Maybe its more like driving a car in my case. I'm fine with driving until I start thinking about it. At which point, instinct goes out the window. I start to over think (which may be why I have to look straight ahead when my son drives with a wall close on the left hand side... I start to over think). When I start to over think, I get nervous.
Anyhow, I haven't run an RPG session since 1996 - I'm 15 years removed from it. With the start of renovations, I'm also a step closer to running a game of Tunnels & Trolls or Swords & Wizardry via Fantasy Grounds. I'm excited and scared by the whole concept.
Could be worse. I could be terrified I guess ;)
Next step is painting the ceilings and the moldings...
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Caution! Work in Progress
Today we actually started renovating the two rooms that are going to be the new master bedroom. We opened up the archway between the rooms, saved some antique molding for future use, measured for the wallpaper (old plaster walls that were previously wallpapered), started removing old wallpaper... busy busy.
It is almost addictive, as you can see the progress taking you closer to you goals. My son was hoping for it to be more like demolition work, but in truth it was more like surgery... we needed to save as much of the antique molding as possible.
Now I need to move a lot of my gaming material. Much of it was being stored in these 2 rooms, which were storage and a guest room up to now. I bought some of the large storage bins from Bed, Bath & Beyond in preparation last nite. My coupons expired back in '09... they never batted an eye.
It is very exciting. Of course, I've never wallpapered in my life, so my mother is going to hold my hand initially. That's okay. I'm a grown man with a game collection that can take up a whole room, easily. I'll take my mom's help without flinching. ;)
It is almost addictive, as you can see the progress taking you closer to you goals. My son was hoping for it to be more like demolition work, but in truth it was more like surgery... we needed to save as much of the antique molding as possible.
Now I need to move a lot of my gaming material. Much of it was being stored in these 2 rooms, which were storage and a guest room up to now. I bought some of the large storage bins from Bed, Bath & Beyond in preparation last nite. My coupons expired back in '09... they never batted an eye.
It is very exciting. Of course, I've never wallpapered in my life, so my mother is going to hold my hand initially. That's okay. I'm a grown man with a game collection that can take up a whole room, easily. I'll take my mom's help without flinching. ;)
Friday, March 25, 2011
Manure Spill at the Lord's Gate Backs Up Wagons to the City Square
Pretty much every fantasy city map I've seen shows a city surrounded by walls, water or both, with limited means of egress, generally limited to city gates. What happens to the daily flow of traffic, both personal and commercial, if you close off some of those gates due to an unforeseen accident, such as a cart of dung, piled high, tips over when leaving through the main gate, spreading waste everywhere and requiring men and time to clean up?
Traffic jam for the most part. Which could be a big advantage to those looking to smuggle goods in or out of the city. Overwhelmed city guards may push folks through without the usual search or questioning. Tolls may not be collected. Tempers may flare.
See, I'm watching traffic and tempers build in Lower Manhattan this morning, as the Lincoln Tunnel has been closed due to a tractor trailer accident. Cars, trucks, buses - all are using alternate routes to cross the Hudson River, but there is only so much additional volume the remaining tunnel and bridge can take. Traffic is coming to a stand still.
I suspect it would play out similarly in a fantasy setting. Real life again invades my view of a fantasy urban environment ;)
Traffic jam for the most part. Which could be a big advantage to those looking to smuggle goods in or out of the city. Overwhelmed city guards may push folks through without the usual search or questioning. Tolls may not be collected. Tempers may flare.
See, I'm watching traffic and tempers build in Lower Manhattan this morning, as the Lincoln Tunnel has been closed due to a tractor trailer accident. Cars, trucks, buses - all are using alternate routes to cross the Hudson River, but there is only so much additional volume the remaining tunnel and bridge can take. Traffic is coming to a stand still.
I suspect it would play out similarly in a fantasy setting. Real life again invades my view of a fantasy urban environment ;)
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Mini Review - Bean! The D2 RPG - 2nd Edition (Solo and Group Play)
Bean! The D2 RPG has just released it's 2nd edition. I happen to like Bean! a lot, and not just because it has a bit of a Tunnels & Trolls feel to it. I like it because it's a nice, simple system that should be an easy one to introduce new roleplayers.
Some of you (like the recipients of the copies of Bean! I gave out a few months ago) may be wondering if they need to upgrade to the new 2nd edition. You don't need to, but it is a nicer and fuller presentation. Some of the stuff added to the 2nd edition was first presented in the free 1st Edition errata, such as skills and custom archetypes.
Now, if you are new to Bean!, this is definitely the version you want. A fuller spell list, more monsters in the bestiary, mounted and ship to ship combat, a cleaner explanation on how to roll... it really is a nice package. Just like the original Bean!, you get a Solo and a GM adventure included in the rules.
Don't forget to pick up your free Bean! adventures.
