Gullhor (formerly known as Cafaror), 6th level elven fighter - quiet but deadly
Skeleton no.1
Skeleton no.2
Skeleton no.3
Skeleton no.4
Skeleton no.5
Skeleton no.6
Skeleton no.7
and 7 zombies.
Currently off-stage
Galzor, 4th level cleric - mysteriously disappeared along with the Third and his coffin.
Zanurax, 3rd level thief (recovering from being partly eaten by a lion and has now gone to join Merlin)
Olaf, 4th level dwarven fighter, now returning to his clan halls
Merlin, 3rd level thief (called away on the business of the Thieves' Guild)
Adthar, 4th level fighter - currently both an Ettin and a statue
Elador, nth level magic-user - called away on special assignments but will act as mentor and adviser to the team
The Fallen
Galadeus, 2nd level ranger - drowned and then eaten by a shark.....aaaaaand he's BACK!
What I'm DMing for 6 new junior players
Old School Links to Wisdom
Give your d12...
...some Old School love
Running now
Call of Cthulhu - visit our wiki
That's what Old School means to me
"These rules are flexible and open to interpretation - designed not to cover all conceivable situations, but to allow good Referees and Players the freedom to create and play games of their own design."
from the Lulu download page for The White Box S&W from BHP
"This game is unlike chess in that the rules are not cut and dried. In many places, they are guidelines and suggested methods only. This is part of the attraction of Advanced Dungeons and Dragons"
The Reboot and Its Application
-
Like a lot of other people, I caught *Star Trek: Into Darkness* over the
weekend. My capsule review: If you liked the first one as you watched it
you wil...
Skeleton Puncher: First Session Postmortem
-
I played online with a new group last night. The game: *D&D IV*.
Here are a couple of things I noticed (as well as some things I need to
work on).
1...
Adventure to the MAX!
-
Over the years the roleplaying hobby has thrown up a number of games
specifically designed to be played by kids and in the process, actually
introduce the...
Neverwinter Online
-
Some of you may know that in addition to being a hot new voice in fantasy,
I also design CRPGs - a career that began 11 years ago when the 20-year-old
me g...
Kingdom Come - "Official" Trailer...
-
This is a four-minute fan-made trailer for a non-existant film of the one
of the all-time great graphic novels: *Kingdom Come*.
It has to be said that u...
From Script to Coloured Page 4
-
Andie Tong’s finished inks are coloured by Pete Pantazis and end up like
this: I guess before starting on this project I was vaguely aware that you
usually...
The ritual
-
One by one the seven men arrived to the house. They were received by an
grim looking warforged that gave them a key. They were ordered to get into
a side r...
New Acquisitions
-
Today a friend and I took my son hiking in Palo Duro Canyon while our wives
stayed home doing whatever wives do when husbands are away. (I don't want
to k...
Geek Music Done WELL
-
While cruising YouTube I found a heavy vein of covers of music from various
geeky sources such as the Hobbit, Lord of the Rings, and even Skyrim. Here
are ...
Love Hurts
-
My theory is that Hurt is the Ninth Doctor, the one who ended the Time War, and because of his actions the others would like to forget about him and count Ec...
Prize draw! Not mine...
-
The awesome and incredible Tamsin is holding another draw! Check it out:
http://wargaminggirl.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/100k-prize-draw-day-4.html
Regiment Schomberg
-
The Regiment Schomberg was a mercenary unit in service to the Duchy of
Savoy. Unlike the Duke's line regiments, mercenary regiments (often formed
around a ...
Black Company Sale that's not really a sale
-
Tor does some great books.
Recently they put on "sale" the first volume of the Black Company for $2.99.
Okay...
Chronicles of the Black Company is $7.99 I...
Trust in Gaming
-
I was digging through some stuff on my computer and I found a link to an
old PBWorks site that I was using over 5 YEARS AGO to document my thoughts
and ide...
How I run skills in a skill-based game
-
How I play skills in my GURPS game.
*Skill rolls tell you how well your character executes your actions, not
what actions your character takes.*
The playe...
Is Sesqua Valley a suburb of Yuggoth?
-
Ye olde Portland, Oregon, harbors the largest single organism on the
planet: A nearly 4 mile wide fungus that descends into the soil as deep as
a grave.
...
Alchemy
-
So, alchemy was a peculiar pursuit wherein the transformation of materials
through processes we now think of as chemical reactions were in some way
represe...
Another Crowd-funding Plug!
-
[image: 20130508142223-large-banner]
Heya folks,
I just wanted to plug another game related crowd funding project. I have
recently taken up several mini...
On Editing and Writing More Better
-
For tighter writing, weigh your words.
I could have written that sentence in a host of other ways with minor
variations in meaning, such as...
- If you...
Session 22
-
Session 22: A Farewell to Arms
The Roster:
Mike D – Andy Little, 2nd Level Warrior, Climb Sheer Surfaces
Kevin - Forest of Shul, 2nd Level Paladin, Find /...
More OGL Musings
-
I've rambled on in the past about my waffling on the OGL. I don't play
Labyrinth Lord or Swords & Wizardry for the most part. I own the real D&D
books - ...
Four-Color Furies: WW2 Supers RPGs
-
*THE DOOMSDAY LANDINGS*
This list brings together the various games which have combined superheroes
(or beings with super powers) and World War II. That's a...
Campaigns I'd like to run: RPG Carnival for May
-
I've decided to take a crack at the RPG Blog Carnival this month,
especially since the topic is so easy: *Campaigns I'd Like to Run*, a topic
chosen by Lo...
