Reminder - Tavern Chat Tonight - 9 PM Eastern - Post Gary Con Recap
Yep, that's me at Gary Con, at the resort that used to be a Playboy resort. Woot!
I've got some Swords & Wizardry news to share with the peanut gallery before putting it into blog post form, so if you want to get some info and other GC updates, drop into Tavern Chat tonight.
Sadly, this is NOT the shirt I was wearing when the cops from Seattle and Los Angeles "kidnapped" me for drinks. Ah well ;)
Tavern Chat - 9 PM Tonight, Eastern Time - Chat Box on the right side of the page.
Mythos Manuals I
-
From *Unaussprechlichen Kulten*, *Revelations of Gla’aki*, *De Vermis
Mysteriis* to the dread *Necronomicon*, the Mythos and its fiction is
replete with a...
The Power of Positivity/The Half Year Review
-
Welcome back to the Vault! Today's post is a made of two halves, but bear
with me. By pure chance I met an author this weekend; a lovely chap called
Mar...
GR3 - Treasure Maps
-
From the back cover:
"Hunt for lost gold, powerful magic items, and even greater treasure!
*Treasure Maps* contains 16 separate adventures that will tak...
Felltower & Modified Evade Rules in Actual Play
-
*How has my Evade House Rule worked in actual play?*
Short answer? Well.
Long answer?
It essentially boils down to paying 1 extra movement point and makin...
Black Ship of the Sunless
-
By AAA Video Game Designer and Author T. ELLIOT CANNON Selddog Games OSRIC
Levels 8-10 As a larger body of work, Black Ship of the Sunless has a
central th...
Finding spells is better than choosing them
-
D&D is probably my favorite RPG nowadays - mostly in the OSR versions, but
even 5e sometimes. But one of the things I dislike the most about it is
picking ...
Skylla: Pathfinder 2nd Edition
-
I thought it might be nice to break up the reviews here and see if I can
build one of my favorite characters for Pathfinder Second Edition. And
that mea...
The Believability of remote Colony Worlds
-
As someone who knows a bit about the demographic shift and how population
sizes change both during and after industrialization, the idea of galactic
empire...
Reflection and Formation
-
There are many broad functions that rules can have. Here is one:
representing the details of a broader fictional world. The fictional world
might not work ...
So You Want to be a Pirate: Methods
-
You got your backstory. You got your ship, bristling with weapons. You got
your loyal (?) crew. You got your informants, relaying news of fat traders
plo...
We need to be churning more oceans!
-
We need to be churning more oceans! We need to be fisting more demons! We
need to be killing more sons! We need to be hurling more weapons!
Part three ...
Soulless
-
This week is the tipping point where I really do feel like AI is going to
steal work from human creators. Of course this has been obvious for a
while, bu...
Loving the Dungeon Bummers...
-
Something I love about old-school gaming is how character centric
everything is. Dungeons exist because the players need someplace cool to
explore; and m...
Celts in Greyhawk
-
The other day, someone asked where I thought the 2nd edition Celts Campaign
Sourcebook might best fit in to a Greyhawk campaign. The introduction to
the bo...
OSR: Flying Machines, Traffic, and Rollercoasters
-
This post is a medley of ideas that didn't make it into full post
development, but which still deserve consideration. It's a scrapbook.
Part 1: Flight
Ac...
Why Dragons Should Never Lose
-
Back in the 'aughts, WotC had a forum set up for folks to discuss D&D. I
yoinked this little tidbit from one of the user profiles on that old (and
eithe...
Helvéczia: Journal de Campagne, 3
-
We resumed play this past week, joining the company still within the
farmstead where those that remain of the seven knaves are restrained or
incapacitate...
The NTRPG Con 2022 Victorious game: Part 1
-
At the beginning of the session we passed out envelopes to each of the
seven players. They were told to open them and look at the 2 playing cards
within. I...
Desert War in 1:150 Scale
-
For no particular reason, except my customary inability to stick to a
project, I thought I'd try printing some desert stuff in 1:150 scale (10mm)
just...