From the blurb:
BEAN! is an easy-to-master, rules-lite, d2 RPG system! It's perfect for introducing new players or children to the hobby, and will keep veteran gamers rollin' their beans with a system that's flexible and easily customizable to any setting. Complete in one simple volume, spend less time reading and more time playing!
The d2 game system is unique and quickly memorized, so simple, yet able to handle any situation on the spot, without having to thumb through volumes of obscure rules. The best part? You get to toss your beans! With a d2 dice system, you could use standard dice for "high or low" "odd or even" rolls, you could toss coins or any other objects that have two distinct sides, but we recommend plain ol' beans! They're cheap and plentiful, some people really enjoy customizing their own beans, and a handful of beans keeps the game moving along quick and easy!
This Second Edition features a streamlined rules presentation, rules for Skills, Custom Character Archtypes, Mounted Combat, plus new monsters and spells.
Simple, versatile, and sometimes silly, welcome to BEAN!
Some of you (like the recipients of the copies of Bean! I gave out a few months ago) may be wondering if they need to upgrade to the new 2nd edition. You don't need to, but it is a nicer and fuller presentation. Some of the stuff added to the 2nd edition was first presented in the free 1st Edition errata, such as skills and custom archetypes.
Now, if you are new to Bean!, this is definitely the version you want. A fuller spell list, more monsters in the bestiary, mounted and ship to ship combat, a cleaner explanation on how to roll... it really is a nice package. Just like the original Bean!, you get a Solo and a GM adventure included in the rules.
Don't forget to pick up your free Bean! adventures.
From the blurb:
BEAN! is an easy-to-master, rules-lite, d2 RPG system! It's perfect for introducing new players or children to the hobby, and will keep veteran gamers rollin' their beans with a system that's flexible and easily customizable to any setting. Complete in one simple volume, spend less time reading and more time playing!
The d2 game system is unique and quickly memorized, so simple, yet able to handle any situation on the spot, without having to thumb through volumes of obscure rules. The best part? You get to toss your beans! With a d2 dice system, you could use standard dice for "high or low" "odd or even" rolls, you could toss coins or any other objects that have two distinct sides, but we recommend plain ol' beans! They're cheap and plentiful, some people really enjoy customizing their own beans, and a handful of beans keeps the game moving along quick and easy!
This Second Edition features a streamlined rules presentation, rules for Skills, Custom Character Archtypes, Mounted Combat, plus new monsters and spells.
Simple, versatile, and sometimes silly, welcome to BEAN!
There's a Seal! There's a Seal in the Water!
Geraldo is always good for a quote - "There's a man! There's a man in the water!"
This past sunday I took a 3 hour cruise in New York Harbor to go seal spotting Not what you would expect in the waters off of the City That Never Sleeps, but I counted nearly a dozen (the official count was 19 seals spotted). Apparently in the summer months, the same ship also does whale spotting cruises. At $24 bucks a person (at least for the seal spotting) I'm sure to be going again.
All of which got me thinking. In my neighborhood in Queens (one of the boroughs of NYC) i've seen rabbits, wild turkeys, opossums, raccoons... all species that one associates with a less urban environment. All on city streets or yards. Not parks. Not cemeteries.
So why don't we have more kobolds and goblins living in the sewers of major (and not so major) fantasy cities? They'd adapt to the urban environment even better then the wild animals i mention above (although they would also be present). Why search for adventure at low levels, when you can be recruited to keep the goblin population in the sewers in check.
We frequently hear stories of bears causing issues in the suburbs, but what if a young and hungry owlbear was roaming the streets at night going through the refuse? Thats a job for (expendable) adventurers.
edit: The ArmChair General has a nice post building upon this one. Check it out here.
This past sunday I took a 3 hour cruise in New York Harbor to go seal spotting Not what you would expect in the waters off of the City That Never Sleeps, but I counted nearly a dozen (the official count was 19 seals spotted). Apparently in the summer months, the same ship also does whale spotting cruises. At $24 bucks a person (at least for the seal spotting) I'm sure to be going again.
All of which got me thinking. In my neighborhood in Queens (one of the boroughs of NYC) i've seen rabbits, wild turkeys, opossums, raccoons... all species that one associates with a less urban environment. All on city streets or yards. Not parks. Not cemeteries.
So why don't we have more kobolds and goblins living in the sewers of major (and not so major) fantasy cities? They'd adapt to the urban environment even better then the wild animals i mention above (although they would also be present). Why search for adventure at low levels, when you can be recruited to keep the goblin population in the sewers in check.
We frequently hear stories of bears causing issues in the suburbs, but what if a young and hungry owlbear was roaming the streets at night going through the refuse? Thats a job for (expendable) adventurers.
edit: The ArmChair General has a nice post building upon this one. Check it out here.
