More from the website...this is not a public event:
WHAT IS THE MEDIOPOLIS EXPO?
Mediopolis EXPO is a trade event that draws amateurs and professionals alike to experience the future of multimedia entertainment. The most influential people and industry leaders attend, present and lecture at the Mediopolis EXPO. The Mediopolis EXPO is NOT open to the general public. Only professionals from the industry and invited guests are allowed to attend. Individuals who do not have a direct or current professional affiliation to the entertainment industry are not qualified to attend Mediopolis EXPO.
Other "Guests of Honor" from the world of gaming include Larry Elmore, Gary Mattingly, and Todd Fischer. Links to their Bios are included, along with Whitman, at http://expo.mediopolis.us/guests.htm
Well, they aren't in the same events, so their paths won't necessarily cross. Still, if there is animosity there, it could become visible in other ways.
Even the description is utterly unprofessional with its bad grammar and odd capitalizations of words that are not proper nouns. One can only hope this guy ends up in the hoosegow where he belongs. What a career: I wonder how many of those jobs he mentions actually came to fruition, given that he includes Knights of the Dinner Table and Spinward Traveller along with Groo and some others. Anybody know if any of those are legitimate and unassailable credits or just more B.S.?
I have no money involved in any of his schemes and never heard of Ken Whitman until Mr. Tenkar began posting about this stuff, so I'm impartial but the evidence against Mr. Whitman is overwhelming. One wonders if he will get a fee for this and then not show up!
In the early nineties he produced the Ralph Bakshi's Wizards RPG (developed by Edward S. Bolme) under WHIT Publications, which also produced the Mutazoids RPG (his own design). He also co-designed Groo: The Game for Archangel Entertainment in the late nineties.
He produced WHAT?!? Wizards is a personal fave. Have all the supplements right here. I'm a bit chagrinned that such a personal bit of gaming enjoyment is connected to this guy.
If he had never been involved with something good he never would've gotten as far as he has taking people's money today. Frankly, I'd rather see him finally fulfill his kickstarters, but I doubt it happens before the FTC finally steps in. We're talking what, $150k-$200k? Plus he's been using money from investors in a new kickstarter to try to pay off investors in a prior kickstarter...that sounds an awful lot like a Ponzi Scheme.
It's telling that they refer to the "tricks" of making money. Trick is defined as (1) a cunning or skillful act or scheme intended to deceive or outwit someone.
Sounds about right except Whitman's tricks aren't especially cunning or skillful.
It's also kind of funny that the other "Guest of Honor" appearing in the same forum as Whitman - some guy named Michael Lowe - has no biography posted yet. That is encouraging..LOL, Not. Wonder what he's like. There are 5 total (as of this posting) out of 70 "Industry Pro Guests of Honor" that don't have bio's yet.
Here is another update, from Jolly on the KOTDT:LAS KS page comments: ----------------------------- "No(w) that the convention is over and folks are settling, we're trying to raise some money to help offset those costs. Rather than simply doing a GoFundMe and asking backers to dig even deeper, I thought there might be another way.
After talking with my wife, we have decided to give up some of the KODTLAS movie props/items and put them on eBay.
Items include... A complete shooting script of KODTLAS Episodes 1 to 3 used on the set by Barbara when cueing the actors on their lines. Includes full story-boarding sketches and is signed by the entire cast, actors, directer and Barb and I. It's a one of a kind item. No other complete shooting script with all there episodes exists to my knowledge.
Sister Blister — The die used by Bob in KODTLAS and stolen by Prowler the cat. This die had a close up in the opening scenes of Episode 1 and was the subject of conversation in he opening scene. This named die's backstory was recently presented in KODT. The die itself was donated to the movie for this specific role. After the shoot, it went into my poisons and Iv'e been using it at my gaming table ever since. I can do a certificate of authenticity to go with it. But this die is on the block for the cause as well.
I also have perhaps a dozen Hacker Jack boxes from the set can put up. I can sign them of course and all appeared on screen in the series.
I am considering putting up some KODT art/sketchdes as well.