Problem #11: Queen's Last Hope
-
Cydella, the beautiful Queen of Verloren, has organized a massive army and
the Dwarves have finally finished the mile-long mountain tunnel opening
direct a...
On the Effects of Magic, 2nd level Wizard
-
DKZ
The magical energies contained in the brain could cause side effects. When
the wizard acts as a conduit there are risks. As these are second level
side...
Frightful Fridays! Zloty
-
**
*Welcome back to Frightful Fridays! which returns with a doozy of a
monster. In a Paizo messageboard thread that I frequent (Forums are Way Too
Long, no...
RPG Musings: Setting and Mechanics
-
There is an interesting aspect of rpg design which I've only recently begun
to contemplate: the connection between setting and mechanics. You'll
notice th...
Mortar the Gargoyle, Reaper Miniatures #77028
-
Mortar the Gargoyle, #77028
Reaper Miniatures
While I am waiting for my Reaper Kickstarter to arrive I could not help but
paint one Bones mini up so that I...
Against the Giants: Session Fifty-Eight
-
After Ungrid bashes in the wall, the party find another vault with yet
another bronze statue of the dwarf god, surrounded by six locked iron
chests inscrib...
Comic: Mordenhatin'
-
Here's a funny comic that was brought to my attention about *Mordenkainen*and
*Elminster*. I've jabbed at these two in comic form more than once before,
s...
Old School Aphorisms
-
Søren Kierkegaard, on the development of players characters by play, and
emphasising that 'story' is something made after play:
*Life can only be understo...
Weekend Sale, 25% Off!
-
I'm off to Sweden for a few days, so until 11:59pm Sunday Finnish time, you
can get 25% off of any 10€+ order (pre-tax, pre-shipping) in the LotFP storeby u...
Blood, Gold, and Lizards: Saturday Group
-
Here are the Saturday Group characters for my new campaign:
*Belladonna "Frongol" Leagallow *– a Halfling professional adventurer and
cleric of Mannan, Go...
Back to the White Box
-
After making two characters using the rolemaster rules, our group balked at
the magnitude of the endeavor. We barely have time to play, let alone
invest 1...
RPG Talk episode 1: Are Magic-Users balanced?
-
RPG Talk episode 1
In this video, I talk about how to balance Magic-Users in D&D with the
other Classes.
Side-note: I forgot to mention that spells are lim...
New Comics Wednesday: Batgirl (DC New 52)
-
Batgirl #20, on-sale 5/15/2013Here's another look at a comic that, a year
ago, I wouldn't have seen myself reading. It's a case of how strong,
intriguing w...
Race as Class: Skilled Classes
-
Here are the Skilled Classes, the Specialist and the Gnome.
Fighting classes here, Magic classes here.
*Specialist*
Description: A human who has speci...
The Maim Cabinet
-
For the curious, I'm still alive. It's been a little while since I've
posted anything that's not a *Deadlands* replay, so here's what you missed:
I've men...
Flying carpets
-
I spent a good chunk of the last nine months labouring over the Virtual
Reality and Way of the Tiger gamebooks in order to convert them to Epub3.
It was l...
Tyre
-
**
**
**
*Tyre is old. It was already old when the well-greaved Achaeans butchered
the sons of Troy. Its purple has died the the robes of kings since the...
Dev Diary - AFF science fiction: Phew!
-
When I agreed to write the science fiction version of the Advanced Fighting
Fantasy game I knew it would be a lot of work, but I honestly didn't
realise ho...
Noticias de mayo de 2013 (Tercera parte)
-
Constantino Romero (1947-2013)
El pasado domingo falleció Constantino Romero, figura famosa de radio y televisión asà como actor y doblador reconocido por h...
Old School Gamers Looking For a Group
-
Does anyone know of any regular Old School style campaigns played over
Google+ or Skype that happen to be looking for new players? Anything
happening e...
Og: Unearthed Edition
-
"You bang hairy food thing!" said Ug.
Uk shook his head. "Hairy thing bang me! Me food!"
Ug frowned. "Go food! Me bang you!"*
It's tough being a caveman...
The Unheroic Demise of Marvel Heroic Roleplaying
-
In the world of super-hero comics the death of a hero can be an
ostentatious event and great characters often don't stay dead for long.
Unfortunatly I feel...
Black Raven Size Comparisons
-
I know some people in the past have asked about various miniature lines
size comparison. I'm just doing my part in making it a little more clear.
On the l...
Essay on Lovecraft
-
My fellow Lovecraft fans, I think that this piece in the *Los Angeles
Review of Books *may be of interest to you! It is a fine essay on
Lovecraft's work (...
Stars Without Number
-
I'm late to the game (as usual) with this title. Better late then never,
especially in the case. I have to admit that as much as I enjoy classic
gaming in...
Tomorrow's War AAR: Tiger by the Tail
-
The boy and I had another opportunity to play a wargame in a way that
required us to don sunscreen before rolling them bones. Just another day
in paradise...
Extended absence
-
Note - I will be moving shortly and afterward may be going into the
hospital for an extended time. I will try to post more material after the
move but it m...
Conflicting Assumptions while Gaming
-
My sporadic playing in a 3.5 game has been interesting; it's been the first
time I've spent anything more than a one-shot on the players' side of the
"scre...
Pondering D&D Next's Future
-
Mike Mearls spent the last several Legends and Lore talking about changes
to Feats, Skills, Backgrounds and presumably, the removal of Themes from
"Basic" ...
