tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-107380632024-03-07T13:51:07.323-05:00Esoteric MurmursEd and Joe's blog of games and gaming.Ed Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01262472490580424119noreply@blogger.comBlogger241125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10738063.post-67904922142409531192013-05-17T14:49:00.001-04:002013-05-17T14:49:13.465-04:00BTW, I have an art blogIt's <a href="http://www.edheil.com/illustration/">right here</a>, and there's been some cool stuff going down there.
Ed Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01262472490580424119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10738063.post-61504326325593854322013-05-17T14:48:00.004-04:002013-05-17T14:48:28.492-04:00Everything you need to know about what roleplaying games in the 80s were like<a href="http://jrients.blogspot.com/2013/05/how-many-commandments-have-you-broken.html">In a single document, posted by Jeff Rients.</a>
Ed Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01262472490580424119noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10738063.post-82243834457809245182011-10-14T11:22:00.003-04:002011-10-14T11:53:20.176-04:00So damn predictable.Still waiting to see anybody <a href="http://lotfp.blogspot.com/2011/10/lotfp-made-of-lies.html?zx=2135360de30b6105">take notice of</a> a <a href="http://www.indie-rpgs.com/forge/index.php?topic=32094.0">post on the forge</a> without the comments instantly turning into "hurr they are using terms I can't be bothered to understand they can't possibly mean anything by them they must just be using them to sound all smart and stuff let's go take their lunch money on the playground."<br /><br />Like everybody who plays roleplaying games isn't using a big pile of terms that would be opaque to a random person overhearing them who couldn't be bothered to ask what they meant.<br /><br />Auditing the thread for Forge-specific terminology:<br /><br />Vincent's original post, as far as I can tell, did not include a single word of Forge-specific terminology!<br /><br />Neither did the first reply by Judd.<br /><br />Eero used the words "gamist" and "coloring" in his very long post.<br /><br />Vincent's second post used the phrases "Step On Up" (another term for "gamist" or "playing for the sake of exciting challenge" and "Story Now" (another term for "narrativist" or "playing to see what story happens"). The context might have made these clear to someone more inclined to think than to whine.<br /><br />Callan uses no forge-specific terminology in his reply.<br /><br />Nor does Vincent in his third post.<br /><br />Eero uses the word "narrativist."<br /><br />No forge terminology in James Nostack's post.<br /><br />Ron refers to an "old, incomplete, Color-first project" in passing.<br /><br />Vincent's next post had no forge-specific terminology in it.<br /><br />Callan's had none.<br /><br />James Nostack's had none.<br /><br />Vincent's next had none.<br /><br />Ron's talks about "Color" a lot but his post mainly is talking about how Vincent's expectations, which were not fulfilled, might have been unreasonable, since he didn't take certain obvious steps to help make them happen. (This is ironically similar to what some commenters of Raggi's such as Jeff Rients said, that if the atmosphere of the game is supposed to come into play in a game like this, that the GM must take more of a hand in making that happen, and can't rely on the book enforcing it like it does in some of Vincent's games).<br /><br />Ron's next mentions the word "Color" again.<br /><br />Vincent uses the word "color" again. Someone reading thoughtfully would probably have grokked what it meant (atmosphere/look/feel/attitude/style/colorful details) long before this. He also uses the word "framing".<br /><br />David Berg's post had no forge-specific terms.<br /><br />C. Edwards uses "color" and "fruitful void."<br /><br />Ron's next post has no forge-specific terminology.<br /><br />Vincent's post has no forge-specific terminology.<br /><br />Geez, it's almost as if people at the Forge are speaking English rather than some crazy Forge jargon designed to keep other people out and make themselves look all fancy. They're just trying to think about things and figure out how things work, why they worked out the way they did, and what that could mean.<br /><br />You wouldn't know that from the comments on Raggi's post though. Advice: if you post on the Forge about anything, watch out for your lunch money. You've marked yourself out as one of those smart kids who thinks they're better than the other kids and needs to be taken down a peg on the playground.<br /><br />My OSR bretheren, I like you and I like what you're doing. But why do so many of you have a chip on your shoulder about the Forge?Ed Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01262472490580424119noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10738063.post-80522263944362454602011-09-24T22:52:00.001-04:002011-09-24T22:54:18.679-04:00Holy crap, it's going down.Liz Danforth is <a href="http://www.ebay.com/itm/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=300603256261">auctioning off</a> one of her most iconic pieces: <a href="http://www.lizdanforth.com/2011/09/the-summoner/">The Summoner from Tunnels & Trolls fifth edition</a>.<br /><br />All I can say is I wish I was rich.Ed Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01262472490580424119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10738063.post-73993286916609899052011-08-24T16:25:00.003-04:002011-08-24T16:29:52.940-04:00Yet Another "Hey This Reminds Me Of Sorcerer" Thing<iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/2cXDgFwE13g?fs=1" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="295" width="480"></iframe>
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<br />(It doesn't quite seem to fit right in this post; to view it better you should probably <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2cXDgFwE13g">click through to YouTube.</a>).
