Introduction

Welcome to Fantastic Musings. For whatever reason you have stopped by, I am glad that you did. I have spent over twenty years playing and creating for fantasy role playing games. During that time, I have spent less and less time playing and more time just writing and exploring various worlds. This site is intended to be a place where I can easily write down my journeys and share them with the world at large through the internet.

Hypertext Action System Core Rules - HASCR

The Action! System Core Rules were created by Gold Rush Games and provided under the open gaming license. Unlike other systems, the player creation rules were also made OGL. For that reason, when I think of how to translate my writings into a roleplaying system, this seemed the natural fit. When I read the rules, I realized that I could play very quickly, though the rules are quite different from what I'm used to. To give back to the community, I am trying to provide an HTML version of the Action! System Rules in a similar fashion to the Hypertext D20 project.

World of Dira

The World of Dira is a creation I have been working on for a couple of years. The world is designed around a former world empire called the Hesberian Empire. The Hesberian Empire is modeled in many ways after the Roman Empire. Their language is intended to sound mostly Latin. Hesberian terms and names are used whenever possible to allow you to see their world as they see it.

Against the backdrop of the Hesberian Empire, a great event has happened that almost destroyed the empire and the world. One day, forces of what we could call magic began to shapre Dira in many ways. unusual beasts appeared and sentient beings gained powers never seen by mortals. For those that strive to hold on to the Hesberian order of society, this event is seen as a cataclysm enacted by the gods to allow sentient species to destroy themselves. For others, it is akin to Brunidus giving fire to humans centuries before the Empire began.

Parts of the former empire have reverted to independent city-states no longer under central control. Some of these city-states have yet to stablize, others have been abadoned to the chaos of battles fought with frightful weapons and carnage. A few have remained loyal to the Republic and have served to help the consul and senate learn of magic and a few of its possibilities. Other city-states have found ways to stablize and look again to their past. In these city-states, revivals in ancient forms of art, learning, language, culture, and even technology are merging with new arts and sciences. Mortals of all kinds have risked life and limb to travel to the centers of a new Renaissance. Those that return tell awe-inspiring stories like the great Ikan epics to inspire new ideas throughout the world.

Much like your world, Dira is full of promise and power. Those that choose power threaten to destroy the natural order of things. And yet, there are those that choose promise and labor to create a world of wonder. You will encounter both on your journeys here.