What Type of Articles Do You Want to See in the Relaunched Knockspell?

As I posted earlier, +Matt Finch is relaunching Knockspell with the help of the community response to the Swords & Wizardry Appreciation Day Blogfest (coming your way April 17th and currently sitting at 126 participating blogs).

Now, as someone that plans on submitting material to the Knockspell relaunch, I figured I'd ask the community at large:

What do you want in your Knockspell?

Classes, spells, adventures, encounters, monsters, NPCs, charts, tables, GM advice - the list is nearly infinite, which is why I ask - what do you want?

Matt might be the man putting the package together, but Knockspell belongs to the Swords & Wizardry Community and the OSR at large. Without the community's participation, it simply won't be.

So, even more important than what you may want to find in upcoming issues of Knockspell is:

 What do you want to write? 

You ARE going to submit something, right? ;)

Matt Finch to Relaunch Knockspell!

It seems the Swords & Wizardry Appreciation Day bug has fully bitten +Matt Finch :

One of the key ideas that will help this work is that several of the bloggers who are writing material for the Swords & Wizardry Appreciation day will allow Knockspell to publish their work in printed/pdf form. To that end, I will be asking all of you who are participating to send me a letter (the form of it later in the post) containing your approved form of the manuscript and the permission to use it.

This is awesome news. Hopefully the community can supply Matt with enough material that it could actually release on a quarterly basis :)

Read the full details at Matt's Swords & Wizardry Blog.

Bits & Pieces

Tim Shorts - I have a PDF copy of Knockspell #6 waiting for you.

I need to train my fiancee's miniature dachshund to stop pooping in the house. She'll pee on a pad, but poop where ever. As the lady can't walk the dog these days, I need the pooch to poop when I walk her before and after I work.

Tonight is The Walking Dead Season 1 on DVD Nite. Saweet! Rachel has yet to see an episode.

The TrollGod himself sent me some past issues of the Hobbit Hole fanzine / magazine for Tunnels & Trolls. Good stuff in there. Hopefully I can talk about them in the next few days without the negativity attached to the later issues.

Did I mention I am anxiously awaiting my my preorders?

And the Winners Are... (Tell Me About Your Favorite Bard Contest)

I lost track of which day of the week today was.  It's actually Tuesday.  Which means I have to pick the winners of Tell Me About Your Favorite Bard Contest.

Hmmm... I get to pick one and roll for the other.

My pick is... ::drumroll:: Tim Shorts - I loved the write up.  Thomas the Mad Minstrel did the Bard Class proud.

The random pick is  ::Rachel Rolls a d10 (divided by 2):: the result is 3 - kelvingreen is the second winner.

Tim and kelvin - email me at erik AT trublunite DOT net and let me know what email address you use at DriveThruRPG / RPGNow so I can gift you both with Knockspell #6.

Thanks to all who entered.

Mini Review - Knockspell Issue #6 (S&W / OSRIC) Part 2

Where were we in the review?  Oh, yeah, The Body in the Street.  It's a piece of fiction by Al Krombach. I was never one for short pieces of fiction, but then I started reading Solomon Kane and found I enjoy the medium.  I haven't read this piece yet, but it's on my list to read.

Ouch, My Brain Hurts! is a psionics article for S&W by Robert Lionheart.  I think Robert's first line sums my thoughts up pretty well: "Are psionics an unholy heresy or a valuable aspect of old School fantasy roleplaying?"  I'm on the fence on it myself, having experimented with it in AD&D 1E and I never found it very satisfying.  Robert's system requires PCs to sacrifice XP earned to acquire psychic powers.  It's a decent trade off for the additional power the PCs may attain.  Being that the powers are limited in the amount of uses per day, they may or not be worth the XP cost, but it may be a viable option depending on the type of campaign you plan on running.  It's a long article, and would have been a viable PDF in it's own right.

John M. Stater (best known for NOD magazine, and the man I borrowed some OGL content for my Bard class design) presents us with Catacombs of Ophir.  It's a nice little dungeon under the city-state of Ophir (itself detailed in part in NOD 2).  I don't recall a level range for it, but I'm going to guess 2-4.  Looks good, and it marks the second adventure for this issue of Knockspell.

Next up is A Duet if Bards.  The first part of this section is by Doyle Taverner.  Here he presents us with an adaptation of the original Bard class presented in The Best of the Dragon, Volume 1.  He cleans up the fuddilly bits, such as using thief abilities with heavier armor (aint happening) and spell casting in armor (also aint happening).  For me, the highlight is the page on magical instruments for bards.  Leaves me wishing I had included some, but I think Doyle gives a nice assortment to choose from.

