Saturday, January 24, 2015
Swords & Wizardry and Slumber Tsar Coloring Books - Download Free in PDF
Bouncing around the Frog God web store I noticed that the Swords & Wizardry and Slumbering Tsar Coloring Books were available for free download in PDF.
Pretty freaking cool! Just print out the pages you want to use.
The art isn't half bad either.
Thoughts on a Sword of Air Sandbox Campaign (Swords & Wizardry)
I think I've mentioned before that I've been way behind on basic things like "reading email" and "reading Google + messages." I just realized today that earlier this month Frog God released the PDF to the backers of the Sword of Air Kickstarter. Yeah, I'm not even catching up with the emails that are giving me stuff.
So, earlier today I grabbed the Sword of Air PDF an accompanying map (small snippet above - 50 mile hexes) and quickly found the Stoneheart Valley. The Stoneheart Valley is a nice trilogy of low level adventures (one of which, The Tomb of Abysthor, is a manageable sized mega-dungeon.) This gives me a nice place to kick off a Sword of Air Campaign before the party starts exploring in full sandbox mode.
I was surprised that The Lost City of Barakus wasn't to be found on the map, but I figure Freegate can stand in for Endhome and the Lost City finds a new home.
Yep, apparently there isn't enough adventure in the 428 pages of the Sword of Air Campaign Book that I need to add nearly another 300 pages ;)
Actually, what I'd like to do is run two groups in the campaign setting, both working towards the same ultimate goal but from different areas initially. Logistically it's impossible for me to pull off right now, but perhaps in 2016. If I can steal enough time to prep this, maybe come the spring of this year, when I get back behind the virtual DM screen, I can kick off the initial group.
Come to think of it, with the amount of stuff going on in the setting, I may need those months just to get all of the rumor tables prepped.
Did I mention what I've read so far of The Sword of Air looks damn fine? I need to take notes tho...
Amazing Archery - Using a Simple Bow (Video Nirvana)
Jeff Carpenter of the Peril and Plunder blog sent me a link to the above video. It's less than six minutes long and it is an eye opener. The feats of skill done with a simple bow are nothing less than amazing and simply reinforces anecdotal information I had read in the past - ancient bowmen were deadly, even against armor. They also fired much faster than the D&D default.
Does it make me rethink the speed of bows in the typical OSR game? Not at all. But if one were to design a game where the bowman took center stage, there are some great ideas to be found above.
Trust me when I tell you the video will be done before you are ready for it to end...
Tome of Horrors 4 - Free with Purchase of TOH Complete or 1/2 Off on It's Own - Print
I should have passed this on earlier, but I'm behind in reading my emails:
Very good deal, whether you play Swords & Wizardry (or other old school RPGs) or gods forbid - Pathfinder.
I love my Tome of Horrors Complete for S&W - almost worth it for the adventure seeds alone.
The Frog God website can be found at this link.
Sale ends tomorrow.
Very good deal, whether you play Swords & Wizardry (or other old school RPGs) or gods forbid - Pathfinder.
I love my Tome of Horrors Complete for S&W - almost worth it for the adventure seeds alone.
The Frog God website can be found at this link.
Sale ends tomorrow.
Another WTF Kickstarter - Batman Legacy (because with $3k I can convince DC to give me a license)
Another tip of the hat to the Kicksnarker Community over at G+.
How screwed up is "Batman Legacy?" Let us count the ways:
1 - "picture is not my design" - so, the art used to pitch the project? it's copyright DC.
2 - Another person that does not believe in using "."
3 - It's going to be a graphic novel or series of comics, but we don't get a sample of the artist's work. Hmmm, above would have been a good place to show that sample.
4 - After reading the above synopsis - no, I won't donate.
5 - "burbank?" Why is he going to fly to burbank (he has trouble with capitalization too it seems) when DC is headquarter in NYC?
6 - Why is he flying anywhere? DC can turn him down remotely for free.
