Lejendary Adventure: Essentials - Just Got a Copy - Thoughts?

Somewhere in storage I have the Lejendary Adventure trilogy of rulebooks, signed by EGG himself. Never read them, as I ordered them when I wasn't gaming, but collecting. Now I game AND collect ;)

In any case, I grabbed a copy of Lejendary Adventure: Essentials boxed set on Amazon fairly cheap (certainly cheaper than the original $29.99 the Trolls were asking back in 2004).

So, my questions are as follows:

- Is it worth reading during the week I have off during Christmas (as I have a shitload of RPG related reading / writing to do from now to then).

- Is it worth running? Some games read well and play like crap. Some read like crap and play well.

- If it is worth running, anything else I should look to pick up?

Communication is Key - How to Critically Fail With Your Crowdfunded Project

I never expected to find myself in the position of a "Virtual Kickstarter Investigative Reporter". It just kind of landed in my lap as I looked at the projects I had supported, their track record for delivering in a timely fashion and a general failure for timely communication by those seeking funding, especially after the funds had been raised.

Something that stands out to me, especially after the number of late projects that I have had recently brought to my attention, is that frequent communication with backers is the key to keeping most folks happy.

I don't care if your project has a blog, a website, a forum - sending an update weekly via Kickstarter or Indiegogo goes a long way. Why force those that supported your project to seek you out? Message them direct.

I bitch and complain about late projects because as a community we are too quick to accept the idea that these (want to be) professionals can't produce in a timely fashion. That it's okay to be a year late or more in your estimated release date. Because, lets face it - creators are optimists and supporters are pessimists when it comes to timelines.

The truth is, those projects that have frequent updates are usually less obvious with their lateness. Or maybe I'm more forgiving with those that care enough to keep their supporters in the information loop (although I do find I am like the proverbial elephant, and extended silence followed by frequent updates will still have me focused on the extended silence).

The worst thing you can do as a creator / writer / publisher / whatever of a Kickstarter is fail to communicate with your supporters. That is your community. They are the ones you will be looking at to support your future projects. If you fail to engage them, if you fail to keep them informed, you will lose them. You will be remembered for your late project and not for a successful project.

Communication does not stop when funding ends. Some folks run their Kickstarters like a fucking pep rally, sending out daily updates, and then once they take your money you dont here a peep for a month.

Don't pile up the excuses either. After the first one, all we want to hear is "I fucked up and promise to do better." Really, we don't care why you are late. Broken toe, leaky roof, cat took a shit on your notes,   "Con Crud" (i fucking hate this lame ass fucking excuse with a passion!) we really don't give a shit. You fucked up, own up to it and move on. Generally speaking, we've run out of sympathy after the first excuse so don't waste our time.

Running a Kickstarter project is a lesson in community building, or at least, it should be. Treat your community fairly and with respect and you'll keep them. No one running a Kickstarter should think of this as "one and done", because almost all will want to put some other project out there at some point. This is your name, your reputation, why fuck it up because you fail to communicate?

Kickstarter Request Inquiry - Game Design: "e20: System Evolved" Roleplaying Game

When a game's main writer / lead developer is the only one that can bring a project to a successful completion, there is an inherit risk. When the only investor is the writer of the game, that risk falls upon his shoulders alone. When it is a Kickstarter funded project, everyone that has pledged shares in that risk.

This project was created by Gary M. Sarli, no small name in our hobby. Gary apparently has significant health issues.

The Game Design: "e20: System Evolved" Roleplaying Game, seem to have fallen prey to that risk.

Here's the latest Kickstarter Update:


e20 System: Good News and Bad News

Update #38 · Dec. 27, 2011 · 5 comments (yes, that is 11 months ago, almost to the day)
 
Here’s a quick update on where we stand with the e20 System, since we obviously did not get it finished in time for Christmas.

Bad News: Just as I was finally able to work near full capacity again and I was plowing through material at a really high pace, the developer — senior patron Jack Hale — had an epic collapse almost as bad as mine after Gen Con. Like me, he has some significant mental health issues that can seriously impact his work, and he has even more serious physical problems on top of that.

I didn’t even realize how much trouble he was having until a couple of weeks ago (when more and more of my work was having to be put off because I needed the sections he was working on to do them), and it quickly became apparent that we couldn’t hit our current deadline. I put off announcing a new deadline, though, because for a while I thought we might be able to at least finish the PDF by Christmas; even that turned out to be wishful thinking.

