I've talked about this since I bought my first VTT with floating licenses (Klooge) but this time I'm about to get off the pot.
My plan is to run a session using a weird FG2 / iTabletop combination for my friends that I've alluded to for way too long.
Not sure what game system I / They want to use, nor the genre (although if I was a betting man I'd suspect fantasy of some sorts). I'll probably leave that up to them via an email vote / thread.
I'll need to run the sessions episodically, as I suspect organizing a game once a month is going to be hard, let alone aiming for more often then that. Self contained adventures with loose threads holding them together may suit our gaming fine.
I'll post more about this as I start shaking the tree and see how it all falls out.
Friday, January 1, 2010
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
My Latest Rant - The Crusader Issue 22
I'm sorry. I really enjoy the vast majority of the products the Trolls put out, and Castles & Crusades is my current game of choice, but their House Rag known as the Crusader really annoyed me this month.
Let me preface this by stating the following: "House Rags" are used by publishers to drive sales of their games. Mongoose does this with Signs & Portents, a free PDF magazine published monthly with articles useful in their many games. Dragon and Dungeon are kinda weird, as the sale of D&D is there to drive the sub numbers, at least that's how I see it. In any case, both these publishers put out professional "House Rags"
The Crusader is a print product. It competes with Kobold Quarterly, Fight On!, and Knockspell on that field (I'm leaving out Dragon Roots as who knows when the next issue is, and Level Up as that is pure 4e)
The Crusader is the only one that is trying to go monthly. It costs $4 for 36 pages. It is ad light, so removing ads and the OGL leaves us with 32 pages. Not too bad. One or two quality articles would make that a decent price to quality ratio. Key word: would
I have been reading the Crusader since the first issue. It was poorly edited and reading cover to cover took me 20 minutes, but I enjoyed those minutes. It reminded me of the Dragon Magazines of my youth in some ways. Heck, I actually found articles I thought I could use.
Jump ahead to the latest issue, number 22. In it, Managing Editor James Ward (yes, the same as in the old TSR days) bemoans the lack of subscribers. He actually suggests that every reader of Crusader buy a sub for a friend. Then we are told we should "start talking the magazine up" on the Trolls forums. We are expected to shill on the company's own forums to our fellow gamers? Oh, and then a second plea to buy a sub for a friend.
I'm sorry, but quality sells. There just isnt enough quality in these almost monthly, rushed issues for me to justify renewing, let alone buy for a friend. I feel there is more filler then crunch or fluff combined.
Lets see. Which articles are useless filler, used to fill the 36 pages in question.
1 - Upon the Blacktooth Ridge: 3 pages about how the "A" series came to be
2 - The Book of Familiars Finds a path: 2 pages on how the old D20 book is moving to C&C - its a fricken ad
3 - Troll Lord Freebies: 2 page spread with 2 totally worthless maps. Seriously, they are worthless. Part of some future product with labels such as "see future maps for details"
4 - The Aihrdian Newsletter: 6 pages on some fake parchment background, thereby making it annoying and painful to read. Its game world fiction, I think. Double spaced with large margins. More filler.
5 - Tales of the Brass Rings: 2 more pages of fiction. I regarded fiction as filler in the Dragon mags of the 80s and 90s, and that was of a higher writing quality.
Wow, 15 pages of filler, add 1 page for the table of contents and one page for the plea for subs, giving us 17 pages of blah. 4 pages for the ads and ogl. 21 filler pages out of 36.
Interestingly enough, there is a two page article on the C&C Society. Most interesting part? The end of the Doomsday Book, a fan created free magazine for C&C. Much more cruch heavy and useful then Crusader has ever been.
So there's my rambling rant. If you want subscribers you need to earn them. Give them a product that they can use in their actual games. Make it interesting. Make it presentable. Work out the proofreading issues... its been a weight around the neck of the Troll for years... showcasing it monthly doesn't help.