The next part of A Duet of Bards is Tenkar's Bard.  It's short and sweet.  I like it, but then, I should ;)

Locks and Traps as a "Mini-Game" by Jim Pacek follows.  Not what I expected.  Holy Crap but I really like the system he uses.  Color me surprised, and I generally detest "mini-games in a game", but this isn't so much mini-game as a task resolution system.  It gets my "Kick Ass!" Award.  First time I've ever given one out.

Wow.  I need 3 parts for this review ;)

It's Time For a Contest - Tell Me About Your Favorite Bard

Woot!  150 fine patrons of this tavern!  So let me tell you what I'm a gonna do.

I want YOU to tell me about your favorite Bard.  Fiction, movie, tv, comic book, player character, NPC, homeless guy you see near work - whoever it is that you think makes for an awesome Bard, I want to hear about.  Just add your comment to this post and you'll be entered.

What do you get in return?  I'm giving away 2 PDF copies of Knockspell #6 - one to my favorite entry and one to a random entry.  Winners will need to supply me with the email address they use with RPGNow / DriveThruRPG as the PDFs will be gifted to their accounts.

Contest ends at 1159 PM NYC Time on Monday, September 19, 2011.

Mini Review - Knockspell #6 (S&W / OSRIC) - Part 1

Full disclosure - I do have a short article in this issue.  That being said, Knockspell #6 still a damn good issue ;)

As I mentioned yesterday, I love the cover.  Yes, it's a bit modern comic bookish, but it pulls it off.  It would look fine on the wall of a man cave.

The layout of this issue is top notch.  I really shouldn't have to say it looks extremely professional, but it does, and it is.  Even more importantly for those that will be reading this in PDF, it has bookmarks.  Nice work by Matt and his team.

First up we have the next installment of Allen Grohe's From Kuroth's Quill.  This time he offers us a new class for OSRIC - the Shadow Master.  It's a nice addition to the spell caster stable, and adds some new spells into the mix.  Part 1 of 2, the follow up will include the higher level spells, new poisons and some new monsters.

We follow this up with the Random Orc Generator by Robert Lionheart.  Orcs are boring, but a staple of low level campaigns - Robert gives us some random charts to make them exciting again.  If nothing else, there are some very good adventure seeds here.

Gabor Lux must be one of the most prolific and skilled "Old School" adventure writers out there.  This time he gives us Isles on an Emerald Sea IV.  I don't think I've ever come across a "normal" adventure from Gabor.  Short but sweet.

Random Perks and Flaws by Stefan Poag.  For me, I think the flaws outweigh the perks on this table, but the right perk can be a real advantage.  Roll if you dare!

Mr. Finch himself gives us Fire and Other Eldritch Energies.  It's kind of a game science article (initially) dealing with the energy types found in D&D, ranging from the aforementioned fire to necromantic nastiness and then some.  Add some delivery system and effects random tables and you'll be able to keep you players guessing the pain they are going to be for campaigns to come.  It's a good method to help find some unique powers for your unique badies.

Wow... not even halfway thru the issue yet... more to come tomorrow.

A Bit More About My Swords & Wizardry Bard

When I wrote my version of a Bard class for Swords & Wizardry (it's in Knockspell #6), I went with the "Tastes Great, Less Filling" method. By that, I mean I didn't want to try and reinvent the wheel. If there mechanics or charts I could use that already existed in an OGL source that fit what I needed, I used it.

Some of the Bardic abilities from the class write up in one of the issues of NOD were very useful as were the attack and saving throw charts in the S&W rulebook. Why reprint a chart if I can say "Save as X"? or "Fights as Y". Even the experience chart can usually fit that of a previous class when you decide where it falls in the power structure of the classes.

Spell progression was my own write up, as I saw the spells being limited to 4 levels and that had to be spread out a bit. The spells on the spell list were all from the S&W rules, taken from different classes (and with the spell level change in some circumstances).

I do have some ideas for additional spells and some bard specific items, but whether I'll submit them as an article to Knockspell or publish them on the blog is anyones guess. I sure don't know yet. Heh.

Knockspell Issue 6 is Out... and I'm in It :)

Well, not me literally, but my bard class made the cut.  It's actually one of two bard write ups in Knockspell #6.  Mine is the version that takes up less then 2 pages.  I'm not listed in the table of contents, but flip ahead to the article A Duet of Bards and my version is there: Tenkar's Bard.  Woot!

I really like the cover but haven't done more then look at my little piece and a bit of Tavener's version of the Bard (which stays much closer to the original then mine does).

I'll have more to write when I've read more of the issue but it looks good so far.

When Less is More

I really need to learn some time management skills. There must be an app for that ;)

In any case, I squeezed more into one evening yesterday then any sane man would, yet I still didn't get everything accomplished that I wanted to - but I accomplished what I needed to.

I think the same can be said about many things. You want to accomplish A-Z, but you NEED to accomplish A, D, E and S... anything beyond that is just gravy.

