This is a fantasy One-Sheet for Savage Worlds Novice characters–perfect for a convention scenario. Enjoy!

The Jewels of Fairfield FF

just_like_clockwork-minion-submission-March-2013

Art by user maxusphinneas from rapgenius.com, who was unable to be contacted for permission. If you see this, maxusphinneas, let me know by emailing jodi at beautifulbrainsbooksandgames.com. This art fit perfectly!

A Savage Worlds One Sheet by Erica Balsley

In this one sheet, the crew encounters a derelict ship that, unbeknownst to them, is guarded by a massive octopus! This adventure is suitable for any pirate or nautical-themed setting, such as 50 Fathoms.

On one of their ocean voyages, the heroes’ lookout spots a ship on the horizon. She appears to be adrift, and listing to starboard. As they draw nearer, heroes who succeed on a Notice roll see the ship appears to be abandoned. Her sails are hanging in tatters, and no crew can be seen on deck. On a raise, they discover the ship is hung up on a reef on her port side, which explains her strong list to starboard. They’ll need to row in if they wish to investigate—the risk of running aground is too great for their ship. If they fail to notice the reefs, they do eventually run aground; only a rowboat is small enough to navigate through the reef. Use the rules for whichever campaign setting you’re using to determine damage to the heroes’ ship.

You can use the ship deck plans found on page 4 of this excellent PDF for the abandoned ship: http://greywolf.critter.net/savageworlds/pirates/pdf/POTSM_ShipDeck_02.pdf. It can be found at Jordan Peacock’s website at http://greywolf.critter.net/tiles.htm.

When they get past the outer reef, they see the ship is resting on an atoll built up on the outer edge of an extremely deep blue hole—a circular pit like a yawning abyss far deeper than the surrounding shallows. Once the heroes are aboard the doomed ship, they are free to investigate. Her railings on the starboard side are all broken away. Below decks, she has a huge hole in her port side where she rests against the reef. She’ll never sail again. Anyone succeeding on a Boating roll realizes that she was probably hefted in a powerful storm and dashed against the reef.

On a successful Notice roll, heroes investigating below decks discover an old treasure chest filled with booty! It’s theirs for the taking. Again, use the rules in your setting book to determine the value of the treasure in the chest. If using 50 Fathoms, the chest contains Plunder (1d10 x $500 with a 50% chance of having a Relic).

As soon as the heroes discover the treasure chest, things take a dangerous turn. Heroes who succeed at a Notice roll feel the ship rise slightly on her starboard side, as if being lifted by a swell of water from the blue hole. On a raise, anyone on the upper deck can see a massive tentacled form rising up from the depths of the hole. A giant octopus!

Deal initiative cards for everyone who succeeded on their Notice roll, and one for the octopus. The octopus can’t be attacked from the ship until it surfaces; anyone with a higher initiative card than the octopus will have to go on Hold if they want to attack it when it rises from the water (if they want to interrupt it after it rises but before it attacks, remember the opposed Agility roll!).

On its turn, the octopus grabs onto the starboard side of the abandoned ship and flails four massive tentacles across the deck, attacking anyone within reach. If the heroes left their rowboat unattended, it’s in immediate danger from the octopus’ attacks. As a free action, the octopus also bites at the side of the ship with its huge, powerful beak, dealing Str+d6 damage to the hull. (It can’t do heavy damage with its beak, so it can’t do enough damage to destroy the ship, but it can chew through the wood! Consider the hull to be as strong as a heavy door, giving it Toughness 10.) If the octopus can chew through the hull, it can send a tentacle through the hole to attack heroes below decks.

The heroes on the abandoned ship are in a bit of a tough spot at this point. Their ship is a good distance away and can’t easily come to their aid. Whether or not the heroes’ ship is close enough to target the octopus with cannon fire is up to you, but since the octopus is attached directly to its side, the abandoned ship certainly counts as an ‘innocent bystander’. Attacking with cannons might do more harm than good! Their way out—the rowboat—is in danger of being thrashed by the giant octopus, and there’s no way they could outpace it if it decides to chase them as they frantically row away.

Do the heroes manage to escape with the treasure, or do they become octopus chow? How this adventure progresses from here depends on the players’ plans and the luck of the dice!

Giant Octopus (Wild Card)

Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d4(A), Spirit d6, Strength d12+2, Vigor d8

Skills: Fighting d8, Notice d6, Stealth d6, Swimming d6

Pace: —; Parry: 6; Toughness: 10

Special Abilities:

• Aquatic: Pace 6”.