7 - Getting DC's permission is not a "real challenge" as it would never happen, even if he were a "legit" artist.
8 - I suspect he just wants to vacation in Burbank.
How screwed up is "Batman Legacy?" Let us count the ways:
1 - "picture is not my design" - so, the art used to pitch the project? it's copyright DC.
2 - Another person that does not believe in using "."
3 - It's going to be a graphic novel or series of comics, but we don't get a sample of the artist's work. Hmmm, above would have been a good place to show that sample.
4 - After reading the above synopsis - no, I won't donate.
5 - "burbank?" Why is he going to fly to burbank (he has trouble with capitalization too it seems) when DC is headquarter in NYC?
6 - Why is he flying anywhere? DC can turn him down remotely for free.
7 - Getting DC's permission is not a "real challenge" as it would never happen, even if he were a "legit" artist.
8 - I suspect he just wants to vacation in Burbank.
Friday, January 23, 2015
On Multi-Classing in AD&D 1e (Learning Something New)
The latest episode of Roll For Initiative podcast covers Labyrinth Lord's Advanced Edition Characters and compares the LL AEC to AD&D 1e, which is a natural comparison. Now, they mention that weapon restrictions for multiclass characters weren't included in 1e, but they were. The restrictions are buried in the race definitions and actually vary per race:
Half-elven characters who choose the cleric as one of their multi-classes aren't limited by that class' proscriptions upon weapons usable, but they are quite restricted in level. Half-elven characters who choose the thief class as one of their multi-roles are limited to the weaponry and armor of that class when operating as a thief. All earned experience is always divided evenly between the classes of the multi-classed character, even though the character is no longer able to gain levels in one or more of the classes. (See CHARACTER CLASSES, and consult the various classes for more detailed information pertaining to half-elven characters operating within the stated classes.)
When playing a multi-classed character, the half-orc must abide by the restrictions of the least favorable class with regard only to armor.
In the latter case the character (halfling) is limited to the armor and weaponry of a thief whenever any such functions are to be performed during the course of an adventure.
If the character (elf) is multi-clossed, the following restrictions and strictures apply: Although able to operate freely with the benefits of armor, weapons, and magical items available to the classes the character is operating in, any thieving is restricted to the armor and weaponry usable by the thief class.
(maximum of 9th level), a thief, or an assassin (maximum of 9th level). It is also possible for a dwarven character to opt to work simultaneously in the fighter and thief classes; in the latter event the dwarf will be limited to the armor permitted a thief when performing any functions of that class.
It is also possible for a gnome character to be two classes at the some time (a fighter/illusionist, fighter/thief, or an illusionist/thief, for example). In the latter case, the character is restricted to the wearing of leather armor, regardless of which class combination he or she has chosen, unless only fighting is performed by the character.The rules were there, plain as day in the Player's Handbook, but I never realized the small variations the races had in their restrictions. I always thought any weapon could be used at all times by a character if they were multiclassed with a fighter, but it appears I was wrong. (they all have the same armor restrictions if they have a thief class as part of their multiclass)
Half-elves, halflings and elves were restricted to thieving weapons only when operating as thieves - so no backstabs with that battle axe or two handed sword. Or moving silently, hiding in shadows or the like.
Dwarves, gnomes and half-orcs can apparently use any weapon to backstab.
It appears I'm still learning my 1e rules ;)
Rant - Podcast Pet Peeves or How to Get You Podcast Off of my Regular Listening List
We don't care.
Really.
No matter how fucking cool and exciting your last gaming session was, if you can't turn that 7 and 1/2 minute meandering and boring tale into a 30 second highlight reel, we don't want to hear it. Yes, tell us about how you smuggled your gold plated blaster past security by secreting it in your anus. Don't tell us how how you landed your ship, got a deal on the fuel on planet, talked the dock master down in his fee had and all the other bullshit that puts us to sleep.
You might think all of the minutiae is interesting and exciting. Trust me when I tell you, we don't care. Get to the point or we may just stop listening all together.
