The Idea from Space

What is it?

The Idea from Space is a low level adventure written by Simon Carryer for Lamentations of the Flame Princess.  It is set on a tiny island off the coast of South America (near Tierra del Fuego, Argentina) in the Early Modern Era (mid 17th century).  As someone who likes to run LotFP adventures as close to "canon" as possible, I appreciate the real world setting.  However, there is nothing in the adventure that forces this setting upon the Referee (e.g., the events aren't tied into the history of Argentina or depend on 17th century technology or knowledge).  Therefore, this placement only helps and doesn't hurt.  Additionally, there are a variety of hooks for the Referee to get their players to the island, which range from accidental to party choice.

Overview

This module is a riff on the classic dungeon motif where there are two warring factions and the players can choose one or the other as allies.  A history for the Referee is provided, both on the development of the island, the two factions, and on the events leading up to the party's arrival.  There are ways in which a party might aid either faction without fully joining, but most likely they will find themselves "all in" with one side or the other (and in at least one scenario, unwillingly).  The factions are appropriately weird, and both provide unusually interesting opportunities for PCs.  The ramifications of joining either side will likely carry on into future adventures, although nothing here is campaign-breaking.

The bulk of the book details the island, which is ripe for exploration.  There is a Random Encounters table (which is unique in that it isn't just a list of monsters), a few areas of interest around the island, and then the two "towers."  Each area is detailed and provides a variety of unusual tricks, traps and encounters (plus treasure) for an exploring party.  Those familiar with LotFP adventures will more or less know what to "expect" out of this (in that, mostly everything is unexpected).  Those new to LotFP will be pleasantly surprised at the amount of freshness and "whoa!" moments.  Also, some or all of the party might die if they are not careful and/or lucky.

There is no story arc here, it is an above ground "dungeon" for a party of adventurers to explore.  That said, there is so much of interest here, including compelling NPCs, that I challenge any group to leave this island without having told an epic story.

Other Considerations 

The art and layout here is satisfactory and efficient, although I would say not as stellar as some of LotFPs other releases (like A Red and Pleasant Land, No Salvation for Witches or Death Frost Doom, but those are pricier hard covers).  I will say that it's refreshing to see a few pictures of nude men in an industry typically reliant on the male gaze (although LotFP has always been good at subverting this).  The maps are all excellent.

The PDF is good; there aren't any bells and whistles, but if you only use PDFs it stands on its own.  I do have two gripes:

-For some reason only the last map links back to the descriptions.  None of the descriptions take you to the map, and the other maps don't have this feature.  That it doesn't work everywhere makes the fact that it works on one of the maps superfluous - you might as well just print all the maps.

-The map of the two towers is spread across two pages and is done in an unusual way - it looks awesome in the print copy.  In the PDF, however, being split across two pages makes it harder to work with.  It would have been nice to have this spread be one of those special pages that are combined and placed at the end of the PDF.

Final Thoughts

If you are a fan of Lamentations of the Flame Princess already, then this module will not disappoint.  If you are considering your first purchase, at this price point you could buy Tower of the Stargazer or Fuck for Satan.  I would recommend Tower of the Stargazer first, then this module, then Fuck for Satan.  (I believe that Fuck for Satan is more interesting for LotFP veterans than newbies.)  That said, if you want a cool island adventure or already own and enjoy Tower of the Stargazer, then this fits the bill perfectly.

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Actually running the adventure?

If you are not running the implied setting of the publisher, you will need to do some minor prepwork: like changing the name of the island location and NPCs, and you may need to mix in some demi-humans if they are prevalent in your game world.

The presentation is like most LotFP adventures in that each section is written to inform the Referee, not to be read to players.  So if you are able to read a couple paragraphs quickly and distill this to players, you're all set.  Otherwise, you may need to read through and take short notes: what do players experience when approaching the room, what do they first see when entering, and what do they find when investigating further?

Also, if you haven't already, you should totally watch Slither.

[More to be added after I've run it!]

Parting Questions:

Beneath the Ruins is another adventure that features the "two warring factions in a dungeon" motif but I wasn't able to easily identify others.  Does anybody know of some?  If you do, please list them in the comments.  (I'm pretty sure Gygax made a famous one and I'm ignorantly missing it as a reference...)

