Marilyn Manson - OAUG

© The Weirding, 2025

Herculoids #1

If you grew up in the '80s, you remember the Herculoids from Thundarr the Barbarian. Thundarr was one of the few Fantasy cartoons on Saturday mornings, at least where I lived.

© The Weirding, 2025

On BtVS Conversions and Original Content

What I'm posting is far from sacrosanct, and several items are even dead-wrong. I'm going through, building these posts with more information as I come across it (or come up with it), and making corrections as I go. I'm working mostly from notes and I don't even remember what some entries mean or to what they refer.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer RPG is really confusing at times. And, although I have the core books for the series and WitchCraft, converting between a weirdly hybrid d10/d20 system can be a real pain.

So, you may wind-up with write-ups that are more Empyrean, Fuzion, or Champions, or some kind of hybrid as I go. All you really need is what I'm giving you, though; few Critters necessitate a full write-up, but I do them anyway so I can better determine their d20 QuickSheet scores. The QuickSheet is all you need for the majority of Critters however, and I'm trying to maintain the d10 system because I prefer it to d20, so I'm converting a lot from other games systems.

And, despite the fact that there is a lot of math involved, and several sub-systems, I'm having to eyeball these numbers, by and large, so changing them could lead to disaster or could result in something just right for you and your game.

I guess I could have spared myself some typing (and you, some reading) simply by saying: The conversions are probably not the best and I'd be shocked to hear that no one is able to do them better; more "official" outlets likely have better write-ups of some of the same things I cover; and I'm working from notes and other documents taken over the course of several years, so it's easy to lose track of things, but they do work. If you find a better write-up, please share with me in the comments. I'm always looking for new stuff for my games, too.

 © The Weirding, 2024

Buffy vs. AD&D

Not really, but that's a good attention-grabbing headline:

After decades of converting game aids to AD&D because it was so difficult finding players for other games, I am now converting a lot of AD&D into games I would rather play, or would just like to play one day. Because I don't have to convince anyone to purchase or at least learn a new system, I have the freedom to do so.

Also because I don't currently have a playing group, all I can really do is solo/playtest and come up with new material or find material from other games and convert it over. Hopefully, I'll get a chance to run and/or play them one day but, even if I don't, I'm getting to learn and enjoy UniSystem along the way.

I did get to solo-play Buffy the Vampire Slayer Roleplaying Game a few times, but I had to lean heavily on my own system because I was converting the monsters from other systems, so that's where I am on that front. I intend to continue working toward a solo-play form and not so much searching for a group (unless I find folk that already have the books and hopefully know the system as-written), but that requires development because none of these games came with a solo-play option.

So, the rules will never be as-written, and one could argue that I've never soloed these games because I'm not playing "by the rules," but I think most people would disagree with that assertion. I also think that most people would agree with me that it is a silly assertion.

These are campaign notes I took while either reading, attempting to playtest, or attempting to solo-play Angel the Roleplaying Game that I made before getting Army of Darkness or Ghosts of Albion. Once I did acquire those other books, my conversions were so close to the official version that I can go with either one, really. That's super-freeing from the position of a GM, and super-freeing as a player; I have a handle on this system that I really like, so everything else should just fall into line once I finally do play. Which is why I do things the way I do them in the first place.

My first solo outings were interrupted by the need for a character sheet (which I assumed would be the first thing I'd need, but was told it wasn't by more experienced solo players) and the need for clarity on some rules that were not, or did not feel, complete as-written in the books I had at the time. Having these things online hopefully helps others who enjoy these games, and definitely helps me find them when I need them.

But, yes, these are all game notes I took and am now expanding them into a more "official" capacity for myself and whatever group I find or join. Although it makes great content, this stuff would originally have been hosted on the website. Hopefully, after the holidays and the first of the year, I'll have more time to devote to finding a solo system that allows me to both play solo and choose the rules system(s) I use.

I tried to solo the Angel Roleplaying Game and could not do it, but that doesn't mean more experienced solo players can't or couldn't. I'm new to solo-play (outside of that I use to design games and convert between systems), so I'm certainly not the guy to ask about those things. But, as I learn more, I'll be happy to share - my approach, my experience, the items I'm using, and more.

© The Weirding, 2024

UniSystem Books in Play

I did not mean to mislead anyone by the titling some of these posts, they were just germane to the subject matter and meant to draw attention. For instance, "Important Books in UniSystem" refers specifically to the post about different Books (or Tomes) players can find in my UniSystem games, and sometimes other games (usually Chill and/or Dark Conspiracy). However, some people may be looking for the actual books in play - that is, the books I am using in my game from which these posts are derived:

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Roleplaying Game Core
Angel Roleplaying Game Core
Monster Smackdown
The Magic Box
Slayer's Handbook
Military Monster Squad Initiative Handbook
Lawyers, Gods, & Money
Encyclopedia Demonica
Tea & Crossbows
Investigators' Casebook
Welcome to Sunnydale
Ghosts of Albion
Army of Darkness
WitchCraft

You will note that I am working from the Cinematic UniSystem, not the basic UniSystem presented in WitchCraft. However, I do use some terms and mechanics from WitchCraft, just not the overall system. After all, the Buffyverse is a completely different gaming world which operates very differently.

I've included links to most, only one of which is free (WitchCraft). I receive a tiny commission, should you purchase anything, but it goes toward buying more RPG books (and it isn't enough to afford anything outright). The point is not so much to earn a commission but direct you toward the books I use in my UniSystem game. I've included links to Buffy and Angel many times, so you'll have to read on for those. You can use the "Buffy" or "Angel" tags at the bottom of this page.

You don't need all of these books to play, though I definitely suggest having at least the Buffy RPG Core, Angel Roleplaying Game Core, and Ghosts of Albion. 

It's going to take me some time to read these, so I may be away from the Angel RPG for just a bit.

© The Weirding, 2025