The Gygax Memorial Fund is a Hive of Activity these Days (Assuming a Small Hive in Winter)

I'm guessing someone pointed out to Gail that a website and proposed memorial devoted to her late husband should actually showcase her late husband and not her posing in a gaudy tunnel.

And look, there's even a link to the Variety Magazine story. That's the first legit update of news on this site since December 8th of 2014.

I may need a drink just to steady my nerves.

Notice the July 28th Written Tribute. That's not July 28, 2016. The last tribute was added on January 25, 2013.

I see why they leave the year off.

I'm going to make a suggestion that I'm sure won't be listened to. Delete the useless Tower of Gygax, FAQ and Online Store tabs. They've been dead links since forever. You can always add them back if they actually link to something aside from "Coming Soon!"

Now about that promised audit...

I Have Met With the Cabal of Oldschool Gaming - Plans are in Motion for Old School Recognition Awards

Last night I sat down with the mysterious Cabal of Oldschool Gaming - henceforth referred to as COGs, and we discussed the idea of a series of Old School Gaming awards.

True, we have the Three Castles Award, but that is a design award and in the end only applies to one release in the 12 month period.

Then there are the ENnies, which prices out most old school products simply based on the expense of mailing physical products worldwide to judges. We are largely comprised of self publishers who aren't making much scratch on their releases in the first place.

Oh, and the Diana Jones Award, which doesn't even seem to follow it's own rules for nominating. But they have a secret cabal, so they're kinda cool.

Discussions covered everything from the name of the award, how to nominate products, selection of judges, prizes, timing and a whole bunch more. It was a very productive use of our time.

It's more than a planning stage and less then set in stone. It will happen. When the rest of the COGs reveal themselves, you will see that we are on solid footing.

Yes, yesterday's post was said in jest (sadly I may need to use a disclaimer in the future) but more so for the unbalanced method that ENnies are chosen than the choices folks have made. It's important to us that the awards are open to all that consider themselves part of the old school gaming movement and they aren't priced out of the process by physical review copies. PDFs for the judges are going to be the main distribution route we aim to take.

The COGs are open to input from The Tavern's Community and beyond. Categories, nomination process, type of awards (we're toying with a few), whatever you think may be of import. They will read your comments as will I.

Recognizing what our community produces is important, not just to the COGs but the community itself. Great products often slip off the radar. The community will be a huge part of the process, as well they should be.

Dungeons & Dragons article in the New York Daily News - Stranger Things brings D&D back into Focus

There is a D&D article in the New York Daily News, talking about how the Netflix series Stranger Things is bringing the game back into the light:

Dungeons & Dragons is rampaging across pop culture like a fearsome Demogorgon.
The quintessential game for geeks is resurging 42 years after it was first published. It’s a central plot device in the Netflix summer hit “Stranger Things.” It plays heavily in “The Dwarvenaut” documentary hitting VOD on Friday, about a Brooklyn artist who crafts dungeon models and figurines. And “Divergent’s” Ansel Elgort is in talks to conjure himself into a live-action D&D film. 

“We’re going through a renaissance here. It’s just so much fun to play,” says Stefan Pokorny, the D&D addict who is ready for his closeup in “The Dwarvenaut.” “The kids in the 80s, the 12 and 13-year-olds who were playing, the outcasts who were told they were nerds — now we’re 40 and 50 years old like, ‘Screw you guys — I still love this game!’”

Which is all fine and good, but it's the next paragraph that I find most interesting:

If you’ve been too cool to crack open a Dungeon Master’s guide or roll a 12-sided die, you’re becoming the odd man out. Or odd woman out, as role-playing games have expanded their gender roles. While Wizards of the Coast, which manages the D&D franchise, won't share sales figures, reps tell the Daily News that Millennials (ages 25 to 34) presently make up the largest group of D&D players, followed closely by those aged 35 to 44 and 18 to 24 — and up to 30% of these gamers are girls.

So, up to 30% of current D&D players are girls. About what I would have pegged it back in High School and College - 20 to 25%, and almost all brought in by their significant others. So, the percentage of female gamers hasn't changed much, but the age group is skewing higher, and older gamers generally have more disposable income, which is good for the market.