Bleys of Glory: Mark of Amber Review Pt 2
-
Well, I keep forgetting to bring the maps for Mark of Amber with me, so
this will be commentary on the individual room descriptions themselves.
Chateau Sy...
Mexican Cowboys
-
Here they are, fresh from the paint brush. Mexican cowboys or *vaquero*.
Some mean looking hombres! Based with new flock, winter grass and some
Matarangi b...
R.I.P.: Andrew J. Offutt 1934-2013
-
Saddened by the news of andrew j. offutt's passing. Having only recently
drunk deeply from the Advanced Dungeon And Dragons Appendix N well, Mr.
offutt's ...
Psychedelic Fantasies module #3
-
In the spirit of shameless self-promotion I'm very happy to announce module
#3 in the Psychedelic Fantasies line by Geoffrey McKinney, author of
Supplement...
Gomerville, new village on the Borderlands
-
We just finished what I'm pretty sure was our 8th session of Keep on the
Borderlands, and we're ready to go on to other things. The PCs have not
left the m...
Ancon convention and loot report
-
ANCON has ended,
Pretty good convention overall, although Friday was a bust. Having no
players for my 40K demo I played the Nercomunda demo which didn't ge...
These Help Me DM on the Fly
-
See these folders? They all have picture files to help me pull random stuff
out of nowhere. And then I usually play online and can screen-share with
the P...
Am I a GNS Person?
-
"GNS" is a theory about the priorities for the game experience that are
brought to the table by the players and DM. It stood for gamist,
narrativist, and ...
Star Fails III -- Payday in the Frozen City
-
*The Crew*
*Jason Slade*, big damn hero
*Gold-Gold-Mauve*, gun-amoeba
*Squishy, nee-"Greenie,**"* eukaryote bullet-sponge
*Grug-Ugh-ng*, turret puncher
*Priv...
D&D Products of the 1970s and Sandbox Games
-
One thing I've noticed is the D&D products of the 1970s seem awfully
different from the material produced now. Not totally - looking through the
material ...
Battlestar Galactica: the boardgame
-
Just today I had the chance to play the Battlestar Galactica board game,
and to be quite frank, I was impressed. It full-heartedly embraces the
paranoia an...
Relative Popularities of OSR Games
-
If G+ community size is any indicator...
634 - Swords & Wizardry
551 - Original D&D
549 - Dungeon Crawl Classics
512 - Advanced D&D
329 - Lamentations of...
Getting back to it
-
It's been about a month or so since I posted last. I have been pretty much
sidelined on a lot of projects because of some pretty severe pain in my
hands an...
Session 23-24 - Paige 12
-
So much has happened since the last time I had a second to stop and think.
I could talk for a while about all of the little things - the stuff we
found be...
I'm Back
-
Well after being in the dumps for sometime, I think ill crawl back out and
get to work role playing. The blues rock band is no more so I get the
garage bac...
Q is for Qualities!
-
The other day when I posted about the Organization rules I'm tinkering with
and used Marvel Comics' S.H.I.E.L.D. as a example, I forgot to include the
a li...
Forming Your Perfect Gaming Group
-
No matter who you might think the "perfect" gaming group consists of, and
there are as many ideas as there are groups, there is often a pattern to
forming...
Roguish Luck in S&W.
-
Rogues are any characters that rely on luck, wits, and street smarts to
overcome their problems. They can be thieves, merchants, assassins,
swashbuckling...
The Tyrant of Raxxe
-
Raxxe is a heavily populated kingdom, some distance west along the coast
from the City Infinite and bordering the Hundred Houses on the east and
Crowkeep ...
Try the Roast Boar, It's Excellent.
-
*Ravensport, the Eastern Labyrinth.*
*A sprawling maze of cobblestone streets wrapped in wet fog.*
*Port of mystery, nest of corruption and dark dealings.*
*...
Around the World in Eighty Days
-
On my most recent vacation I continue to indulge in reading old classics.
This is made quite easy via the free (expired copyright) books which are
availab...
Carl's Creatures pt.3 - Temple Toad Temon
-
This is your garden variety six legged toad demon bred by were-toad
cultists in the mutating energy of the Huwawa complex. It is large enough
to swallow a...
Petty Gods
-
I'll be submitting two new pieces (and possibly more) to this project as
they already have four I did previously. I'm really excited that Michael
Moorcock ...
A letter from a stranger
-
When the post arrived at work today it contained a wonderful surprise. I
sometimes forget that this blog is public and that it's rather easy to find
out w...
The Short Life of Masha the Werewolf
-
The only werewolf NPC I ever featured in a D&D game was named Masha. She
started as the kid's enemy, but after several bloody encounters the group
and she ...
The Evolution of the Fighter in D&D - 5e Take 2
-
There were some serious changes to the fighter class in the latest (3/20)
D&D Next playtest package, so time for more testing. Due to rule changes,
the fig...
L is for Linnorm
-
*"Doesn't matter how many legs we've got, we'll still give you a kicking!"*
Linnorms are powerful monsters closely related to dragons. Like dragons,
they ...
Delta Green / Nemesis
-
I've been gathering material to run a Delta Green campaign using the Nemesisrules. The One Roll Engine rules look like they'll make for a pretty
deadly gam...
Horseradish Dumplings
-
My standard accompaniment to stews and casseroles. Simple to make and very
filling. Makes 3-4 dumplings depending on how big you want them.