• Large: Characters add +2 when attacking the giant octopus due to its great size.

• Ink Cloud: The giant octopus can spurt a cloud of black ink once per day. The cloud fills a sphere in the water equal to a Large Burst Template. No sight or smell functions within this putrid stuff, even for the octopus.

• Size (+4): The body of the giant octopus is as big as cow, while each tentacle is 12’ (4” on a map) long.

• Tentacles: The giant octopus may make up to four Fighting attacks each round with a Reach of 2. On a raise, the creature has grappled the victim. An entangled victim may attempt an opposed Strength roll each round to escape or another action at -4. Once grappled, the octopus does Str+d4 damage automatically each following round by crushing with its arms. A victim killed by an octopus’ tentacles is usually ripped in half. Characters may often try to sever tentacles. A tentacle is severed if it takes the creature’s Toughness in damage in one shot from an edged weapon. Attacking a tentacle that has entangled a friend is somewhat risky—a roll of 1 on the attack die means the ally is hit instead.

Words by John Beattie

Map by Jordan Peacock

Something’s gone wrong at the Golden Creme Delights factory, which recently had to shut its doors due to bankruptcy. Strange accidents have occurred as workers tried to dismantle the equipment, and there were skittering noises heard in the background.

Heroes: The heroes are newly hired animal control officers sent in to deal with the situation. Their particular branch, the North Sandalwood Office (nicknamed the Unusual Animals Unit), has a history for dealing with odd situations.

Setting Rules: Gritty Damage, found in Savage Worlds

The Setup

The officers have been assigned to check the Golden Creme Delights factory to see if they can find the critters that have been heard skittering around in the factory at night.

The owners intend to sell the factory to offset some of their debts, and are afraid that wild animals may cause further damage. At the same time, they’ve mentioned odd accidents: valves releasing at the wrong time, cables snapping, and other incidents not easily explained. So far, no one’s been hurt, but it’s already caused millions of dollars in damage.

The factory is beset by a mother gremlin and her daughters. They were content with minor mischief when the factory was running, but they’ve become addicted to the creme filling in the snack cakes and are doing everything they can to prevent the factory from being gutted.

Getting the Assignment

The players, all rookies, are told to take a van out to the factory. The owner’s pulled some strings with city hall, and they’re being sent out at night to see if they can find out what sort of animals are about.

As the players prepare to leave, Bailey, a grizzled old officer, hands them a bundle of xeroxed papers. They appear to be someone’s old notebook. “Take a gander when you get a chance. Got a feeling you’ll need it tonight.” He waves away any questions. “Wait ’til you see it for yourself. Then we’ll talk.”

The papers contain notes on a number of exotic creatures, including snakes and large cats, as well as even stranger creatures, like goblins, mermaids, and unicorns. If they read the section on gremlins, it will say, “Small, humanoid, gnarled appearance. Territorial. They make things break. They build traps, and love taking apart high-tech gadgets. Take to Ted’s.” There’s an address below.

The characters are armed with restraint poles. These deal no damage, but give a +2 to grapple rolls and have 1″ reach. They are two-handed and weigh four pounds each.

The Factory Doors

The factory is built on a hill. A sloped parking lot surrounds the building. Flickering streetlights make things dim (remember, this inflicts a -1 penalty. See Ranged Attacks in Savage Worlds).

As the players drive up, they notice a number of trucks and moving equipment outside. Hoists and cranes are abandoned for the night. Several of these have their hoods up and engines open, as though someone was doing repairs. There is also a tow truck in a similar state.

From this point forward, treat all characters as having the All Thumbs Hindrance as the gremlins’ influence asserts itself. Those who already have the Hindrance suffer a mishap on a 1or a 2 on their Trait roll.

As the characters approach, the parking brake on the nearest truck suddenly gives out and it begins rolling toward them. Have each character in its path make an Agility roll to get out of the way. Failure indicates they’re hit, and take 2d6 damage. A successful Notice check made at -2 reveals a small, round humanoid figure scurrying back into a small hole on the side of the building.

The doors are slightly ajar. A successful Notice roll reveals a ladder blocking the door and a puddle of water seeping from under it. If the characters open the door without noticing the ladder, it will tip over, and a circular saw will fall. The power cord is frayed, and when it contacts the puddle, it will electrify the puddle. Anyone standing in the puddle (anyone who walks through the door without trying to avoid it) will take 1d6 damage each round, and will be unable to move if Shaken.