Inside jokes.
Another thing that is interesting to you, the podcast host and your fellow hosts, but for the rest of us, we don't get the joke. It's worse than being boring, it's frustrating. Cut the shit out. Leave the inside jokes to the time you spend bullshitting with your other hosts before and after recording. This doesn't mean avoid telling jokes or funny stories, just avoid shit that needs insider knowledge. You want your podcast to be accessible, not exclusive.
Stop with the fucking belching.
You! Yes You! You know who you are. If you wouldn't do it in front of "the normals" and wouldn't do it at a gaming table at a con, don't do it on a podcast. You are no longer 16. You are probably 46. Fake the maturity if you somehow lack it.
Have some knowledge of the game systems you are talking about.
If you don't know something, you are better off admitting it than making up an answer, because your listeners probably DO know the right answers. I really hate yelling at my car speakers when someone calls LotFP Weird Fantasy a AD&D 2e clone or has no idea how multiclassing works in AD&D.
Avoid scripts.
This shit get's painful. I'm not saying don't have a topic or even an outline, but when I hear folks reading from a script I want to mentally insert belches... and I hate belches.
Stop reading letters verbatim.
Nothing is more boring than listening to a letter being read on air that was poorly written in the first place. If you are going to read letters, edit them before hand to get to the meat of the discussion, otherwise you are just filling time that could be used for something else - like listening to a more interesting podcast.
All my ranting for now ;)
Really.
No matter how fucking cool and exciting your last gaming session was, if you can't turn that 7 and 1/2 minute meandering and boring tale into a 30 second highlight reel, we don't want to hear it. Yes, tell us about how you smuggled your gold plated blaster past security by secreting it in your anus. Don't tell us how how you landed your ship, got a deal on the fuel on planet, talked the dock master down in his fee had and all the other bullshit that puts us to sleep.
You might think all of the minutiae is interesting and exciting. Trust me when I tell you, we don't care. Get to the point or we may just stop listening all together.
Inside jokes.
Another thing that is interesting to you, the podcast host and your fellow hosts, but for the rest of us, we don't get the joke. It's worse than being boring, it's frustrating. Cut the shit out. Leave the inside jokes to the time you spend bullshitting with your other hosts before and after recording. This doesn't mean avoid telling jokes or funny stories, just avoid shit that needs insider knowledge. You want your podcast to be accessible, not exclusive.
Stop with the fucking belching.
You! Yes You! You know who you are. If you wouldn't do it in front of "the normals" and wouldn't do it at a gaming table at a con, don't do it on a podcast. You are no longer 16. You are probably 46. Fake the maturity if you somehow lack it.
Have some knowledge of the game systems you are talking about.
If you don't know something, you are better off admitting it than making up an answer, because your listeners probably DO know the right answers. I really hate yelling at my car speakers when someone calls LotFP Weird Fantasy a AD&D 2e clone or has no idea how multiclassing works in AD&D.
Avoid scripts.
This shit get's painful. I'm not saying don't have a topic or even an outline, but when I hear folks reading from a script I want to mentally insert belches... and I hate belches.
Stop reading letters verbatim.
Nothing is more boring than listening to a letter being read on air that was poorly written in the first place. If you are going to read letters, edit them before hand to get to the meat of the discussion, otherwise you are just filling time that could be used for something else - like listening to a more interesting podcast.
All my ranting for now ;)
Missed a Day of Posting for the First Time in Over Two Years - Starting New Count ;)
Just got home a few minutes after midnite.
The delay was not work related. Or maybe it was. Rach and I met a recently retire Detective at our local pub and hit it off like long lost friends.
Folks in common. Lost brothers in arms in common. Even the same escape from city life in common.
Reinforced the idea that I'm leaving when I hit 20 years and not a day longer.
Heck, even delayed a rant I've had brewing all day - My Podcast Pet Peeves.
I guess it will have to wait till tomorrow.
