Wordpress and Gethsemane Games

I've been working on the Gethsemane Games social media and online presence over the course of the last few days and was reminded that we have a Wordpress.  I set it up years ago and forgot about it sometime in 2015.

Having used it again over the last few days I am finding that it has a lot of functionality that is missing from blogger and so I have taken the decision to make that our primary Blogg.

That doesn't mean we will be abandoning Blogger right away but we concentrating an increasing amount on WP, we will be posting on both platforms for the time being though.

Not to mention the fac that despite the fact it hadn't had a post since 2015 up until the other day it was still coming up ahead of our blogger page on a google search!

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Some Background for Those Who are Interested

Recently I have had one or two emails in which the author of the email asks me why they don’t get messages from Gethsemane Games via DrivethruRPG or RPGNow anymore.  Well, the answer is, recently OBS, the owners of both sites, disabled the option for creators to contact people who have placed something in their wishlist or shopping cart.  It is now only possible to message customers who have completed a sale.  They did this to try and comply with the EU’s GDPR.  Now all they actually had to do was let people who are placing a product in a wishlist/basket without buying opt out of receiving messages but that’s by-the-by.

What this means for you as potential customers are that you can no longer benefit from a special offer on an item you have in your wishlist/basket unless you have purchased from us before via any one of the OBS sites.  Obviously, this has disappointed some of you, and frankly, it disappoints us too.  After all, we like to sell products to gamers.  Its sort of what we do and the feature let us sell products to new customers when they had already shown an interest in buying them.  Since the change, the number of people that receive an email we send through RPGNow/Drivethru etc. has dropped by about 25% and naturally, this has had an impact on our sale.

New Gethsemane Games Mailing List

However, we are British so its time for a stiff upper lip don’t you know!  Can’t be seen to complain.  So.  instead we looked for a solution.  I mean we didn’t have to look far, the answer was obvious really.  – Set up our own (GDPR compliant) mailing list.  so we did, and here it is:-

Sign Up Here!

By signing up to this mailing list you will be among the first to learn about new products, discounts, freebies and special offers from Gethsemane Games.

Also, the Fangotes will eat you last.  Probably.

(Frankie the Fangote says hi!)

Now don’t worry, if you have bought products from us on an OBS platform, you will still receive the emails we send customers there.  However, our own mailing list has a lot more tools and since I do like to use tools, it means that members of our new ‘Voice of the Other-Verse’ mailing list will not only get news of new releases, discount codes and so on but you will also get occasional freebies, special offers available only to members and other goodies that the increased functionality of our own mailing list will now make possible.

Huzzah!

Christmas with Gethsemane Games. Ho Ho Ho

This year, here at Gethsemane Games, we have decided to get into the Christmas spirit for a change (We are usually more the Haloween spirit sort of folks, to be strictly honest!).

We were a bit dubious about the whole idea at first.  All this jollity and whimsy, we weren't certain about that at all.  We are more your grumpy little gothic Goblins with our ghost stories and heartwarming tales of post-apocalyptic dystopia, but, we have to admit, we are converts.  It's all quite fun really.   So we set about creating a few Christmas themed (sort of) adventures.  Here is one of them for you!  Play it as a one-off or, if you are so inclined, try integrating it into an ongoing campaign.

And Another Thing! (By M R McGowan)
When the air traffic control Elf Dewey Landum began picking up a strange airborne signal he started tracking it and trying to contact the suspect aircraft but to no avail.  The 'Aircraft' fell to earth in the Arctic desolation.  Assuming that there were people in need of his help, Santa rounded up several of his more adventurous Elves and they set out in the Reindeer sleigh to see if they could help.

What they found though wasn't a downed aircraft - at least not one of Earthly origin, anyway.  The UFO had buried itself in the ice and was terribly twisted and damaged - much like the bodies of what were presumably aliens that they found inside.

That was far from the end of it, however.  Without realising it, somehow the expedition seems to have brought some*THING* back to Santa's Hideout with them and it can mimic other life forms.  Whatever it is, it isn't friendly and before long the sense of isolation and paranoia has the Elves, Reindeer and Krumpus all suspicious of one another.  No one is quite sure who is actually an alien monster capable of growing stomach mouths or spidery legs and scuttling off at any moment.  Oh, and Santa is acting a bit oddly.

