Metamorphosis Alpha 1st Edition

I bought the pdf version of Metamorphosis Alpha 1st Edition from RPGNow today. I wanted all the errata and extra stuff that came with it. They also had free character sheet downloads. I've always been fascinated by the setting of MA, post-apocalyptic lost in space, what a terrifying concept. I plan on buying House on the Hill in the near future as well, while it is on sale. It is the first real supplement ever for MA1e, aside from a couple of dozen or so magazine articles from the past.

I plan on printing it out (and the supplement) in booklet format with a cardstock cover and saddle stitching it.

My purchase isn't without inspiration. As has been obvious around here lately, my interest in RPGs, and Tunnels & Trolls in particular, has been on the rise again. Additionally, I have always been obsessed with apocalyptic-type settings. My recent purchase of Gamma-Trollworld has gotten my creativity flowing, and I started thinking of a Metamorphosis Alpha 1e-inspired setting for Tunnels & Trolls. Well, work is under way. I've laid down a bunch of design notes and background info, now I'm outlining exactly what types of rules and additional info I will need to include. I plan on designing it as a supplement to T&T7.5e, and those rules will be essential to using the supplement. While inspired by MA1e, it will not simply be a clone converted to T&T7.5 stats. There will be a few 'nods in tribute' to MA1e, and the flavor will be similar, but it is definitely being written with T&T7.5 in mind. The working title for the project is 'Alpha Troll 666'. Following is a short blurb which may or may not change drastically before the final draft is completed:

After the banishment from Trollworld of Lerotra'hh and Khara Khang in 1601 A.K., Triskadekaphobos, a very powerful wizard, wanted to escape the changes being brought about by the rise of the great dragon, Shangingshing-shingingshang, so he began building a gigantic magic-powered, ark-like ship. Once completed, Triskadekaphobos christened it the Alpha Troll, loaded it with all types of flora, fauna, and kindred, then departed from Trollworld in 1666 A.K., set to discover a new world and conquer it. Unfortunately, only thirteen months into the journey, the Alpha Troll passed through the tail of a rogue comet, bathing all aboard in deadly radiation, wreaking havoc with the magic and technology which controlled it. The comet utterly and irreparably devastated the ship’s propulsion units and engine cores. The mighty Alpha Troll became a derelict floating in open space, able to sustain life almost indefinitely, but forever marooned in the cold, dark expanse.

666 years later (2332 A.K.), life on the Alpha Troll is very different...


Wish me luck in bringing this project to completion, and then on to publication!

nine years

nine years today...

since my buddy paul left us
paul and many others
mothers, fathers, uncles, aunts
daughters, sons, nephews, and neices

i remember sucking down suds
and blowing smoke rings with paul
cranking sabbath and priest and maiden
smokin' 'boros in the bathroom

it'd been a long time since i'd seen him
too long, you know how it goes after high school
married, children, divorced, remarried, more children
lost track of all the ole mutha-fuckas i downed suds and blew smoke rings with

it'd been a long time since i'd seen him
too long - then the terrorists made sure it was forever
they made sure it was forever for a lot of people
a lot of people who were guilty of going to work

unlucky bastards, huh
nothin' we can do
can't bring 'em back
footnotes in history, who'll remember their names

i'll remember paul's name
his last name was fiore, it means flower in italian
his daughters will remember his name
but they were too young to remember the real paul

his wife will remember his name
i never met her, or his girls
i heard she had his memory etched into her back
a memorial tattoo of her beloved paul

nine years ago
my son, paul jr, was a month old
and nine years ago
my friend, paul fiore, died in the towers


9/11/2010, paul ingrassia

ROCK & TROLL

For any who may be interested, there is a new place waaayyy at the bottom of my blog called Rock & Troll. Every now and again, it will feature a new video from bands I think are cool. To kick it off, I have included a video I first saw at Trollhalla by the band Finntroll, entitled Trollhammeren.

Pull on yer moshin' boots, grab a femur and yer drinkin' horn, and get ready to slam thy trollish brethren!



PS: The name of this new little diversion is inspired by the kick-off band, Trollhalla, and Tunnels & Trolls.

Tunnels & Trolls

I've won a copy of Tunnels & Trolls 1st Edition Special Print 1985 on ebay! I've always wanted to see the beginnings of my favorite RPG, and now it's on its way. I've also won, from the same seller, a hardcover copy of Gamma Trollworld, which is, as the name implies, Tunnels & Trolls done Gamma World style. How friggin' cool is that!

I've been playing Tunnels & Trolls since about the mid-eighties, and of all the RPGs I've ever played, it is the single one I always end up returning to. I started off playing the Corgi boxed version, which contained the 5th Edition rules in a digest sized book, a format I loved. I quickly bought up the Corgi digest sized double solos, and a bunch of solos published by Flying Buffalo/Blade, including the limited edition solo Elven Lords by Michael Stackpole. One of the best parts about T&T, at least for me, were (and still are) the solos. Eventually, I started GMing a small group, and the rest, as they say, is history.

A few years ago, I bought the Tunnels & Trolls 7th Edition 30th Anniversary Tin published by Fiery Dragon, and most recently I bought the pdf version of Tunnels & Trolls 7.5 Edition, as an update to my T&T7E set. I like a lot of the changes in these editions of the rules, they addressed and solved some issues that cropped up in earlier editions.

I look forward to future additions to my T&T collection, especially New Khazan by Tom K. Loney, a T&T space fantasy setting that looks to be exciting.

Wanna do yourself a HUGE favor? Then check out Tunnels & Trolls! Get to clicking these links:

FREE TUNNELS AND TROLLS RULES
http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product_info.php?products_id=54407

Flying Buffalo
http://www.flyingbuffalo.com/tandt.htm

Fiery Dragon
http://fierydragon.com/dragonsbreath/?s=tunnels+%26+trolls

The Trollgod's Trollhalla
http://www.trollhalla.com/index.html

Vin Ahrr Vin's TrollBridge
http://trollbridge.proboards.com/

New Khazan
http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/new-khazan/12435983?productTrackingContext=search_results/search_shelf/center/7