It's nice to see The Dwarvenaut also get some attention.

What if there Were Game Industry Awards for What Really Matters to the Old School Gamer?

The ENnies are tonight.

I know, may the excitement never end.

But what if there were gaming awards for stuff that REALLY mattered to the "Old School Gamer"?

After some brainstorming last night with my usual, unnamed partner in crime we came up with The ORC Awards - Old Roleplaying Crap Awards.

So what would WE, your secret cabal of judges award prizes (Pewter and Lead) for?

• Best Kickstarter Drama 
• Most likely to not actually be used
• Most likely to have its OGL content ripped word for word
• Most reused piece of stock art
• Worst layout by a professional
• Most likely to stir dirty thoughts (pre Internet porn era)
• Worst pre ogl D&D ripoff 
• Best Maps with Worst Setting Support
• Worst binding 
• Excellence in Chain mail Bikini Art
• Worst DTRPG product: free and for money
• Most derivative concept
• Most irrelevant commenter (and RPG blog or forum commenter)
• Stupidest dice innovation
• Least necessary PC race Or class
• Most overworked mechanic to solve problem no one has
• Worst con game title
• Most respectful use of 'fuck' in a gaming publication
• Least respectful in same
• Special category: White Knight Comment Enabling Award

So, what say you? Do we request nominations for the ORC Awards?

Edit - We're open to doing legit awards too ;)

Just When You Thought it Was Safe - Dungeons & Dragons Teams Up with My Little Pony - For Realz

Yep, apparently for World Friendship Day (another made up holiday I never heard of prior) My Little Pony's ponies are going on an adventure. Actually, I might grab this shirt for my 5 y/o niece.

Dungeons & Dragons partners with My Little Pony to create an exclusive charity shirt highlighting what is at the heart of both brands: Friendship & Magic.

In celebration of Friendship Day, Dungeons & Dragons has partnered with My Little Pony to create an exclusive charity shirt highlighting what is at the heart of both brands: Friendship & Magic. Hasbro will be donating the net profits from the sale of these shirts to generationOn, so order one for all the My Little Pony and D&D fans in your life! This shirt will be available to order on our campaign page until August 19th. 

Join the adventuring party of Twilight Sparkle, Fluttershy, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and of course Pinkie Pie, for the most pony-riffic celebration of friendship this side of the Forgotten Realms!

Just looked up World Friendship Day. It's held on July 30th, my birthday. Nope, doesn't make me feel friendlier...

Deal of the Day - White Star (S&W White Box SciFi RPG)

My love of White Star is well known. If you are a long time reader of The Tavern you've watched me sing it's praises (and that of +James Spahn )

Well, if for some forsaken reason you haven't yet picked up White Star, here's your chance to grab the PDF at 50% off - just $4.99

What are you waiting for, a signed invitation? Go! Get your copy and be one of the cool kids :)

Whether a noble Star Knight protecting the universe from galactic tyranny, a hot shot pilot in the cockpit of the fastest stunt fighter in space, or an enigmatic Alien Mystic, classic science fiction adventure awaits you with White Star: White Box Science Fiction Roleplaying. 

Based on Swords & Wizardry WhiteBox, White Star brings all the simple elegance  of WhiteBox out of the dungeon and into the stars! This complete roleplaying game includes seven new classes as well as rules for advanced technology, laser weaponry, space combat, and so much more! 

So ready your star sword and fire up your faster-than-light drive! A galaxy full of thrilling heroics is at your fingertips with White Star: White Box Science Fiction Roleplaying.

30 Bucks for Over $325 Worth of Stock Art - Publisher's Choice Premier Collection [BUNDLE - Fat Goblin Games)

+Rick Hershey / Fat Goblin Games is offering a bundle of over $325 worth of Stock Art for 30 bucks. If you are a publisher (or plan to be one) this is hard to beat and impossible to pass up.