1208 AM - so close ;)
The delay was not work related. Or maybe it was. Rach and I met a recently retire Detective at our local pub and hit it off like long lost friends.
Folks in common. Lost brothers in arms in common. Even the same escape from city life in common.
Reinforced the idea that I'm leaving when I hit 20 years and not a day longer.
Heck, even delayed a rant I've had brewing all day - My Podcast Pet Peeves.
I guess it will have to wait till tomorrow.
1208 AM - so close ;)
Wednesday, January 21, 2015
If I Were to Wear One RPG Related Shirt...
it would be the one above.
This and other fine examples of +David Fisher 's work are on sale for $14 for another 2 days or so.
I might need one for NTRPGCon, if only to step away from the NYPD "Buff" Shirts.
Damn, this could work too...
Tonight - 830 PM EST - Tavern Talk Chat Room - Moderated by Vince Florio & Myself
Last week's inaugural Tavern Talk using The Tavern's Chat Box was an overwhelming success. We had many conversations going and many drop ins from across the spectrum of OSR creators and personalities.
Tonight we are doing it all again, and +Vincent Florio and I expect an even larger turn out.
Here's some ways to make tonight's experience less hectic and more pleasurable:
- in the built in chat box, there is the below icon in the right hand corner. Clicking this allows you to pop the char box out as it's own window.
- after popping out the chat box, drag the corner of the chat box page and make the page larger. Now, click the below icon in the now popped out and enlarged chat box - this will allow you to resize the chat box - larger and wider chat box should result in easier to follow conversations.
- if you don't want to have the chat box automatically scroll to the last message (which at the height of last week's conversations was fast and furious) click on the below icon and then un-click "scroll to latest message"
Tonight we are doing it all again, and +Vincent Florio and I expect an even larger turn out.
Here's some ways to make tonight's experience less hectic and more pleasurable:
- in the built in chat box, there is the below icon in the right hand corner. Clicking this allows you to pop the char box out as it's own window.
- after popping out the chat box, drag the corner of the chat box page and make the page larger. Now, click the below icon in the now popped out and enlarged chat box - this will allow you to resize the chat box - larger and wider chat box should result in easier to follow conversations.
- if you don't want to have the chat box automatically scroll to the last message (which at the height of last week's conversations was fast and furious) click on the below icon and then un-click "scroll to latest message"
Tuesday, January 20, 2015
Wayward Kickstarter - johnnyy's game store (wall of text warning)
This would certainly fall under the "Dont's" category.
Just think, all johnnyy wants to raise is $250k...
Two paragraphs. Three periods. Wow.
There is medication that can help I think I shot may need now Fireball whiskey.
Hat tip goes to +Matthew Koelling of the Kicksnarker community on G+.
Just think, all johnnyy wants to raise is $250k...
Two paragraphs. Three periods. Wow.
There is medication that can help I think I shot may need now Fireball whiskey.
Hat tip goes to +Matthew Koelling of the Kicksnarker community on G+.
Christmas is Still the Season - B/X Hardcover Arrived!
Sometimes I don't ask Santa how he does things. I just accept it on faith alone. The fact that Santa has a Scottish burr is a quirk that I'll gladly accept.
Thank you Scottish Santa!
The Gift Receivers of OSR Christmas 2014 Day 10 Are...
Today we are giving away four different Rob Kuntz adventures and supplements graciously donated by +Jon Hershberger and Black Blade Publishing. They will ship word wide.
Time to award the presents :)
- Rob Kuntz's The Original Bottle City adventure, reprinted by Black Blade this past summer goes to: Travelling Spellbook
- Rob Kuntz's Cairn of the Skeleton King adventure, originally published by Rob's Pied Piper Publishing imprint, now out of print goes to: Erik Talvola
- Rob Kuntz's Tower of Blood adventure, originally published by Rob's Pied Piper Publishing imprint, now out of print goes to: +Matthew Skail
- Rob Kuntz's and Eric Shook's Campaign Treasuries supplement, originally published by Rob's Pied Piper Publishing imprint, now out of print goes to +Dak Ultimak
Congrats to all!