We are still searching for other items to put up to help our anonymous hero. May take a few days to put them online so look for an update.
Someone should send this event the image of Ken Whitman discussing Gen Con cancelling his event because of death threats. That might give them an idea of the sort of person that they are dealing with.
I was busy helping run the game room at a convention, but as I read through this, I'll note that he is no longer listed as a guest. Did somebody contact the con and give them some information about *his* con?
Kennon James
-
I've recently discovered an artist by the name of Kennon James (link leads
to Facebook, sorry about that) who does old-school FRPG art that really
appe...
Community Content – Mercenaries of Greyhawk
-
Today we have Mercenaries of Greyhawk by Vitor Morelli, a familiar name to
readers of the blog. It is a 70 page pdf without bookmarks (boo!), and with
the ...
Manic in the Monastery
-
By Will JarvisInverted Castle pressOSRLevels 2-4 The sun-bleached buildings
of the monastery huddle atop sheer sandstone cliffs. As night falls,
flashes of...
Solo d6 Fantasy: Session 2
-
Mort & Vin decide to inquire about adding a member to their crew, and then
end up hiring Aranngort, a venturist that appears a little less sure of
himself....
The Wheel
-
Starship crew refer to the reliably repetitive pattern of ship life as a
rotating wheel with three handles.
Transit, Dock, Layover, Transit, Dock, Layove...
Dungeons & Dragons White Box 19
-
The version of the White Box set that I'm using is available from the Internet
Archive, at this link. I have every reason to believe that it's an original
...
At the Start of a Great Adventure
-
There is I think a formative period in the life of a young reader when
certain ideas about what fiction 'should' do, or what good fiction looks
like, bec...
Mutants and Wizards
-
Heya folks, long time no see.
I've just started working on something new called Mutants and Wizards. It's
going to be an OSE/OSR post-apocalyptic game t...
OSR: OD&D Session 1: The Ring and the Marmot
-
Running a vintage RPG is like running a vintage car. It's fun, but it'll
make you realize how much you miss power steering, disc brakes, and
seatbelts.
...
Zombies on the Thames
-
It is the year 1829 and polite society’s horror and disgust at the poor and
the great unwashed is once again being stoked by reports of them shambling
ab...
Currencies of the Dark
-
Design concepts for money in VotE: ReDux
Light is the Currency
Light is often only way to find a path and stay alive. Light is a resource
that is always ...
Impromptu YouTube Stream!
-
Come join me and watch me deal with the issues of wrangling the art into
the template. https://www.youtube.com/@Followmeanddie Check out the
Kickstarter wi...
Gnome Muderdomes
-
So while plotting gnome eco domes possibilities, i came across this
terrible idea.
I did play a session where players where given ...
More minimalist weapons, armor and some numbers
-
Another random idea for B/X D&D weapons.
I've tried this before, but I like this version better.
Since maces/axes deal 1d6 damage and swords deal 1d8, we c...
Geeky SKAturday: Ghostbusters!
-
Relative to the amount of time I spend actually sharing things on here, I
spend way too much time considering whether or not I should blog about
random s...
[BLOG] Year Nine: An Off Year
-
The Hall of Mirrors Extends, Slightly
This blog started on 5 August 2016, making August a good time to take stock
and reflect. It is now November, so take ...
Using the Silver Standard
-
I use a silver standard in my game. I prefer to make gold valuable. Making
gold the currency of nobles, merchants, and temples.
Most game systems use...
Five Fixed Encounters for Epoch...
-
Our latest, *Epoch*, is a prehistoric game emphasizing wilderness
hexcrawls. Even so, fixed encounters are essential to an overarching game
narrative. Stor...
G.I. Robot Was Right
-
I found this while scrolling yesterday. I love GI and just ordered a “GI
Robot Was Right” shirt yesterday. I think it might be time for another
Punch A Naz...
Free GM Resource: HexLands Web App
-
[image: Free GM Resource: HexLands Web App]
I haven't done a Free GM Resource in a while, and I almost missed this one (*despite
several emails on the sub...