The factory floor is filled with large pieces of equipment, some of which are still in hoists, waiting to be removed from the building. Worker’s tools are left for the day.

The gremlins have set up several further traps. These are all triggered by trip wires. A successful Notice check at -2 reveals the trip wires when the characters approach within 2″. Three vats are set to release streams of molten hot Golden Creme (Agility check to avoid, 2d8 damage), and two crates are suspended overhead, triggered to fall (Agility check at -2 to avoid, 2d6 damage).

The gremlins are hiding toward the back of the factory. If the characters manage to avoid the traps (or keep coming despite them), the gremlins will finally reveal themselves. They will chastise the players for trying to take their home from them. A Persuasion check at -2 opposed by the gremlin’s Smarts can convince them the players are there peacefully. Otherwise, the gremlins will fight. One of the daughters will Taunt from the rafters while the mother leads the other gremlins to attack with their wrenches.

• Gremlins: The mother is a Wild Card; the daughters are not. Add one daughter for every player, plus the mother gremlin.

If the players manage to capture any of the gremlins, the others surrender. They will explain their fear of having their home taken away from them, along with the snack cakes that have formed their diet for years. However, they will agree to go with the officers if they can find a new home for them.

If the players go to the address listed in the papers, they will find themselves at Ted’s Junkyard. Ted’s hosts a small, thriving community of gremlins, and the mother and her daughters will be welcome there.

Gremlin

A gremlin is a small, gnarled humanoid that lives in machines and loves to make them fail. They have mottled gray skin and prominent noses. They tend to wear leather work clothes, and carry around wrenches and hammers.

Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d8, Spirit d6, Strength d4, Vigor d6

Skills: Fighting d6, Notice d6, Repair d8, Stealth d8, Taunt d6

Pace: 3; Parry: 5; Toughness: 3

Gear: Wrench (Str+d4)

Special Abilities

• Low Light Vision: Gremlins ignore penalties for Dim and Dark lighting.
• Malfunction Aura: All enemies within 20″ gain the All Thumbs Hindrance.
• Short Attention Span: Gremlins are fixated by complicated devices. When confronted with a new device, a gremlin must make a Spirit roll at -2 to keep from attempting to take it apart, so long as there are no obvious threats. They make all Notice rolls at -4 while so distracted.
• Size -2: Gremlins are about the same size as rats.

• Small: Gremlins get a +2 bonus to attack human-sized creatures, who suffer a -2 penalty to attack them in return.

good-hostesses-map-full pdf

Encourage your friends to sign up for the monthly newsletter to gain entries into the Newsletter Sign-Up Contest! Share this link with your friends (http://eepurl.com/hihp-/) and remind them to put your name in the “Minion” field, showing they are a Minion of yours. The winner, drawn randomly on February 15, 2013, will win a $25 coupon code to use on Beautiful Brains products.

What’s in the monthly newsletter?

Beautiful Brains sends out the monthly newsletter to update customers about sales, new products in stock, chat guests and topics, convention appearances, industry news, and the Minion Submission!

Okay, so you might be wondering, “What is the Minion Submission?” Our customer loyalty program is called Minions of the Brain, therefore the Minion Submission is something by a customer about anything gaming-related. Stat your favorite NPC, come up with a cool new creature, create some stunning artwork for your favorite foe, write an essay comparing two game systems, come up with a short scenario to share… anything you think others might want to read, send it in! If we choose your entry, we will make something good happen for you. So far we have added a miniature to John Beattie’s order (see November’s bloodghast writeup, which drew the attention of one RPG publisher already…) and sent a $5 DriveThruRPG gift certificate to Nicholas Clayton (see his art and NPC writeup: Captain Grugard Stonegut). If we don’t choose yours, it rolls over to be considered for the following month automatically.

How do I sign up?
You aren’t a Minion already? Go ahead and sign up using the link (http://tinyurl.com/beqmlab) and put yourself as the Minion who sent you. I do like a motivated Minion…

Here’s the story: We got a bug over the holidays and created a simple adventure where Mrs. Claus and the elves have to protect their village from abominable snowmen while Santa makes his rounds. We included nonlethal gear like the Smore SMG (Super Marshmallow Gun) and the Sugar Bomb, full of deicer fluid. Our friends at Fabled Environments have provided a cute, one page, Candy Cane Cottage map for the elves to defend (or ambush abominable snowmen from). Check it out: $1.50 pdf Throwdown at the North Pole.