As a side note, Towers of Adventure by James Ward for use in C&C: worst waste of my money on a gaming product in years. Am I saying Mr. Ward is a bad designer and editor? No. But he needs to find out what his readers want if he is going to grow those subscriber numbers. This reader certainly hasn't been getting what he wants.
The covers are cool tho ;)
Let me preface this by stating the following: "House Rags" are used by publishers to drive sales of their games. Mongoose does this with Signs & Portents, a free PDF magazine published monthly with articles useful in their many games. Dragon and Dungeon are kinda weird, as the sale of D&D is there to drive the sub numbers, at least that's how I see it. In any case, both these publishers put out professional "House Rags"
The Crusader is a print product. It competes with Kobold Quarterly, Fight On!, and Knockspell on that field (I'm leaving out Dragon Roots as who knows when the next issue is, and Level Up as that is pure 4e)
The Crusader is the only one that is trying to go monthly. It costs $4 for 36 pages. It is ad light, so removing ads and the OGL leaves us with 32 pages. Not too bad. One or two quality articles would make that a decent price to quality ratio. Key word: would
I have been reading the Crusader since the first issue. It was poorly edited and reading cover to cover took me 20 minutes, but I enjoyed those minutes. It reminded me of the Dragon Magazines of my youth in some ways. Heck, I actually found articles I thought I could use.
Jump ahead to the latest issue, number 22. In it, Managing Editor James Ward (yes, the same as in the old TSR days) bemoans the lack of subscribers. He actually suggests that every reader of Crusader buy a sub for a friend. Then we are told we should "start talking the magazine up" on the Trolls forums. We are expected to shill on the company's own forums to our fellow gamers? Oh, and then a second plea to buy a sub for a friend.
I'm sorry, but quality sells. There just isnt enough quality in these almost monthly, rushed issues for me to justify renewing, let alone buy for a friend. I feel there is more filler then crunch or fluff combined.
Lets see. Which articles are useless filler, used to fill the 36 pages in question.
1 - Upon the Blacktooth Ridge: 3 pages about how the "A" series came to be
2 - The Book of Familiars Finds a path: 2 pages on how the old D20 book is moving to C&C - its a fricken ad
3 - Troll Lord Freebies: 2 page spread with 2 totally worthless maps. Seriously, they are worthless. Part of some future product with labels such as "see future maps for details"
4 - The Aihrdian Newsletter: 6 pages on some fake parchment background, thereby making it annoying and painful to read. Its game world fiction, I think. Double spaced with large margins. More filler.
5 - Tales of the Brass Rings: 2 more pages of fiction. I regarded fiction as filler in the Dragon mags of the 80s and 90s, and that was of a higher writing quality.
Wow, 15 pages of filler, add 1 page for the table of contents and one page for the plea for subs, giving us 17 pages of blah. 4 pages for the ads and ogl. 21 filler pages out of 36.
Interestingly enough, there is a two page article on the C&C Society. Most interesting part? The end of the Doomsday Book, a fan created free magazine for C&C. Much more cruch heavy and useful then Crusader has ever been.
So there's my rambling rant. If you want subscribers you need to earn them. Give them a product that they can use in their actual games. Make it interesting. Make it presentable. Work out the proofreading issues... its been a weight around the neck of the Troll for years... showcasing it monthly doesn't help.
As a side note, Towers of Adventure by James Ward for use in C&C: worst waste of my money on a gaming product in years. Am I saying Mr. Ward is a bad designer and editor? No. But he needs to find out what his readers want if he is going to grow those subscriber numbers. This reader certainly hasn't been getting what he wants.
The covers are cool tho ;)
Monday, December 28, 2009
Eclipse Phase - A Taste of the Dark for Free
Eclipse Phase is an RPG published by Catalyst Game Labs under the Creative Commons License. It is available for free in a QuickStart (40 pages) edition or for $15 bucks at RPGNow (400 pages) for the full package.
So, why am I posting about it? Could it be the five 5* reviews it received at RPGNow since its August release? Perhaps. I've seen fudged reviews on RPGNow, but this doesn't seem to be one of them.