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Mini Review - Beneath the Ghoul Lair (OSRIC)
March has been a really good month for "Old School" releases. I think I need to take a day off from work just to get to all of the recent releases I want to look at, let alone earlier releases I haven't gotten to. Someone want to add more hours to the day?
Beneath the Ghoul Lair, a Westgate Adventures! Dungeon Raiders! module (I hope I got all that right - so many titles - heh) is the latest release from Johnny Rook Games. Aimed at a party of levels 2-4, I'd advise they have access to silver weapons if they don't yet have a magic weapon or two in the party. As you can guess from the title, there be undead in them there hills!
BtGL is setting light in nature. The hook is a decent one that can be placed just about anywhere. The stronger you make the hook, the more you party will be involved in the story evolving around them. You can drop it as is, and it should work, but tweaking should make it a better fit.
There are 2 nice dungeon maps that would have fit well into any classic TSR module if they were only done in that horrible classic blue.
Four new magic items, a new spell (which looks familiar) and three new monsters (one of which looks familiar, but i guess its new to OSRIC).
From the blurb:
This adventure is designed for 4-8 characters of levels 2-4.
A pack of vicious ghouls recently attacked a group of adventurers. The party's ranger tracked the ghouls back to an old cave but dared not go inside as it was too dangerous. A plea has gone out to any able-bodied adventurers nearby to clear out this undead infestation. You and your allies have heard the call and set out urgently for the cave to end the threat, find some treasure, and hopefully survive the horrors beneath the ghoul lair!
About Dungeon Raiders! Modules
Dungeon Raiders! games:
Beneath the Ghoul Lair, a Westgate Adventures! Dungeon Raiders! module (I hope I got all that right - so many titles - heh) is the latest release from Johnny Rook Games. Aimed at a party of levels 2-4, I'd advise they have access to silver weapons if they don't yet have a magic weapon or two in the party. As you can guess from the title, there be undead in them there hills!
BtGL is setting light in nature. The hook is a decent one that can be placed just about anywhere. The stronger you make the hook, the more you party will be involved in the story evolving around them. You can drop it as is, and it should work, but tweaking should make it a better fit.
There are 2 nice dungeon maps that would have fit well into any classic TSR module if they were only done in that horrible classic blue.
Four new magic items, a new spell (which looks familiar) and three new monsters (one of which looks familiar, but i guess its new to OSRIC).
From the blurb:
This adventure is designed for 4-8 characters of levels 2-4.
A pack of vicious ghouls recently attacked a group of adventurers. The party's ranger tracked the ghouls back to an old cave but dared not go inside as it was too dangerous. A plea has gone out to any able-bodied adventurers nearby to clear out this undead infestation. You and your allies have heard the call and set out urgently for the cave to end the threat, find some treasure, and hopefully survive the horrors beneath the ghoul lair!
About Dungeon Raiders! Modules
Dungeon Raiders! games:
- Are "story-light" modules designed for quick adventure, great treasure, and fantastic stories!
- Are designed for any campaign setting while maintaining good content and high quality playability!
- Are great for one- to three-night game sessions when players want to "just go get some XP and gold!"
- Can be easily expanded into much larger games or stories!
- Are sensible, not rediculous, and fun, suited for any new players or old players wishing to revive and keep alive the spirit of classic role-playing!
Damn the Wintry Weather!
Last Friday we hit 75 degrees in NYC. Today I awoke to snow on my car and sleet in the air. I'm done with winter. You can take it back.
Yeah, I know this isn't game related in the least, but I was due for a weather rant in any case ;)
Yeah, I know this isn't game related in the least, but I was due for a weather rant in any case ;)
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
The World is Ruled By Cats (at Least My Corner Is)
I'm a firm believer in this. If you have a cat, you do for them. Dogs do for you. Kinda.
My little girl is a talker, she's extremely vocal. Her different cries all mean something, and I've learned them over the last few years. At the moment she is telling me to go to bed.
She understands a number of words... well, more like a handful then a number. We each speak in our specific language, so we use two languages for one set of communication.
Damn, that seems like a crap load of work.
Still, it makes a lot of sense in a fantasy setting. The Rock Trolls communicate with grinding noises, yet they understand the Gnolls and their yapping / barking language. Maybe not word for word, but they get the ideas that are being communicated.
Alright, the lady is getting pissed, and she's just a cat. Just wait until I actually understand women ;)
My little girl is a talker, she's extremely vocal. Her different cries all mean something, and I've learned them over the last few years. At the moment she is telling me to go to bed.
She understands a number of words... well, more like a handful then a number. We each speak in our specific language, so we use two languages for one set of communication.
Damn, that seems like a crap load of work.
Still, it makes a lot of sense in a fantasy setting. The Rock Trolls communicate with grinding noises, yet they understand the Gnolls and their yapping / barking language. Maybe not word for word, but they get the ideas that are being communicated.