(Apologies to John Carpenter)


This charming little Christmas adventure is ideal for use in a cold, isolated environment with a village full of Elves and a jolly supernatural present giver.  Use your own setting or try our 'Santa's Hideout' map (GM's Map #71) which was the inspiration for the scenario idea.

Pick it up for just $1.50 if you use this discount link:-

https://www.rpgnow.com/browse.php?discount=9defa1ec1c

Assault on Kar-Duin

The Following Scenario was designed for our FoE Fantasy wargame rules but can be used with any set of fantasy miniature rules you like.  The Background assumes that the battle is set during one of the 'Mage Wars' of Elizium, but again there is no reason why you can't adjust that if you wish, it will have no effect on the game itself.

Background
As the Forces of the demon Magog prepare to lay siege to the mighty fortress of Durn-Garan their encampments and supply lines are repeatedly harried by the allied forces who are slipping out of sally ports hidden all across the mountains.

Frustrated Magog has ordered a strike against the hill fort at Kar-Duin which protects one of the Durn-Garan sally ports. Realising that their best chance is to assault the position under cover of darkness the forces of Magog send a Goblin force to try and scale the walls at night and open the gates for a much larger follow-up force to enter the following day.

The Goblins, under Unterwalpurg Grom, are to assault the fortress, scale the walls, open the gates and hold the position against all comers until reinforced the following day.

Early reports suggest that the hill fort of Kar-Duin is only lightly defended by a small force of Dwarves, and if the Goblins can reach the walls before being detected they should be able to skip over and capture the gatehouse with minimal losses.

The risk is that the defenders may be reinforced by alliance troops through the sally port which leads into Durn-Garan.

Suggested Forces
Dwarves
1 Unit of Dwarf Axemen (Regulars) with medium armour and shield
2 Unit's of Dwarf Crossbows (Regulars) Light or medium armour
3 Ballistae with Dwarf Crew Clothing or light armour
Garrison Commander Ather Black beard (Potential Hero) in Medium or heavy armour with shield and axe
Every round after the first roll a d10.  On a 10 an additional unit of Dwarf infantry or crossbows arrives via the sally port.

Goblins
3 Units of Goblin Archers/Skirmishers Skyclad or clothing, Shortbows and daggers, ropes and grappling hooks
3 Units of Goblin light infantry with shields, spears and clothing, siege ladders (1 per 5 models)
2 units of Goblin Light Infantry Skyclad or clothing only with Swords and shields Ropes and Grappling hooks
1 Goblin Battle Witch (Lesser Hero) with Minor Arcanum 6
1 Goblin UnterWalperg (Lesser Hero) with sword, shield and medium armour.


Terrain

A - Sallyport
B - Gatehouse
C - Bastion
D - Goblin Table Edge

At the rear of the table is the cliff face containing the sally port to Durn-Garan (A). This is protected by a sturdy stone tower (C) on a promontory which has a good field of fire over both the sally port and the gatehouse (B).

The sally port is protected by a sturdy gatehouse (B) which has been constructed in a natural defile between two cliffs.  A courtyard is formed between the gatehouse and its cliffs on one side, and the cliffs containing the sally port behind.

The Gatehouse
The Gate (Medium Construction): DV 6 HITS: 3
Gatehouse (Medium Construction) DV 6 HITS: 3
The gatehouse walls are topped by  crenelations which provide defenders with 'Heavy Cover'
The Gatehouse walls are TN 15 to climb

Bastion
Medium Construction DV 6 HITS 3 TN 15 to climb

Cliffs
The Cliffs are easier to climb than the gatehouse wall, but are still treacherous and have a TN 10

Promontory
The rocky promontory upon which the tower/bastion stands is TN 10 to climb

The rest of the table is littered with rocky outcroppings, hills and stones. A clear field of fire/killing zone exists in-front of the walls which the dwarves cleared long ago. This reaches 50 GSU from the wall and is intended to prevent exactly the sort of stealth attack that the Goblins are hoping to mount.