Here's the deal - the above 4 need to email me at tenkarsDOTtavern at that gmail thing with "OSR Day 10" in the email subject. We need your mailing address.
IF WE DON'T GET A RESPONSE BY JANUARY 27, 2015 1000AM EST THE GIFT WE BE AWARDED TO ANOTHER!
Therefore, if you know one of the 4 above, maybe you want to point out they have a gift waiting for them. Especially the first 2, as they aren't going to get a notification from G+.
Monday, January 19, 2015
Kickstarter Do's and Dont's - Part 2 - Cardboard Boobies and Endless Stretch Goals do Not Build Castles
Everyone has their favorite train wreck. 4thWar Equipment - Wargaming Table is mine. Where to start with the dont's?
Bad English - not just spoken but in the subtitles. At the very least get the subtitles right. Although the hot chick is adorable when she messes up the English words, which is just about every one.
While it's great to know that even your "chubbiest friends" won't break the cardboard tables or stools, it really doesn't sound like a selling point when put that way.
Also, unrealistic funding goals. They wanted $99,000 and hit $57,000. Wisely, when they rebooted, they asked for $13,000 and hit $35,000.
What about endless stretch goals? Appendix N Adventure Toolkits fell victim to that. With a goal of just $1,000 for spanking new DCC RPG adventures, it hit nearly $19,000 on the back of numerous stretch goals. In the end, 5 extra adventures, a GM Screen and a gaming box were promised, with the projected completion date of July 2012. Now, 2 1/2 years later, most backers, even those that kicked in extra to help with shipping costs, have nothing but PDFs to show for it. Sure, it raised over $17k of extra funds, but the number of backers waiting on stuff and adventures promised, let along a box to put the goodies in, did not keep pace.
The other problem? Shipping costs. The longer a project takes to fulfill, the greater the shipping costs incurred. BTW, this is shipping in waves apparently, so multiple shipments to each backer. More money wasted.
Oh, and then there's the "retail avenues when backers still haven't gotten theirs." Always something that gets pushback.
Nystul. So much to say. So much has been said already.
Don't use a Kickstarter's funds to fulfill a previous Kickstarter's obligations.
Don't try and fund an Indiegogo Project (Nystul's Castle) to fund Kickstarter obligations.
Don't use your Kickstarters' funds to form a company and hire staff for projects that you haven't even started yet.
Don't blow your Kickstarter funds on an unrelated "Dwarf Con."
Don't promise add ons that you never intend to / or are incapable of delivering.
Don't piss on folks that are doing your work for free.
Shit, just do the very opposite of Mike and maybe you'll be OK.
You can read up on the Nystul Madness here at The Tavern and at Boardgame Geeks.
Kickstarter Do's and Dont's - Part 1 - Wear Shoes (I beg of you)
Kickstarter. It's potential for abuse was huge before they stopped policing themselves. Now it's left to consumers to sift out the scams and the like. This isn't about scams.
Today we are about presentation. You might have the best idea in the world, the greatest game, the most awesome heated sock and personal coffee brewer ever imagined, but if you can't bother to present it well, you might as well not present it as all.
Where should we start?
How about from the bottom and some Dont's.
Wear some fucking shoes.
There is a mindset that you need a video for your Kickstarter to be successful. There is some truth to that, as the voice on listens to can make the project more personal and real. Imagining the smell of one's dirty socks does not make a project more appealing to me. Sometimes none is more than poor.
You also need to put your best foot forward right from the start. Every Kickstarter comes down to, at it's root, someone holding their hand out for your money with the promise to give something in return at a later date. Some ask for $100, others ask for $100,000. All want your
If this is a sample of what you are promising, you apparently don't really need the cash.
Sometimes it's the simple things that are lacking - like coherence.