October '25 in Review
-
What a month! I'm honestly not entirely sure how I managed it all! Between
all the various things the kid had going on, getting ready for Halloween,
watchi...
Mystery surge of blog visits in August 2025
-
Over the course of this blog’s sixteen years of life, it typically has
received in the range of 5,000 – 10,000 page visits per month. A handful of
times ...
Ten Friggin Hill Cantons Wizards
-
10 Wizards of the Hill Cantons
#
Name
Description
1
Magister Dobromil the Cauterizer
Specializes in magical “cleaning” of reality leaks. Wears fou...
On Bounty, Questions worth asking.
-
Well? Will we?
Available Now!
https://sinlessrpg.com
------------------------------
*Hack & Slash*
Follow, Twitch, Support, Donate to end Cancer (5 ...
Rob Kuntz at Lucca Comics & Games 2025
-
If you are planning a trip to Europe (like right now) and wish to catch up
with me in person, make sure to book a detour via *Lucca Comics & Games*,
...
What is the point of the OSR?
-
Over on Reddit, Kaliburnus asks What the point of the OSR is? He concludes
his post with some questions.
So, honest question, what is the point of OSR?...
Musings on the OSR Blogosphere and Forums
-
Link to discussion There are some posts on the historical OSR blog scene
that I’ve read recently from the Grumpy …
Continue reading →
How do you do piracy… in SPACE!?
-
Interstellar space travel in Iridium Moons was always going to be a form of
hyperspace jump like in Star Wars or Traveller. Simply because it’s the one
for...
Zock Bock Radio return engagement
-
German AD&D superfan and podcast host Settembrini (who already had me on
his show a couple-three years back) recently completed a two-year-long run
thro...
Tomb of the Blind and Deaf Dead
-
So the cat is out of the bag thanks to Tobias Schulte-Krumpen, who posted
the above image to the Lamentations of the Flame Princess facebook group. I
...
Eyes of Idola, Part 2
-
This is Part 2. Here is Part 1.
*Concept 1: Entering the Dungeon*
Descending the stairs into B1, the party reach rooms that are dark,
crowded, flooded, a...
A long overdue hobby update!
-
Welcome back to the Vault everyone! 2025 is going by in a blur; I last
posted in February, almost started a post in March and now it's the end of
May. W...
Playing at the World 2E V2 Arrives
-
With the release of its second volume, the second edition of *Playing at
the World *is finally complete. The two books combined total well over
1,000 ...
Blogs on Tape season 6 has begun!
-
Hi everybody! Its been a minute. How are you? Everything is awful all the
time? Horrors never cease? You’re being driven mad by the weight of the
unfathoma...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
*'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...
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...
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 ...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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!
...
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...
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 ...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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*...
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...
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 ...
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...
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...
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 ...
I hope his symposium on "surviving prison" in 5 years is equally as informative.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteMore from the website...this is not a public event:
ReplyDeleteWHAT IS THE MEDIOPOLIS EXPO?
Mediopolis EXPO is a trade event that draws amateurs and professionals alike to experience the future of multimedia entertainment. The most influential people and industry leaders attend, present and lecture at the Mediopolis EXPO. The Mediopolis EXPO is NOT open to the general public. Only professionals from the industry and invited guests are allowed to attend. Individuals who do not have a direct or current professional affiliation to the entertainment industry are not qualified to attend Mediopolis EXPO.
Other "Guests of Honor" from the world of gaming include Larry Elmore, Gary Mattingly, and Todd Fischer. Links to their Bios are included, along with Whitman, at http://expo.mediopolis.us/guests.htm
DeleteLarry Elmore? Didn't Whitman alienate him, too?
DeleteWell, they aren't in the same events, so their paths won't necessarily cross. Still, if there is animosity there, it could become visible in other ways.
DeleteI wonder if the expo is aware that he is a scam artist....
ReplyDeleteEven the description is utterly unprofessional with its bad grammar and odd capitalizations of words that are not proper nouns. One can only hope this guy ends up in the hoosegow where he belongs. What a career: I wonder how many of those jobs he mentions actually came to fruition, given that he includes Knights of the Dinner Table and Spinward Traveller along with Groo and some others. Anybody know if any of those are legitimate and unassailable credits or just more B.S.?
