On Halloween 2022, we opened this new section. In this opportunity approaching Christmas we are going to talk to a friend, a great person: Brent Norton @KillerDm74.
As far as we know, a fan of sword and sorcery art, role-playing games, probably among many other things...So, as we said, with great emotion and very happy we start by presenting: @KillerDm74
Games of Turtle: How are you Brent Norton @KillerDm74? What´s up? From Argentina, Games of Turtle greets you. Do you prefer that we refer to you as Brent or under the name of the twitter account @KillerDm74?
Brent: Brent is fine,and faster to type.
Games of Turtle: Ok, Brent thank you very much for your time, your good will and disposition! So, now we are diving into this world of sword, sorcery and dragons! Tell us a little about how you started this path, this adventure? Do you remember the first time you approached this world of rpg / tabletop games? How was it?
Brent: I was invited to a birthday party in the 3rd grade where we rolled up our first character and the DM had us fight each other in a gladiator style arena. He had the original basic D&D red books. We played early into the next morning. It was a blast.
Games of Turtle: The gladiator arenas! Surely more than one had their beginnings in a gladiator arena!!!.
What kind of character do you like the most? Class, alignment? Favorite spell? Favorite martial weapon?
Brent: If it’s DND I tend to play magic user/clerics of knowledge. As a DM, I love knowing all the secrets of the campaign. As a player I get to help the DM tell the story to the players, it may be hidden and when I can mix the power of both spell casters and it allows me to help the party in two ways. Having both spell lists gives me a more utilitarian part in a group.
I like to play good aligned characters more than I do evil or neutral. For me it comes from probably the early shows that I grew up watching before the introduction to all the gray characters they have out today. So for the most part I stick to good or lawful alignments to help those in need and help the party save the world.
As a weapon of choice if allowed, I tend to use a heavy book on the end of a long chain, but I try to stick to the boring if not the stereotypical whack-a-mole sick called the staff.
Games of Turtle: What can it tell us about arcane or divine sources? What vision do you have of them?
Brent: Anything that allows you to basically change the laws of physics should have consequences; This includes arcane, divine, primal magic. Magic is from one source and each caster must become an antenna for that power. Each school has spells tattooed into their bodies with moonstone as an ingredient that allows the caster to pull the magic into their body and become a foci.
This does not mean there is no harm. Moonstone has a radiation quality and can cause mutation. Most mentors are heavily mutated and hide because of the mutations. So casters are rare and they are also hunted for being able to tap into powers of chaos. To represent these rules they use a “roll to cast” and failure charts for natural 1.
We had a Paladin cast cure light wounds and rolled a nat1 and then rolled another nat1 on the failure chart. So I explained to the player as he leaned over the body of the store owner he was visibly shaken by the creature he saw. He tries to remember the correct litany of prayers to help heal these wounds and then mispronounces them. He then begins to feel the familiar warmth of his god's magic pass through his body, only to start feeling great pain as his bodily fluids start to pour out into the store owner's wounds. The Paladin then finally realized this was the last life he would save as it would cost his own as his shriveled husk now lay beside the healed store owner.
Games of Turtle: And what is, for you, the best monster and why?
Brent: As for monsters I love zombies. The fact that they’re everywhere right now in media makes them old but the horde idea of something that doesn’t need to sleep, doesn’t need to breathe, that is constantly on the move and has no morals, has no religion, has no sympathy; they just want to feast is frightening to me and so I use it quite a bit in my games.
Games of Turtle: The zombies are so hard sometimes...
Do you have a preference between a particular setting, like Eberron, Dragonlance, Forgotten Realms, Dark Sun, Ravenloft ect…?
Brent: I love and have spent many hours in each of those worlds you have listed, but I prefer the Old World Warhammer Fantasy setting. I like my worlds to be gritty and dark where roads are treacherous and the woods are no better. A land where magic is powerful and dangerous.
Games of Turtle: You mean Elthin Arvan. Really nice and sounds a bit like H.P.L.!!!. Do you prefer…Dungeon Master or Player Character?Brent: I am forever DM these days. I work the overnight shift which leaves very little time with family and friends. I would much rather spend that time DMing in a world I like, than playing a character in one I may not.