Alright, the lady is getting pissed, and she's just a cat. Just wait until I actually understand women ;)
When The Wiz Speaks, I Listen
ChicagoWiz left a comment on my blogpost about Fire in the Jungle. As he planned to also post about FitJ, he jokingly wondered if we should have a "Jungle Week" theme. There may be something to that.
We've already touched on that with the Hot Elf series of posts (thanks James and the Underdark Gazette), but that was pretty much tongue in cheek. There really is no reason there couldn't be a theme of the week (or month) where if a blogger were so inspired, they would make a post during the week (month) that hits upon the common theme.
All of us see things from our own perspective, so even 20 blog posts from 20 different bloggers on the same general subject will be very different. The OSR has many nooks and crannies that haven't been explored, or could use more exploration, or are just fun to write and read about.
It could to be very loosely organized or not even organized at all. We all saw how the Hot Elf series went viral. It didn't need much of a push.
All this is me thinking out loud. Just throwing the thought out there. If the wet toilet paper sticks to the ceiling, we may just have something. ;)
We've already touched on that with the Hot Elf series of posts (thanks James and the Underdark Gazette), but that was pretty much tongue in cheek. There really is no reason there couldn't be a theme of the week (or month) where if a blogger were so inspired, they would make a post during the week (month) that hits upon the common theme.
All of us see things from our own perspective, so even 20 blog posts from 20 different bloggers on the same general subject will be very different. The OSR has many nooks and crannies that haven't been explored, or could use more exploration, or are just fun to write and read about.
It could to be very loosely organized or not even organized at all. We all saw how the Hot Elf series went viral. It didn't need much of a push.
All this is me thinking out loud. Just throwing the thought out there. If the wet toilet paper sticks to the ceiling, we may just have something. ;)
Monday, March 21, 2011
Mini Review - Fire in the Jungle (Your Choice of Old School Rules)
Fire in the Jungle is a sandbox setting for the Old School ruleset of your choice. Dustin Brandt, author of said sandbox and fellow blogger was kind enough to send me a copy to review. I'm grateful, as it's a great read.
Jungle settings aren't usually the first choice of setting for most of us, I think because it isn't a setting that we can relate to. North America and Europe are pretty much jungle free. For gaming purposes, it gives the players a wild, alien world to explore. It keeps them on their toes.
Justin gives us a nice assortment of tools to bring the jungle to life. We get natural medicines, major NPCs and monsters (most of which are native fauna with a twist). We also get a Jungle Event System.
The Jungle Event System is similar to a Wandering Monster Table, but it isn't just adversaries to be fought. It's locations, events, personas. The short of it is that is is much more useful then a Wandering Monster Chart. I need to borrow this concept for the next game I run, Jungle or not.
We get a detailed and keyed hex map, with hexes listed and detailed briefly when there is something important there.
Then we come to the Ant Tunnel Exploration System. Modeled on those lovely ants that visit in the summer, but much larger, these ants and tunnels are a challenge for any party. We are also gifted with a Tunnel Event Chart - lets just say ant tunnel exploration should entertain both the party and the GM.
Next, we are given The Tomb of the Monkey God. If this dungeon doesn't get the party lost, they are better mappers then me. Oh, and more random tables.
A Player's Handout Sheet rounds out the package.
I'm still amazed at how much "stuff" Dustin squeezed into 16 pages. It is certainly reads as if it much more. Fire in the Jungle is almost system neutral, in that the few D&Disms could easily be converted to Tunnels & Trolls without much effort.
I'm not sure if I'd run this as is, but as its a sandbox, who will run it as is? It's certainly made me think about jungle adventures and how it could be a nice change of pace to take a party out of civilization and drop them in the jungle. Very well done and worth the price of admission, even if it's just to crib the charts ;)
From the Blurb:
Jungle settings aren't usually the first choice of setting for most of us, I think because it isn't a setting that we can relate to. North America and Europe are pretty much jungle free. For gaming purposes, it gives the players a wild, alien world to explore. It keeps them on their toes.
Justin gives us a nice assortment of tools to bring the jungle to life. We get natural medicines, major NPCs and monsters (most of which are native fauna with a twist). We also get a Jungle Event System.
The Jungle Event System is similar to a Wandering Monster Table, but it isn't just adversaries to be fought. It's locations, events, personas. The short of it is that is is much more useful then a Wandering Monster Chart. I need to borrow this concept for the next game I run, Jungle or not.
We get a detailed and keyed hex map, with hexes listed and detailed briefly when there is something important there.
Then we come to the Ant Tunnel Exploration System. Modeled on those lovely ants that visit in the summer, but much larger, these ants and tunnels are a challenge for any party. We are also gifted with a Tunnel Event Chart - lets just say ant tunnel exploration should entertain both the party and the GM.
Next, we are given The Tomb of the Monkey God. If this dungeon doesn't get the party lost, they are better mappers then me. Oh, and more random tables.