ReplyDeleteI have no money involved in any of his schemes and never heard of Ken Whitman until Mr. Tenkar began posting about this stuff, so I'm impartial but the evidence against Mr. Whitman is overwhelming. One wonders if he will get a fee for this and then not show up!
In the early nineties he produced the Ralph Bakshi's Wizards RPG (developed by Edward S. Bolme) under WHIT Publications, which also produced the Mutazoids RPG (his own design). He also co-designed Groo: The Game for Archangel Entertainment in the late nineties.
DeleteHe produced WHAT?!? Wizards is a personal fave. Have all the supplements right here. I'm a bit chagrinned that such a personal bit of gaming enjoyment is connected to this guy.
DeleteI feel the same way, Tim. :-(
DeleteIf he had never been involved with something good he never would've gotten as far as he has taking people's money today. Frankly, I'd rather see him finally fulfill his kickstarters, but I doubt it happens before the FTC finally steps in. We're talking what, $150k-$200k? Plus he's been using money from investors in a new kickstarter to try to pay off investors in a prior kickstarter...that sounds an awful lot like a Ponzi Scheme.
DeleteIt's telling that they refer to the "tricks" of making money. Trick is defined as (1) a cunning or skillful act or scheme intended to deceive or outwit someone.
ReplyDeleteSounds about right except Whitman's tricks aren't especially cunning or skillful.
It's also kind of funny that the other "Guest of Honor" appearing in the same forum as Whitman - some guy named Michael Lowe - has no biography posted yet. That is encouraging..LOL, Not. Wonder what he's like. There are 5 total (as of this posting) out of 70 "Industry Pro Guests of Honor" that don't have bio's yet.
DeleteHeh... It also looks like they are looking for "Volunteers" for, among other things, "VIP Security." Heh heh heh... (evil grin)
DeleteHere is another update, from Jolly on the KOTDT:LAS KS page comments:
ReplyDelete-----------------------------
"No(w) that the convention is over and folks are settling, we're trying to raise some money to help offset those costs. Rather than simply doing a GoFundMe and asking backers to dig even deeper, I thought there might be another way.
After talking with my wife, we have decided to give up some of the KODTLAS movie props/items and put them on eBay.
Items include...
A complete shooting script of KODTLAS Episodes 1 to 3 used on the set by Barbara when cueing the actors on their lines. Includes full story-boarding sketches and is signed by the entire cast, actors, directer and Barb and I. It's a one of a kind item. No other complete shooting script with all there episodes exists to my knowledge.
Sister Blister — The die used by Bob in KODTLAS and stolen by Prowler the cat. This die had a close up in the opening scenes of Episode 1 and was the subject of conversation in he opening scene. This named die's backstory was recently presented in KODT. The die itself was donated to the movie for this specific role. After the shoot, it went into my poisons and Iv'e been using it at my gaming table ever since. I can do a certificate of authenticity to go with it. But this die is on the block for the cause as well.
I also have perhaps a dozen Hacker Jack boxes from the set can put up. I can sign them of course and all appeared on screen in the series.
I am considering putting up some KODT art/sketchdes as well.
We are still searching for other items to put up to help our anonymous hero. May take a few days to put them online so look for an update.
eBay auctions: http://www.ebay.com/sch/jollybgood35tz/m.html
Someone should send this event the image of Ken Whitman discussing Gen Con cancelling his event because of death threats. That might give them an idea of the sort of person that they are dealing with.
ReplyDeleteI was busy helping run the game room at a convention, but as I read through this, I'll note that he is no longer listed as a guest. Did somebody contact the con and give them some information about *his* con?
ReplyDeleteMy understanding is that a number of people did.
DeleteSeveral people notified the event. It was being discussed on Facebook on James Mathe's page. He was pulled as a result of their investigation.
Deletehttps://www.facebook.com/James.MDC/posts/10206625097447365 ... if you want to see the discussion.
ReplyDelete