Jack has actually been doing better for the past few days, but we agreed that it’s probably best to work from the assumption that any such productive periods will be the exception, not the rule. Jack is still going to help where he can, but I’m shifting his assignment to things that won’t slow down other pieces of the book if he falls behind again.

So, I’ve now taken stock of the work that needs to be done and figured out how long it will take me to do them completely on my own. Unfortunately, it looks like I can’t possibly finish the whole book myself before the end of February 2012. Patrons and pre-orders would receive their PDFs at this time, and the printed books wouldn’t be delivered until somewhere around mid-March 2012.

I hate seeing the deadline pushed out that far, but at this point I don’t see anything else as realistic. Since I have medication for the time being, I think my work output can be fairly reliable at least through the end of February, and recent history tells me that I have to assume that Jack won’t be able to contribute much. (As I said, he’s been better for the past few days and he might pleasantly surprise us, but it’s better to be happy to get something early than to be disappointed to get it late.)

Good News: Since things are taking so long, I’m trying to think of ways to make it up to everyone who graciously provided so much support so early on. One of the first things I thought of was re-integrating the last two chapters of the book, which detail the settings of Fallen Gods (dark fantasy) and The Hollow Sky (space opera with a horror twist). Given that I won’t be doing the final editing pass until the start of February or so, there’s now time for me to get in touch with those chapters’ authors and see if they’d be willing to do some revisions & expansions to flesh out the chapters a bit. With any luck, we’ll be able to have two working campaign settings in the Universal Rulebook, and these settings can be more fully fleshed out in a future e20 System product.

I have some other ideas to hook up my patrons with a little extra — some bonus PDFs, most likely — and I’m hoping to make an announcement about that in the next several days. At the very least, patrons will get an early look at some of the laid-out chapters of the Universal Rulebook before the final PDF is assembled.

Thanks again to everyone for being so understanding about this and for your kind words about my last post on the subject. Any game publisher would be blessed to have such a devoted and supportive fan base, and it means even more for a small indie publisher like GMSarli Games.

Enjoy the rest of the holidays!

Not much to fill in the gaps, just more questions in the comments about the project status.

However, if you go to the forums for the game, you get the following info:



Re: e20 System Progress?
by joela » Sun Jun 10, 2012 12:57 am

Is there ANY news when patrons are suppose to receive their HCs!?! There's a lot of "buzzing activity" but where's the promised product? That rough draft pdf is just carp. 
joela

Re: e20 System Progress?
by Darthmoe » Mon Jun 11, 2012 12:05 am

Due to unavoidable emergency circumstances e20 was delayed for a second time. Work has resumed but Gary was and still is unavailable to work on the project so now the weight of fiinishing the entire thing has fallen in Gary's editor. At this time there are no projected projected release dates and no deadlines will be set. However work is underway it's happening slowly but surely. 

The only thing I can tell you is Gary was become unavailable due to emergency circumstances we don't even know what the circumstances and speculation will not help, but at senior patron level we seem to be in agreement that our first concern is Gary's well being. That being said there are people more qualified than I to give you updates.
Darthmoe

Re: e20 System Progress?
by Darthmoe » Mon Jun 11, 2012 12:17 am

I also forgot to stress the work being done is strictly on a volunteer basis. Jatku took for Gary as a favor to him and the patrons.
Darthmoe

Re: e20 System Progress?
by ronin » Fri Oct 05, 2012 11:39 pm

Anything new to report?
ronin

Re: e20 System Progress?
by jazzencat » Tue Oct 09, 2012 12:16 pm

I think the technical term for the state of this project is "dead in the water", or perhaps "vaporware."
jazzencat

Re: e20 System Progress?
by Nikosandros » Sat Oct 13, 2012 12:12 pm

More like "money down the toilet".

I suspect that the odds are not in favor of this seeing the light of day


I'm going to have to pray daily for Monte's health it seems...

(yes, it's a joke. kinda. I've got money invested in Numenra or however you spell it ;)

Kickstarter Requested Inquiry - Quicksilver Worldbook for Pathfinder

Another request, and this one is a doozy.

