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Volume I A Downsized Press Periodical Issue 5

Harvest Festival Highlights Good Yields

With the equinox past and the days any person has a right to eat all at once.
growing shorter, farmers in the Not all festival goers are in such high
surrounding county are bringing in what spirits though.
last they have to harvest. Grains are being “Expect me to just relax and enjoy
taken to mills, market stalls are brimming myself, do you?” was the retort of one
with the last of the fresh fruits and particular citizen. The older man spat on
vegetables to come before the cold sets in, the ground and walked away. After
and locals are using this flourish of speaking to a few more of the locals, it
activity to build community and celebrate became clear that some are more
the harvest. Tallies taken from authorities apprehensive regarding the festival’s
indicate an abundant year. security. The crown has assured the
"Best in years, I'd say. Cart upon cart citizenry that it has taken every possible
are overflowing!" stated Villemaire, a local precaution to protect from any violent
rye producer. The ursine farmer's gentle intrusion, but not everyone is convinced.
smile showed his pride. “I think I’ll buy “Last year it was the dragon. Before
the children some peppermint candy that it was the ogre. I think everyone’s a
while I’m in town,” he said, waving little on edge waiting for the next shoe to
goodbye and walking off toward the mill. drop, as it were.”
The air in town rings with jubilation. Trust in the King’s security measures
There are peddlers showing off exotic are at a recent low. The festival comes on
goods from far away lands. Artisans put the heels of recent clashes with orc forces
on demonstrations of their crafts and turn on the edges of the Bonashire Woods,
a fine gold or two in the process. On every which the crown had previously
corner there are vendors with casks of proclaimed were being sensationalized
wine and ale and more baked goods than and overdrawn by locals.
 Curios & Cetera
farmer's Scythe
» Damage: 1d10
» Cost: 5gp
» Weight: 40c
» Qualities: Brace/Melee/Slow/Two-handed
» Bonus: +3 damage to undead

The scythe is a tool carried by farmers to reap

the grains they have planted. At times, those
same farmers must use it to defend their
families and their villages. In times of war,
evil men harvest what they have seeded in
their fields of villainy. In those times, it is
Death who carries a scythe.

1d6 of Intrigue
Festival activities
1 2

Games of Luck. Have a go at drawing Games of Skill. Try your hand at darts or
lots. It could be a nice reward, it could ax throwing. Do well and walk away with
cost more than you bargained for. a prize.

3 4

Pie eating competition. They’re all so Watch the puppet show. Punch and Judy
warm and delicious looking. It would be are at it again I see. What mischief can
easy to gulp down a dozen or so. they manage?

5 6

Give patronage. It was a good year. Give Stock up while you can. Some things you
your thanks and leave an offering at the can only get at this time of year. Spend
shrine. your coin, and get it while it’s there.
 Mini Encounters
The reaping
The jovial music stops at the sounding Villamaire
of a distant scream. The din of the crowd Level 5 Barbarian - NPC
is silenced while everyone frantically
looks around, looking for the source of the He’s a good man. He takes care of his
interruption. family. I’d be proud to say he fought by my
Running down the small street into side. My only hope beyond that is to say
the square is a young man, barely old he won the fight in front of me.
enough to shave, not old enough to run a
farm on his own. His trampling boots skid AC 7 [12] (leather armor), HP 47, Att 1 x
to a hault as he screams, "DEMON!". Scythe (1d10), THAC0 17 [+2], MV
The crowd errupts into chaos. People 90' (30'), SV D8 W11 P10 B13 S13, AL
flee in all directions, just hoping to Lawful, STR 16 INT 12 WIS 8 DEX 9
escape. Doors are slammed and barred CON 12 CHA 13, Items Waterskin,
shut. The old men who said it would Peppermint Candy x6
happen seem to laugh as they shuffle past.
In an instant, you are alone in the
square that just rang with excitement and
celebration. The only other person who
did not run was the farmer, the ursine
Demonic Knight
man walking with his ox and cart.
At least it’s not another dragon. Right?
The hollow trampling of cursed
hooves grow louder. The sky dims as the
…right?
rains of hell begin to fall. Mounted on his
nightmare, swinging a sword of fire and
AC 0 [19], HD 10*** (45hp), Att 1 x magic
magic, is a Demonic Knight.
sword (1d8 + 6) or 1 x magic, THAC0 11
Villamaire pulls his scythe from his
[+8], MV 120’ (40’), SV D6 W7 P8 B8 S10
cart. He smiles to you. This is a man who
(10), ML 12, AL Chaotic, XP 3,000, NA 1
has fought before. Still outmatched,
(1), TT None
victory seems more possible.
You grip your weapon and charge.
Magic: Dispel Magic, Fireball, Wall of Ice
Which direction do you run?
Specials: Undead, Aura of Fear, Detect
Invisible Creatures, Command Undead,
Magic Resistance, Spell Turning, Steed,
Magic Sword