A Player's Handout Sheet rounds out the package.
I'm still amazed at how much "stuff" Dustin squeezed into 16 pages. It is certainly reads as if it much more. Fire in the Jungle is almost system neutral, in that the few D&Disms could easily be converted to Tunnels & Trolls without much effort.
I'm not sure if I'd run this as is, but as its a sandbox, who will run it as is? It's certainly made me think about jungle adventures and how it could be a nice change of pace to take a party out of civilization and drop them in the jungle. Very well done and worth the price of admission, even if it's just to crib the charts ;)
From the Blurb:
A ready-to-go jungle adventure or a toolkit for creating your own jungle setting. This supplement contains:
- A brief history of the jungle’s troubled past and the natives who have survived there.
- A color judge’s map of the jungle with dozens of described locations to explore.
- A color player map to give the player’s a vague understanding of the shape of the jungle.
- A comprehensive Jungle Event System that reflects the harsh reality and wondrous excitement of journeying through this jungle.
- The Ant Tunnel Exploration System provides a framework for running adventures in these infinite, living tunnels.
- The Tomb of the Monkey God. A dungeon module with an Escalation mechanic that ratchets up the tension the longer the PCs remain inside the tomb. Unique, overlapping color map of this four-level tomb.
- Plus a variety of monsters, NPCs, hirelings, magic items, etc.
- And, of course, the cover art by Rommel Joson and the back cover art by Edbon Sevilleno.
Spring Cleaning Turns Up a Surprise From my AD&D Days
For the most part my AD&D stuff is packed away. I just have way to much stuff to keep rarely needed stuff in prime locations for accessibility. Still, every once in a while, I stumble across something that's out of place, wonder how it got there, and then the gaming memories flood back.
Case in point, The Book of Lairs for AD&D. We're given over 60 developed lairs... more then adventure seeds, less then full adventures, this was a go to book (along with the AD&D Encounter Cards) that I went to when prep time was short (or non-existant) and I needed something to run with. For a DM that was good at improvising, this was an awesome tool.
Now, is anything all that memorable from it? No, I'd have to start digging thru it again, and I doubt I would find it as useful now as I did 25 years ago, but for the time it was pretty good. I know it was, cause I've got the pencil marks throughout it to show that I used it on more then one occasion.
Oh, did I mention that Christian is making a return to blogging after a short absence? Times are good. He wasn't hidden on my bookshelf tho, I swear! ;)
Case in point, The Book of Lairs for AD&D. We're given over 60 developed lairs... more then adventure seeds, less then full adventures, this was a go to book (along with the AD&D Encounter Cards) that I went to when prep time was short (or non-existant) and I needed something to run with. For a DM that was good at improvising, this was an awesome tool.
Now, is anything all that memorable from it? No, I'd have to start digging thru it again, and I doubt I would find it as useful now as I did 25 years ago, but for the time it was pretty good. I know it was, cause I've got the pencil marks throughout it to show that I used it on more then one occasion.
Oh, did I mention that Christian is making a return to blogging after a short absence? Times are good. He wasn't hidden on my bookshelf tho, I swear! ;)
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Friday Nite Movie at the Tavern - The Hebrew Hammer
Friday's movie is getting mentioned late this weekend, as I was running around Saturday and today we went seal watching in New York harbor (I'll need to go thru the pictures before I can post any). So, a bit late, we present to you, the Hebrew Hammer.
Sometimes a movie doesn't have to be good to be funny. I suspect this over the top spoof of the 1970s blacksploitation movies hit closer to home for me then it may others, as I saw so much of NYC in it (and was even able to recognize some obscure locations) from landmarks to culture (alright, stereotyped culture, but still recognizable).
I laughed even tho I didn't want to. Not sure if that is a ringing endorsement or not.
I could see putting together a one-shot using the Fate rules. Everyone gets a racial / ethnic stereotype to play and get's to try to save the world from evil Santa - or was there already done in Spirit of the Century?
Sometimes a movie doesn't have to be good to be funny. I suspect this over the top spoof of the 1970s blacksploitation movies hit closer to home for me then it may others, as I saw so much of NYC in it (and was even able to recognize some obscure locations) from landmarks to culture (alright, stereotyped culture, but still recognizable).
I laughed even tho I didn't want to. Not sure if that is a ringing endorsement or not.
I could see putting together a one-shot using the Fate rules. Everyone gets a racial / ethnic stereotype to play and get's to try to save the world from evil Santa - or was there already done in Spirit of the Century?
Awkward End to Campaign Leads to New Beginning - Next on Geraldo!
Last nite was supposed to be the last session in the Fantasy Grounds powered Castles & Crusades game I've been playing in for over 2 years now, at least for a while, as the game is being put on hiatus for the immediate future. With only 2 players and the GM showing up, it became more of a 2 hr chat session. That is, however, the nature of the beast, both with a VTT or at the dining room table. Even with the best laid plans and intentions, real life tends to interfere and take precedence.