I bitch and complain when a project takes longer than two weeks to give a current update. Five or Six weeks is pretty much the extreme. Four fucking months?!?

Are the guys behind the Quicksilver Worldbook fucking insane? Not being in contact with your supporters for four months does not instill confidence in the progress of the project. It instills the "they're spending our money on Ho's and cocaine" type of thoughts.

I'd love to give you some of the updates, but the last few are backers only. Still, I can grace the kind readers of this blog with the update titles:

SELORIAN ENCOUNTERS!
Update #14 - For backers only · Jul. 27, 2012 · 1 comment 

July Already-- We are LATE-- and-- and--
Update #13 - For backers only · Jul. 09, 2012 · 1 comment

I like the July 9th update. So, how far did the $3,555 go spending on Ho's and coke?

Or was it HoHo's and Coke, as $3,555 probably wouldn't have lasted from the summer ;)

Kickstarter Requested Inquiry - Looking at the Metamorphosis Alpha Roleplaying Game

Yep, we've got a new feature when it comes to the RPG Kickstarters, the Kickstarter Requested Inquiry. Basically, what this is is my taking a peek at an overdue Kickstarter that I didn't support for one reason or another, but one (or more) of this blog's readers did. It's overdue, and it needs some light put on it.

In this case, we are talking about the Metamorphosis Alpha Roleplaying Game Kickstarter. Damn, Metamorphosis Alpha is an RPG classic. WTF didn't I support this one?

The reasons are simple:

1 - It's James Ward. I'm not going to take anything away from what the man did in the past, but once he started working for Trolls he seemed to have set his target at 12 year olds (I seem to recall he actually said something to that effect, but damned if I can find the quote). He single handedly killed the Crusader Magazine. His Towers of Adventure for C&C pissed me off to no end - an expensive piece of shitty filler.

2 - It's NOT James Ward. Best I can tell from reading the public updates and comments, it James' IP, but it's Jamie Chambers' project. I'm not even sure if James is involved beyond licensing the IP. (edit - apparently his is writing something for ut)

3 - It's an entirely new system using d6s (System 26), which is about as far as you can get from any of the previous incarnations of MA. Not my bag, man.

So, what are the issues?


Launched: Apr 6, 2012
Funding ended: Apr 29, 2012
Estimated delivery: Sep 2012
Todays Date: Nov 28, 2012

It's only two months late, no biggie, right? Wrong! Two month's late with no new estimate in sight. Depending on where the book is being printed, lead time from finished product in electronic format to print is one to three months. I'll assume they are going print on demand, so closer to a month with proofs and corrections. The thing is, the rules dont seem to be nearly done yet.

Here's the latest public update:


Exploration, Action, Adventure!

Update #20 · Oct. 31, 2012 · 7 comments   

G'morning folks! Having been both shot with X-Rays and surrounded by powerful electromagnets in the last few days, I'm waiting to find out if I get a mutation of my very own. (After injuring my back earlier this year I've been dealing with recurring problems and pain. Hopefully I'll know exactly what's going on soon.) I just returned from the Geek Media Expo in Nashville, where among other things I ran "The Petting Zoo of Death" adventure for a group of five vic—er, lucky players. I confess I was actually a bit disappointed that the group wholly survived the adventure, through a combination of successfully negotiating out of what would have been a tough fight, smart tactics when they could have been swarmed, and us running out of time before the nasty final encounter. It was a good time, though, and the players enjoyed both the setting and the game system!

One player remarked how he enjoyed the multi-genre elements of Metamorphosis Alpha, which is my favorite thing too. The adventure was like a short dungeon crawl, yet clearly in a sci-fi setting, but the characters had weird powers. In a nutshell, she summed up my favorite elements of MA as well.

Just as I feel like a good RPG adventure combines combat, problem-solving, and roleplaying, a good Metamorphosis Alpha adventure combines the exploration of the unknown, the trappings of the future, and the craziness of strange mutant powers. I think it's one of the things that makes MA unique and special in the world of RPGs, separating it from post-apocalyptic settings.

Progress Report

Convention season is officially over, and I'm going to be taking a last look at where we at and what we need to do to get this book done and out the door to our (very patient!) (not all are so patient, as it wouldn't have been pointed out to me if they were) backers. I met with Lizard (contributing writer) in Ohio two weeks ago. You can see another piece of chapter art above from the amazing Lindsay Archer! I'll try to give you guys some more concrete scheduling information next week. (Note - this update was 4 weeks ago - I'm guessing none of it has gotten any closer to being "concrete")

And there is one more potential piece of news ...