Missing google drive files & reorganization
-
Hey everyone, recently google drive changed the way permissions are done.
Because of this I am continually getting requests for previous files from
post...
Orcs and Beastmen, Part 1
-
*Note: Oddly enough, Bar Chakka was part of my very first draft of
Centerra, back in 2010. Centerra has changed a lot in the last 12 years,
but two mos...
Mega-Dungeon Map Design Sprints with Henry
-
*Update - 13 June 2022 at 7:18pm*: Well, just like my lost big posts
during Kellri's Module Challenge, blogger crapped out and I lost this huge
post de...
Text Folding Tool for Referee Notes
-
Organizing campaign notes is frustrating. My preference would be to keep
all my hobby material in an analog format, but it’s not practical. A
campaign is a...
[BEYONDE] Expedition to the Dungeons of Torda
-
*Play report from the Dungeons of Torda, one of the more famous delves of
Transylvania. Three levels, high verticality, questionable “non liner”
elements...
Education, Fleshing out a System
-
A little over I year ago I posted on the value of an education system in
your old school game. What follows is some further exploration of the idea
and...
Wyrdwood Adventures, ep12
-
The following is a solo adventure I am running using White Box FMAG, the
Perilous Wilds, Freebooters on the Frontier and Into the Wyrd and Wild. I
use my o...
Freebie HackMaster/OSR Mini Adventure
-
[image: Freebie HackMaster/OSR Mini Adventure]
When I get an opportunity to share some gaming goodness from friends of
mine, or former acquaintances....he...
On Ecology Completed
-
So that happened.
Bestial Ecosystems created by Monster Inhabitation is out.
I'm getting better at it. There was something off about the softcovers, so...
Plugging Away
-
As of a month ago I'm now working again on a part-time basis (three days a
week). In January I walked away from a position I'd held for over 20 years
bec...
Back in the Day: Playing The Never Used Rules
-
As most everyone who finds this obscure blog knows I started playing
OD&D in 1977 and switched to AD&D 1e in 1979 and have been playing 1e ever
since....
E'a, Chronicles of a Dying World
-
David M. Fitzgerald's *E'a: Chronicles of a Dying World *is one of the more
obscure digest-sized unofficial supplements to early D&D, little known even...
Random Research
-
This post was prompted by two players having questions that required NPCs
to do research. One PC is a cleric, the other a paladin. They worship
different...
Ivan Reitman, 1946-2022
-
I didn't want too much more time to pass before posting something here in
tribute to filmmaker Ivan Reitman, who the world lost unexpectedly on
Saturday,...
Saving Throw for Evey Lockhart
-
Fans of Trilemma Adventures: one of our own needs our help. Evey Lockhart
is the writer and designer of weird, sad, queer old-school stuff that
you’re pr...
Vox Machina: Good for a Few Laughs
-
TL;DR: it’s ok.
How’s that for brief?
Ok, seriously, it’s got some fun moments, but isn’t nearly as clever as it
thinks it is. Better?
Dig...
Julius Moessel (1871 - 1957)
-
[image: Julius Moessel - Symphony in Hell, No. 2, 1940's]Symphony in Hell,
No. 2, 1940's
[image: Julius Moessel - Symphony in Hell (No.3)]Symphony in He...
Growling Mage Tavern
-
The other day I used Frog God Games *Journey Generator*. There was a set of
tables to create an inn or tavern. So I rolled up one because you can never
...
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 ...
People of the World, Spice up Your Life
-
I have seen the *Dune*. It’s good, but, like all “content” now, too long.
The forms of many designs are quite nice (love the costumes of the imperial
de...
This Blog has Moved!
-
I’ve moved this blog to a self-hosted one, on the same server running my
old-school gaming forum, this blog will …
Continue reading →
What's wrong with megadungeons?
-
I ran across a megadungeon article from last July. I know, I am a little
behind, as I was dealing with my cancer when it came out.
In the blog, DM David ...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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.
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...
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...
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...
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 ...
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....
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...
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...
Whether I'm able to join before the bar closes or not, I look forward to the news.
ReplyDelete