The shame of it is that we didn't get to a good point to pause the campaign. The damn hobbit may have that mask stuck to his face for an extremely long time at this point ;)
All is not lost tho, as the plan is to keep the group together. Cad, one of my fellow players and an occasional blogger, is considering taking up the GM reins for a bit. I tossed my vote for a Labyrinth Lord Campaign and so far my vote is winning (as far as I know, it's the only vote cast so far... heh).
We really have been lucky with this group, as it was / is a really great bunch of folk.
Now, as for the Geraldo line in the title - I'm just feeling mischievous, so you'll need to forgive me. Maybe Jerry Rivers can find some loot in Al Capone's Vault that I can use in a Gangbusters session ;)
The shame of it is that we didn't get to a good point to pause the campaign. The damn hobbit may have that mask stuck to his face for an extremely long time at this point ;)
All is not lost tho, as the plan is to keep the group together. Cad, one of my fellow players and an occasional blogger, is considering taking up the GM reins for a bit. I tossed my vote for a Labyrinth Lord Campaign and so far my vote is winning (as far as I know, it's the only vote cast so far... heh).
We really have been lucky with this group, as it was / is a really great bunch of folk.
Now, as for the Geraldo line in the title - I'm just feeling mischievous, so you'll need to forgive me. Maybe Jerry Rivers can find some loot in Al Capone's Vault that I can use in a Gangbusters session ;)
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dErO - VotE: Re Development - the mysterious Stephan Poag did a comic about them! The dErO Do Not Exist You do not believe in dErO. The Player Characters *cannot* believe in dErO. ...3 days ago
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More Beautiful Development Sketches for The Great North - Tom Kilian continues to excel himself with the artwork for *The Great North*, now heading towards completion. As an Easter present, here is a work-in-pro...4 days ago
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The grodog Thither and Hither and Points Between - While the blog and I have languished together in torpid stupor for quite some time now, the blog's silence did not originate in or from *wordslessness*, ...4 days ago
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Tariffs, CanCon, and You - In 1972 the CBC asked listeners to complete the saying "As Canadian as...", to match "As American as apple pie." The winner was "As Canadian as possible ...5 days ago
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Landmark Sites - Hazard - The next two landmarks will be the overtly bad ones. No positive spin on this, a Hazard is just a place you want to avoid. Unless... Well, let’s make th...6 days ago
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Should you PAY your GM? - Let's start with the conclusion: GM-for-pay is okay. In other words: there is nothing wrong with paying someone to run a game for you, or charging people f...1 week ago
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Noodle Bar & Industrial Scatter Terrain - This past weekend I got a couple of solid hours to paint when I wasn’t dead tired, and decided to spend it on the 3D printed Flatline City Noodle Bar tha...1 week ago
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A Surprising Look at Murderhobos... - So I asked a question on Facebook this week. What did people do with the humanoid women and children in the Caves of Chaos, among similar adventures, persu...2 weeks ago
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36 units sold on day one - Not big Kickstarter-type numbers or anything but still pretty personally gratifying to me, because 1) it'a more copies than the first book sold on its fi...3 weeks ago
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Praise for Songs of the Dying Earth - Among my favourite works of fantasy fiction are the *Dying Earth* stories and the *Lyonesse *trilogy by Jack Vance. I’ve read the *Lyonesse *trilogy three ...3 weeks ago
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Best OSR Cartographers - A video about some my favorite cartographers in the game. This is not an exhaustive list, but the ones I go to the most and ones that have influenced my st...3 weeks ago
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Gary Con XVII - I attended Gary Con this year. Last year, I was supposed to go, but something came up and I had to cancel. This year, I ran a scenario I created called The...4 weeks ago
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[BLOG] News on the March! Episode VI. - This post continues the series of brief play reports I have been posting on Discord. This does not cover every single session (sometimes, recon and setup...4 weeks ago
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On the Success of the VOTE - You voted for it, and it's here! All the prices on the books I sell on DTRPG will be rising in price, 40-50% so I can maintain the same margin as now! ...4 weeks ago
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Lexicon of Klarkash-Ton, Hierophant of Atlantis: Lupanar - This time, we follow the good High Priest to the far future, to the final continent of Earth, Zothique, for a a tale of ennui and love: Morthylla. Witho...5 weeks ago
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Fight On! number 16 is out. - The new issue of *Fight On!* has been out for a bit. You can get copies via drivethru or lulu. I haven't finished reading my copy, but I'd like to reco...1 month ago
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Wandering through the Majestic Fantasy Realms - It's time for another Bat in the Attic update! I am halfway through the first draft of my upcoming project, Into the Majestic Fantasy Realms, the Northe...1 month ago
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The Hungering Dark - Go into the earth, and reality will walk alongside you. Walk further, and you will eventually be walking alone. The world is plastic down there. Tar Lat...1 month ago