Do you know of other modules, supplements, sourcebooks, or OSR-style games that could be used to easily populate South America with more adventure sites once the players finish up on the island?

The Long Overdue Titles Post

In this earlier post I shared my new approach to stripping away class.  As a quick refresher, instead of choosing a class, players choose a Focus for their character at first level and each time they level up.  Here are the base stats for all starting characters, and the details of each Focus:

Default Alignment:	Neutral
Luck Save:	15
Attack Bonus:	+1
Parry AC:	+2
Press Attack:	+1 AB / -4 AC
Defensive Attack:	-4 AB / +1 AC
Skill Points:	3
Minimum HP:	5
Unarmored:	12
Base Movement:	40’

Choose one at first level and when leveling up:

Focus	Improvement	HD
Offense:	+1 Attack	D8
Defense:	+1 Luck Save	D10
Specialization:	+2 Skill Points	D6
Magic:	1 Spell Point/Level	D4
Faith:	1 Spell Point/Level	D4

Some thoughts/reasoning/nuts and bolts:

-If a player prefers the basic classes, it's easy to replicate.  If they want to just be a Magic-User, they can just take the Magic Focus at every level.  However, this does mean they won't improve in saving throws.  (Although, it would be easy to just look at how the saving throws improve at each level for each class and apply them as needed, if you'd prefer.)

-If players like to multi-class, this makes it really easy.  Just pick whatever Focus you want at each level.

-This system also allows for very specific character ideas that players might want to replicate.

Okay, now onto Titles!

-These are inspired by the titles that go with each level in the 1E Player's Handbook.  

-Characters (PCs & NPCs) would use these in the game world to refer to each other.  (Whereas, I wouldn't think people would call each other "Fighter" or "Magic-User.")

-Players can use them to try to improve saves or argue for in-game benefits/knowledge above what's provided by taking the Title.  ("I think my years as a militiaman would allow me to assess the quality of the fighting men in this village...")

-Whatever Focus is chosen at first level is a defining focus.  You get a piece of headgear and a special power appropriate to your first Focus. Both of these charts are taken from The Complete B/X Adventurer.  (For the core classes, these areas will be blanked out on the sheets below because they are copied right out of this book.  However, the Defensive ones will be shown so you can see what the chart looks like, as I made these up or they are variations of random things I've read over the last few years and the original source is long lost to me.)

Defensive Focus:

(I'm starting with this one so that you can see what the special abilities at first level might look like for the other classes.  With the Defensive Focus, you get one at every level!)

When taking a Defensive Focus at first level, choose from the chart below.  If taking this focus after first level, you may roll randomly to gain the title immediately, or choose one of the titles.  If you choose the title, roll d%.  You won’t gain the use of this title until you are that percentage of XP toward your next level.