Deployment
The Dwarves ay deploy anywhere between the gatehouse and the sally port, on the top of the cliffs, in the gatehouse or on the bastion.

The Goblins deploy on the table up to one walking move from table edge D.


Objectives
Goblins
Your forces must take and hold the gatehouse and bastion, holding it against all comers until you are reinforced the following day. To this end, you have been sent with a force primarily consisting of light, fast-moving troops that can approach relatively quietly, and a small holding force in your rear that should be brought up once the alarm is raised.

Dwarves
You must either repulse the Goblin attack or, failing that, re-capture the bastion and gatehouse when reinforced via the sally port.

Battlefield Conditions
Unterwalperg (under war-chief) Grom is fully aware that his forces see better in the dark than do the alliance forces. As a consequence, he has chosen to attack under the cover of darkness in the hopes of maximising the chances of getting to the wall before the defenders spot the sneak attack.

The Dwarves, therefore, suffer the effects of 'Poor Visibility' while the Goblins do not.

This scenario was originally written for our FoE Fantasy Battle rules, releases on November 30th 2018.  You can purchase FoE as a PDF for $10 HERE

News Regarding The Entropy Effect

The long-anticipated modern era, reality-bending SF/Horror RPG 'Entropy Effect' was originally scheduled for 2017 but was held put on Hiatus due to unforeseen health issues experienced by one of the authors and the family bereavement we suffered.

In late 2018 we took the decision to extensively re-write the combat system, a change that would speed combat up and minimise the need for players to do mental arithmetic.  Gone is the 'The amount you hit by effects your Stopping Power'. The result is, we believe, a much better, more streamlined combat system  Of course, as is the way with game design, this change had knock on effects and M R McGowan and I have had to rewrite most of the game.  Again the result is a vast improvement on what we already thought was a good game.  Now, it is even better!

While we were re-writing the game any way we decided to expand it a little too.  Adding rules for interrogation, new psychic abilities and new creatures to torment your players with.  What is more, we are adding one of the playtest scenario's to the rules system, along with a sample character, Frank Stafford, who you can see being designed in the examples of character creation across the section.

The playtests for this launch on Tuesday and, all being well, we hope to finally bring this fantastic, dark, evocative game to you in 2019.

In addition to the rules, we will be releasing a quickstart version of the game with sample scenrio.  This will include four pre-generated characters and just enough of the core mechnics o let you play the scenario 'Sharp Teeth PRetty Teeth'.  It will be released before the core rules which in turn will include the adventure 'Talbot's Syndrome' - the follow up to Sharp Teeth Pretty Teeth.

Further adventures for 'The Entropy Effect' will be released through the year.

You can read more about 'The Entropy Effect' here soon.

Have Ideas? We Would Love To Hear Them!

Customers of our GM's maps range will have noticed that recent maps have included some fan content in the 'Adventure Ideas' section.  We would like to thank all the fans who have submitted ideas for various maps and the adventures they could use them for.

Several people have asked how they could get their ideas published in one of our products so I thought I'd post a quick article about it here.

You can send your ideas to us at gethsemanegames@gmail.com

If there is a map you would like to see that isn't in our range yet, drop us a line and we will consider adding it to our 'To Do' list.

If you have adventure ideas for a map of one of our Grabban drop villages we may consider publishing it here in a blog article.

If you would like to see one of your adventure ideas in the 'Adventure Hooks' section of an upcoming map, let us know, if we like it we might use it and give you a writing credit.

Here is a list of some of the GM's maps we are planning, we would love to hear your adventure hooks for them.  Any genre, and as off the wallas you like.  Send them in and we will consider them.  If we don't use your idea it isn't that we didn't like it, we sometimes get more ideas than we can use in a single product.  We hope to publish some of these ideas as blog posts in the future.  So don't be disheartened if we don't use your idea right away, it may see the light of day on 'Whispers from the Other-Verse'.

Upcoming Maps

Sea Fort
Frontier Fought
Casino
Care Home
Wizards Tower 2
City Morgue
Pyramid

Here is an advanced look at part of the Sea fort that we are working on just now.

New Map

I spent Sunday of this week re-designing the map of the imperial hinterlands and frontier from Spelldancer.