*Ingredients*
1...
Status
-
Complimentary bong and ass-less chaps available at visitor information
centers statewide!
Long time no post.
Lots of ups and downs, more medical shit. I...
Everything Changes
-
Well, it's been close to a year since my last update. I've noticed that
many in the OSR community of bloggers have apparently fallen by the
wayside, and ...
Fighting Capability
-
The following is from CHAINMAIL:
*Here, each figure will do only as well as its known capabilities foretell,
with allowances for chance factors which affe...
D&D Campaign Setting: Earth: the Planes
-
Here's what I've been working on on the "D&D Earth" Campaign Setting I
talked about earlier. It's a work in progress, but it is about D&D Earth's
relations...
2013 Three Castles Award Nominees
-
The North Texas RPG Con is proud to present our finalists for the Third
Annual Three Castles Award for RPG Design. This year we have five finalists
and I ...
Stealing from the Gamebooks, #3
-
So it's apparently NZ's hottest summer in 60 years or so, and the water
restrictions and fire bans are popping up all over the place. Personally, I
don't c...
Doing Doodles
-
So there are signed books, and everyone seems to like those. A signature
takes 3 seconds and can triple the price of a book (or more, depending
where you t...
Livrent Region Map (5-mile sub-hexes)
-
Here is the region around Livrent Colony (Hex 32.23 on the West Danarbi
map), at 5-miles per sub-hex scale. (The RED labels indicate the continent
map hex ...
Talisman 4th Edition
-
Frequenting my local brick and mortar gaming store here in Manchester (one
which I was yet to play or buy anything in), I finally braved the unknown
and pu...
Closing Down
-
I am closing the blog "Beyond the Drowning Woods" effective immediately.
Back in January 2013, on the occassion of the FATE Core Kickstarter, I
began a new...
Xeria: Xerin Occupation Chart
-
The proud, dark Xerins are a race descended from the ancient rulers of the
desert. Their knowledge of magic and the crafting of magical artifacts has
bee...
Once, there was a dream called Camelot
-
I still love watching Excalibur, after all these years. Not in the least
because of Nicol Williamson's brilliant portrayal of Merlin.
RUINS OF THE UNDERCITY
-
*
**Deep beneath the streets of the City-State of Cryptopolis, sanctuary of
the lich-thieves and abode of the Red Goddess, sewers and ancient ruins
mingle...
A New Year
-
Happy New Year everyone! I hope every one's holidays were great, and I'm
looking forward to 2013.
It should be of no surprise to anyone that the world did...
Thieving: 75%
-
*As of 2013, I'm going to be transferring my gaming posts over to my other
blog. I'm sure I had a good reason to be running two blogs at some point
but I'v...
A New Face
-
The room was quickly filing with noxious fumes. Gruffydd turned to nearest
door and began smashing it with his hammer. Meanwhile, Miss Adventure
sprinted t...
Pre Generated Characters or WHYYY?
-
I was looking around my area for D&D games and came upon this description
for one:* *
*A thousand years ago, a thousand survivors of a holy war between the...
The Physics of Cthulhu
-
This paper is a bit of a doozy. Dr. Benjamin Tippett, a physicist at the
University of New Brunswick, examines the eyewitness and other descriptions
given ...
Absence Makes the List Grow Longer
-
Space Kraken. Dangerous and Delicious. It has been many months since I
have had time to write for the blog. In the interim, the Sunday Night
Pathfin...
Tufty Terror
-
The Tufty Terror’s secret remains unknown most of the year, appearing as it
does to be nothing more than a common squirrel. For several weeks every
Autumn...
Errinian Foot Knight
-
Another old sketch resurrected, this time of an Errinian Foot Knight.
Depicting a Foot Knight of Krynar descent, these peoples make up the
backbone of the ...
Cosmic Horror Design, Part II
-
Today I've been working on skills for the *Cosmic Horror SRD*. I think the
*Call of Cthulhu d20* skill system - pulled from the D&D 3.0 SRD (I think)
- is...
True Colors
-
Your results:
*You are An Expendable Character (Redshirt)*An Expendable Character
(Redshirt)
------------------------------
60%Spock
---------------------...
Missing In Action
-
I'd like to apologize for being absent for so long one of the things I
wanted to continue with this blog was to maintain a healthy and regular
posting sche...
Mystery Reading
-
I have been thinking about mystery gaming recently. I am not usually much
of a mystery reader, I loved Sherlock Holmes as a kid, but I tend towards
science...
New Website & Blog Live
-
Finally the pieces start to come together. The new website is up (not much
on the front page to look at yet) and the blog is located on the second tab
at t...
Campaign Developments
-
Since it's been months since the last time I posted, and my very well be a
long time before I next post, here are a couple of "status of the campaign"
note...
Drei nette Gesellen für Gamma World
-
Hallo Allerseits,
gedanklich spinne ich mal wieder mit einer Idee rum, die ich noch nie
wirklich umsetzen konnte... ein Megadungeon! Leider hapert es da be...
[Wholehearted Endorsement]
-
Just a quick break in the (in)action to plug a product that I'm happy to
endorse.
John Stater (of NOD fame) has just put out the "Switzerland of the editio...
Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser redux
-
As a followup to my previous post, here are the covers to the White Wolf
omnibus editions of Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser, with cover art from Mike
Mignola. ...
All quiet on the Arcana front
-
I've not posted anything to do with AoA because of taking up Warhammer 40k
as an ongoing second ruleset so I get a game in more than every six months
or so...