Games of Turtle: How many adventures do you have going on? How many members does each group have?
After spending some time on YouTube I came across Professor DM on Dungeoncraft. His Caves of Carnage videos about his “grimdark” version of the classic module The Keep on the Borderlands was exactly what I was looking for. Of course, I’ve also made some of my own changes and we have been playing for about two years. Right now, they are in Quasqueton from the In Search of the Unknown module, clearing it out in hopes of turning into a base of operations.
Games of Turtle: So…. Do your adventures respond to armed settings or are they homemade?
Brent: I am pretty good about coming up with stuff on my own but it’s just easier and saves more time to twist older modules to fit the world I have put together, but I like writing the very first adventure. It helps set the tone I have set for the campaign.
Games of Turtle: Any house rules you can share?Brent: My game is one giant set of house rules. I use most of the combat rules from ICRPG, Deathbringer for the classes, Pathfinder 1ed spell list, DCC spell failure style charts, side initiative, tattooed spell casters, and a partridge and a pear tree.
Games of Turtle: You have a lot of mixed house rules!!!
Games of Turtle: I do not want to leave the opportunity to ask you, taking advantage of the fact that we are with Christmas on top, do you make Christmas specials (one shot style) or do you add any Halloween seasoning to the current game? Or...?
Brent: I don’t do “Holiday Specials” my games are survival horror which makes it Halloween all the time. After watching the Star Wars Holiday Special, I realized that sometimes not all holidays belong in other genres. I also love Christmas and don’t want to taint it with darkness.
Games of Turtle: I imagine that your adventures must be hard, with many saving throws... along with maybe... puzzles and various searches for clues.
In your twitter account you upload (RT/lLike) many images, from the sword and sorcery genre, but also to a certain type of art, mostly classic sword and sorcery. You also pick H.P.L. Cthulhu Mythos or R.H. Conan. Do you have a preferred source of sword and sorcery?
Brent: I don’t. I know it makes me an uncultured heathen. I haven’t gotten to read very much of Howard’s work and have only been able to recently listen to H.P.L. books online. I just know the classic artwork by Boris Vallejo and Frank Frezetta is what I think about when I think about my early days of my role playing and a lot of the 80’s sword and sorcery movies helped with those as well.
Games of Turtle: Do you use images to run the adventures or not? And in the same order of ideas do you use minis a lot or not? Why?
Brent: We use miniatures in our games. I use a slap chop B/W paint style for the monsters. It’s easy and I love the look of the classic style of B/W movies. Players use colors as the story is about them and let their mini stick out on the board. I use a UDT style board and use a lot of homemade terrain. If I think a picture can better describe it I will use it, but mostly I let the players use their imagination.
Games of Turtle: It is one of the keys of this game, to use the theater of the mind. Create that special place where we all participate. And those are very good and simple options!
What about music? Do you use ambient music? What is your favorite band and album? What is your favorite cover art?
Brent: I do from time to time use music for my game. When I am preparing my game I find some dark ambient music to set the mood or Darkest Dungeon soundtrack.
I absolutely love music as it’s such a great trigger for memories and emotions. I tend to save music for BBEG, but sometimes I get all Marvel and play music for a specific battle. During an adventure where zombies had taken over the town I set the mood with ambient eerie music and then when the zombies started attacking I kicked on Gwars’ version of If you want blood, you got it. I truly love all kinds of music, but I’m an older metal head who still listens to Iron Maiden’s Live after Death which has one of the best album covers of all time. Eddie being struck by lightning as he rises from a grave is Iconic.
Games of Turtle: Why do you start tweeting about rpg / fantasy art?
Brent: I love RPGs. Maybe there is a system someone may not have known about or haven’t heard enough about, so I give a push that they might expand their minds about different systems. I love art and my talent is less than stick figures, so I share as much as I can hoping it can do the same as RPGs. Maybe they will find a new artist or something in that art will inspire their next game.