Borrowing the blurb from RPGNow:
Eclipse Phase is a post-apocalyptic game of conspiracy and horror. Humanity is enhanced and improved, but also battered and bitterly divided. Technology allows the re-shaping of bodies and minds, but also creates opportunities for oppression and puts the capability for mass destruction in the hands of everyone. And other threats lurk in the devastated habitats of the Fall, dangers both familiar and alien. In this harsh setting, the players participate in a cross-faction conspiracy called Firewall that seeks to protect transhumanity from threats both internal and external. Along the way, they may find themselves hunting for prized technology in a gutted habitat falling from orbit, risking the hellish landscapes of a ruined earth, or following the trail of a terrorist through militarized stations and isolationist habitats. Players may even find themselves stepping through a Pandora Gate, a wormhole to distant stars and the alien secrets beyond.
All that and your can try the system, get your teeth into the background, and have a starter adventure for free.
Course, I already bought the damn PDF. It looked so damn purty ;)
(late edit: there appears to be a Lite version of the rules for free... no frills, white box, plain label, artless... yada yada
Beware, I think my next posting (or the one after) will be a rant. Shame too, because I like the Trolls and C&C.
So, why am I posting about it? Could it be the five 5* reviews it received at RPGNow since its August release? Perhaps. I've seen fudged reviews on RPGNow, but this doesn't seem to be one of them.
Borrowing the blurb from RPGNow:
Eclipse Phase is a post-apocalyptic game of conspiracy and horror. Humanity is enhanced and improved, but also battered and bitterly divided. Technology allows the re-shaping of bodies and minds, but also creates opportunities for oppression and puts the capability for mass destruction in the hands of everyone. And other threats lurk in the devastated habitats of the Fall, dangers both familiar and alien. In this harsh setting, the players participate in a cross-faction conspiracy called Firewall that seeks to protect transhumanity from threats both internal and external. Along the way, they may find themselves hunting for prized technology in a gutted habitat falling from orbit, risking the hellish landscapes of a ruined earth, or following the trail of a terrorist through militarized stations and isolationist habitats. Players may even find themselves stepping through a Pandora Gate, a wormhole to distant stars and the alien secrets beyond.
All that and your can try the system, get your teeth into the background, and have a starter adventure for free.
Course, I already bought the damn PDF. It looked so damn purty ;)
(late edit: there appears to be a Lite version of the rules for free... no frills, white box, plain label, artless... yada yada
Beware, I think my next posting (or the one after) will be a rant. Shame too, because I like the Trolls and C&C.
Sunday, December 27, 2009
More Beer! More Games... Tastes Great, Less Filling
Actually, I don't know if the beer tastes great yet but one can hope. Mr. Beer suggests one week to brew, one week to carbonate, and possibly one week to condition. All of the forums I've read push 2-2-2 as the cycle, so next weekend for the bottling / carbonation stage. At the moment the Irish Read has some nice activity with a healthy foam on top of the brew, the Oktoberfest less of a head.
RPG Blog II has a link to a way to get Iron Crown Enterprises Rolemaster Express in PDF for free. They did this offer last year and I snagged a copy (also bought like 6 dead tree copies at 5 bucks a piece last year when they had a promotion). It's a great write up of the Rolemaster Rules without the overwhelming pages and tables from the full set. Almost reminds me of the MERP rules of old.
The Gathering of Fools took place yesterday, and our host succumbed to the dangers of 12 year old Scotch by 4pm... we didn't realize until nearly 5, and didn't wrap things up until nearly 7. Another fun time was had by all. Er, almost all.
