Over the years I’ve created some small, free PDF files relevant to my professional work; many first appeared in my seemingly ancient Griffon’s Aerie website in the early 2000s. They resulted from varied inspirations and personal games that struck me over the years. You may download and print these PDF materials for your personal use only. If you enjoy these free materials, please consider purchasing some of my other work, or “buy” a pay-what-you-want publication and leave a “tip.” Have fun exploring!
Panzer Kids Resources: Here you’ll find PDF resources useful for playing Panzer Kids:
* A full-page of stat cards for the major tanks in Panzer Kids Basic.
* A one-sheet rules summary of Panzer Kids core rules.
Sol O.P. Grand Prix: This basic race game tests players’ mathematical abilities. Create your custom solar-system board first, then read the rules and play the game. You can read more about it at Hobby Games Recce.
Lord of the Two Lands: A single player takes on the role of an ancient Egyptian pharaoh, ruler of the united Upper and Lower Kingdoms. Over the course of nine turns (each representing a seven-year span) you allocate the bounty of the harvest – in the form of resource tokens – over several crucial aspects of society. Along the way you prepare to defend Egypt against enemies, appease the temperamental priesthood, and construct your tomb and funerary monuments. The game ends when war or intrigue drain Egypt of resources. You can read more about it at Hobby Games Recce.
The Village War: This roleplaying game scenario set in medieval times demonstrates how the Any-System Key can enable you to use Griffon Publishing Studio settings and adventures with your favorite roleplaying game rules. This scenario includes a copy of the Any-System Key for easy reference.
Dueling Blades: Years ago Schweig whipped up these alternative dueling rules for the D6 System, though you can easily modify it for nearly any roleplaying game engine. It allows for more results than simply hitting and inflicting damage in hand-to-hand combat. Dueling Blades can work in any game where you want to add some swashbuckling flair to your combat.
Tomb of Sobekhetep: Schweig developed Tomb of Sobekhetep as a two-hour convention demo adventure for West End Games’ Indiana Jones d6 roleplaying game in the mid 1990s. Back then it ran under the title “Egyptian Field Trip,” since it involved a wayward group of Indiana Jones’ students and their unauthorized investigation of an ancient tomb in the shadow of the pyramids. Tomb of Sobekhetep details the location for that adventure with the Victorian and pulp genres in mind. It offers adventure ideas, character hooks, and variations on the setting’s use in different campaigns.
Adventuring with the Seven Samurai: For those of you seeking an example of how scenario ideas inspired by films can translate to other genres, check out this piece I wrote several years ago and had published on the now-defunct Wayfarer Online site. This revised PDF contains the article, some maps, and a few additions I couldn't resist making. For a discussion of converting films to game scenarios check out “Films for Adventure Inspiration” at Hobby Games Recce.
Yugiri’s Gift: Schweig never really had the urge to write or run a Legend of the Five Rings adventure until he saw an article from Japan Today about medieval Japanese automatons. The story – which featured an automaton that could actually fire arrows from a bow – inspired this adventure. It’s not overly long or detailed, but enough to run an intriguing scenario for any samurai-themed game (and filled with juicy Buddhist wisdom).
Music in Roleplaying Games: For years Schweig created soundtracks to play during key encounters in adventures for a wide assortment of roleplaying games. He assembled his thoughts on the subject and offers a short convention seminar about using soundtracks during gameplay. This missive summarizes strategies for finding and using appropriate soundtrack music, plus a list of top five soundtracks for several popular genres.
World War II Secret Agent Briefing:This two-page “agent briefing” was intended as an example of a simple informational hand-out to offer players some insight into a historical game world, in this case those undertaking missions as spies in World War II.