Justin Howe's Blog

Songs for the Bone Harp

Over on itch.io, before the bad times began, some good people proposed having an Appendix N Jam. For those who don’t know, Appendix N was the part of the first edition AD&D Dungeon Master’s Guide that listed inspirational materials. It was basically a list of sword & sorcery style fiction. The way it worked was participants got assigned a random “pulpy” sounded title and had to write an adventure to suit. My title was “Songs for the Bone Harp” and this is the grim mystery I made for it:

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“Last Stop: Tomb City” at Beneath Ceaseless Skies

. . . and so.

My story “Last Stop: Tomb City” was published at Beneath Ceaseless Skies a bit over a month ago.

This is the link that will take you to it.

It’s a story that asks the important question what if you were a very nervous man and Elric showed up one day needing your help rescuing a captive from an undead life coach?

Random online strangers have called it “terrific”, “marvelously deranged . . . like a condensed space opera” and “recommended for fans of Terry Pratchett...

Schrodinger’s Catastrophe

I finally posted the cat-themed Mothership adventure I made a few months back to my itch page. Grab yourself a copy (it’s free!) and enjoy your time exploring a derelict spaceship that may or may not have a cat on board!

https://yesterweird.itch.io/schrodingers-catastrophe

Some Recent Things

Hello.

It’s been a bit, and I have every intention of finishing the game write-ups. But not right now. Right now, I’m just pointing you towards some recent things I’ve finished:

Arkham Elementary is a one-page roleplaying game where you play as substitute teachers at a horrible elementary school. It’s a tweak of John Harper’s Lasers & Feelings, except horrible. The children have eldritch powers at their command. You have a classroom.

Link here

Lock Mess Mobster: Lock Boss...

Black Spaghetti Hack Session 09: A Real Man, At Last!

As mentioned last time, I came up with a death twist for each of the players at the start of the campaign. These have changed as the game has gone on, but for Don Hector I wanted to have a misguided fairy godmother turn him into a flesh and blood person, instead of a marionette made out of wood.

So, that’s what I did. Please let me know if you think this was a good or bad idea.

Night falls and Don Hector’s body is prepared for burial by the village priest. Ha’Des and Nicolo are stayin...

Black Spaghetti Hack Session 08: Don Hector’s Deadly Dance Party

The Lord of Testaccio’s Manor

And here here we are…

To recap: the party, a trio of rogues (Don Hector a Marionette Matador, Ha’Des a demonic duelist, and Nicolo a tinker-smith musician), have learned the location of a vast treasure hoard. It’s located in a ruined village called San Basle on the other side of the map from where they are. In between the party and the treasure are two armies. The party, not wanting to get mixed up with either army and their war, detours far to the north hopin...

Black Spaghetti Hack 07: Monte Luca and the Beasts Found There

The party gets presented to Countess Matilda who is coddling the harpy children. The children hiss and spit at the party, before getting taken away to their gilded cage. Don Hector introduces himself as the Clinician of Pain. Countess Mailda explains how her darling children found a cursed bauble in the old hedge maze and it woke the evil crows and transformed her kids into harpies. Won’t Don Hector, the Clinician of Pain, and his brave companions do something?

Don Hector says they will. ...

Black Spaghetti Hack Session 06: The Road to Testaccio

Regional map: party wants to get from the center bottom to the top left.

The party flees San Spotello, fearing retaliation from crime boss Don Danny, after they, the party, destroyed Don Danny’s daughter’s wedding cake. They know they need to cross the river to reach San Basel, where the treasure’s located, but aren’t sure which route to take.

To the west is the city of San Uzzano. Unfortunately, the road between Spotello and Uzzano are crawling with mercenary forces, and one of these will...

Black Spaghetti Hack Session 05: Bolli Bentpot’s Bistro

After the tollhouse battle…

The party spends the night with the mercenaries, and it’s a chance to divulge some regional lore. In this case it’s a mercenary singing a song about a witch who lives in the marshes to the south east and has a tendency to turn unpleasant trespassers into animals. Meanwhile, Toad-Faced Larry and his crew continue to give the stink-eye to the party.

Morning comes and people split up. The party joins the group heading to the nearby city of San Spotello. This in...

Black Spaghetti Hack Session 04: Tollhouse Battle

And we’re back to it…

When last we left our knaves they had just learned the whereabouts of a great treasure and fled town ahead of a nobleman’s wrath. Their plan’s to find a chef who can tell them where the village with the treasure’s located. The party has the village name, but not it’s location. They also know the village was famous for its wine, hence a chef being the one likely to recognize the name.

I gave them three options of chefs and they headed towards the middlemost one. As...