Miniatures

I can't say too much about this yet, as this would be an independent licensing deal with James M. Ward for the MA property but I can report the following: I've had an informal conversation with someone who may be bringing out a line of miniatures for Metamorphosis Alpha! This is exciting news for everyone involved, and though it would be a separate deal we've already established that if it goes through we will share resources and information to make sure we bring the fans material that will work well together! I'll repeat that this is NOT OFFICIAL at this time, but I'm excited about the possibilities. When there is something to announce, I'll let everyone know immediately! (nice, but where the game?)

Comments, anyone?

As a followup to Mike, is there any projected date on the release? Maybe even a PDF beta copy? I want to consider running MA at GenCon next year (at least for the KFG Wed Gaming), but need to start working on it now since I'm not an overly experienced GM and have critically limited (and erratic) time to work on scenarios. With luck, I can get a playtest of it in at WYC in March. Are these time frames expected to be doable? (this guy is hoping it will only be 6 months late)

Any word on a concrete release date?


Anything yet in the way of an update? Is there a website yet?
Asking courteously, of course -- just like the delegate from New York. (from the October update)

Not comfortable even answering that with a non-answer it seems...

Apparently, since the summer, public updates have been coming along at one every 5 to 6 weeks. I am a HUGE proponent of frequent updates on funded but not completed Kickstarter projects. The creator might think that the 30 minutes he spends typing a weekly update might be spent in more productive ways, but without updates, your supporters are going to assume you are NOT being productive.

Unhappy supporters means less repeat customers. The concept is simple. Keep folks happy (even if it means you are stringing them along) and you'll do better business in the long run.

Have a project you want me to take a peek at that is dragging it's feet? You can send me a message via G+ or my Google Profile.

Judges Guild Dungeoneer - When the Old is New

I snagged The Dungeoneer Value Pack on Ebay and it arrived today. Inside are 12 early issues of the Dungeoneer and the Dungeoneer Journal as well as a Compendium that covers issues 1-6.

Yep, I've got a lot of old school reading in front of me.

Of course, the first thing I noticed was the cover art. Kevin Siembieda's art is serviceable, but Paul Jaquays' art was pretty tight. Yep, here I am judging fanzines by their covers.

Paul on the left, Kevin on the Right

I'm hoping to find a few articles that I can borrow from for my soon to start AD&E 1e campaign, but if nothing else there is a ton of inspiration in front of me at the moment.

Thoughts - Dungeon World or What Apocalypse World Could Have Been

Most of you that have read my blog before already know of my opinion of Apocalypse World. One of the best rule sets of the modern era hidden behind purposefully obnoxiously confusing "Look at me! I'm Fucking Hip!" bullshit writing. AW is a gem of a ruleset hidden within a steaming pile of poo. I love the rules, I detest the rulebook. How much do I detest it? I literally threw it across the room in frustration and was extremely pissed off that I had wasted money on the shit. It's redeeming quality is that it plays so much better then it is written.

So, when I saw the Dungeon World Kickstarter over the summer, I was loath to spend money on it. My experience reading AW had soured me to any other variants. Shortly before it wrapped up, I put my 5 bucks down it full expectation of getting a similar pile of steaming shit. I figured I wouldn't regret 5 bucks, but I do. I wish I had put down 25 bucks so I could have gotten the soft cover. Yes, it is that good.

I had put off downloading the Kickstarter file (we're still waiting on the Kickstarter extras) as, truth be told, I was apprehensive of finding out what was on the other side. I had expectations and they weren't good, despite all the good ward I'd heard about Dungeon World. Remember, I'd heard the same about AW and how "beautifully it was written". Well, having finally downloaded the monster file (it's over 120 mb) I can finally say it kicked my expectations to the curb, and that is a good thing.

