 2019

So things must be serious ...since I did a map?

As Blogmaster, I have decided that a MAP is required.



Yeah, I did a map of the world of 'Upnoth' (Up North ...like Ooop Noth ...geddit? ....)

Anyway, here are the key things to get before the fighting starts:

  • 'UpNoth', in the north (duhh) holds the remnants of various city states and mercenary bands, including religious zealot style Knights of Ken at Lodge, and the market town of Spar (see what I did there).
  • Parsnip Pass to the south is strategically vital to all - to the west of this resides the Witch Queen of Portmuck and her dark hordes of Mordor...I mean... just her dark hordes.
  • Elves and Dwarves in the forests and Sh*tstorm Mountains respectively.
  • The Roly Homan Empire to the south - a vast array of politicking squabblers. North of the Forest of Coe, resides Lord Seb himself.
  • Off the coast, the ancient mystical island of MelenieBone Eh? ...still threatens to enslave all races as it did thousands of years ago. Derek of MelenieBone Eh? is still the Shadishah Emperor sitting astride the Booby throne (when he's not too tired).
It's all set for mass slaughter! aaaaaand FIGHT!






Saturday, 29 June 2019

The blog lives on...

No real posts for the blog re. wargaming...but these guys are awesome, and somehow this song seems most appropriate for the content of the blog in general.


Sunday, 20 May 2018

Charlie's Angels

So, finishing these three gals from Bronze Age Miniatures, inspired me to get going again...and no, they aren't wearing bras.

Also tinkering with these fine rules with which to integrate some 'days of HIiiiiigh Adventuuuurrrre' into some Conan-esque gaming, though of course set in the land of the Witch Queen.

Apparently , Charlie's Angels was originally known as 'Jiggle TV'. Bearing in mind the more barbarian-esque nature of what we have here, I can't even begin to imagine what the sword & sorcery version might be called...


The 'Angels'


Sabrina - the planner, uhhh, there for comedy value.


Jill or Kris - depending on when you started watching - expert archer.


Kelly - the sensible one (wait...sensible? Female barbarians in Sword & Sorcery...sensible?)

'We are not amused...why, they don't even have an armour class?'

 ' 'Ere...what about the rest of your female fantasy figures mate?  GRRR...jealous.'