-
* SPAWN OF CHAOS*
*or why massacres of cute goblin babies are not a problem in my games*
I enjoy a moral dilemma as much as the next guy, but I don't find ...
Take my Zagyg...Please!
-
Sad to say, I just moved and I need money for new furniture and other
boring things. That means selling my precious Castle Zagyg Upper Works
boxed set.
A ...
Final Faustus/Odysseus preparations and a flood
-
So, I'm sitting there, tinkering away with the sewing machine when the rain
starts. That's been happening a lot lately, but this was one of those
downpour...
The Bladed Earth: Twenty Questions (Part IV)
-
*16. How about gladiatorial arenas complete with hard-won glory and
fabulous cash prizes?*
In Port Canciare, far to the east, there are several such arenas...
Farewell to my Savage Eberron character!
-
Rest in Peace Yton Greenleaf. (In a T-Rex's digestive system!)
My Savage (Worlds) Eberron character, the lovable and entertaining halfling
bard, Yton Gree...
[Comic book] Captain Marvel and CC Beck
-
This is the second in an irregular series of posts about stuff, possibly a
bit outside the rpg norm, that has sidled into my subconscious, crept into
my co...
D&D next open playtest is out...
-
The materials for the open play test are quite different from the closed
play test items my group has been playing with. My first reaction to this
new stuf...
Fin.
-
This blog is no longer actively maintained. This blog was a personal
journey and exploration of an old guy who loves playing OD&D (Original 1974
D&D), AD&D...
Incident on Outer Reach
-
Outer Reach, the scummy hive of wretched villainy, in the Dramune System,
the Frontier. These are the wanderings of a band of jaded mercenaries, on
a cont...
Grab a Helping Hand
-
Yesterday's post about crossing a slimy rope bridge over dangerous waters
didn't talk about what happens if a character falls. Can the character grab
the r...
All I Have to Do is Dream…
-
Dream sequences are a significant part of the fiction that inspired the
game. Conan meets with the Epemitreus the Sage in a dream in *The Phoenix
on the...
Once More Unto that Vast Stony Hell
-
I ran Stonehell again last night. It went well: the PCs hired two clerics
in the keep to investigate the Quiet Halls, and they actually turned the
Bone T...
Cthulhu Fhtagn! Cryptdidical Edition.
-
Cryptdidical brings us this highly stylized Cthulhu idol.
In his comments about the sculpt he's pretty harsh on himself, rather
unnecessarily so. He's ass...
Happy & Stinky
-
It's garden time at The Manor. Dig my new flowers. Got some herb seeds, too. Not only did I get done with work super duper early today, but we have plenty...
St. Amaro's Western Adventure
-
While researching my folk saints I came across a most intriguing real-world
figure, the legendary, uncanonized *Santo Amaro*.
This blessed wanderer set sai...
Codex Celtarium / Troll Lord Swag
-
I got my box of Troll Lord goodness today including the Codex Celtarum.
The timing is perfect since I have a bunch of things I want to do with C&C.
So lo...
Weekend Bookface, Part 1
-
Bookface!
Space-Age Sorcery has been updated! Go grab version 1.5!
------------------------------
Tarnhelm's Terrible Tome: House Rules for 0e Games fro...
FT-17 in 1/76 from Revell/Matchbox
-
I’m not sure I should call this a reinforcement to the French forces, but
anyway, here it is: a FT-17 from Revell’s remake of the classic Matchbox
set wit...
Dungeon! Inventory
-
After playing Dungeon again tonight for the umpteenth time, I finally got
around to checking my set (the 1981 revision) versus the inventory list
found o...
Bugle Doodle - Elephantipuppy
-
I doodled this guy while listening to this week's edition of The Bugle (the
greatest podcast in the universe).
I haven't really decided yet whetehr it's h...
No Rest
-
There are always signs your DM is evil. Sleepiness can be one of them. Of
course there are other signs. And sleepiness can simply mean they've
worked t...
The cleric is dead. Long live the magic-user.
-
My cleric, Anselm, bit the dust in last night's OD&D game (due to a rather
foolish bit of bravado). In all of five minutes I had a new magic-user
rolled up...
End-of-Week Trek (5/17/13)
-
I always liked the version of Star Trek that was in my head more than what
they have shown on the big and small screens. My preferred Trek is more
like T...
Observations on Play by Email Games - Part II
-
In the first part of this two-part series, I wrote about the setup and prep
I use for running play by email (PBM) games. This article will focus on the
ac...
Organic Design
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Just a few notes today. I've started using Evernote so I can secretly write D&D notes from anywhere in the world as long as I have my ipad/laptop and have th...
Reference to Dark ("Drow") Elves Dating Back to 1884
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*"The three 'D Series' modules...owe little, if anything, to fiction. Drow
are mentioned in Keightley’s THE FAIRY MYTHOLOGY, as I recall (it might
have bee...
Savage Worlds Character Sheet PDF
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Now that the Savage Worlds Character Sheet Pad Kickstarter has hit its
funding goal, the FREE PDF of the sheet is available for download at
RPGNow.com. Th...
Bite-Sized Blog: Iron Man the Third
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What could have been...
Saw it a few days ago, before I went to the States. I’m not going to write
a full review, but I do feel sufficiently moved to comm...
Dash and Glory
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A recent thread on theRPGsite asks the question, "Karma, action points,
extra dice/points are they a sign of a weak system[?].
I first ran into what John K...
Weird Beard [Mystery Men!]