I'm actually groking the rules behind the system. Sure, they don't fully fit my OSR mindset, but for a good system, I can temporarily change my mindset ;)

I was reading it during lunch at work and I was actually drawn into the rules, which rarely happens to me. I'm enjoying the read through, although I have sidetracked slightly by reading A Beginner's Guide to Dungeon World (it's a free DL)

This isn't a review. The book is over 400 pages and I've barely scratched the surface. I'm drawn back to the rule book the moment I put it down, and I can't think of a more positive endorsement than that. Is it possible my opinion can change before the end? Sure, if Vince steps in and starts writing the same shit as he did in AW - thankfully it's only the AW rules they are building off of and not the writing style with Dungeon World ;)

Oh, did I mention the awesome cover?

Butt Kicking For Goodness! Cool Art and "REDACTED"

It's been a week or so. Time to catch up ;)

Swords & Wizardry: The Actual 1st Edition Roleplaying Rules


SW Cover is here!

Cover art is in! We will get this off to the printer and keep everyone appraised of the estimate delivery date once we have it from the printers. We appreciate the understanding and support that you have shown. Happy Thanksgiving!

Player's Companion for the Adventurer Conqueror King RPG


Expanded Player's Companion Templates: Assassin to Explorer

For backers only (Thanks to Tavis for permission to share)

Frequently Asked Questions

In case you're just now checking in on the Player's Companion Kickstarter, or if you could just use a refresher on its status, here's the most important things to know:

Print rewards are are on track to reach backers in the second week of January. The book is at the printer now and we’re expecting to get the print proof for review shortly.
For the PDF rewards, a download code from DriveThruRPG will be emailed to you. We’re still finishing the internal hyperlinks for the final PDF, but you can download a nearly-final version that’s complete in every other way using the directions at the bottom of this update.
As a thank-you for your patience with the delay in fulfilling these rewards, we’re creating an expansion of the templates in the Player’s Companion, about which more below.
Weekly Update Schedule

Two weeks ago we promised to keep you informed about the Player’s Companion every week. We’re still committed to doing that, just on a different day. The last two updates went out on Fridays, which are also the day that those of you who are Dwimmermount backers get the weekly update on that project. To limit the number of updates crowding your inbox on the same day - and to give us a little more breathing room to prepare each one - future Player's Companion updates will be sent on Sundays. Apologies to anyone who has been waiting anxiously for this one since Friday!

Expanded Template List and Spreadsheet (This will be a cool resource for use in just about ANY OSR game)

Of all the opponents that ACKS players might encounter, a rival NPC party is one of the most interesting for players - and also the most time-consuming for Judges to prepare for. The templates in the Player's Companion do a great job of reducing the load of making a new character at first level, another potentially time-consuming aspect of play. We've been working to expand the template approach to make it easier to make characters at higher level, either for Judges to use as members of NPC parties or for players to enter a campaign beyond level 1.

So far, we're a third of the way through this project, with proficiencies chosen from level 1 to 14 for all of the classes in the core ACKS books organized alphabetically from Assassin to Explorer. Among the downloads for the Player's Companion, you'll find a Zip file in which these are presented two ways. The Word file Expanded Templates lists the proficiencies each template would gain at the level shown in parentheses, following the Player's Companion template. The Excel spreadsheet Expanded Template Characters 11-25 is potentially the more useful of the two. In addition to outputting the list found in the Word file, you can also use it to generate ACKS stats for each of these templates at any level you choose.

The spreadsheet is still a work in progress - it doesn't currently expand the spellbooks for higher-level arcane casters, or account for the effects of some proficiencies on the character's stats, and the statblock output is rough. However, it does calculate hit points, attack bonuses, and other key variables for the template characters. In weeks to come we'll continue adding to the classes covered and refining the way they're presented for use as NPCs.

Deadlands Noir

Strangely enough, it doesnt say backers only, but as it consists of a link to backers material, I suspect "Backers Only" was the intention. If you are a backer, read the update and grab some of your loot ;)

Backers Only - Project and Identifiers Redacted

The Doc says I can work again. There are many monsters, but these ones are mine. Factions. Conversions. Busy times. Things might start making sense.

Magicians: A Language Learning RPG


Magicians Beta!