We've got more coming. Castles, cardboard, countless promises unfilled and lots of failures (even successes can be failures.)
Today we are about presentation. You might have the best idea in the world, the greatest game, the most awesome heated sock and personal coffee brewer ever imagined, but if you can't bother to present it well, you might as well not present it as all.
Where should we start?
How about from the bottom and some Dont's.
Wear some fucking shoes.
![]() |
Raised $5 of $12,500 goal |
There is a mindset that you need a video for your Kickstarter to be successful. There is some truth to that, as the voice on listens to can make the project more personal and real. Imagining the smell of one's dirty socks does not make a project more appealing to me. Sometimes none is more than poor.
You also need to put your best foot forward right from the start. Every Kickstarter comes down to, at it's root, someone holding their hand out for your money with the promise to give something in return at a later date. Some ask for $100, others ask for $100,000. All want your
If this is a sample of what you are promising, you apparently don't really need the cash.
![]() |
Raised $172 of $100 goal |
Soul Sword RPG is a Christian based rpg game the games theme is focused around the "Whole body armor of God" Ephesians 6
18 year old Jack Rionhart a babe in Christ is called by Jehova to be the Spirit Leader unsure and fearful of the task before him he soon learns he must gain all of the lost pieces of the Body Armor of God and restore the fruits of a spiritually dead people of Larule. A growing evil from the land to the East threatens Jacks progress. Lord Cain Wants to destroy king Abel and take over Larule promising a life of pleasures and lust. The life blood of the kingdom a large natural crystal called the SEOUL purifies the fresh water for the people of larule. In Lord Cains lust for power he must kidnap the remaining descendants of the Founders to find out where the SEOUL is hidden so he can rule the entire land. Can Jack and his team of four restore the faith of Larule, find the Whole Body Armor of God and with the Sword of the Spirit destroy the Evil One who posses Lord Cain in time?Add in the ceaseless rocking back and forth in the chair in the attached video - remember how I said above that sometimes no video is better than poor video - and you have a prefect example of what not to do when presenting your Kickstarter.
![]() |
$42 raised of $1,000 goal |
We've got more coming. Castles, cardboard, countless promises unfilled and lots of failures (even successes can be failures.)
Sunday, January 18, 2015
A "What the F@ck?" Kickstarter - How to Game Master like a F@cking Boss
Yeah, I know that the real title of this Kickstarter doesn't use a @ in place of the letter "u" in the most versatile word in the English language. I do try to keep curse words out of the blog post titles as best I can, so @ it is.
In any case, Venger is back with a new Kickstarter - How to Game Master like a Fucking Boss.
Now, first rule of a successful Kickstarter is - have it written before putting your hand out. By his own words, Venger has only about a third of this done as he kicks off his request for funding.
I'm not impressed by the percentages mentioned above. Oh, and no cover art yet. Heck, no sample art at all.
edit: Cover art and artist name added to the Kickstarter page. Venger does listen to advice. Now if only the boiler plate could sound less like "get laid with Secrets of the Masters."
But there is this excellent example of wooden dice trays that Venger puts together by hand. Pledge $111 for one of these.
I know Venger has a high opinion of himself. More power to him. I would like to have the following explained (I know its hyperbole) - which "Game Mastering practices of yore" are "weighing our hobby down."
Because it reads like the very same shit.
Want to improve your Game Mastering skills quickly and effectively and for free? Be a player in games run by different GMs. Take the bits and pieces that work for you and improve your skills. Most importantly? Have fun.
In any case, Venger is back with a new Kickstarter - How to Game Master like a Fucking Boss.
Now, first rule of a successful Kickstarter is - have it written before putting your hand out. By his own words, Venger has only about a third of this done as he kicks off his request for funding.
I'm not impressed by the percentages mentioned above. Oh, and no cover art yet. Heck, no sample art at all.
edit: Cover art and artist name added to the Kickstarter page. Venger does listen to advice. Now if only the boiler plate could sound less like "get laid with Secrets of the Masters."