This map was the first part of the Elizium setting I ever mapped, back when I was at 6th form college.  My then girlfriend would be the first person to ever play in Elzium with her Elf mage who would later lend her name to the game - Pandora Spelldancer.  That version was done by hand.

When I got my first copy of Campaign Cartographer by Profantasy Software I remade the map with that.  At the time it seemed great but technology - and expectations - have come a long way since then.  The version in the current edition of Spelldancer was remade using Campaign Cartographer 2 and again, how great it looked when I made it but once again the state of the art has moved on since then.

This version was made with CC3+ by Profantasy Software.  How far things have come since the pencil drawn then inked version on an artists pad!

Scenario Ideas and Colonial Rescue

Of late, this blog has begun to resemble a marketing stream as the number of 'New Product Out No1!"' posts have overtaken the other content. That was never my intent when I created Whispers from the Other Verse and I apologise for the shift in focus. In my defence as a one-person operation, it is sometimes difficult to keep up with everything that you want to write and create. Paid content (i.e. the product I create and sell like the RPGs, scenarios and GM's maps) has been taking up the overwhelming majority of my work time of late but I very much would like to shift the focus of this blog back to being something a bit more exciting. Some free content and opinion pieces for readers. That's what I set this blog up to be in the first place and that is very much what I would like it to be again.

With that in mind, I am going to start posting some adventure ideas on this blog - along with other content. I am not going to tie myself down to a specific schedule just yet but I will be releasing several posts over the next few months which are ideas for GMs.

Some of these adventure outlines will be system agnostic - designed with no RPG rules systems in mind. Others will be set in the worlds of our games. Many of them are inspired by our GM's maps range but you don't need to use the corresponding product form that ranges if you would prefer to design the floor plan yourself. I will, however, put a link in each one to the product I based it on for those who would like to use it.

So, without further ado, here is the first of that adventure outlines, I hope you enjoy it.

Colonial Rescue

Genre: SF

Setting: A surface colony on an extraterrestrial body (A planet or moon).

Corresponding GM's Map Product: GM's Map #29 Modular Luna Station

You do not need to use our Modular Lunar station map if you prefer to use a map of your own devising or one that you already own by another designer. However, if you would like to use the map that inspired this idea you can find GM's Map #29 Modular Lunar Station for sale as a PDF and at a very reasonable price on RPGNow 

Suitable Rules: SF or Generic system

Outline

A civilian outpost on an extraterrestrial body has been hit by a disaster. The impact of a large meteorite or crashed space vessel has damaged the colony structure and may have caused local systemic or geological activity (Quakes or avalanches) which have further endangered the survivors. These survivors are now trapped in a badly damaged colony structure on a moon or a planet with a hostile atmosphere. They have been broadcasting a distress signal and need to be evacuated before their life support runs out of or the superstructure in the rest of the colony fails.

The PCs

Although the PCs could easily be any space-faring characters you wish, from traders to smugglers or a salvage operation who have picked up the distress signal and are responding to it in order to rescue the colonist, this scenario is particularly suited to PCs who are part of a dedicated rescue service. 

If you decide to go with the idea of the PCs belonging to a dedicated rescue service, they will be well equipped and skilled in dealing with the kind of threats that a rescue in space might throw at them, they are likely to be unskilled in combat of any form. This can either be used as a one-off, standalone session or it might form part of a long-term episodic campaign in which the party are members of an outer space rescue team.

Hazards

This scenario lends itself well to some interesting environmental hazards such as fire, collapsing structures, toxic atmospheres and live electrical wires that have been damaged and come detached at one end. Compartments might also be flooding as the base's water supplies (or worse still, sewage tanks!) have been damaged and are causing a back wash into compartments in the colony.

Obstacles

In addition to having to deal with hazards – which pose a direct threat to the PCs themselves, the rescuers will face obstacles to success.
These include things like having to give medical treatment to injured colonists who may need to be stabilized before they can be moved, gaining entrance to the structure if its airlocks and docking hatches have been damaged, restoring power and so on. Characters may have to find ways to reach survivors who have become trapped in modules that have become isolated from the main base due to connecting modules having been destroyed or damaged. Flooding may cause an obstacle as well as a hazard. The rescuers may have to cut their way into modules without de-pressurising them. Casualties may be trapped under rubble or collapsed machinery. The applicabilities are wide and varied and the GM is encouraged to have fun with it. Have doors buckled so they won't open, power outages may force the rescuers to find imaginative ways to get into or out of compartments or may have other interesting effects.