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Professor Bartholomew Vandyke was working on the regeneration of human
tissue when he accidentally created a strange, living filament. While
working with a...
Death Frost (Pulp) Doom: 4th Run
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So, the Thursday game gets canceled three hours before it's supposed to
run. I stepped up and ran Death Frost Doom, since it's one of the only
things I ca...
Monday Night Microlite20 - The Jungle Awaits!
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Another night of Microlite20 and our party is;
Davrry - Gnome Druid (Ross N.)
Grey - Elven Cleric (Genny C.)
Hallow Ancyn - Human Fighter (Mike C.)
Logo ...
Come & Get It!!!
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If you are interested in checking out a new rpg on the cheap and want
something different from the wave of retroclones and take a step out of the
typical f...
News....
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Hey guys! I know there wasn't a full week of monsters and the three that I
did post were redrawings, but I wanted to give you *something* before the
inevit...
Traveller 5 is out in the wild
-
Looks like Marc Miller has started shipping books of Traveller 5 to the
pre-orders.
RPGSite Thread - Here are some pics and various posts about its content...
Book Review | The Humans by Matt Haig
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Buy this book from
Amazon.co.uk / Amazon.com
IndieBound / The Book Depository
Or get the Kindle edition
*It's hardest to belong when you're closest to ho...
L'amore tra i mostri: Session 7, Q4-6
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Continued from HERE.
*4. How can the fight be brought to the enemy, gaining ground for the
heroic motivation? *
*Be the PCs first: *
*Encounter: infiltrat...
Ravenloft Remix: Zherisia
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Zherisia
*Precis:* Fantasy London through a Gothic lens.
*Conspectus: *A small island that is home to a single city, Paridon;
Paridon is a foggy metropoli...
Panic Rooms (An Optional Rule for Old School Games)
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Home Sweet Home
One of my favorite rules to appear in the OSR blogosphere was Dungeons &
Dawn Patrol by Jeff Rients. However, I do fear that it makes trick...
A Bit About My Creative Process...
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I'm working on *Operation Rogue Lion *(the first *Classified *mission) and
thought some may be interested in my creative process.
I first start with a roug...
Graphic Novel Challenge: The Boxer
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[image: IMG_5963_01]
The Boxer follows the life of Hertzko 'Harry' Haft. Haft was born in 1925
and in 1941, he was deported to Auschwitz. There, more or le...
Sci-Fi Monday: I'm a Glitter Boy!
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Just so you know, I'm a glitter boy! Or, I guess to be more precise, my
grandson will be. Back a few years ago when he was getting the revision of *Rifts ...
Domains at War: Battles Playtest
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Ran a first game of DaW:B yesterday afternoon for the old ACKS crew. Just
played the first scenario with no terrain, and it went alright. Our main
diffic...
Nature's Miracle
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Nature's Miracle is a magic item designed for Monstrarium, but easily
convertable for other systems. Just assume *+1s* is a +1 in OSR-type games,
and *+1d*...
Money of Wampus Country
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Although in many localities barter is common, it is the dollar which makes
Wampus Country go 'round. Gold, silver, and copper coins are in
circulation...
Review: The Teratic Tome - A Book of Horrors
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(This review is also posted at RPG.net. A 20-page preview is available
here: link.)
Rafael Chandler hooked me up with a copy of his new monster book, the...
And the winner is...
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*MU!!!* Despite all the mispellings and grammar errors, my Lovecraftian
weird fantasy setting took first place in the *Swords & Wizardry*Appreciation Day Bl...
PlayerHUD
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Here is an idea I think I'll try with my group tomorrow. First the roots
of the idea:
1. James Raggi posted about having players put two index cards in fr...
Bleys of Glory: Mark of Amber Review Pt 2
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Well, I keep forgetting to bring the maps for Mark of Amber with me, so
this will be commentary on the individual room descriptions themselves.
Chateau Sy...
R.I.P. Ray Harryhausen
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Ray Harryhausen (June 29, 1920 - May 7, 2013)
I was saddened to learn of the passing, earlier today, of film legend, Ray
Harryhausen. Ray was one of the i...
Psychedelic Fantasies module #3
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In the spirit of shameless self-promotion I'm very happy to announce module
#3 in the Psychedelic Fantasies line by Geoffrey McKinney, author of
Supplement...
Alternative Combat System for D&D
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If you're playing B/X or something similar, but perhaps you're a bit of a
"roll player" (like me!), here's a quick little bolt-on system to bring
some extr...
Review: Atarin's Delve.
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Small Niche Games is fast becoming one of my favorite indie RPG publishers
of tight, coherent adventures for Labyrinth Lord. Atarin's Delve provides a
g...
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Here are a few drawings I did back in the early 90s. The intent back then
was to use them as visual aids during DnD games, and a couple of them
actually fu...
Spring, and Three Magic Items
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So, spring has hit central New York. There is sunshine and short-sleeve
weather. My lawn needs mowing, the garage needs cleaning, and that's why
posting ...
Star Fails III -- Payday in the Frozen City
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*The Crew*
*Jason Slade*, big damn hero
*Gold-Gold-Mauve*, gun-amoeba
*Squishy, nee-"Greenie,**"* eukaryote bullet-sponge
*Grug-Ugh-ng*, turret puncher
*Priv...
Condensed Campaign Update
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As mentioned in the last post, my group has been in the wilderness
travelling cross country for a few months of game time to get to the city
of Pax Valis, ...
