TinyZine 08
TinyZine 08
TinyZine 08
TinyZine Issue 8
Written by Alan Bahr, Steffie de Vaan, Liz Chaipraditkul, & James M. Spahn
Editor: Alan Bahr
Interior Art: Anthony Cournoyer, Nicolás R. Giacondino
Graphic Design & Layout: Robert Denton III
TinyD6 Line Manager : Alan Bahr
Based on the game Tiny Dungeon by Brandon McFadden
Second Edition
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Letter from the Editor
Hail Loyal Gallants!
Welcome to the eighth issue of TinyZine!
We’re reaching for the stars in this issue, with a series of articles
and art around Tiny Frontiers: Revised as well as more content for
our other TinyD6 games!
Steffie returns with our monthly Roll-and-Play, this time
tackling Gladiator Arenas (a staple of science fantasy, fantasy,
space opera and weirder science fiction!)
Liz Chaipraditkul makes her TinyZine debut with an article
and rules expansion for familiars!
Then, James M. Spahn takes us to the stars with Starwing
Blazing Exodus, an anime inspired starfighter micro-setting for
Tiny Frontiers: Revised.
And lastly, your editor will be adding some new Tiny Frontiers:
Revised rules for you!
Alan Bahr, 12/01/2018
PS: As always, we’d also be remiss if we didn’t inform you of
our Gallant Knight Games Patreon, where you can get access
to previews, TinyZines, special Patron only dice, and free GKG
RPGs! Please, feel free to check it out.
www.patreon.com/gallantknightgames
The art in this TinyZine is graciously funded by our Patrons.
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Roll-and-Play:
Roll-and-Play
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D6 Name
Roll-and-Play
D6 Description
1 Set in the great arena of a capital city, this gladiator
spectacle lasts five days. Fighters are matched against each
other in groups of equal strength (but not number), until a
single champion stand victorious.
2 This arena sits on a floating disc inside a volcano. Fumes
rise to shroud the field, and fighters make quick work of
opponents by throwing them over the edge--the nets might
catch them, but ‘leaving’ the arena spells a loss.
3 A cavernous, dark underground holds this arena. Once
the domain of an evil necromancer, the tunnels branching
into the dark are home to a dozen skeletons--they cluster
behind the gates, drawn by the smell of blood.
4 This large amphitheatre is flooded, with fighters arrayed
in teams of three on small boats. Sharks (HP 10, Aquatic,
Fast Swimmer, Vicious Bite) stalking the water certainly
raise the stakes.
5 This arena holds flying jousts on pterodactyls. Fellow
adventurers fly smaller pteranodons below, to catch their
friend if they’re knocked off their mount.
6 This battle royal is set in an abandoned city, fighters
relying stealth as much as they need combat prowess to be
the last one standing. Hooded figures stalk the battlefield,
to quietly retrieve downed fighters.
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Roll-and-Play
D6 Notable Patrons
1 Nobles eager to patron the fighter who impresses them,
through combat prowess or flair, and give them extra funds.
2 The criminal elite, who place grand bets and offer a share to
any leading fighter willing to take a dive.
3 An envoy of a prestigious adventurer’s guild, offering
membership if the fighter shows determination and fair play.
4 An ambitious warlock, who offers a small magic item to
the fighter in exchange for a nail clipping. If the adventurer
agrees, the warlock uses this clipping to create a simulacrum
for his army.
5 A fair lad or lass, who never attended a gladiator fight
before, and has far too romanticized expectations.
6 An information broker, in possession of a map to an
ancient castle and seeking a great fighter to retrieve its
lost treasure.
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D6 Reigning Champion
Roll-and-Play
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D6 Championship Reward
Roll-and-Play
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D6 Trouble
Roll-and-Play
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Familiars
By Liz Chaipraditkul
Through magical study and arcane might you’ve pulled and
tugged at the threads of the universe and a benevolent power
answered. It took shape next to you and now it travels with you
on your adventures. The relationship isn’t always easy, aside from
Familiars
assisting you the being wants and needs things, but you wouldn’t
have it any other way. You have more than a companion now -
you have a familiar.
This article for Tiny Zine takes an in depth look at magical
familiars of Tiny Dungeons and offers some options for familiars
to grow with your adventurer.
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Origins
Many familiars appear a common creatures – cats, owls, toads –
however they are anything but. Familiars are created from the pure
power of the universe and within the aether each had their own
unique form and life. Some were once mischievous sprites while
others were gargantuan god-like beings. No matter what they
once were each familiar has a good reason to be with their mage.