Unusual Aspects

This scenario is designed to have absolutely no combat in it what so ever. The tension and conflict arise from the environmental dangers and the obstacles. For added tension, add a time limit (In game time) so the PCs are aware they are up against the clock.

Atmosphere and feel

The GM should try and build tension during play. The rescue is a delicate operation that must be completed before more of the survivors die. The PCs will face danger to themselves but will also have to contend with obstacles that obstruct the rescue. They should have to come up with plans on how to rescue the various pockets of survivors and how to overcome those obstacles in their way. As time goes on more survivors will be lost, or at least the players should feel that is a real risk. They will face no tradition conflict but should feel their lives are in danger at several points in play.

The feel you are aiming for is that of a disaster movie where the players should feel that one mistake on their part could cost a life – ether that of one of their team or of some survivors they are here to rescue.

Update and News.

Two items of news for you all today.

The first is an update on Ekanath, my cat.  Thanks to everyone who bought products in the Ekanath benefit sale or donated money to his blog or GoFundMe page.  Ekanath is a lot better than he was but is still poorly.  He is an inpatient at the vets for the second week now (Moving into a 3rd on Monday) where they are draining his chest daily.  Although he has responded well to the antibiotics there is still fluid in his chest and until they can reduce that to almost zero they do not want to discharge him home again.  We are all terribly worried about him.

Secondly,
Customers who are on our DriveThruRPG, RPGNow or WargamesVault mailing lists usually receive an email update whenever we release a new product.  Currently, there is an issue with the OBS mailing system which handles these emails and no one is receiving them.  Similarly, we are not receiving sales notifications or any other notifications we would usually receive through these sites.

This has had quite an impact on us as a small indie company.  90% of our sales come from previous customers responding to these emails.  We will continue to update customers about new releases here, but if you usually rely on getting an email via one of the above-mentioned sites (or any other One Book Shelf operated site) then please keep an eye on this blog for updates until this issue is resolved.

If you send us a question via any of our product pages on any of those sites we will not be informed about it via email and hence will probably not know.  Please email any questions directly to us at gethsemanegames@gmail.com

We are sorry for the inconvenience.

Up The Junction!

The latest release in our system agostic village line is out now!

Have you ever been halfway through a campaign and had to take an enforced break as your players decided to take a detour into a village that's just a name on a map in your adventure?

Well, no more trying to think up and map an entire village – we have designed Graban Drop Villages with exactly this situation in mind!

Simply grab one of our range of villages, drag it over, and drop it into your campaign notes! A ready-made village, with buildings, NPCs and even scenario ideas, all ready to be used. Just bolt on your gaming system, stat anyone you think might need it, and you're ready to go.

The Graban Drop Villages range is system neutral, designed to be used with whatever rules system you use.

Junction is the third in our Graban Drop series and depicts a small town that has grown up around a key junction of two major roads.  The town began as an inn but over the years other businesses that serve the many travellers on the road grew up around it, followed by a small community that is mostly self-sufficient.

Sometimes considered godless by the more devout communities of the region, Junction has no dedicated place of worship of its own but they certainly know how to throw a party!  With live music, dancing and storytelling at the Crown and Cross Swords most nights.  Still, it is far from the haven of debauchery some would have you believe, rather it is a surprising source of culture from a world-class cheese to a renowned regional poet and sporting one of the more highly trained volunteer militias.  Junction has its own customs and traditions as well as being a great place to learn about the potential for adventure for miles around.

Mysterious hatches in farmers' fields, strange stone carvings that no one has deciphered and one or two dark secrets of its own, whether you are a merchant or an adventurer sooner or later you will find yourself up the Junction.

This product includes a coloured map of the village, an extensive Key, dozens of colourful characters, rumours, news, adventure ideas and a wealth of information on life in and around the village.  Just download it, read the text and drop it into your campaign.  The systemless supplement can be used with any RPG.