Hi everyone, I hope our American backers had a great Thanksgiving and all is well. Last week I promised to get you all a playtest as soon as I could and, originally, John and I were thinking that we'd put together a teaser document that was limited to just the basic system of magic, core rules, some examples and maybe some monsters and cool stuff to put on threat cards. When we actually when in to do some cutting we found that pretty much everything I've got in the draft is fairly essential to running the game so here's what I'd like to do:

Anyone who would like to get a game of Magicians going can message me (via the contact me button) and ask for the playtest. I'll link you to the beta draft of Magicians I sent John last week along with a couple videos and documents for those wanting to learn some Korean pronunciation. Keep in mind that this draft still needs a lot of stuff - more examples (I'm planning on using some characters and spells you guys came up with here) and just stuff like clarity, grammar won't be quite up to snuff, especially because I won't be able to get Daniel started on character sheets and the like until kickstarter funds are released, but I don't think there will be any problems reading it and understanding how to play, so if you want to start playing or are just curious shoot me an email!

I've created a forum, where you can discuss anything you want about learning a language, Korean, future hacks, feedback on the playtest or whatever else! If you'd like to contact me, there's the button through kickstarter but I can also be reached on twitter at @kylejsimons if you'd like instant clarification on the game, have a question about something, or just want to get to know me - I'm thinking of doing a Korean word a day on twitter for fun. If I don't reply right away I might be asleep since I'm on Seoul time but I promise I'll get back to you ASAP!

There is still a few days left for people to get pledges cleared if they were issues and, after that, I'll be messaging people and asking people for pictures so we can start sketching, letting our creators know how to come up with card packs, getting spells from anyone who pledged extra (or have it included in their pledge level) and all that fun stuff. I seriously can't wait, from the spells I've  seen so far there should be some pretty awesome stuff coming in from the rest of you!

Dungeon World: A Game with Modern Rules & Old-School Style

Backers Only - (my summary) Proofs are in and they are good (with minor changes). Books should just before or shortly after the Christmas Holidays. Huzzah!

The Slow Return to Normality - Upcoming Events at The Tavern

It looks like work is slowly returning to normal. This is bad for the RPG Collector in me, as overtime is going the way of the Dodo, but good for the actual gamer in me, as I can now start to think about planning things out in advance and have a fair idea I can keep to the schedule.

I was hoping to get a session of Labyrinth Lord in for next week for those that have been waiting, but the family dog had an emergency vet visit over the weekend. Her breathing had become deep and rapid  especially when excited. It appears her heart murmur had become an enlarged heart and some fluid in the lungs. The new meds started working their miracles almost immediately  but I need to bring her back in a week and a half. To the Poconos. So I need to take a day or two off from work next week to get this accomplished. So, pushing off LL for the moment.

It looks like we're putting together an on air viewing of the Wizards & Warriors TV Series in the spirit of MST3k. Should be a blast. We're still working out the logistics. More info when we start locking it down.

I think I have the idea finalized for the next DCC RPG Contest. It will have a holiday theme of sorts. It should be fun and have real, physical prizes thanks to some 3rd party publishers and some awesome blog readers. I need to order a set of Tenkar's Tavern Tankards so I can add one to the prize pool. I plan  on leaving this contest open longer than the usual one week. I suspect prizes won't ship until after Christmas, just so I can avoid the annual post office insanity.

Still working on getting the steins and t-shirts up and ready for sale for any interested. Give it some time tho', as it's not at the front of my list of things to do.

Wizards & Warriors TV Series Circa 1983 - With Video Link!

Somehow I missed the Wizards & Warriors TV series when it first came out in 1983. That's very surprising, as I was just getting to my full steam of AD&D 1e gaming.

Jeff Conaway seems to have kept some of his Taxi era hairstyle.

My God, but this is painful shit to watch so far (halfway into the first episode).

I think we should watch episodes on a weekly basis and discuss them as if it were high literature ;)

Anyone willing to go along with this horrible idea?

What Can You Tell Me About "High Fantasy" RPG by Jeffery Dillow

I grabbed High Fantasy and Adventures in High Fantasy on Ebay based solely on the fact that I had never come across it before and I had had a little extra money in my virtual wallet.

So, aside from the really scary combat chart, is there a reason for me to do any more than skim the rules and steal ideas from the adventure book?

Bueller? Bueller?...

Skellies and Ranger Battle Before the Amethyst

Without Flash

Way back in the day I used to paint miniatures. I guess with the Reaper Kickstarter I'll have to get back to doing so.