Palladium Books has extended their Grab Bag offer until January 15th. Basically, for 37 bucks (plus handling, shipping and possibly tax) you get 80 or 90 bucks worth of gaming goodies. I received 6 signed prints (one signed and numbered), one unsigned print, 14 blister packs of Rifts minies, The latest Rifter (signed by Kevin and the rest), a Palladium Fantasy sourcebook (also signed) and last but certainly not least, a signed copy of the Palladium Fantasy Rulebook with a scetch signed and dated by Kevin. That was a double order (2 x 37). I need to pick up some frames to display the art :)
RPG Blog II has a link to a way to get Iron Crown Enterprises Rolemaster Express in PDF for free. They did this offer last year and I snagged a copy (also bought like 6 dead tree copies at 5 bucks a piece last year when they had a promotion). It's a great write up of the Rolemaster Rules without the overwhelming pages and tables from the full set. Almost reminds me of the MERP rules of old.
The Gathering of Fools took place yesterday, and our host succumbed to the dangers of 12 year old Scotch by 4pm... we didn't realize until nearly 5, and didn't wrap things up until nearly 7. Another fun time was had by all. Er, almost all.
Palladium Books has extended their Grab Bag offer until January 15th. Basically, for 37 bucks (plus handling, shipping and possibly tax) you get 80 or 90 bucks worth of gaming goodies. I received 6 signed prints (one signed and numbered), one unsigned print, 14 blister packs of Rifts minies, The latest Rifter (signed by Kevin and the rest), a Palladium Fantasy sourcebook (also signed) and last but certainly not least, a signed copy of the Palladium Fantasy Rulebook with a scetch signed and dated by Kevin. That was a double order (2 x 37). I need to pick up some frames to display the art :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Tenkar's Tavern is supported by various affiliate programs, including Amazon, RPGNow,
and Humble Bundle as well as Patreon. Your patronage is appreciated and helps keep the
lights on and the taps flowing. Your Humble Bartender, Tenkar

Blogs of Inspiration & Erudition
-
-
'Playing Out In The Rocks' Cepheus Engine Rpg DM Workshop & Session Report Three - This session report picks right up where last session left off. Some healing was done via Aesculaptor Mark III unit ( medical/cyber unit via classic Trav...2 hours ago
-
Clock Strike Zero, D&D adventure review - By Bill Petrosky, Matt Sisk, JP Fridy Minor Realm Games OSRIC/5e Levels 2-4 Join a cast of ambitious, fledgling adventurers as they stop if in the bucolic ...4 hours ago
-
-
How to be a Bad Player - Combat Edition - I've written a bit of advice about being a good player, mostly for GURPS. Trying to be a good player is hard. So let's be bad players! It's way easier. Or ...7 hours ago
-
Variant Class: The ______ Fighter + Billy Butcher for LightBox - While posting Yoshimi, Robot Fighter (of *Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots* fame) on Musical Monday, I was struck by how simple and flavorful a "Robot Fi...12 hours ago
-
Witcher Crone Comparison - The coloured version of this Witcher Crone is one that I printed some time ago on my Ender 3 in PLA at 0.08mm. The monochrome one I printed today on th...13 hours ago
-
Non-Combat Solutions - I’ve grown tired of combat. I prepare scenarios and some of them beg for combat, such as a hungry animal or ravenous monster. However, others don’t neces...14 hours ago
-
Character Creation Challenge: C. J. Carella's WitchCraft RPG - [image: C.J. Carella's WitchCraft RPG] We are in the last week of this Character Creation Challenge. I wanted to spend this last week on modern games. Th...23 hours ago
-
[Yoon Suin 2nd Edition] Aphid Man - The 2nd edition of Yoon-Suin will soon be upon us. Flee in terror before its 12 adventure sites, many extra appendices, plethora of random encounter tabl...23 hours ago
-
Nick the Pike, a reintroduction - Who doesn't love a "let me tell you about my character" blog post? ------------------------------ After a disastrous battle, Niccolo found himself unempl...1 day ago
-