You can find this product   HERE  This product is being offered at the introductory price of £1.80 for a limited time.

Ekanath Benefit Sale. 50% off all PDFs

As many of you already know my cat, Ekanath, was rushed to the veterinary hospital last week, suffering from severe chest infection from an abscessed wound.  He has been in the hospital for a week and was only allowed home today, as an outpatient, he will be visiting the vets several more times before he is well and has another chest x-ray scheduled for Friday.

Dashing backwards and forwards from home to the veterinary hospital to see him has eaten into my work time and the next Grabban Drop village that I had wanted to release on Friday gone isn't finished yet, but it will be along shortly!


If you would like to know more about how Ekanath is getting on, I am updating his website and blog (HERE)

In the meantime, for 1 week only I am having a massive sale on all my PDF products!  50% or more off everything over at my RPGNow shop HERE

So, pop over and grab yourself a bargain!  All our PDFs are included, the popular GM's Maps and Grabban Drop village range as well as our various RPGs and Tabletop Skirmish Rules.

Spelldancer - Our Fantasy RPG set in a world where humans and other beastmen have ascended to dominance.

Haunts and Horrors - Our Gothic Horror RPG which can be set in any historical period you like!  this is the game that prompted Eric Fabiaschi of 'Swords and Stitchery' blog to say ;
"They've always been at the cutting edge of horror rpging."

Swords and Stitchery Blog

Pandora's Wake - Our Post Apocalyptic RPG.  Pandora's wake is an exciting Post Apocalyptic setting in which survivors struggle to live day to day in a world overrun by the hellish creatures of a nightmare world.  Bandits and rival groups add to the danger, and the radioactive wastes of man's attempt to drive back the Other-Verse with nuclear weapons dot the landscape.

Pandora's Fury! - Post Apocalyptic tabletop skirmish rules.

In the harsh, post apoclayptic future after the "Pandora Event" survivors battle creatures of the Other Verse and each other for resources and dominance of what is left of Earth in this tabletop miniature wargame set in the same world as our "Pandora's Wake" RPG.

With conversion notes that let you convert your Pandora's Wake characters to Pandora's Fury and back again, this tabletop miniatures wargame uses our "Fury" rules set, suitable for small skirmishes or large battles and using any scale miniatures you choose from 6mm to 38mm. (Personally, I prefer 15mm, but use the scale you like the best)

Pandora's Fury is a scale-neutral tabletop miniatures game set in a post-apocalyptic world.

All 50% or better off!  

The sale will help with the costs of getting Ekanath back to full health so you can pick up a bargain and help with a good cause at the same time!

The Library! GMs map #41 out now!

I'm lagging behind a little as far as keeping the Blog updated goes, sorry about that folks, I'll try to do better.

Anyway, the most recent addition to our GM's maps range is one for the investigative horror or mystery fans - GM's Map #41, The Library!

A 4-storey Library suitable for a range of historical periods from the Renaissance to the near future via the Victorian period or the 1920s

Libraries are a staple for investigative and investigative horror games. Your PCs may spend hours upon hours studying dusty tomes or old newspaper articles, pouring over every word to find those vital clues that might lead them to uncover the truth. However, they don't need to be some vaguely defined notion against which the PCs make a succession of research skill rolls, bring your libraries to life with this, the 41^st offering in our GM's maps range.

Libraries can themselves be the locale for some mystery, murder, robbery or haunting, or perhaps the PCs unleash some monstrous horror from beyond with their incautious studies. In a post-apocalyptic world, the last remaining libraries are a treasure trove of lost knowledge that might be worth fighting and even dying over.

Make your library an integral part of your adventures and you can develop some memorable scenes that players will remember for years to come.

Publisher's Licence

Publishers wishing to use this map in their own products may do so subject to the following restrictions;

You may use the map in your own adventures or supplements provided you add your own content.

This map may not be resold as part of a product that is intended primarily as a map or collection of maps.

If you use this map please credit the author B F Irving and Gethsemane Games and include the line “Map created with Campaign Cartographer 3 by Profantasy Software”

Comming soon we will have a 3-storey Shopping Arcade, keep your eyes open for that one!