With Flash

In any case, one of these two pics will be at the center of an adventure I'll be writing. Not sure what yet, but it screams to be written ;)

Snagged on Ebay - Very Stuffed Tunnels & Trolls "Golden Box" (T&T 5e)

There are very few holes in my Tunnels & Trolls Collection. I'm missing 1e but I have Ken's very own copy of 2e. The pics I've seen of 3e look the same as 2e. I have 4e, 5e, 5.5e, 7e, 7.5 e, 1st or 2nd printings of most of the solos (some signed by Ken).

I have all of the Corgi editions (generally speaking, my favorite, mostly due to convenient  size and the stripped down but wholly playable 5e rules included with the double solos.

I have a copy of the British "Golden" cover 5e rules that I tracked down earlier, but this is a complete box AND other T&T goodies. At least, I believe the the smaller sized "Golden" cover is a British edition of the rules.

It uses the same cover art as the early 5e black cover with gold ink. I have the orange box sitting on the top of the black box for size comparison.

Heck, it even came with a smaller sized version of Grimtooth's Traps. Still enough that I'm not even sure it's been cracked open previously.

Free OSR Product of the Week - Shane's Delve (Generic Dungeon)

When Matt Jackson asked me if he could use my just posted pic of a chunk of Amethyst last night in a free adventure, I had no idea the adventure was going up the same night. It did.

Matt works damn fast.

Shane's Delve is a nice, short generic OSR adventure that includes a room with rats, coppers and a nice sized chunk of Amethyst. Well done!

Hey, my first professional photography credit ;)

How NOT to Plug Your Ingiegogo Project on Someone's Blog

1 - Spam the comments section of the most recent blogpost of a fairly popular RPG Blog without adding anything remotely relevant to the blogpost in question.

2 - When you DO spam the comments section of a blog, run on for paragraphs about the shit you want to spam.

3 - WTF would you even bother addressing the owner of the blog before stealth spamming your shit? Best to be sneaky and hope not to get caught on the holiday weekend.

4 - Formatting the post and making the minimum attempt at making it look presentable would simply waste seconds you don't have. There are dozens of other sites to stealth bomb.

Here's the now "spammed" comment in question:


AragornNovember 25, 2012 10:37 AM
Iron Age is pen&paper Role Playing game (wow, excellent first sentence). It brings new concepts and interesting setting allowing you to experience world of 1. st. BC first handedly (my God, next I expect to be told you have 12 million dollars that you need my help in moving), not only by moving among the people of that period but also recognizing their myths, legends that are intertwined with an occultism (because "occultism" isn't the same without an "an").
Iron age system (capitalization is optional) allows player (because we know no more that one person would ever pay to play this game) to completely customize his character by giving him choice  (using the word "the" isn't so optional) of seven different races, each race allows further customization by the choice of many different backgrounds. Customization goes even further, and so player can choose Traits that allow player to define his character in detail! (this sentence speaks for itself)
System of the Iron age has powerful set of Core rules supplemented by various optional rules, that allow great deal of options to players that require them. (didn't I read this same sentence with the last "easy assemble instructions for home"?) Some innovative rules are present that will spice up the combat itself, allowing each character to use style most appropriate to his characteristics. Setting of Iron Age (whoa! Capitalization is back!) is presented in original and unique way, by implementing and merging beliefs of different nations in amalgam not unlike tolkien based world or ancient sagas.
I've been working 2 years on the system (maybe you should spend some on your English grammer - it might be a more effective way to get your thoughts across. Oh, and etiquette lessons may be useful too)  , even more on the setting itself yet now I need your help (You need my help? Sure, I'll give you lots of help). We've recently started our indiegogo campaign, and as such are in need of help with promotion and contributions. To increase our chances of success, we've started a competition (read about it in update section of campaign), which gives you a chance to become our partner (10% from NETO profit from core book and bestiary) and earn one time fee of 200$.
 (sweet! I can be a partner! Fuck that)

Dude, here's the help I can give you. Find a native English speaker to edit your Indiegogo page. Then have them edit your game. Take some real life lessons in how to communicate with people to have them take an honest look at your stuff, not stealth bombing blogs. I'm sure you're gonna get some traffic from this post, but I doubt you'll get much in the way of business.

Oh, and by the way - fuck you!

I'll Need to Work This Amethyst Piece Into an Adventure

I Need to Take a Better Shot then My iPhone's ;)

I picked this piece up for 18 bucks at a flea market in the Poconos earlier today. It's about 7" tall and 5 1/2" wide and weighs a good amount. When I get home, I'll need to put a miniature or two in front of it to get the proper scale.