The Book of Zargo Zar the Sage
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One of the artifacts that the archivists at Parn Tandalorn are most keenly
interested in locating, and one which has so far totally eluded magical
location...
Playing with Play-by-Post Mechanics
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Oddysey and I were chatting last night about play-by-post gaming. Her
recent adventures in learning to code has her intrigued by the idea of
creating GM to...
Battlestar Galactica: the boardgame
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Just today I had the chance to play the Battlestar Galactica board game,
and to be quite frank, I was impressed. It full-heartedly embraces the
paranoia an...
Swords & Wizardry House Rules
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I recently bought the Swords & Wizardry complete rules book and
Monstrosities. It sits along side several other OSR games I’ve picked up
over the last year...
New Microlite74 Variant Coming Very Soon
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I was recently (like last Monday) offered a $100 donation to the
RetroRoleplaying Cancer Fund if I would piece together various rules from
the different Mi...
Against the Cult of the Reptile God
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Wizards just made N1 Against the Cult of the Reptile God available in PDF.
I have fond memories of running this game back when it first came out. On
the su...
Hat Trick
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Yesterday was one of those good days that don't come around anywhere near
as often as we'd like.
1. I had my last administrative meeting of the academic y...
Session 23-24 - Paige 12
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So much has happened since the last time I had a second to stop and think.
I could talk for a while about all of the little things - the stuff we
found be...
Blood has been Promised
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Via Facebook. And it is excellent. Highly recommended. Also, hello, hi,
I'm not dead. Over the hill though now, being 30 and all. Still reading Eye
of the...
PC Events: BARD
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Go here to check out the series I'm continuing by Grim from Beyond the
Black Gate.
Go here to check out how I'm using these charts.
*PC EVENTS: BARD (1d...
Dodecahedrons of Doom!
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Hey look! I'm posting again.
Hoping to be less of a lazyman about this blog and my gaming. So here's
something that's maybe possibly useful. I'll get aroun...
Bardic Songcasting
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Building off of the outline of the Bard class, here is how they cast spells:
Bardic Songcasting
Bards perform their songs by singing, dancing, or playing ...
Death of the Dwarvern Deathdealer?
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The Dweorgas class option for skirmishers is the Deathdealer. Initially I
wanted to avoid the cliched crossbow as the dwarf missile option so I came
up wi...
I've Been Absent for a While
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I haven't blogged for a while. I had some health issues, my daughter Ashli
has had some health issues and two of my Aunts died this year, which just
brou...
The Tyrant of Raxxe
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Raxxe is a heavily populated kingdom, some distance west along the coast
from the City Infinite and bordering the Hundred Houses on the east and
Crowkeep ...
Try the Roast Boar, It's Excellent.
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*Ravensport, the Eastern Labyrinth.*
*A sprawling maze of cobblestone streets wrapped in wet fog.*
*Port of mystery, nest of corruption and dark dealings.*
*...
AD&D Monster Manual Part 44
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*SEA HAG:*
Sea hags first appeared in *Supplement II: Blackmoor* as a kind of reverse
dryad. As the sea hag was so likened to a dryad in its original entr...
Wizards: The Moment Pregnant with the Future
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They say a picture's worth a thousand words, and they say brevity is the
soul of wit, but they aren't always right. Some things that are important
can onl...
The Hitch Hikers Guide to Alternity
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*Individual science fiction stories may seem as trivial as ever to the
blinder critics and philosophers of today - but the core of science
fiction, its ess...
Detroit on the eve of the 21st century
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Wheat-fields in front of the Central Station
The once bustling Motor City has become all but a ghost town, with nature
having reclaimed whole districts. F...
B4: The Lost City
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This entry is part 42 of 42 in San CheckLost in the desert! The only hope
for survival lies in a ruined city rising out of the sands. Food, water,
and weal...
Delightful Deluxe T&T Photo
-
I was just updating some links and checking back in on the *Trollhalla*forumwhen I came a cross this
blog offering updates on the new forthcoming Deluxe edi...
First Flight of the Laughing Buddha, Part 1
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Step right up and rub my belly!Everyone gathered at my house last Sunday
morning, and the Traveller campaign began!
*Ship:* *The Laughing* *Buddha*, re-pur...
Random Underworld Ecosystem Part Two
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The Next Level: Herbivore Equivalents
1. Land mollusks: herds of great-horned slugs, flocks of aero-snails with
fuselage-like shells, gas jet propulsi...
Celebrate the Feast of St. Cuthbert
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As all you hagiophiles already know March 20th marks the feast day of St.
Cuthbert who died on this day in 687. Greyhawkophiles will know St. Cuddy
as one...
I'm shutting it down
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Haven't written something in a few months and I haven't had a lot to write or think about about gaming, mostly due to college. I'm not closing the blog, I'm...
Basic Warlord
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**
*Just knocked up a quick Warlord Class for Basic D&D*
*
*
*Basic Warlord*
*
*
**
*Warlords are human warriors trained as leaders in combat. Whether they’r...
Necropraxis
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This blog has a new domain.
Head on over to necropraxis.com (RSS feed). I discuss some of my reasons
for the move in the first post on the new blog.
I don...
Fighting Capability
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The following is from CHAINMAIL:
*Here, each figure will do only as well as its known capabilities foretell,
with allowances for chance factors which affe...
Medieval France Mapping Project
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I have started mapping all of France using hexographer, mostly because I
think it would be fun - and perhaps to use it in a future game. Regardless,
I have...
