Roleplaying games from historical research
This week a note on the Lancashire witches. In earlier episodes we’ve covered some of the folklore concerning the Lancashire Witch Trials, so when I heard that there was a ballad of the Lancashire witches I thought we would be going in for Tales spellcasting, familiars, trials, and late repentances. Instead I found a plot…
Read More
For only the second time, Games From Folktales welcomes a guest author. Tom Nowell is one of the presenters for the other Ars Magica podcast, Arcane Connection. This article has been purchased for the new Mythic Europe Magazine, which is still accepting submissions. Before reading you Tom’s piece I want to flag a couple of…
Read More
There doesn’t seem to be a clear, copyable text of the The Wolf Woman by Grace Morgan anywhere easily accessible, so here’s a link to a scan of the issue of Weird Tales magazine where it appeared. “Bassett” was her pen name, because, like many authors in her period, she hid her gender to make…
Read More
Another little story from Fantasy Fan magazine read by Ben Tucker through Librivox.. Thanks to Ben and his team. Statistics to use Aphlar as an NPC: Magic Might: 30 (Aquam) Characteristics: Int +3, Per +4, Pre –2, Com –2, Str -16, Sta +3*, Dex –1, Qik +7** * Note that he is Tireless, which is…
Read More
A brief episode this week, because I was busy writing the index of creatures with Might in the 5th edition. It’s useful for authors working under the Open License, but terrible copy for a podcast. In the Venetian book there’s always been a column sized gap at the end of the magical humans chapter. I…
Read MoreThis is a spreadsheet of the 614 creatures with Might that appeared in the supplements for Ars Magica 5th edition. I hope you find it useful.
Read More
Richard Morse was one of the circle of people H.P. Lovecraft traded letters with. This was recoded by Ben Tucker. Thanks to him and his production team. I’m attracted to this because it has a certain Venetian feel, particularly because I’ve recently been writing about theriac, their plague medicine. *** The city lay stricken, in…
Read More
During layout of a book there are occasional bits where you need an extra page, or an extra column, to make things sit correctly. Here are the pieces that were added since the first draft went live. Vitrum flexile : The lost secret of unbreaking glass It is recorded that in the reign of Tiberius…
Read More
Do you ever read a piece of media and say “I want to use that in a game, but don’t know how?” That was how I’ve felt about “The Riddle” by Walter de la Mare. I’ve used his material on this podcast before, but this eerie little story, written for small children, deliberately doesn’t tell…
Read MoreThis week an odd little familiar that turned up while I was looking at some Venetian material. I’ve been reading “Venice is a fish” and there’s a section in it which, to me, seems to be a perfect origin story for a. familiar Here’s the quote: “Apart from the inevitable mess left by man’s best…
Read More