When your character gains a familiar it is important to decide
Familiars
what their motivation is. For players who want more mystery
– let your GM decide and discover the familiar’s story yourself.
There are a few common reasons familiars grace mages with
their presence:
Cover Story
Your familiar angered something and that thing is looking for
them. Taking a form in the mortal realms allows them to escape
detection and they’re happy to help a mage out along the way.
Curse
Your familiar was cursed to walk the mortal realms for their
timeless immortal life. They see to break this curse, regain their
power, and return to the aether.
Fortune
Things are great and mysterious within the great weave of magic
and your familiar was small in inconsequential. They entered the
mortal realms looking for someone to appreciate their unique
gifts, who they could help, who they could guide.
Friendship
Living within magic was lonely, relationships were fleeting, and
bonds were easily broken. They came to the mortal realms in
search of a friend and hope that you are the person they’ve been
searching for. Or perhaps your familiar lost their mage to battle
or old age and they seek a new companion…
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Fun
Life dancing within the infinite mysteries of magic became oh so
droll. Your familiar bound themselves to you for some excitement
to see and experience the lands of fleeting, breakable things.
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What to ask
Familiars may ask any number of things proportionally based on
what their mage has asked them to do. If you’re unsure of what
a familiar would ask for, roll 1d6 and select an option for the list
below.
1. A delectable treat – your familiar wants something special to
chow down on, something made of pure magic and might.
2. A trip – something from your familiar’s past has formed in
Familiars
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New Mechanics
To deepen your bond with your familiar its important they grow
with you. Below are a list of traits you can take for your familiar to
represent the progress you two made. These traits work the same as
traits for your character, but then for your familiar. Gaining familiar
traits are simple - when you would be able to gain a trait for your
character, you may choose gain a trait for your familiar instead.
Familiar Traits
Familiars
Corporeal
I’m a real boy! Your familiar may become corporeal and incorporeal
at will. While corporeal it may interact with objects as a creature
of the species it mimics. If it attacks and hits, it does one damage.
If you’ve given your familiar extra hit points – it only has the
additional hit points when corporeal.
Hit Point
Hit me with your best shot. Your familiar gains a hit point when
they are corporeal. You may take this trait multiple times and the
hit point bonus is cumulative.
Invisible
Now you see me… Your familiar may turn invisible at will. When
invisibile, all Perception Tests to locate the familiar and all attacks
against the familiar must be made with Disadvantage.
Magical Recall
Your familiar remembers their time within the flow of magic of
the universe and recalls one spell they may use. Use the same
mechanics for casting this spell as you would for your mage. This
trait may be taken multiple times and these spells may be cast by
your familiar even when they are incorporeal.
Voice
You know I can hear you, right? Your familiar summons the magical
power within to create a voice. It speaks the same languages you do.
• Liz wrote her own game about familiars and you can buy it
here: http://angryhamsterpublishing.com/shop.
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Starwing: Blazing
Exodus
By James M. Spahn
All pilots to your stations! All pilots to your stations! Xeldraxian Battle
Locus inbound! I repeat, All pilots to your stations -- this is not a drill!
Inspirations: Batlestar Galactica (2004), Macross, Robotech, the
Star Wars: X-Wing novels.
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The only known survivors
were those aboard the
orbital tankers that stored
relics from the age of
warfare. Ironically known
as Redemption-Class
cruisers, these museums
of a darker time held the
last and greatest weapon
known mankind: The
Starwing. These fast, agile,
and deadly starfighters
were operated by ace pilots
Starwing: Blazing Exodus
Premise
In Starwing: Blazing Exodus the players take on the role of
characters aboard a Redemption-Class Orbital Cruiser fleeing
the genocidal Xeldraxian Armada. They are living aboard a
starship that is incapable of faster-than-light travel, unarmed, and
unprotected. The only hope for humanity is a weapon that was
once the most deadly weapon Earth has ever known: The Starwing
starfighter. These small, agile, and deadly one-man fighters were
once used by the nations of the now-destroyed Earth to pacify
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nations with white hot laser blasts by highly trained pilots. But the
player characters are not highly trained pilots. They were caretakers
of technology that very nearly brought mankind to the brink of
self-destruction and tourists suddenly caught up in a fight for the
survival of the human race.