So that’s it. For now. We are approved as a publisher through OneBookShelf.com (the publisher page is still under construction) and will eventually be listing Throwdown at the North Pole there, too. We’ve already been approached to publish some other short works, so we are considering it. We may even write up some of the convention games Clint’s been running. Who knows where this will go? We’ll keep you posted in the monthly Newsletter, so be sure to read it! Oh, and you have heard of our Newsletter Sign-up Contest, right?

Captain Grugard Stonegut

Before Judgment Day, Grugard was Greg Steign, a chopper mechanic on the outskirts of Phoenix, AZ. Before this, little Gregory was a child with a fascination for the romanticized tales of pirates. He dreamed of manning his own ship, amassing riches and getting the girls. This dream stuck with him, as he emblazoned pirate imagery on each motorcycle he touched.

After Judgment Day, when civilization and order went straight to Hell, he decided the time had come for him to live his dream. If not now, then when? So, he fashioned himself a makeshift pirate’s costume, changed his name, and found his crew. He then went about building his ship, the Desert Rose, a piecemeal iron hover ship. They started out hitting the road gangs that they came across as they roamed the stretch of road between Yuma and Tucson, but the hardships and reality of piracy soon set in. In order to keep his ship maintained and his crew happy, they had to hit bigger targets and began terrorizing trade caravans passing through the area.

This was a lot less like the movies than Grugard had thought, but he had embedded himself too far into the role to quit the lifestyle. So he continues his reign of the Yuma – Tucson crossway, bitter and discontent with his life and his dream, which makes him a very dangerous man.

Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6, Spirit d6, Strength d8, Vigor d6.
Skills: Driving d6, Fighting d8, Gambling d6, Intimidation d6, Notice d6, Repair d8, Shooting d6
Charisma 0, Pace 6, Parry 6, Toughness 6
Edges: Wheels, Scrounger, Command, Inspire, Ace, Brawny
Hindrances: Delusional (Major), Heroic (Major), Wanted (Major)
Gear: Sword (Str+d8), Flintlock Pistol (.60, 5/10/20, 2d6+1, ROF 1, Reload 2), Boiled Leather Shirt (+1 Torso, Arms), Boiled Leather Pants (+1 Legs), Duster, Homemade Pirate Shirt, Cowboy Hat, Boots, Sun Glasses

The Desert Rose

Type Iron Hover Ship, Acc/TS 10/30, Toughness 15 (4), Crew 12, Notes Heavy Armor, Hover, Sloped Armor

Special thanks to Nicholas Clayton for words, stats, AND art!

November 2-4, 2012

Charlotte, North Carolina

over 600 attended

Charlotte Hilton University Place

Gaming

Those who come away from MACE consistently say “that was the best-run con I’ve ever been to.” Gaming is the main focus of MACE, and game registration is smooth before and during the con, even if last-minute changes occur. New this year was a Deadlands LARP, which was exciting for a lot of people (including us who just loved the costuming).

Location

This is their first year at this location—MACE has been in High Point for the past 15 years. Everything was so spacious and roomy, and several new dealers were added to the dealer room. The pop-up restaurant, The Grinning Goblin, survived the move and provided healthy and fast meal options for gamers who didn’t want to go upstairs to the (excellent) hotel restaurant.

Accommodations

It’s a Hilton, and it shows. Best Bed ever, and thick towels (look for the hair dryer in the vanity drawer, Erica!) There are a lot of food options nearby. It’s more upscale, but not when you consider the quality. This is easily the best con for eating healthy!

Value

You can game from Friday to Sunday afternoon without even leaving the hotel. Quality counts, and it reflects in the gaming experience. There are cheaper hotels nearby and parking is free, but it would be hard to find a parking spot after 8 am Saturday, so it’s still better to stay at the Hilton if you can.

Family Rating

YES! MACE is very family friendly. We coordinated a Kids Track that focused on pretty much just gaming and were astonished at the success of it—more than 30 kids participated in 10 different game systems. Some restaurants let kids eat free, and there is a Chick-fil-A and McDonald’s in easy walking distance. And the hotel has a playground.

We do like to give a shout-out for the nondenominational Christian worship service the Fans for Christ (with help from Christian Gamers Guild) pulled together for the first time this year!

Stand-Outs

New location. Bigger, better, cleaner… everything about the move was worth it. Gaming. The con is all about gaming, and the variety and quality of the games offered are outstanding. Organization. If you are researching best practices for gaming at conventions, attending MACE is like getting your Bachelor’s in Con-ology.