I have this image in my head of this piece 50' tall and and altar in front of it. Lots of flames with reflections flickering off the crystal.

Cultists and rats and babies and copper sacrificial knives oh my!

See, I'm doing my homework Larry Moore ;)

Is Fantasy Flight Games Clearing Out its WFRP 3rd Edition Stock?

FFG is running a sale on adventures and accessories for it's WFRP 3rd Edition system, selling stuff as low as 33 cents on the dollar.

These prices aren't sale prices, they are "clearing out the warehouse prices".

I picked up WFRP3 when it released, and I was disappointed in the system myself. It seemed more interested in the new dice gimmick then being an RPG. I literally had no idea so much had been released for WFRP. At the discounted prices FFG is offering, I guess I'm not the only one.

Good deals if you already play WFRP3, as the boxed set itself is not on sale.

(thanks to Mark from Creative Mountain Games for the heads up)

Every Dungeons Needs _____ and No Dungeon Should Have _____

Is there one thing that the failure to include it in a dungeon adventure will lead to a less fun experience for all?

Is there something that should never be in a dungen adventure, but often is?

These don't need to be physical items, but they could be themes or whatever.

Rats and coppers are invalid answers ;)

For me, most every dungeon should have a treasure room. It might not get found by the players, it may be found but overlooked, it may have a false analog to fool the players, but generally speaking, there should be a treasure room. Heck, it might not be usable treasure. It may have been valuable at the time the dungeon was built / created but now has little to no value due to deterioration, change of valued metal types or the like.

No dungeon should have unavoidable deathtraps. There should be warnings, hints, signs or the like so that the players have the opportunity to make an educated guess, even if wrong. It shouldn't be there to screw the players but to challenge them.

What are your thoughts?

Some Questions / Observations on B1 - In Search of the Unknown

I'm away for the weekend, and the only things I brought in print with me that were gaming related were OSRIC and B1 - In Search of the Unknown. My intention is to start writing the introductory adventure for my AD&D campaign, and what better inspiration than Dungeons & Dragons Dungeon Module B1? (Okay, one could argue B2, but it is what it is).

So, here's some observations from B1:

1 - Right on the cover it states "With only minor modifications, this module is also eminently suitable for use with ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS". Strangely enough, it seems with only minor modifications it is suitable for use with Dungeons & Dragons. More on that below.

2 - Non-player character clerics include Tassit, Servantjü of St. Cuthbert. The World of Greyhawk was casting a wide web back then.

3 - Fighting Men NPCs include Krago of the Mountains (Dwarf) with Str 18/54. Exceptional Strength was purely an AD&D concept as far as I can recall.

4 - I'm pretty sure thieves were restricted to Humans only in Basic Dungeons & Dragons, but there is at least one of each of the player races in the NPC list.

5 - I had forgotten that B1 was a "stock the monsters and treasures from list A and list B" type of adventure. Hardly easy on a beginning DM, but amazingly awesome for reusability of the adventure among the same group / intertwined groups. The room descriptions themselves dont change, but the contents do.

6 - It makes a point of introducing tricks and traps to the players and the DM - it's not a funhouse dungeon, but it has its moments.

7 - There is a list of potential hirelings and henchmen for the PCs to hire, but no town to actually find them within. We know they aren't hanging around outside the dungeon waiting for a job. I guess that's why they swapped this out for B2 in the later Basic D&D Sets.

Found in a Thrift Shop - Albedo The Role-Playing Game

I've been hitting garage sales and thrift shops for years in the Poconos, hoping to stumble across and RPG gem and always coming up short - until this morning.

Albedo, The Role-Playing Game was found in a stack of games in a thrift shop in Honesdale PA. Holy crap!

I remember the game (and the comic) but never owned either. I was friends with a few gamers that were also into anthropomorphic comics - although their tastes went a bit off the scale. What they read couldn't be left around for third parties to stumble upon.

The box is in surprisingly good shape, everything is included and the 25 year old game was only a buck and a half. I've already started reading the background info during a bathroom reading session, and although I'm not all that impressed so far I'm still happy with my find.

The system itself seems to love charts. I tend to not like charts so much ;)