Here's a listing of what you get for your 30 bucks:


5th Edition Fantasy Compatible Logo

Publisher's Choice - 15 Hammers, Axes, Maces

Publisher's Choice - 23 Bladed Weapons

Publisher's Choice - 8 Armor & Clothing

Publisher's Choice - 8 Helms and Headwear

Publisher's Choice - Basic Creature Figures (Humanoid Rats)

Publisher's Choice - Basic Fantasy Classes (Barbarian)

Publisher's Choice - Basic Fantasy Classes (Fighter)

Publisher's Choice - Basic Fantasy Classes (Ranger)

Publisher's Choice - Basic Fantasy Classes (Rogue)

Publisher's Choice - Basic Fantasy Figures (Grippli)

Publisher's Choice - Basic Fantasy Figures (Minotaurs)

Publisher's Choice - Basic Racial Portraits (Assorted Portraits)

Publisher's Choice - Basic Racial Portraits (Fantasy Males)

Publisher's Choice - Blood Throne (Page Backgrounds)

Publisher's Choice - Bloody Psycho (Cover and Interior Page Templates)

Publisher's Choice - Classic Adventure Covers (Multi-Colored Modules)

Publisher's Choice - Classic Horror Portraits

Publisher's Choice - Creature Cover

Publisher's Choice - Darkness (Page Backgrounds)

Publisher's Choice - Decorative Layout (Page Backgrounds)

Publisher's Choice - Fantasy Cast & Crew: Male Dwarves

Publisher's Choice - Fantasy Design ( Interior Backgrounds #2)

Publisher's Choice - Fantasy Design ( Interior Backgrounds)

Publisher's Choice - Fantasy InDesign Template

Publisher's Choice - Felipe Gaona (Desert Kingdom)

Publisher's Choice - Felipe Gaona (Lich Priest)

Publisher's Choice - Felipe Gaona (Old Mercenary)

Publisher's Choice - Felipe Gaona (Trapped Hallway)

Publisher's Choice - Handbook Cover

Publisher's Choice - Invisible Stalker

Publisher's Choice - Jade Master (Page Backgrounds)

Publisher's Choice - Jeff Cram (Norse Heroes)

Publisher's Choice - Jeffrey Koch (16 Fantasy Portraits)

Publisher's Choice - Joshua Gullion: Fantasy Hero

Publisher's Choice - King's Hunt (Page Backgrounds)

Publisher's Choice - King's Note (Cover and Interior Page Templates)

Publisher's Choice - LandEscapes: Stock Art Maps #1

Publisher's Choice - LandEscapes: Stock Art Maps #2: Simple Ship

Publisher's Choice - Master Illustrations (Demonic Transformations)

Publisher's Choice - Master Illustrations (Druid, Dryad, Nymph)

Publisher's Choice - Master Illustrations (Elven/Fae Girl)

Publisher's Choice - Master Illustrations (Pirate Collection)

Publisher's Choice - Master Illustrations (Pirate Cover)

Publisher's Choice - Master Illustrations (Warrior Archetypes)

Publisher's Choice - Military Exploits (Cover & Page Backgrounds)

Publisher's Choice - Modern Design (Cover & Interior Backgrounds)

Publisher's Choice -Quality Stockart Modern Heroes

Publisher's Choice - Original Game Master

Publisher's Choice: Quick Covers #1

Publisher's Choice: Quick Covers #2

Publisher's Choice: Quick Covers #3

Publisher's Choice: Quick Covers #4

Publisher's Choice: Quick Covers #5

Publisher's Choice: Quick Covers #6

Publisher's Choice: Quick Covers #7

Publisher's Choice: Quick Covers #8

Publisher's Choice: Quick Covers #9

Quick Covers- Buckled Cover

Quick Covers- Landscape Edition

Quick Covers- Vol.1: Leather and Brass

Quick Covers- Vol.2: Leather and Brass

Quick Covers- Vol.3: Stitched Hide

Quick Covers- Vol.4: Heavy Metal

Quick Covers- Vol.5: Future Tech

Quick Covers - Vol.6: Stitched Flesh

Standard Stock Art: 9 Fantasy Portraits

Standard Stock Art: Cats

Standard Stock Art: Creature Pack

Standard Stock Art: Goblin Mega-Pack

Standard Stock Art: Issue 1 - Places and Locations

Standard Stock Art: Issue 2 - World War II

Standard Stock Art: Issue 3 - Dwarves

Standard Stock Art: Issue 4 - 20th Century

Standard Stock Art: Issue 5- Orc Fighter

Standard Stock Art: Issue 6 - Vile Beasts

Standard Stock Art: Issue 7 - Humanoids, Vol. 1

Standard Stock Art: Issue 8 - Assorted Items, Vol. 1

Standard Stock Art: Issue 9 - Assorted Items, Vol. 2

Tavern Chat Tonight - 9 PM Eastern - Do or Do Not

It's another Wednesday, which means another Tavern Chat.