<br />Ed Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01262472490580424119noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10738063.post-15310655355586929452011-08-17T00:31:00.001-04:002011-08-17T00:32:51.396-04:00People designing Sorcerer demons without realizing itA friend of mine, who doesn't game at all, was talking about how he wanted to get a license plate for his motorcycle that said MOLOCH because it has double headlights, and reminded him of the owl from Bohemian Grove that the conspiracy nuts say is actually the god Moloch.
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<br />Then he IMs me this:
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<br />>yeah, moloch would be a good name for a money pit motorcycle that begs you to
<br />>break the law mercilessly without care for your own safety or that or others.
<br />>Selfish indulgance
<br />
<br />HOLY SHIT, he's got the Need (constant maintenance) and the desire (mayhem or maybe corruption) right there in one sentence.
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<br />Ed Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01262472490580424119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10738063.post-61764679479359974522011-08-10T18:43:00.003-04:002011-08-10T18:49:38.590-04:00Sanchuniath<a href="http://www.edheil.com/illustration/2011/08/09/sanchuniath-the-demoness-nsfw/?esoteric"><img src="http://www.edheil.com/illustration/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/sanchuniath_c_sm-208x300.jpg" /></a>
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<br />Played Sorcerer with Ron Edwards and Konstantinos Rentas at GenCon. This is Chuni, my character's demon. She's a porn star, with a very dedicated following, one of whom threatened to ruin my character's nice middle class suburban life in the hopes of getting to meet her.
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<br />Thing with demon porn stars is, some need to be paid in blood instead of cash.
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<br />Ed Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01262472490580424119noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10738063.post-67380333025798581102011-08-08T11:02:00.003-04:002011-08-08T11:03:29.885-04:00"And people say I'M stuck in the Seventies!"--Ron Edwards, realizing that I was using icosahedrons numbered 0-9 twice as d10s.
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<br />(Hey, you can still find them at Gamescience if you dig around!)
<br />Ed Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01262472490580424119noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10738063.post-76366112103602055372011-08-07T11:02:00.001-04:002011-08-07T11:04:05.029-04:00Hey Old School Renaissance Dudes<a href="http://www.bloodredcomics.com/?p=444">I found you an artist.</a>Ed Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01262472490580424119noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10738063.post-68027516194501228102011-07-13T11:14:00.013-04:002011-07-13T12:11:48.277-04:00Ed posting cause God forbid I work on things I'm being paid to work onRon has a <a href="http://www.indie-rpgs.com/forge/index.php?topic=31578.0">post up</a> where he talks about some games about religion he's working on, and talks about a "type" of gamer who came from a religious background. I first heard him discussing this on the Walking Eye podcast.<br /><br />I've been going back & forth about how much I fit into his typology, and thought I'd post here rather than drop what is basically just personal musings into a forum thread about his game.<br /><br />Here it is with comments interspersed:<br /><blockquote>The following points aren't intended to describe any single individual, but two or three per person do seem to show up again and again among the role-players I've been thinking about.<br /><br />i) A strong tendency toward rebellious-looking attire and hair, frequently hippie-pagan but also sometimes punky - and completely divorced from the original political context in which these looks originated.</blockquote>My hair is long, but I don't think it's rebellious-looking. My attire is more "slob" than "rebel." I would probably look like an extremist in 1960. By the time I was born, in 1969, all the rebel value had worn off long hair eons ago. I do in fact have far left politics, as it happens. But it's got nothing to do with my hair. So yeah, I don't know whether to say this one applies. I'm saying "no" in general but giving this one a 10% "yes" rating cause I do in fact have hippie hair and I don't think of it as a political thing.<br /><blockquote>ii) A strong tendency toward prudishness in RPG content once you get past the original rebellion of playing RPGs at all. It's a weird kind of Victorian prudishness, though, perfectly accepting of extreme porn when it's "in its place," i.e., available in private and quite distanced from anything resembling ordinary or public human interactions.