D100 Random Apoc Baggage (Fixed repost) - Was accidentally posted unfinished so fixed now Sorry or Invasion day in Australia today Hanging with magpies in underpants Warm & humid but not uncomfo...1 day ago
-
Passion, Pursuit & Evolution - Mpff. Heh, heh. My particular flavour of insanity, as OrwellianHaggis said a couple days ago. Following two different conversations going on this mont...1 day ago
-
Free GM Resource: Smithsonian Open Access - [image: Free GM Resource: Smithsonian Open Access] This week's Free GM Resource is another one of those "*as valuable as you want to make it*" kind of thi...1 day ago
-
Sky-Child and Monster Count - Ok the previous post got us close to fifty non (or less) vilent monster ideas for Goose-Gold & Goblins. I told myself that when I got to fifty I could sto...1 day ago
-
Kickstarter Updates and Fullfilment - *Fulfillment Process* Fulfillment didn't go quite as smoothly I thought it would. The main issue is that I mistakenly thought I could handle this with up...1 day ago
-
Ask the Stars - The Right Questions - As the name might suggest, Ask the Stars relies heavily on questions. While the Signs and Positions give you the answers, they're not much use unless you...2 days ago
-
Miskatonic Monday #59: The Posse - Between October 2003 and October 2013, Chaosium, Inc. published a series of books for *Call of Cthulhu* under the Miskatonic University Library Associat...2 days ago
-
Weapons distinctions - brief D&D history - If you've been reading this blog for a while, you might know my favorite editions of D&D are B/X and probably 5e, but I like to take ideas from all edition...2 days ago
-
Pestilential Painting: Plague Burst Crawler Part Two - Welcome back to the Vectorium, and the blog's 250th post! This week's hobby time has been spent with Papa Nurgle's servants once more. I've laid down mo...2 days ago
-
Deck of Many Things with a Bonus! - One of my favorite magic items of all time, The Deck of Many Things. I was cruising on Amazon checking out some random gaming trinkets and this one popul...2 days ago
-
Return to the Known Lands Session #7 – Return to the Vile Worm - Date: 10/11/20 PCs: Omes (Half FM 1) Dorful (Elf FM/MU 1/1) Gato (Half FM 1) Hirelings: Arvay (torch bearer) Norm … Continue reading →3 days ago
-
Fifteen Years of Monster Brains! - [image: MONSTER BRAINS LOGO - AERON ALFREY ESIGN] I created Monster Brains fifteen years ago today, January 23 2006. I started the site by sharing the art ...3 days ago
-
A History of Hero Points: Fame, Fortune and Fate - "Hero Points" was the name given by *James Bond 007 *(1983) to a quantified resource players could expend to alter the results of a particular system res...3 days ago
-
3 bold adventurers, 3 dead adventurers - I was feeling some anxiety this morning (the plague being in the land gets to me sometimes) so I decided to distract myself with a couple old Tunnels & T...4 days ago
-
More Fantasy TV: Westeros and Middle-earth - It looks like there will be no shortage of fantasy television shows in the near future. In addition to the potential *Dungeons and Dragons* series that I...4 days ago
-
A review of "A Fool's Errand" - The prince was kind enough to take a look at my latest adventure "A Fool's Errand" You can read the review here: https://princeofnothingblogs.wordpre...6 days ago
-
The Only DM Advice in Brechewold, I Swear - A subject fraught with peril, to be sure, but I gotta admit I'm feeling good about this lil nug I wrote as part of the Brechewold intro: This book does not...1 week ago
-
On Abstraction and Saving Throws - Modern systems seem to assume a baseline representation - i.e. I rolled twice, so each roll represents a swing of my sword or I can possibly move up to 10'...1 week ago
-
The weird Demographics of Vampire populations - One thing that has always been left very unclear about Vampire: The Masquerade (maybe in part deliberately) is the question of the scale at which the vampi...1 week ago
-
New Video: Dragonne Magazine - A few people have expressed confusion as to what exactly my “Dragonne Magazine” is. I endeavor to clarify the origin, and intent, and hopefully have a bit ...1 week ago
-