Don't ask me what tonight's topic is, I haven't a clue ;)

See y'all in less than 2 hours...

D&D Expert and Companion Rules are Up in PDF at OBS $4.99 Each (BECMI / Mentzer)

For those lacking in dead tree versions or perhaps want copies they can tote around on their tablets and iPads, the Dungeons & Dragons Expert and Companion rules are now up on OneBookShelf.

Can the Master and Immortal Rules be far behind?

The Warlock of Firetop Mountain (For Win / OSX / Linux)

I saw this mentioned over on EnWorld and after watching the video I had to share it here: The Warlock of Firetop Mountain is coming to a computer near you via Steam.

From the Steam page:

The Warlock of Firetop Mountain is a tabletop adventure come to life! This fantasy solo RPG combines unique, simultaneous turn-based combat with a journey that changes based on each figurine you take into Firetop Mountain! Which hero will you take into Zagor's lair THIS time?  

The original 1982 Fighting Fantasy paperback by Ian Livingstone and Steve Jackson has been transformed into an epic domain, with new areas to explore, characters to meet, and of course, monsters to slay! Zagor's home builds right before your eyes as you travel deep into the belly of the mountain.  

Each character has their own motivations for being in Firetop Mountain, changing the way the gamebook is written and choices presented. Combat is fought using the digital miniatures in a simultaneous, real-time system called GridBluff, and the game includes over 100 unique hero and monster figurines to discover.  

The Warlock of Firetop Mountain is currently in development. Follow here to keep up to date of upcoming news towards its release.

Minimum Reqs

OS: Windows 7 
Processor: 1.5 GHz
Memory: 2 GB RAM
Graphics: Hardware Accelerated Graphics with 1GB memory
Storage: 3 GB available space

OS: Mac OS 10.10.5+ 
Processor: 1.5 GHz
Memory: 2 GB RAM
Graphics: Hardware Accelerated Graphics with 1GB memory
Storage: 3 GB available space

OS: SteamOS + Linux
Processor: 1.5 GHz
Memory: 2 GB RAM
Graphics: Hardware Accelerated Graphics with 1GB memory
Storage: 3 GB available space

Kickstarter - Fantasy RPG Maps: The Wilderness of the Lost Realms

I've got a ton of Kickstarters to look at still. Slowly catching up, and there are some I've backed but haven't even gotten around to posting about them.

This is one that really caught my eye, and quite literally at that: Fantasy RPG Maps: The Wilderness of the Lost Realms.

The maps are simply gorgeous, with both PDF and POD options.

Heck, you can even support at a level that makes them usable in your commercial products.

Damn, but I'm such a fan of cool maps.

I'll let the maps speak for themselves...

Jon Peterson Comments Upon the Previously Unreleased Syndicated Radio D&D Pilot

You have to give +Jon Peterson a huge amount of credit. When he goes deep into the history of Dungeons & Dragons and into it's dark, forgotten corners he often comes out with D&D Gold. This time, I'd say he hit Platinum.

You can read a bit about the previously unreleased Syndicated Radio D&D Pilot at Jon's Playing at the World blog or even better yet, listen to it and Jon's commentary on Youtube. It's worth the time to listen.

Blood & Treasure 2nd Edition Released in PDF (OSR Ruleset)

Blood & Treasure 2nd Edition was released into the PDF wilds earlier today and there was much rejoicing.

+John Stater , well known for his NOD magazine and Hex Crawls releases under the Frog God Games banner, has completed revising his OSR ruleset, Blood & Treasure, to it's 2nd edition.

Here's what John has to say:

Blood & Treasure is the fantasy role-playing game for people who want to spend less time arguing over rules and more time playing, and the new 2nd Edition continues this tradition. 