</blockquote>Partially. Depends on context. I think "prudishness in RPGs" is the default among most of the people I've played with, historically, but that's not always so anymore. Calling this one 50% cause the tendency is there in my gaming history, it's just not always in play anymore.<br /><blockquote>iii) A strong tendency toward saving and helping others especially in anonymous masses, often in the full assumption that one knows exactly what to do and think better than they do. (i.e. despite breaking with one's natal church, retaining and even elevating its presumption of secret spiritual insight over that of humanity; i.e., not joining the ignorant mass "down there" but rather elevating above the church to a third plane of super-insight)</blockquote>I dislike elitism. However, I do think that most people including me could use a lot more "saving" and "helping" than is available to us in our society. (Far left politics, remember?) I don't think I have secret knowledge that makes me one of the few people who can do it though. But I think it should be done. So... I don't know, I'm giving that one a 25% application.<br /><blockquote>iv) An overwhelming need, even anxiety, regarding being liked, as opposed merely to operating in one's own terms and letting being liked find its own level.</blockquote>Oh FUCK yes. HUGE problem of mine. 41 goddamn years old and I still am stuck with this bullshit. True and I hate it. 200%.<br /><blockquote>v) Bright as hell, full of ideas, but often choked-up and anxious when it comes to implementing them.</blockquote>Nope, I have no ideas. Doesn't apply. (Or does it apply because I'm so choked up and anxious I have given up on even having ideas anymore, and strangle them in the cradle?...)<br /><blockquote>vi) Surprising tolerance for militarism in details and even in full-blown political content, both in fiction and in life, to the extent of occasional fetishism and not recognizing military criticism or satire.</blockquote>Jesus, no.<br /><blockquote>vii) A very strong commitment to a new name representing their break with their old upbringing, whether legally changed or a username or whatever.</blockquote>No, never been able to stick with an alias or username or whatever for very long.<br /><br />Oh, here's the intro:<br /><br /><blockquote></blockquote><blockquote>For a couple of years, I've been thinking a lot about how many of the role-players I've met in the last decade had strict religious upbringings. Many although not all of them come from the American evangelical tradition. Maybe "strict" is misleading; I've found that people will say, "Oh, it wasn't strict" and go on to describe hair-raising guilt trips and routine practices which are best described as behavior-mod indoctrination. In fact, I don't mind telling you this up-front, the main thing I've found is that many role-players flatly <i>lie</i> when it comes to admitting how they were raised in these terms. Or they deflect into what might as well be a lie when they go on and on about their current free-thinking atheism or exceptionally fuzzy feel-good alternate church, as a way of not actually saying how they were raised.</blockquote><br />I was going to address this point before I posted, but I don't think I can. My family's relationship to religiousness and irreligiousness was a complicated one. My father's side of the family had no religious inclinations whatsoever; they were a prosperous working-class-risen-to-middle-class family, whose highest aspirations ran to vacations and appliances and hobbies. Stable and soulless. My mother's side of the family were the children of a rural truck driver missionary's kid, and a woman from a very strict Calvinist family who went to church twice every Sunday; the family as a whole stayed working class, with very few having very much money; there was drama - divorces and remarriages; religiosity in the family tended to be concentrated in a few intense women, from whom it extended to everyone else. My mom was unusually intellectual and intelligent among her siblings, and transmitted the family's faith to us in only a very kind and thoughtful manner -- but we *were* sent to Christian schools, which were a whole constellation of influences on their own, with a variety of different emotional and social tenors. (My father was physically and, increasingly, mentally disabled by hydrocephaly, which went undiagnosed most of his life until CAT scans became common and one was done to him. He died in a nursing home when I was 19. Because of this, his influence on me in religious and other matters was much less than my mother's.)<br /><br />It's complicated, as is clear even from that bare and brief overview. (And in that, I've only described <span style="font-style: italic;">influences on me</span>, not <span style="font-style: italic;">my own response to those influences</span> -- whether and when I accepted or rejected them.) So I don't know if I'd qualify for a "strict religious upbringing" from Ron's point of view, but I'm probably a lot closer to that than I am to his own completely secular upbringing.