Starwing: Blazing Exodus is a setting that only includes Humans,
Gens, Autoborgs, and Holograms. Humanity has yet to discover
other alien species beyond the Xeldraxians. Only a dozen or so
Redemption-Class Orbital Cruisers survived the Xeldraxian attack,
and each is outfitted with a squadron of six Starwing starfighters
and a few basic supplies. Characters will travel across the stars trying
to stay one step ahead of the Xeldraxian Armada in an effort to stay
Starwing: Blazing Exodus
alive as they search for other lost Earth ships, supplies on previously
undiscovered planets, and turn to their Starwing starfighters as the
last hope for the survival of the human race.
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Redemption-Class Orbital Shuttles
Little more than space worthy warehouses, Redemption-Class
Orbital Shuttles were never designed for long-range travel or
warfare. They’re slow, bulky, but they can take quite a beating. In
addition to storing a dozen Starwing Starfighters, they also house
a number of other pieces of abandoned technology from Earth’s
third World Wars. They are spartan and built for storage, not for
passenger comfort. They use the statistics identical to that of a
Carrier-Class starship as found in Tiny Frontiers Revised, except
they do not have any weapons.
Starwing-Class Starfighters
Starwing: Blazing Exodus
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Who are the
Xeldraxian?
The Xeldraxian are a
nebulous, undefined
alien threat that
has all but achieved
victory in its efforts
to destroy mankind
in the Starwing:
Blazing Exodus
setting. But who
Starwing: Blazing Exodus
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Adventure Hooks
Described below are a few adventure hooks you can use in your
Starwing: Blazing Exodus campaigns.
First Exodus: The player characters are all aboard a Redemption-
Class Orbital Transport orbiting Earth when the Xeldraxian
Armada arrives to destroy humanity. They must survive the initial
onslaught, and escape aboard the Redemption carrier if mankind
is to live through the day. Perhaps they have to escape Earth
aboard a shuttle and get to a Redemption-Class Orbital Transport
before it flees, or maybe they’re forced to hop into the cockpit
of a long-dormant Starwing in spite of their lack of experience
and training in hopes of defending their fleeing allies. This is an
excellent adventure to open a Starwing: Blazing Exodus campaign.
Starwing: Blazing Exodus
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Grit, Shootouts &
Bounties
By Alan Bahr
These rules were first tested as
A classic science fiction trope is
a draft for Tiny Gunslingers, but
that of the Bounty Hunter and
as that game currently isn’t on
the Science Western genre.
our release schedule, they’ve
Below are a set of rules for
been repurposed here. If we
Grit, Shootouts & Bounties!
ever do move back to Tiny
You will need a set of playing Gunslingers, you’re likely to see
cards with the jokers removed a version of these rules there.
to utilize the Shootout rules.
Grit
At the start of every session, each Explorers in the posse gets 2
Grit. Grit is a representation of willpower, fortitude, and savvy
that all folks out in the frontiers of space seem to possess in
spades. It’s recommended you use poker chips to represent Grit
Grit, Shootouts & Bounties
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of Bounty that the wanted scum has. This can be distributed
however you want.
You can never have more than 3 Grit though, unless you have a
special rule that says so, so any extra you better share with your
posse.
Bounty isn’t always around, so be wise when you decide to use
Grit.
Bounty
Bounty is a stat that represents how wanted a folk or varmint
is. Bounty has no upper limit but use this handy table below as
a benchmark. Bounty is assigned by the GM at their discretion,
but there are some abilities that allow others to increase or
decrease Bounty.
D6 Infraction
1 Petty Crimes
2 Stole somefolk’s ride
3 Killed someone
4 Killed a whole passel of someones
Grit, Shootouts & Bounties
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The Explorers or GM can look at the facedown card in front of
them, but no one else should see it.
Then, starting with the character with the highest value card
faceup in front of them, they can choose one of the following
three options:
• Hit. A character who chooses hit gets another face-up card.
• Stand. They get no card, but hold.
• Shoot. If they shoot, everyone reveals the cards they have.
If all shootout participants
Remember, the Explorers are
stand consecutively, give them
the focus of the story. You
one more chance to pick an
should never have a shootout
option, and if they all stand
without at least one player
again, proceed to the Shoot
being involved
option.
Once someone picks shoot, the lasers start to fly. Immediately
stop dealing cards. The player with the highest total on the cards
that doesn’t exceed 21 gets to make an attack. This attack will
automatically hit and deal 1d6 damage. If the other participants
are still standing, in descending order of value, allow them to
make an attack that deals 1d6 damage.
Grit, Shootouts & Bounties
Once everyone has made their attack, collect the cards and roll
initiative as normal.
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