Compatible with old school games, it strives to be rules lite and options heavy.
You get ... 

• Thirteen character classes, as well as suggested variations on the existing classes
• The classic fantasy races
• A streamlined and easy optional feats system
• Hundreds of spells and magic items - you can run games for years without running out of new things to try
• Optional scientific treasures for those who like science-fantasy
• Quick and easy rules for exploration, combat, mass combat, naval combat, strongholds and domains and a simple task resolution system
• Guidance on designing dungeons, wilderness, settlements and even the cosmos
• Suggestions on converting to other old school systems and changes between the first and second edition

Blood & Treasure 2nd Edition is designed to give you years of enjoyment in just two volumes, this book and the forthcoming Blood & Treasure 2nd Edition Monster book, which features over 600 monsters to challenge players. 

Blood & Treasure doesn't want to tell you what kind of fantasy game you should enjoy, it just wants to put all the tools in your hands and let you play YOUR GAME, YOUR WAY.

The PDF is 10 bucks with a POD release in the near future.

 

Deal of the Day - Adventure Most Fowl (S&W / OSR Adventure)

I almost missed this one. It's nice to see +Michael Garcia back on the saddle, so to speak ;)

“Curses are like chickens; they always come home to roost”, and if these chickens aren’t found soon, the Village of Kith will be doomed! 

On the edge of the Four Counties, in a backwater village of lost souls, there is a string of robberies that cannot be explained…Farmer Phileas Filson has lost his chickens, or rather he swears that they’ve been pilfered, along with his prize-winning hen Mabel, and no one in town will lift a finger to help. 

You and your adventuring comrades, freshly minted from the forges of fame and fortune, may be his only hope… 

Adventure Most Fowl is a great way to start that new party of low-level adventurers on the path to riches and rewards! With a broad cast of interesting, unusual and perhaps dangerous rural folk, a countryside filled with sheep, squash, and hallucinogenic flora and of course the mystery of missing poultry, your players and their new characters will have a fun-filled romp through this off-color backwater village. 

There’s a terrible force trying to impose itself on the Village of Kith…and it’s up to you to discover its source and put an end to the poultry-pinching party, and the havoc that is destined to follow if your players don’t solve this ADVENTURE MOST FOWL! 

• An OSR Module For 4–6 players level 0–1
• Hand-Drawn maps by DYSON LOGOS!
• 2 All-New Monsters including the Cockalorum!
• Original Artwork by Randy Davis
• For use with Swords & Wizardry, but easily converted and compatible with most OSR systems

edit - this ALMOST got posted to Saturday Knight Special by mistake... heh

Kickstarter - Worldographer: Hexographer 2 - Easy Map/World Creator (Happy Mapping)

I'm way behind on showcasing some of the Kickstarters that really excite me, so bear with mw over the next few posts as I attempt to catch up. Things can move fast when you don't pay attention, and I've been doing my darnedest NOT to find really cool Kickstarters. I need to budget a bit over the next few months.

Then I see that stuff like +Joe Wetzel 's Worldographer Kickstarter, where he takes Hexographer and basically turns it up to 11 (Spinal Tap anyone?)

I've had a lot of success with Hexographer. The learning curve is very small, and for someone like me that has ideas but lacks many of the technical skills to implement them, Hexographer is awesome. I'd like to call it idiot proof, but I'm sure if we look hard enough...

Anyhow, here's some the the new, key features for Worldographer:

• A new architecture allows us to have undo/redo functionality.
• Better "child maps." Create a world map and from that same map create a continent level map as well as a kingdom level map. It will remain one file so most changes to one level map will be reflected in the others.
• Hexographer's rather simple "note" functionality can expand to allow you to detail each location as well as things about your world not tied to a location: religions, cultures, important NPCs, etc. It becomes an interactive Gazetteer!
• We're adding an entirely new, more realistic icon set to the software.
• Polygons, Lines, Ovals, etc. have more options for shadows and textures.
• Easy drag and drop of labels and features: Most apps make this tricky, but we're improving it.
• Icosohedral Maps have been planned into Worldographer from the beginning.
• Configuration of new terrain, features, and textures is much easier. (Just drop files to a specific folder.)
• The new user interface framework gives the software a cleaner look.
• Mini-generators create details for notes about cities, castles, ruins, etc.