When I was writing my version of the Bard Class for the next KnockSpell, I had a huge list of things I wanted to do with it. Once I got started, I quickly saw I had to prioritize what was needed to make the class work. The rest could wait, or maybe wasn't even really needed. Less can be more.

With the Bard Class, I cut out new spells / songs and magic items. They weren't needed to make the class work. As for class abilities, if there was something already defined elsewhere in an OGL, why reinvent it. It took a lot of effort to reign myself in ;)

So, tonight I prioritize and remove some floor molding in advance of installing my flooring. Not going to go crazy, just the side I'll be starting in. Then read some RPG rules. Maybe a post. Then, if there is time, watch the first episode of Game of Thrones. I've put that off long enough I think.

Of course, the chances of me sticking to tonight's plan is slim to none, but one has to try ;)

It's The Holiday Weekend! (at least in the States)

I extended my holiday weekend by taking today off.  I had to.  We are celebrating my son's 18th birthday tomorrow and I have lots of stuff to prepare.  You only turn 18 once.

I'm hoping it is also a weekend I can get some things done, both around the house and gaming wise.  Matt, over at Mythmere's Blog is still looking for articles for the next Knock Spell.  You have until June 15th.  Get cracking.  I may work on a second article (the Bard class is already submitted).

Alright, time to start cleaning for the 2 dozen peeps my son invited ;)

Bard Put to Bed - Next Project...

Well, I sent off my take on the Bard for Swords & Wizardry last night - we will see if Matt has a place for it in Knock Spell #6.  If he doesn't, I'll post it up here.

I had a blast working on it, even with all the things i wound up NOT using (like the turning table for Charm / Changing Crowd Reactions), additional languages spoken (I figured being given a chance to READ almost anything was better balanced), new spells / songs (would have added major length to the submission - they can always be added later), instruments (and a bonus to use them) - this stuff was cut not because it wasn't useful, but because it wasn't needed.  Short and sweet.

So, what next?

The TrollGod informed the members of Trollhalla that Fight On! #13 is going to be dedicated to Ken St. Andre, for all his work on RPGs (Go Tunnels & Trolls!).  Maybe I can work on a T&T submission to Fight On!

Hmmm... I probably need a deadline ;)

Mini Review - Knockspell #5 (Swords & Wizardry)

It's aways nice to have another issue of Knockspell to read.  Issue # 5 is no exception.

Nicely filled with an assortment of gaming goodness, it hits a sweet spot between adventures and articles.

Actually, the article on how to create adventures using Scrabble tiles as aids still has me scratching my head -  the concept works, I just don't understand how anyone thought up the concept... heh

There's a lot of stuff to read in this issue, to be used in S&W, LL or your clone of choice.

Lets see, here's the table of contents for this issue:

 2   Editor’s Note, Matt Finch

 2   Adventuring at Conventions, Tim Kask

 3   Teach Your Children, Bill Webb

 6   Out of the Bag: Generating Encounters with Scrabble Tiles, Jim Pacek

 9     Dark Gods, Al Krombach

 12   WhiteBox Weaponry, Richard Lionheart

 18   Where Dwells the Mountain God, Bill Silvey

 28   Operation Unfathomable, Jason Sholtis

 49   Weird Watery Magic of Vats and Pools,  Richard Hart

 53   Five Portable Rooms, Andrew Trent

 56   Magic Items of the High Seas, James E. Bobb and Kim Nicholson

 57   ‘Don’t Touch Anything ’: Traps in Swords &  Wizardry  WhiteBox Edition, Scott A. Murray

 59   Sorcerous Servitors, Jason Sholtis

 61   NPCs of Note, Rob Hewlett

 62   The Bestiary, Matt Finch

 62   Legal

63   Forthcoming Publications

You might recognize some of these names from other OSR type blogs.  

Good stuff.  

Only $4.95.

see?  OSR goes to the top of the review pile ;)

Knockspell 4 is Out

Ah, the joys of electronic publishing and instant gratification for the consumer. I caught the post at The Society of Torch, Pole and Rope last nite that Knockspell 4 was released.  Minutes later it was mine to hold.  Well, maybe not literally hold, but virtually hold.

Then I promptly  went to sleep.  What can I say?  I had a long day.

Tonight I've flipped pages... okay, I've scrolled thru the magazine and it appears to be quality as always.  That being said, my eyes were drawn immediately to the article reporting on Online Gaming.  Play by Post, mail, blog, Google Wave, chat, VTTs.  Sorry, but a bit of a disappointment.  I know its billed as a quick overview, but I really wish there had been a mention of more of the Virtual Table Tops that are available.  Half the article dealt with VTTs and was pretty much... well, not much of anything.  It centered on OpenRPG with a throw away mention of Fantasy Grounds.  I guess this is something I could write up myself for submission to one of the mags.  I've toyed with at least a half dozen of the VTTs out there ;)