Obscure Mythical Monsters - I don't often indulge in creating new monsters, but over the years I've put together a few here and there. Some of these I briefly published elsewhere, bu...1 week ago
-
New Cover for The Salt Mine - Heya folks, got a new cover in for Dark Matter (The Salt Mine 15) and thought I should share.1 week ago
-
New Release: Miscreated Creatures - Miscreated Creatures in Hardback (Lulu) Miscreated Creatures in PDF (DriveThruRPG) If we lived in a world without adventure games, I think I’d still have w...1 week ago
-
Necrotic Gnome Website - It's been a long time since I last posted on this blog... and the reason for that is that I'm now posting news and updates at necroticgnome.com directly....2 weeks ago
-
Why I Don't Mind Aerith and Bob - Although I have gone into details on names in my campaigns before let's talk about it again. Why? Because it is on my mind, no more than that. In the B...2 weeks ago
-
-
Pits and Progress, Perils of Product... - Okay, sad news. Life happens, and real life takes priority over our imaginary ones, even the semi-real companies that publish the games we play. Recent...3 weeks ago
-
[BEYONDE] Nox Archaist, the Hottest Apple ][ Game of 2020/2021 - Nox ArchaistA little known but useful Internet fact: Ultima fans and their money are quickly separated. Yes, Gentle Reader, *YOU too* can make good money...3 weeks ago
-
10 Stupid yet Robust Games for Video Calls - 2020 is a weird year. A lot of people are relying on video calls for holiday gatherings. This is fine, but it does limit the type of holiday games that c...4 weeks ago
-
Muster - Eero Tuovinen is crowd-funding a discussion about old school play: Muster: A Friendly Primer to Challengeful Dungeoneering. Why, you might ask, is another ...5 weeks ago
-
That information is not available… - One of the more…interesting?…Yeah, let’s go with ‘interesting>’! One of the more interesting parts of being a Genteel Magistrate is to keep a group of hero...5 weeks ago
-
AD&D Poison Notes - In *Dragon* magazine #81 (January 1984) the article "Taking the Sting Out of Poison" by author Chris Landsea offered truly exhaustive coverage of the top...1 month ago
-
My RPG Zine Trilogy is on Kickstarter! - I can't believe I didn't post about it here! The Dead are Coming, Screams Amongst the Stars and Running Out of Time are on *Kickstarter right now!* Thes...2 months ago
-
The Inn Between - This all basically grew from the idea of What If Spirited Away, But D&D? First of all, wiser souls have spoken of this before. The ruleset would be GLO...2 months ago
-
Prospects and Retrospects - 101 posts From Kuroth's Quill - Due to the vagaries of real-life timing winning out over planning, my 100th post in *From Kuroth's Quill* arrived uncelebrated as my compiled (and still ...2 months ago
-
Quantum D&D - A funny thing happened to D&D in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s: it got popular. It went from a game everyone learned from someone whose knowledge of the...2 months ago
-
Dolls and Devils - French Resistance sent a bizarre tale to Allied Intelligence. A French doctor, a Vichy traitor, was collaborating with the Third Reich. Doctor Le F. had...2 months ago
-
Maximum HP 004, one week to go - Just one week to go for Maximum HP issue #004, the undead. We are pushing through stretch goals and wracking up contributions for the best issue yet. We...3 months ago
-
The Bombing of the Quick Stop Gas Station Bench - *One of the ingredients that's coalescing for Bunkers & Billionaires is a completely surreal mission landscape. Rogue intelligence agents and terrorist c...3 months ago
-
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 months ago
-
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 months ago
-
Undermountain Map Origins - As documented on the Ruins of Undermountain sales page, "TSR didn't actually use Ed Greenwood's original maps," at least not in their entirety. This post d...6 months ago
-
Sometimes, the best move is not to play... - I had to do something really hard this weekend, I had to cancel my monthly tabletop Zoom AD&D game, as well as my bi-weekly online AD&D game. I'm taking a...7 months ago
-