Doing Doodles
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So there are signed books, and everyone seems to like those. A signature
takes 3 seconds and can triple the price of a book (or more, depending
where you t...
BareBones Fantasy Ain't Slim Pickins
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I never meant to be writing this post. I never intended to buy BareBones
Fantasy. My intention was to slow down my game buying habit in order to
focus on t...
A Eulogy for Our Daughter
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Yesterday was the funeral of our daughter.
It started by the two of use viewing her body, which was so much harder
than I expected it to be. She looked ...
Talisman 4th Edition
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Frequenting my local brick and mortar gaming store here in Manchester (one
which I was yet to play or buy anything in), I finally braved the unknown
and pu...
FREE TODAY: The Pirates of Alnari by Dan Eldredge
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Click Above to Visit the Book's Amazon PageMy good friend Dan Eldredge's
debut novel is free today on Amazon. If you dig pirates, swordfighting,
intrigue, ...
The Ghost Ship King Shaassa.
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I started a new game last night with a group of guys I met at the local
game store. We played at my house this time, which was nice because the
presense o...
Closing Down
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I am closing the blog "Beyond the Drowning Woods" effective immediately.
Back in January 2013, on the occassion of the FATE Core Kickstarter, I
began a new...
Oh yeah!
-
Some of you probably noticed or heard about this; the RPG Blog Alliance was
hacked back in Dec. This resulted in a mass mail informing members of the
allia...
Xeria: Xerin Occupation Chart
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The proud, dark Xerins are a race descended from the ancient rulers of the
desert. Their knowledge of magic and the crafting of magical artifacts has
bee...
Undead, and more Undead!
-
*Today's Cast*
- Fain, a shadowy stalker of the night (Illusionist/Assassin)
- An as-yet-unnamed cleric from the Barros temple
- Flynn Rider, a ran...
THIS IS OTIS
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Hey everyone!
Check out my new blog titled THIS IS OTIS! This blog features my character
Otis I have shared with you guys before, as well as my other artwo...
2012 - a great year of just plain gaming
-
With the Temple of Demogorgon 4 year anniversary just this last week, I
thought it might a good time to talk about some of my gaming from the last
year (...
Large List of RPG Items for Sale
-
I've decided to sell off a bunch of my RPG products, so if you're
interested either comment to this post or shoot me an email at
gvaughn1@gmail.com.
You c...
The Resurrection
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When I'm talking (writing) about "the Resurrection" - I'm not talking about
anything religious, or even the 7th Level Clerical Spell - but rather AD&D
1st ...
Quick and Dirty Savage Worlds Psychic Rules
-
I am often disappointed by the default Savage Worlds magic system, as it
gives you three powers straight from the start, combined with a power point
syste...
Errinian Foot Knight
-
Another old sketch resurrected, this time of an Errinian Foot Knight.
Depicting a Foot Knight of Krynar descent, these peoples make up the
backbone of the ...
Cosmic Horror Design, Part II
-
Today I've been working on skills for the *Cosmic Horror SRD*. I think the
*Call of Cthulhu d20* skill system - pulled from the D&D 3.0 SRD (I think)
- is...
His analysis is quite cogent
-
It's Chris Sims talking about D&D monsters. What more do you need?
Good to be back. Somebody did something to the firewall at my day job that
makes it impo...
Pathfinder: the Comic Book #1
-
If you enjoy Role-Playing Games and Comic Books (who doesn't) you should
add this to your pull at your local comic book store. The fine folks at
Paizo and...
FOR SALE: 10mm WWII German and Russian armies
-
For sale here are two fully painted WWII armies in 10mm scale: Germans and
Russians (Soviets). The infantry figures are Pendraken. The vehicles are
all pre...
Magic in Weird opera
-
These are my house-rules for Magic in the *Weird Opera*campaign. Most of
the rules are cobbled together from various sources, mostly *Swords &
Wizardry* ...
Preparation
-
Today, I wanted to talk about another aspect of my puzzle that made last
game's session not much fun. My players (or one of them, at any rate) seem
to thin...
[Wholehearted Endorsement]
-
Just a quick break in the (in)action to plug a product that I'm happy to
endorse.
John Stater (of NOD fame) has just put out the "Switzerland of the editio...
Third Time is the Charm
-
Okay. So it seemed like a great idea at the time, but all those blog rolls
arranged in-between the ABCs we used to have on the Left-Hand side-bar are
now h...
Last Call
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Dear Readers,
My electricity was knocked out last week by a storm...so I am posting from
a remote location. This is the last day this blog will be up, I am...
Converting Iron Heroes to 2e
-
Every couple of months I get it into my head that I want to play Dark Sun.
I look over all the books and systems, and decide that I absolutely can't
stand ...
Crawl Fanzine Coolness!
-
A pleasant little surprise awaited me in the mailbox Thursday -- the first
issue of Crawl fanzine for the DCC RPG by Dak Ultimak (aka Reverend Dak)
over a...
Over halfway to 90, I started playing AD&D when the Police were a cool band and Punk was wild. I am a father to a ten-year-old Junior Grognard and have now managed to establish a five-strong gaming group made up of him and four of his friends, ages ranging from 10 to 11. Solidly Old-School.
High fives and natural 20s to you all!
Watch out! Pedantic gamer argument about the nature of hit points in three, two, one...
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeletePedantic gamers in the OSR? I'll believe that when I see it :)
ReplyDeleteI believe pedantic gamers only get a half hit dice because often times their arguments are so weak. :P
ReplyDelete