(See Old-School Essentials Advanced

Fantasy: Monsters, pg 8 for full
description of demonic knight
specialties.)

“Back to Hell with the lot of you! Your scourge upon this place will not last.”
- Villamaire
 The Back Page
The most important harvest
Tonight, I played what was probably kids are around her age as well. Tonight, a
the worst run game in history (This will few people couldn’t make it so we called it
all come back around to the theme. I off. I’d be lying if I said that I wasn’t
swear.) looking forward to not GMing for a night.
I rolled a die all of once. Every check As much as I love this game and those
was just decided by a random referee call. kids, life gets exhausting and it can feel
The GM never referenced her notes a like a chore. I work a day job. I run
single time. She spent more time Downsized Press. I write and draw every
redrawing the map than we did playing. I single day. Somehow, on most days, I
even had to explain a couple of the most manage to squeeze in some family time
basic rules! And don’t even get me started too. I think too many people out there can
on the plot. The adventure was basically relate.
the plot of the recent Dungeons and Well this evening, my never-mild-
Dragons movie, Honor AmongThieves, mannered eight year old was devastated
with some Labyrinth and Willow thrown that we wouldn’t be heading down to the
in for good measure. It centered around game store to roll some dice. So we came
the stabbing death of a dwarf’s puppies. In to an alternate plan; she would GM a
less than an hour, I managed to outrun game for me. And here’s where it comes
brownies, make my way to the center of back around to the theme. Tonight I had
the hedge maze, kill the red wizard who the opportunity to reap what I had spent
was holding the dwarf hostage and revive countless hours on Tuesday afternoons
the puppy before sending them back to sowing for her, and it came out as the
“their world” wherever that might have most glorious hodgepodge I’ve ever seen.
been. In her future table top career, she’ll move
See, I’ve been struggling with this far beyond this little game we played over
issue since the summer when I laid out Chinese take out, but I can guarantee it’s
the rest of the year into a spreadsheet. I something I’ll never forget.
keep all these notes. It typically starts I suppose, when it all comes down to
with the item or the front page. Then I it, what I'm trying to say is that you
come up with a theme to pull the issue should play games with the next
together. Then I’ll spend a few braindead generation, and do it on their terms. If we
lunch breaks writing a little roll table and all invest that time now, to teach them that
going through the monster books over and we care what they have to say - if we treat
over trying to come up with the them as sovereign people, and that we
encounter. I roll the NPC. I cobble some actually want to spend time with them,
art together. I outline all of this, and finish then maybe they'll spring the cost for the
a first draft. Usually the backpage comes nice nursing home.
last, but it’s always drafted before I go to Shady Pines, ma.
production. Except for this time.
That was, at least, until a few hours
ago. I run a tabletop game for my daughter -Dave Serrette - Founder/Writer/et Cetera
and her friends. She’s eight. All the other

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