A to Z of Megadungeons - I've seen a couple of A to Z's lately and decided we needed one for megadungeons. So here, we go. A is for Architect Someone needs to build the megadungeon...7 months ago
-
A Campaign Begins for Newbies - Like many of you, the affects of the Coronavirus pandemic has disrupted how hundreds of millions of us fellow mutants interact and function in our jobs, co...8 months ago
-
WB:FMAG Total Print Sales - Hello Folks, The last time I did a quick sales report was in September 2018. I pulled reports from Amazon, Lulu and DrivethruRPG from October to current fo...9 months ago
-
The Minotaur for Old-School Essentials - *Minotaur* *Requirements:* Minimum STR 9, Minimum CON 9 *Prime Requisite:* STR and CON *Hit Dice:* 1d10 *Maximum Level:* 8 *Armor:* Leather, including shield...10 months ago
-
The Mauve Plague, Gravy Urns, and Batlace Frills: News from the Hill Cantons - And now the News... In a statement beamed from the Oracular Society today *Morafans the Rickmaster*, the Psychosocial Health Minister of the Overking, ha...10 months ago
-
WIZARDS OF POHJOLA - Init +0 Melee Atk • sword or dagger +1 (1d5 or 1d3) Ranged Atk • hot iron sparks +3 (1d4+2 to two targets within 20' but not closer than 5') AC 14 HD 12d...11 months ago
-
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...1 year ago
-
Merlynd the Magician: A Remembrance of Don Kaye, TSR's Co-Founder Now Available - LINK to Description and Ordering: https://www.tlbgames.com/collections/the-red-book-line/products/merlynd-the-magician1 year ago
-
New AD&D Greyhawk Campaign Notes - I recently launched a new AD&D campaign on Fantasy Grounds. Although we're using the 2e ruleset FG released earlier this year, my only books for reference...1 year ago
-
The Withered Crag custom print version for sale again - Just re-enabled the direct sales button for the custom print (classic style detached cover) version of F4 The Withered Crag, and also for F3 Many Gates of...1 year ago
-
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...1 year ago
-
Home Sweet Home Azeroth - A very simple mash up of the World of Warcraft Cinematic Trailer and Classic Announcement set to Mötley Crüe “Home Sweet Home” from the Theatre of Pain a...1 year ago
-
-
D&D Sling Damage vs. Large Targets - In many early editions of D&D, weapons were assigned two damage values: one for small/medium targets (i.e. man-sized) and one for large targets (giants and...1 year ago
-
James A. Smith, Jr. Memorial Video - A beloved father, devoted friend, and D&D Dungeon Master extraordinaire. We miss you! To view video, click here Memorial Video Note - The original video...1 year ago
-
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...1 year ago
-
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...1 year ago
-
SHORT BREAK. - I'm going to take a break for a week or so and will start up again in the New Year. Thanks for reading and we'll start with Level 6 when I get back.2 years ago
-
Iain Lovecraft, 3D Sculptor - Nope, it's got nothing to do with Cthulhu. I just did a video conversation with Iain Lovecraft, who designs 3D miniatures and terrain. If you're not doin...2 years ago
-
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...2 years ago
-
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...2 years ago
-
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 megadungeo...2 years ago
-
Mord Mar - Session 6 - We weren't able to play Mord Mar last week, due to a family funeral. This week we played on Monday for the first time, due to kids returning to school and ...2 years ago
-
A Small, Quiet Plea - There has been a great deal of discussing political agendas, social grievances, and personal attacks within the little corner of gaming that is my hobby....2 years ago
-
Don’t Sleep It’s Broken - Expanding/editing my comments from What Makes Something Broken G+ thread: “Broken”, for me, is anything that makes normal character choices, tactics, or ro...2 years ago
-
Swords & Wizardry Light-Themed Birthday Party - Last month, my wife and I helped our oldest to celebrate his birthday in style. Ever since 2013, we have hosted a themed birthday party for our now-15-ye...3 years ago