But there is this excellent example of wooden dice trays that Venger puts together by hand. Pledge $111 for one of these.
I know Venger has a high opinion of himself. More power to him. I would like to have the following explained (I know its hyperbole) - which "Game Mastering practices of yore" are "weighing our hobby down."
The time has come to set down what I've learned so that you, too, can wrestle the untamed crimson dragon that lurks in the shadows beyond the lowly Game Mastering practices of yore, weighing our hobby down. To wrestle with the dragon and win... that is what I shall teach you!Hey, we get the secrets of the "Hidden Masters!"
I'll be going over the entire Game Mastering process: tips, tricks, techniques, outside the box practices of the Hidden Masters, state of mind, confidence, insecurities, combat to non-combat encounter ratio, improvisation, room for improvement, dos and don'ts, random tables, as well as, a number of other topics. Everything you need in order to Game Master like a fucking boss!Why the fuck do I feel like I've stumbled across some damn website trying to sell me "secrets" that will make me "a Fucking Boss", grow my penis, improve my memory, bring me untold wealth and help me lose 50 pounds in just 5 weeks?
Because it reads like the very same shit.
Want to improve your Game Mastering skills quickly and effectively and for free? Be a player in games run by different GMs. Take the bits and pieces that work for you and improve your skills. Most importantly? Have fun.
We Played Smart, Right Up Until We Didn't
Last night was another session of +Joe D 's Blood Island setting / house rules. It went well, right up until the end of the session.
On the outdoor trek to an "abandoned" tower, we either avoided or out thunk our wandering adversaries, including the well played use of a sleep spell and entanglement. I must say, entanglement is a damn powerful spell outdoors.
It was the door knocker at the tower that took the first and last casualty of the night.
"I raise the door knocker" are famous last words now. Not mine or my character's, but our one and only fighter's.
"It turns into a snake and bites you. Save vs poison or die."
One dead fighter.
There is a reason my magic-user doesn't like to touch too much. Unknown items lead to known death quite often ;)
Save or die is refreshing. All characters are immensely mortal.
Lets see who bites it next week :)
On the outdoor trek to an "abandoned" tower, we either avoided or out thunk our wandering adversaries, including the well played use of a sleep spell and entanglement. I must say, entanglement is a damn powerful spell outdoors.
It was the door knocker at the tower that took the first and last casualty of the night.
"I raise the door knocker" are famous last words now. Not mine or my character's, but our one and only fighter's.
"It turns into a snake and bites you. Save vs poison or die."
One dead fighter.
There is a reason my magic-user doesn't like to touch too much. Unknown items lead to known death quite often ;)
Save or die is refreshing. All characters are immensely mortal.
Lets see who bites it next week :)
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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...3 days ago
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Fog Diver’s Personal Log — SCV12 - Operator: J. Taran | Date: Cycle 2447.98 | Vessel: SCV 12 “Bleeding Mercy”I woke to the sound of the filtration alarms coughing again—three dry pulses, the...3 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*, ...3 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 ...4 days ago
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Witchcraft Wednesday: The "Return" of Rhiannon and Briana Highstar - A special Witchcraft Wednesday today. But really, aren't they all special in their own way? Working on the final layout of my Left Hand Path book AND pr...4 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...4 days ago
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Hexcrawling for Ethyria pt 1 - As my game is small currently I'm going for sandbox style with lots of mission tables and adventure threads in my villages but now I ...5 days ago
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Afrika Korps Tiger 1 - WiP - Next project: a 15mm Tiger 1 for my Afrika Korps. I'm 3d printing an Afrika model, with the Feifel air cleaners, from TigerAce1945. It's the one in the...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...3 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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Housekeeping 2024 - Coactus Illustration © Heather Gwinn. A gift she gave me in 2013 for an edition of Miscreated Creatures which I hope exists someday. Coloring by me. I am a...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