1	Arsonist	+1 Fire skill.  Once per day you can start a fire just by thinking about it.
2	Beastmaster	+1 Animals skill.  You gain a random animal companion.  It is loyal, reasonably intelligent, and if it survives to your next level, it gains a supernatural ability.
3	Cartographer	+1 Cartography skill.  Increase your mapping speed by 25%. You always have a way of making a map.
4	Charlatan	+1 Fraud skill.  Each day you can pretend to be something you’re not (spellcaster, priest, king, etc.) and temporarily gain the spells and abilities of that title, occupation or class.  Negotiate a % chance of failure with the Referee, which is checked when your authenticity could be called into question.
5	Collector	+1 Artifact skill.  You have a random magic item with d% knowledge of its properties.
6	Dabbler	+1 Magic skill.  You gain 1 Magic Point, become Chaotic, and receive a random 1st level spell. [Gain Read Magic the first time you receive this title.]
7	Diplomat	+1 Diplomacy skill.  If you parley with an NPC, you can automatically increase their reaction to you by one step.  +1 initiative, and you are surprised less, in settlements.
8	Dogsbody	+1 Packing skill. You are considered to have encumbrance one level lower than your actual encumbrance.  Eliminate time to put on armor for one ally.
9	Druid	+1 Paganism skill. Roll for a random animal form.  Once per day, you may change into this animal.
10	Drummer	+1 Rhythm skill.  You increase overland travel speed for the party by 25%.  +1 to reaction rolls for the party when entering a settlement.
11	Duelist	+1 Fencing skill.  When facing off against a single, humanoid opponent, if your attack and/or AC is lower, both are raised to equal that of your opponent. [+1 to Attack/AC against this opponent for each time this is taken after the first.]
12	Entertainer	+1 Performing skill.  Choose a specialty (singing, acting, miming, storytelling, etc.)  You can entertain in settlements to earn 1d4 sp per hour per size of the settlement, to improve the morale of hirelings, to improve the reaction of humans, or to heal 1d6 hp divided amongst companions however you want.
13	Gangrel	+1 Wildlife skill. You were raised in the wilderness by wild animals.  You can attack with your “claws” and teeth as if they were weapons (1d6 lethal damage). +1 AC if lightly encumbered or less.
14	Guide	+1 Spelunking and Dungeoneering skills.  You have low light vision, gain +1 initiative, and are surprised less when delving underground.
15	Hedge Wizard	+1 Herbalism skill.  Each day you can make a potion with a random 1st level spell.  The potion must be used that day or it will spoil and become useless.  There is a small chance that the potion will backfire or otherwise be dangerous.
16	Hunter	+1 Hunting skill.  Once per day, you can choose a creature or person that you can track with 100% certainty (unless they have escaped through supernatural means).  You must have some evidence or information regarding how to begin tracking.
17	Jack-of-all-Trades	Roll an additional time on this table, the Random Skill Table, and the Previous Occupation table. +1 to random ability score.
18	Quarter- master	+1 Cooking skill.  Once per day, you have the chance to have any mundane item in your special pack.  In a settlement, you can always find needed mundane items.
19	Ranger	+1 Stealth skill. When firing into melee, you can choose one ally that you have no chance of hitting.  Choose a favored animal – this type of animal will never attack you (unless supernaturally forced to) and you have a chance to befriend it if encountered.
20	Scout	+1 Wilderness Survival skill. While adventuring in the wilderness you gain +1 to initiative, are surprised less often, and have low light vision.

 This is a randomized skill list (sometimes an entry directs a player to "gain a random skill.")  Many of these are inspired by the Goblin Punch skill list, but I've changed it to be more suitable for the setting of LotFP.

1	Alchemy	53	Jungles
2	Alcohol	54	Lakes
3	Animal Handling	55	Law
4	Animals	56	Linguistics
5	Arcana	57	Literature
6	Art	58	Locks
7	Astronomy	59	Lutes
8	Begging	60	Maps
9	Blacksmithing	61	Masonry
10	Bureaucracy	62	Mathematics
11	Business	63	Medicine
12	Carousing	64	Merchants
13	Carpentry	65	Military
14	Caves	66	Money
15	Cities	67	Mountains
16	Comedy	68	Music
17	Cooking	69	Navigation
18	Criminals	70	Nobles
19	Cults	71	Oceans
20	Cultures	72	Paintings
21	Dance	73	Philosophy
22	Demons	74	Plants
23	Deserts	75	Poetry
24	Disguise	76	Politics
25	Drugs	77	Religion, Foreign
26	Drums	78	Religion, Local
27	Engineering	79	Religion, Paganism
28	Etiquette	80	Riding
29	Faeries	81	Rivers
30	Farms	82	Roads
31	Fashion	83	Royalty
32	Fishing	84	Sailing
33	Flutes	85	Scavenging
34	Folklore	86	Science
35	Food	87	Sex
36	Foreign Affairs	88	Singing
37	Forests	89	Smuggling
38	Forgery	90	Survival
39	Fortune Telling	91	Swamps
40	Gambling	92	Tailoring
41	Geography	93	Tracking
42	Geology	94	Traps
43	Gossip	95	Trumpets
44	Guitars	96	Warfare
45	Guns	97	Weapons
46	Harps	98	Weather
47	Harpsichords	99	Wizards
48	Heraldry	100	Writing
49	History, Ancient	Standard Skills Architecture, Bushcraft, Climb, Languages, Search, Sleight of Hand, Sneak Attack, Stealth, Tinker
50	History, Local
51	Horses
52	Jewelry

Get the word document here.

Offensive Focus:

Get the word document here.

Specialization Focus:

Get the word document here.

Magic Focus:

Get the word document here.

Faith Focus:

Get the word document here.

We are currently in the process of playing with these in the current campaign.  The next big project on my plate is to rework the character sheets based on player whining and bitching.

As always, I'm interested in hearing feedback and ideas!