Games of Turtle: So cool! Surely the community thanks you for that kindness.
Games of Turtle: Who is Brent? How would you define yourself? What do you do in your free time? Do you have a pet? Do you practice any sport or activity?
Brent: I’m just a blue collar man from a small town in the USA. I’m married with 3 kids, and two dogs who just love getting together with friends, running RPGs and scaring the hell out of their characters. What free time I have is helping my son in his wrestling skills, helping my daughter in her D&D games, and just trying to be the best husband I can be. Oh and maybe get to go on a hike.
Games of Turtle: It certainly doesn't seem like you're definitely a great dad. Adventures run through your veins! It is very important to instill that in children! Tell us about wrestling? How did you start in this discipline?
Brent: Where I am from folkstyle wrestling is a thing. We have one of the most storied high school wrestling programs in the US. The joke is you can’t throw a stick in this town without hitting a state champion. Most kids start out at ages of 5 and wrestle all the way through high school. For me it’s one of the toughest sports but can be the most rewarding.
Games of Turtle: That sound excellent!!!
Do you have a pending or postponed project? Like to publish a book, an adventure, plant a tree?
Brent: It kinda goes along with hiking. In the US there are some long distance hiking trails and I would like to get the triple crown. To complete this task you have to hike the Appalachian Trail, Pacific Crest trail, and Continental Divide Trail. It will have to wait till the kids are out as each trail will take months to complete.
Games of Turtle: Just hearing the names seems endless! Please, Tell us a little about hiking. When did you start this activity? What routine do you have for training and eating? How is the accounting of each stage organized and how is each of them divided? Has it served you or have you used this experience to enrich the game?
Brent My wife and I just started about four years ago mostly as a way to get back in shape. I usually walk about 4-6 miles a day and carry a backpack with work clothes in it for training.
We are planning to start our long distance hiking excursion by doing the Grand Teton Loop which is about 5 days of carrying everything you need on your back. I would say this is my mid life crisis but instead of fancy cars I wanted a true adventure and backpacking and eating trail rations seems to fill that niche.
For those who have not heard of these trails I would suggest YouTube videos as they can better describe each different trail and there are many books about each one. I would suggest Dixie @Homemade Wanderlust she has completed each of these trails and does a great job of recording her experiences.
To me hiking allows you to step into a character's shoes as you walk with 30 lbs on your back while walking through a forest or climbing some mountain pass. As a Dm it allows you to better describe those environments to your players. It also gives you a better scale of distance. The Caves of Chaos are with in 1½ miles away from the Keep and just to have that many creatures so close is not realistic so I pushed the Caves a day and ½ traveled by cart.
Games of Turtle: It's great that it's a family activity!
Do you want to add something?
Brent: I think this is a great thing you're doing.
Games of Turtle: Brent thank you very much, I really appreciate your words. Like I said before, this kind of conversation / interview is very interesting because we get to know a little about our stories while we share our love for this hobby.
Games of Turtle: Some classic questions:
1. A book? Homeland by RA Salvatore
2. A movie? Blazing Saddles
3. A place? Grand Tetons Wyoming
4. A meal? Steak with Hickory/Mesquite Smoked Ribs as a very close second.
5. A game? BECMI D&D.
6. A book author? RA Salvatore
Games of Turtle: We have reached the end of the interview.
Last question from an old and wise turtle: Does the afterlife exist or not?
Brent: I believe in the after life, I just have no idea what that could be. I am not scared of dying as it’s a part of this wonderful process. When it comes up in conversation with my wife, I will look at her and say, “Then I guess I will get to make a new character.”
Games of Turtle: We hope you felt comfortable in the interview! And of course there is another opportunity to repeat the meeting because there are many things to discover and ask! Thank you for telling us a little about your absolutely rich and interesting life. And the most extraordinary thing is that you can share it with your family. That is priceless. We are in contact! Thank you very much!
Brent: Thank You for this great experience and I hope you and your family have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
Games of Turtle: Thank you very much for your greetings! We wish the best for you and your family!
Happy New Year!!!
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