What's a "child map" you may ask?

I backed at $50 without giving it a thought. It really was that simple a decision.

Do you need to generate geographical maps for your campaign? Look no further.

Did I mention Joe even hangs out on the Wednesday Night Tavern Chats on occasion? Yep, he's that kinda down to earth guy. Oh, and it launched just over 2 days ago and it's nearly funded. Damn.

Now I need to get back to work ;)

Far West - Far From Done, I'm Ready to Let Go of Any Last Hope

I'm ready to let go of my last hope of Far West coming to a successful conclusion, and you should too.

The last update was May 26th, moving completion from the end of May to early June. We are now at the end of July and this project isn't doing Gareth or any of us any good, because the sad truth is it will never be complete.

The above tweet was from last night (thanks to another awesome reader for brining it to my attention.)

I'm out $150. I NEVER expect to see either a finished product nor my money. Gareth should just admit the same, not just to us but to himself.

Far West is beyond late and, even if it reaches some sort of completion, the money for the print books is long gone. Hell, the cost to ship alone has gone up enough to bankrupt Gareth should he even try.

If Gareth DOES burn out so close to the finish line, so close yet so far away, he'll just punt 6 months down the road and this drama is just put on time delay.

From my POV I'm done. I'll post updates when we get them, because it's still news until Gareth throws in the towel or completes it, and neither of those is a likely conclusion to this drama. It's likely I'll be posting something similar in a year, on my 50th birthday. We're already 5 years in and 4 1/2 years late.

Time to let go...

For Those Wondering, the Deal with the Gygax Trust Was for Movies / TV Series (Don't hold your breath for the release of gaming material)

There was some wondering if the deal announced Wednesday in regards to the rights to the works held by the estate of Gary Gygax would lead to the release of his work that has not seen print since his untimely death.

After reading the quote from Newsarama, I'd say this is purely for movies / TV, which most suspected when the person names is linked to projects like the Transformers movie franchise.

"Studio or network partners that understand the global power of Gary Gygax." Just don't ask the Lake Geneva City Council for a prime park location for his memorial. They are immune to such influence and power... for now.

So, put the movie or TV series before any kind of gaming releases, if there are to be any gaming releases at all.

Again, it's all about the benjemins. There is little if any money to be made from Gary's work from the gaming market, especially at this point in the game.

I'm sure DeSanto already has something lined up.

It will be interesting to see where this all goes.

And yes, all that Gygax Castles & Crusades stuff you've been holding on to - it may just go up in value. Just imagine of some of it is used to source a setting for a movie of series...

Creativity Coupled with Fear of Critique is Doomed to Failure - Creative Writing Professor, Queens College, Spring 88

At the end of my third year of undergrad I took a Creative Writing Class at Queens College. I had always dabbled in writing stories. What gamer hasn't? My professor had a ponytail, was in his late 30s or early 40s and had a couple of works of fiction behind him. He fit the look of "a creative".

The first day of class he mentioned that the course was a "peer review" type course. We were going to read each other's works and critique them. Afterwards, he would critique both the work submitted and the critiques.

One student balked at the "peer review". He didn't like the idea that other students would be reading his work, let alone offering critique publicly in class. He signed up to have his work reviewed and edited by the professor, not other students.

The professor's response still resonates with me today:

Creativity coupled with the fear of critique is doomed to failure. If you create just for yourself and not for your audience, you may as well stay in bed each morning and masturbate. You'll find it both more satisfying and more pleasurable. Creativity finds it's spark when enjoyed by another, and it's flame when those touched by it share with others. 

Creativity often goes hand in hand with playing RPG. You create adventures, map out worlds, some even create their own rules. Then you share it with your gaming group. If you did well, they not only enjoyed it but maybe offered suggestions to make it better. Maybe not better in your eyes, but in their eyes.

The eyes of your audience.

These days I blog and write gaming material. This summer I've been working on the whole idea of a 4 page OSR system, stripping down Swords & Wizardry: White Box to what I'm currently calling Swords & Wizardry: Light. Rules, adventure, setting, my plate is full.