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Hobby Bingo 2025: January Progress - Welcome back to the Vault! I've painted a few bits and pieces in January and made a dent into my Hobby Bingo card! First up is a Chaplain in Terminator ...2 months ago
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NTRPG Gaming Weekend - [image: NTRPG Gaming Weekend] This weekend was a "game day" for North Texas RPG Con, held at the same hotel the con is held at. I haven't slung dice since...2 months ago
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The Stats of a Dave Arneson Player Character. - If you want to find the details for one of the characters that Gary Gygax made and played as a PC, perhaps to use as an NPC in your own game, it isn't t...2 months ago
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Into the Wild Blue Yonder: A Journey Through Blackmoor's Dark Realm - *We have been thinking about you.* *We know what you want from Rob Kuntz.* You want more than another brand-new RPG module. It has to be a *First Edition ...3 months ago
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Articulations - Creating house rules, custom rules specific to a local group or campaign, has been common throughout the history of D&D. What makes an effective house rule...3 months ago
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A Fiftieth Anniversary Year - The 50th anniversary year of *Dungeons & Dragons *is drawing to a close. A number of projects I'd been planning for this year finally came out, and I ...3 months ago
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A Quick Look at The Wizard’s Scroll II - October of this year saw the release of The Wizard’s Scroll II, the second issue of a White Box Fantastic Medieval Adventure Game (FMAG) zine whose first ...3 months ago
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Writing playlists for all occasions - Hello again! Going off the idea of inspiration elaborated on by the prior post, I also have music playing while I write my various games and fiction pieces...4 months ago
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The Tarot of Pips - Somewhere in your dice collection is a die like this one, the humblest of dice. Although you don't know it, this small white die carries with it a secr...4 months ago
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Pirates and Necromancers, a Play Report - Over the Thanksgiving weekend we did a lot of gaming ranging from “off-table” domain level stuff to some solo adventures to spell and magic item rese...4 months ago
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Welcome new Greyhawk Fans! - With the publication of the new Dungeon Master’s Guide, there are doubtless going to be a lot of new D&D players interested in my favorite setting, the Wor...5 months ago
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It's been a bit - Hey everyone, I hope you are doing well! I've had a lot going on and haven't had much time to blog lately. Heres a recap of gaming events and other st...11 months ago
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*'s in SpaaaaaAaaaace - A lot of SF (including a certain 2D6 RPG grandaddy) deal with ancient aliens taking humans from Earth and dropping them, fleas and all, on one or more w...1 year ago
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Last move - to self-hosting! - As my vote regarding Substack in the “marketplace of ideas”, I’m moving to self-hosting. I’m now at (and hopefully staying for a long time at) Blog: ht...1 year ago
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Osamu Tezuka (1928 - 1989) - [image: Osamu Tezuka - Shonen Magazine Cover, 1970]Shonen Magazine Cover, 1970 [image: Osamu Tezuka - Shonen Magazine Cover Illustration 1970]Shonen Maga...2 years ago
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This is an Important Game Mechanic - *"That's the GM's Regional Map from my AOWG. And it's a damned good regional map. It's not a good map for a Simple Homebrew Campaign. It does some s$&...2 years ago
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Clean Your Room - Looking back at my little blog here. That last post… wow, I was having fun playing WOW Classic! That was August of 1999 and I was having a blast… it was ...3 years ago
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Steve Jackson Interview - James Maliszewski recently did an interview with Steve Jackson over on his Grognardia blog. Steve chats about the beginnings of The Fantasy Trip and upcomi...4 years ago
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The Hero’s Journey 2nd Edition, Campbellian roleplaying at its best! - (this review done using the reviewers own purchased copy) I have been a James Michael Spahn fan since he wrote his Swords & Wizardry Companion. His writing...4 years ago
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ToAD Monster of the Week: Crocoman - Now that I'm back doing the blog thing I thought I would use Tome of Adventure Design to create monsters for The Black Hack. Using the monster tables in th...5 years ago
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More Arden Vul Art - Another great piece from Del, this one's the Forum of Set: a place that the PCs may spend quite a bit of time within.5 years ago
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OCHRE SAND - Init +0 Ranged Atk • fire burst +3 (1d14+1, 20') AC 17 HD 3d6 MV 60 Act 1d24 SP 'breath' weapon, sideslip, perfect silence, morphing Fort +5 Ref +8 Will...5 years ago
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Strange, Dangerous, and Inhuman: The Fey and Fairie - When I was a boy I loved fairy tales. Jack and the Beanstalk, Puss in Boots, Rumpelstiltskin - I devoured all of it. My fascination that there was a strang...5 years ago