Links

MACE website

Gleep’s review

August 31-September 3, 2012

Atlanta, Georgia

over 52,000 attended

hosted in several downtown hotels

Gaming

While the fine folks at DragonCon are passionate about improving their game registration system: this is not primarily a gaming con. We made great strides in making it easier to fit in a game with our Game Demo Table and Games on Demand. The panels are the most well-attended part of DragonCon: if you run a game based on a book/comic/tv show/film, there’s likely a panel on that in addition to the panels specifically on gaming.

Location

Crowded; panic-attack-inducing for those susceptible. Be prepared to wait for anything: the elevator, food, and even to get into the dealer’s room (next year the dealers are moving so that might end). Most of the hotels are connected by skywalks, but at peak times, you’re shuffling your feet for every step.

Accommodations

There a lot of hotels, but rooms sell out about a year in advance and require a nonrefundable deposit. Being downtown, the hotels are nice, and what’s better, they are used to you carpeting the floor in sleeping bags! There are a lot of food options, from the mall food court to high end eateries.

Value

Value is inversely proportional to privacy at DragonCon. The more people you can split the hotel room/parking with, the cheaper it gets. If you want to only eat PB&J, it gets cheaper. There were rumors of a con suite, but honestly we never felt up to checking it out.

Family Rating

We don’t recommend you bring your children unless you plan to stay with them 24 hours a day, and the whole family is in the hotel room by 9 pm. Cosplay reigns supreme at DragonCon, and unfortunately quite a few of them are risqué. It’s too bad because the others are simply amazing, but we don’t plan to bring our kids here anytime soon.

We do like to give a shout-out for the nondenominational Christian worship service the Fans for Christ (with help from Christian Gamers Guild) pulls together Sunday a.m.

Stand-Outs

Cosplay and Parade. With over 3,000 costumed geeks the parade is something you have to see to believe. The hour-long Youtube video can’t do it all justice. East Coast Comicon Experience. Again, the costumes rock, but you also can see so many big name celebrities here. Gaming is Growing. Most telling? We had 70 people at the Savage Worlds panel, many who had never played. ‘Nuff said.

Links

DragonCon website

Lots of reviews on Yelp!

Owner of Third Eye Games, Eloy Lasanta’s review

August 16-19, 2012

Indianapolis, Indiana

over 36,000 attended

hosted at the Indiana Convention Center and in several area hotels

Gaming

Every kind of game imaginable is at GenCon. Get your badge early and keep your eyes peeled for when they open preregistration, because games fill up within hours! Gencon’s GM registration system doesn’t handle last minute changes very well… of course we ARE talking about THOUSANDS of games!

SSN: If you want to be a part of Savage Saturday Night, you really MUST register, whether as a GM or player .We needed 30 GMs this year, something that only worked out because there were some tables open in nearby rooms. Speaking from the perspective of someone who has been helping run SSN for years now, GenCon really cannot handle overflow well– please PLEASE register to GM! You qualify for a FREE badge if you run3 4-hour games for at least 6 players (click here for more details).

Location

The Indiana Convention Center is the perfect venue for this many people. The hallways are wide enough that even during peak times you can keep moving (even if slowly). Be sure to consult maps well before your events, though—it’s huge and easy to get lost in!

Accommodations

There are a variety of host hotels that are either in walking distance or a short bus ride away, and a lot of food options available too. If you want cheaper and faster service, plan to walk farther from the convention center or go in off hours.

Value

GenCon is expensive. But try to do it at least once in your lifetime if you can. It’s worth it.

Family Rating

Even with more people than any other con, Gen Con is outstanding for keeping it family friendly. There are special discounts for families and educators, kids under 8 attend for free, and while there are still one or two “booth babes” around, there’s little danger of exposed private parts.

We also like to give a shout-out for the nondenominational Christian worship service the Christian Gamers Guild (with help from Fans for Christ and geekpreacher.org) pulls together Sunday a.m.

Stand-Outs

Size Matters. It’s all there at GenCon. Every kind of (family friendly) geekery is proudly out on display. Most New Releases. Most every game company releases something ahead of schedule there, and you can buy it—if you get there first (might need a Very Important Gamer badge). Most Game Designers Under One Roof. If you want to meet the pros, you’ll have the best chance to do so here.

Links

Gen Con website

Savage Worlds Explorer’s Society Gen Con 2012 report