Category Archives: Mythic Russia

Posts about, related to, or featuring content for Mythic Russia.

(My Dreams Of) Gaming Plans For 2012 (Because You Care)

So the Thanksgiving game happened. It was a WWII commando raid using a Mini Six/D6 Adventure mashup and it was a blast. But I’m not here to talk about it. Not right now, anyway. I’m gunning to do that a little later on, when I’m ready to post the materials I put together for the game. Nope, instead I’m here to talk about what I’m hoping to run next.

First up, sometime during the Winter Solstice Holidays break, I’m hoping to pull off a BASH game for a friend, his 13 year old son, and maybe a few other folks. I’m currently thinking Golden Age/WWII supers kicking fascist ass in Europe. But the ideas are swirling and unformed at this point, so who knows what (if anything) will ultimately come to pass?

After that, I’m pondering a few possibilities:

  • Some kind of hard(-ish) SciFi using good ol’ Classic Traveller and some Stars Without Number action
  • Labyrinth Lord/AEC romps through either the Against The Giants series or maybe Castle Amber, The Lost City, or some other classic modules
  • A BRP– (or possibly BoL-) based, Mythic Russia-fueled, Russian fantasy game
  • A Mini Six (with add-ons from Open D6) or Mercenaries, Spies, And Private Eyes 80s-style espionage game
  • A Call of Cthulhu Dreamlands miniseries (probably not until the CoC game I’m playing in wraps up, though)
  • A BRP/Renaissance (or maybe Tunnels & Trolls or Honor + Intrigue) black powder fantasy adventure
  • Droids. Seriously. Either with the original rules (unlikely) or with something else (D6, maybe?)

just to name a few (in no particular order). All of this is subject to change (i.e., my whims and interests) and player buy-in, of course.

That’s Great And All, But What About Giving Us Some Sweet Gaming Content, Pao?

Yeah, I know. My content output has absolutely tanked of late (and, honestly, not-so-late). I’m struggling with that, really. Part of me wants to be cranking out stuff like I had been, but another part just isn’t inclined to spend the time on it. So it’s not quite burnout, per se. It’s more a case of conflicting interests and such. So to answer the question that I asked on no one in particular’s behalf, “Reply hazy. Try again later.”

BoL Character: Grigas Son Of Zoryn

Wherein your humble scribe presents a Barbarians of Lemuria system character inspired by the “rebirth” of Mythic Russia.

A stubborn, argumentative, and altogether unattractive Zemaitijan from the west of Lithuania, Grigas Son Of Zoryn has left his home in the deep woods and traveled to the east to try to find his father, who was, his mother tells him, a dashing Cossak with a smile that would cause fish to jump into his net. The legendary Zoryn, she has said, has the number three as a birthmark on his left cheek, does not leave tracks in the snow, and is as tall as wheat can grow in a good season. Sadly, few people who hear this description of the legendary Zoryn believe that one such as Grigas could truly spring from such loins.

Could it be that Grigas is an ugly duckling just waiting to unlock the secrets of his lineage? Or is it more likely that his mother has her own secrets she does not wish to share? One thing is certain, the boy has a gift for magic that even he doesn’t know about just yet.

Essences
Lifeblood 13
Hero Points 5
Arcane Power 12

Attributes
Strength 3
Agility 1
Mind 1
Appeal -1

Combat
Brawl 1
Melee 2
Ranged 0
Defense 1

Careers
Soldier 1
Farmer 3
Healer 0
Sorcerer 0

Boons
War Cry
Swamp Tracker
Power Of The Void

Flaws
Taciturn
Country Bumpkin

Languages
Lithuanian, Russian

Equipment
Saber 1d6 (+3)
Dagger 1d3 (+3)
Medium armor (mail shirt) & Shield, 1d6

BoL Character: Irina Chernekovna Gorbenko

Wherein your humble scribe presents another Barbarians of Lemuria system character inspired by the “rebirth” of Mythic Russia. Uh-oh. This is getting serious…

From the frozen wastes north of Novgorod comes Irina Chernekovna Gorbenko, a pagan midwife dedicated to Mat-Syra-Zemlya. Though she can be quite expressive in the company of children and new mothers, Irina is typically quite stoic when men are present, and her hard gaze makes them ill at ease.

Irina possesses a unique gift for being able to tell when she is being lied to, and this, coupled with her chosen profession, has made her something of a legend when it comes to resolving disputes regarding paternity throughout the territories of Lord Novgorod.

Irina is passionate about knowledge and seeks to learn all she can about both the Mortal and Ideal worlds. This drive has served her well, providing her with a rudimentary understanding of magic, which she uses to defend herself and those with whom she has formed a bond.

Essences
Lifeblood 10
Arcane Power 10
Hero Points 5

Attributes
Strength 0
Agility 1
Mind 2
Appeal 1

Combat
Brawl 0
Melee 1
Ranged 1
Defense 2

Careers
Priestess 1
Healer 2
Sorceress 0
Scholar 1

Boons
Detect Deception
Learned: Flora & Fauna

Flaws
Taciturn

Languages
Russian

Equipment
Staff 1d6-1
Dagger 1d3
Sling 1d6-2
Very Light Armor (furs, leather) d3-1

BoL Character: Andrei Ivanovich Denisov

Wherein your humble scribe presents a Barbarians of Lemuria system character inspired by the “rebirth” of Mythic Russia. Perhaps we should call this hybrid Bogatyrs of Russia? 🙂

When he had passed his 16th year, Andrei Ivanovich Denisov left his family’s home in the Podol quarter of Kiev for the melodies of the wider world. Though his father was a good man, and successful in his own right, Andrei was simply not prepared to carry on in the family business, selling implements and equipment to the farmers of the region.

After passing three years as a mercenary in the service of a Muscovite prince, Andrei has finally arrived in Novgorod, where he seeks to find his fortune as a performer or, failing that, as a sea captain.

Though Andrei is not a true practitioner of dvoeverie, he calls on the wisdom of Perun the Prince and Veles the Merchant almost as often as he does that of St. Alexander Nevsky and St. Nicholas the Wet.

Essences
Lifeblood 12
Hero Points 6

Attributes
Strength 2
Agility 1 (0)
Mind 0
Appeal 1

Combat
Brawl 1
Melee 2
Ranged 0
Defense 1

Careers
Merchant 1
Soldier 1
Minstrel 2
Sailor 0

Boons
Attractive
Marked By The Gods

Flaws
Greed

Languages
Russian

Equipment
Saber 1d6 (+2)
Dagger 1d3 (+2)
Medium armor (mail shirt) & Shield, 1d6

Mythic Russia Is Back

Mythic Russia, an outstanding game that everyone should know about, is back in print thanks to Lulu! If you’re not familiar with the game, here’s the official description:

Mythic Russia is a game of roleplaying with the HeroQuest game system in the ancient Russia of legend and folktale, a land of glittering onion-domed churches and dark, dangerous forests, home to heroes, fiends – and the flame-feathered firebird.

Now I’m not actually a big fan of HeroQuest as a system, but damn if this isn’t one fine game that’s well worth owning. If you’ve ever wanted to run a game that draws on Russian fairytales you must get a copy of this game. And at $9.99 for the PDF, you now have no reason not to.

After the great Arabian Nights BRP game is done a mythic russia game (lowercase because I’m talking setting, not rules) is something I hope to con my players into. Wish me luck 🙂