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New Map of the Elf Empire and Southern Isles - I’ve been having fun developing a new map-drawing style that I think is finally reaching a certain level of maturity. And yeah, it owes a lot to Matthew Ad...5 years ago
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The Faithful - An Optional Archetype for Sharp Swords & Sinister Spells Revised Edition - Work on the revised edition of Sharp Swords & Sinister Spells is moving along. This will be a hefty tome, with a LOT of tools and new options to customiz...5 years ago
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Dungeons & Dragonmead Fall Schedule - *As you know, I run public classic Dungeons & Dragons games at **The Loaded Die**/Metro Detroit Game Night's Board Game Nigh at **Dragonmead**, in Warren...5 years ago
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Fiction in Airhde - On a whim this weekend, I picked up some fiction off the TLG store. *A Houseless God & Other Tales* and *The Mirrored Soul & Other Tales*, both by the T...5 years ago
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Ravensburg Reboot: Streamlined City Map - I mentioned in my last post how I was tweaking and reworking parts of my Ravensburg setting. Today I streamlined the city map. The old map had lots of redu...5 years ago
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And Now the News Draft Download on Patreon - It's self-styled Throwback Thursday and *having just released the 34-page draft booklet of Hill Cantons news to my Patreon backers* I am going to indulge m...5 years ago
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The Withered Crag available now - I just enabled the sale of the PDF version of The Withered Crag at DriveThruRPG a few minutes ago, and the custom print version will be available startin...5 years ago
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Annihilation Rising Goes live - The latest in Fail Squad Games’ Quick Kick projects has gone live and needs your support!! This project is only running 11 days and ends on 5/28/2019! ...5 years ago
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James's Celebration of Life - We could not have asked for a prettier day for James's service. It was a bit chilly and windy but gorgeous. A heartfelt thank you to all that joined us tod...6 years ago
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Trap Tuesday: A step back - I will get back to Tomb of Horrors soon. I found a topic that was interesting enough to take a break. While interacting in a 5E group on Facebook I talked ...6 years ago
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Let's Talk About Pacing! - The idea, I think, is that the RPG is ultimately about the long game. Even rolling back to the early days of Basic & Expert, the goal of the player was...6 years ago
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Profane and Profound Prep Part 2 - This is part 2 of my work to edit my magic items for a DMsGuild release, along with adding cursed items along the way. Here is part 1. Bone of a Saint 8000...6 years ago
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MIDDLE DUNGEONS LEVEL FIVE 158 STAIRS. - 158 STAIRS. These stairs descend thirty feet to Area 79 on Level 6.6 years ago
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Please, I don't do paid advertisements - don't ask. - A little note since people have asked me about this. My video channel's *not* an advertising platform, so I'm not available for hire if you want to promote...6 years ago
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New website! - Slowly but surely, all the content here will make its way — in updated form! — to my new website: timbannock.com. For fairly obvious reasons, that site wil...6 years ago
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Please Update Your Link! - If you're seeing this, it means your link to the Greyhawk Grognard blog is out of date. Please update your link to www.greyhawkgrognard.com (RSS feed is h...6 years ago
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Total Sales for WB:FMAG - Hi Folks, It's been a long time since I provided an update for the sales of White Box: Fantastic Medieval Adventure Game. *LULU* Print: 396 PDF: 433 *OBS*...6 years ago
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How can We Destroy this Campaign World? - d12 1. You must trick a bard into strumming the *Chords of Fate* on the *Lute of Annihilation* 2. Legends tell of thermonuclear weapons beneath megadunge...6 years ago
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Mord Mar - Session 5 - We had another successful delve into the dungeon yesterday. The delvers: Moira, the Magic-User Radovan - Human Cleric (of Odin?) Khazgar Stonehand - Dwarf ...6 years ago
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Yodeling For Yokels or The Further Misa(d&)dventures - This is the one of those posts that points out the lack of current posts. Over the last week or three, there has been postponed Labyrinth Lord (twice, one...6 years ago
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Bundle of Fantasy Age - Bundle of Holding: Dragon Age/Fantasy Age: Available until March 12. PA Presents: Fantasy AGE Freeport live play Green Ronin in 2018 The Fantasy Age RPG ma...7 years ago
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New Free PDF Module: The Hyqueous Vaults - A new dungeon module—written in celebration of OSRIC's 10th Birthday—by Rebecca Dettmann, Allan T. Grohe, Jr., Jimm Johnson, Matthew Riedel, Alex Zisch, a...7 years ago
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Session XCIII: One Pissed Off Dragon! - Our ongoing Swords and Wizardry sandbox campaign... *Current Player Characters:* *Thenus* (Ranger) *Wang Du* (Monk) *Wolfheir* (Viking) *Arg* (Half-orc) ...7 years ago
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Swords & Wizardry Light: Session # 6 - Two months after our last session (thanks to things like 8th grade finals, a 4 year-old's birthday and party, Father's Day, etc.), we finally had our next ...7 years ago