I'm not writing this for myself, although I have written gaming material in the past more as an exercise and less for an audience.

This project, however, has a targeted audience - The Lapsed Gamer. So, it must appeal to that audience as well as the current OSR gamer who may be looking for a ruleset that will slip into a back pocket and that can be printed on a single sheet, ready to go when needed. Tall order, as small as it is.

I've been silent on it recently, mainly because I haven't gotten as far with it as I would like - or had hoped. Summers are busy times and even the recently retired can find themselves stretched beyond their normal time constraints. But it is progressing. Material will be making it's way here to The Tavern over the next few weeks. At which point, you, my loyal reader, will have a responsibility.

You'll need to critique my work. In public. For all to see. And yes, even your critique may be - critiqued.

All feedback is valuable, perhaps even more so if I disagree with it. The tendency to get too attached to your creation is always a fear one rarely wishes to acknowledge, especially to oneself.

Thank you in advance and I'll thank you again when the finished product is better for the eyes put upon it.

Roll20 Announces License Deal with Wizards of the Coast (NEWS)

Here's the official press release of the announcement:

DUNGEONS & DRAGONS LAUNCHING ON ROLL20
The world’s most popular tabletop RPG comes to the world’s most popular virtual tabletop.

OVERLAND PARK, KS (July 28th, 2016) Roll20 announced today a licensing deal for their online “virtual tabletop” to distribute Dungeons & Dragons content. This marks the first licensed collaboration between these two companies, which has been a major goal for Roll20 since its launch in 2012.

“While Roll20 was designed to play nearly any tabletop game, the spark that pushed us to start the product was Dungeons & Dragons,” said cofounder Riley Dutton, “Our very name, ‘Roll20’ comes from the concept of a ‘critical hit’ as popularized by D&D. For us, D&D represents an evergreen part of our gaming lives, and to be officially working with its creators and caretakers certainly feels like we’ve made a winning roll.”

The launch is beginning with sales of the introductory adventure module Lost Mine of Phandelver, which comes with pregenerated characters, image handouts, maps, and tokens prearranged in Roll20 to help Dungeon Masters avoid lengthy setup times. Other licensed products will follow, including Dungeons & Dragon’s latest upcoming adventure storyline Storm King’s Thunder, which is available in Roll20 for preorder and launches September of 2016.

Roll20 already leads the virtual tabletop category, with an overall online population of over 1.6 million users, more than 46% of which identify themselves as players of the current edition of D&D.

“We’re always looking to broaden access to Dungeons & Dragons, and Roll20 already plays a significant part of that expansion,” said Greg Tito, Communications Manager at Wizards of the Coast. “We are excited to see what the future brings.”

ABOUT ROLL20
Roll20, owned by The Orr Group LLC, began as an effort to keep developers Riley Dutton, Richard Zayas, and Nolan T. Jones in touch via long distance tabletop gaming. Since launching via Kickstarter in 2012, it has attracted over 1.6 million users as a free service, becoming the preeminent way to play tabletop roleplaying games online and developing into a staple of in-person play. The award-winning program continues to be funded by subscribers who receive features that assist advanced gameplay.

ABOUT WIZARDS OF THE COAST
Wizards of the Coast LLC, a subsidiary of Hasbro, Inc. (NASDAQ:HAS), is the leader in entertaining the lifestyle gamer. Wizards' players and fans are members of a global community bound together by their love of both digital gaming and in-­person play. The company brings to market a range of gaming experiences under powerful brand names such as MAGIC: THE GATHERING and DUNGEONS & DRAGONS. Wizards is also a publisher of fantasy series fiction with numerous New York Times best-­sellers. For more information about our world renowned brands, visit the Wizards of the Coast Web site at www.wizards.com.

CONTACT FOR ROLL20
Suzanne Wallace
suzanne@roll20.net

Humble RPG Book Bundle - Vampire

Now, I know this might not be on the radar of most of my readers, but I remember when Vampire, Werewolf and Mage first came out. They were damn interesting even if I could never convince my group to play.

The value of this Humble Bundle is simply amazing, and if that buck gives you some ideas or inspiration for whatever system you are running you've more than made your money back.

The link to the Humble RPG Book Bundle - Vampire