<br /><br />BTW, the ironic "God forbid" in the title was a total accident -- I wasn't trying consciously to be clever at all. :)Ed Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01262472490580424119noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10738063.post-15551567547840896082011-06-16T23:10:00.001-04:002011-06-16T23:12:14.727-04:00Oh snap, SAT styleBest analogy-style review of a generic worldbuilding RPG <a href="http://xbowvsbuddha.blogspot.com/2011/06/wherein-i-pass-judgement-upon.html">EVAR</a>!Ed Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01262472490580424119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10738063.post-49409413764254467362011-05-11T00:07:00.003-04:002011-05-11T00:12:30.128-04:00Thirty One Days of T&T with KSAKen St. Andre at <a href="http://delvers.wordpress.com/">T&T Delver's Tales</a> is undertaking a "d31 blogging challenge," doing a piece on a given number in the rules and history of Tunnels & Trolls and Trollworld, each day of the month of May. He's a day behind as of this writing but it's a lot of fun -- well, it sure as hell is for an old T&T nerd like me.<br /><br />Following Ken and Liz Danforth on Twitter and blogs and stuff, I sometimes feel like all the gaming I've done since Tunnels & Trolls was a waste of time, and I'd be happiest just going back and playing that again. I mean, if I actually played roleplaying games instead of reading and talking about them. (Wait, I can't write that anymore! I do play an RPG regularly; I've been dealt into a very old house-rules-original-D&D campaign in Iowa City. I just don't do much in it because it's an old world and everyone else involved knows it much, much better than me, and everybody's mostly higher level than me and more powerful than me, so I kind of sit back and watch, a lot. I imagine that will change eventually but right now I'm shy and quiet.)Ed Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01262472490580424119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10738063.post-85969243483060453682011-05-05T17:01:00.003-04:002011-05-05T17:03:59.422-04:00Watchers and Ghosts?Looks like some new and interesting <a href="http://blog.microdungeons.com/2011/05/moor-ghost-of-westmarch.html">things</a> are <a href="http://blog.microdungeons.com/2011/05/hoard-watcher.html">happening</a> over at the <a href="http://blog.microdungeons.com/">Year of the Dungeon</a>!Ed Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01262472490580424119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10738063.post-69756874112844733062011-04-15T00:10:00.006-04:002011-04-15T00:23:03.234-04:00Three Millenia Old D6Reading the book "Did God Have a Wife?" I came across a report of an excavation of a 9th-century-BC d6. It is exactly like the ones we use today - the layout of the spots is the same, and the layout of the sides (with opposite sides adding up to seven) is the same. The design of the modern d6 is known to be almost three millenia old. Not only that, according to "<a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=OtOhypZz_pEC&lpg=PA329&ots=k0Lmxm0sjy&dq=%22faience%20die%22%20dan&pg=PA330#v=onepage&q&f=false">Life in Biblical Israel,</a>" this may be an example of the type of divining dice known as "Urim and Thummim." The Urim and Thummim were 2d6? Holy crap. No... Holy <span style="font-style: italic;">craps.</span> (Thank you. I'll be here all week.)<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidHwNJsgNlSoAiM07MMrvv8JPo5UNI31UhyvsehiBSJoTwEm6Z8aNbi_LLJWN2_bStlL10OJL9L7PMm3qdiXOSXB7P_SP-jaxqqkWmJCB2QhtS0-0Cofkqp3pmd01IsqDi7cmt/s1600/ancientdie.png"><img style="float:left; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 197px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidHwNJsgNlSoAiM07MMrvv8JPo5UNI31UhyvsehiBSJoTwEm6Z8aNbi_LLJWN2_bStlL10OJL9L7PMm3qdiXOSXB7P_SP-jaxqqkWmJCB2QhtS0-0Cofkqp3pmd01IsqDi7cmt/s400/ancientdie.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5595659989548278962" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSEFDHkL1yORIcQornl4ql1YAwSdyz8C3McdQs3vlZBMfgOFA-4lWsdiDuZrogOcBaNZTVHhN22ogs8GKQLdi_eDAA5euzoom2hafoFkz88F_1L70nndoOQqgsG7y2fnQLcgh5/s1600/lifeinbibilicalisrael1.png"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 109px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSEFDHkL1yORIcQornl4ql1YAwSdyz8C3McdQs3vlZBMfgOFA-4lWsdiDuZrogOcBaNZTVHhN22ogs8GKQLdi_eDAA5euzoom2hafoFkz88F_1L70nndoOQqgsG7y2fnQLcgh5/s400/lifeinbibilicalisrael1.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5595660235405874866" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTJdGSWieF02ujKDukJ5m2bEcxlZvAGQjPW7oBJKrrSDR0ls1W3xku7mE9W53OpigDaob3o6axs3-pWsUpdL-5CXJBNfktfClhxWv1hQZfLGnTO2Uq2ypAGu4wdB71DUGMYnAn/s1600/lifeinbiblicalisrael2.png"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 284px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTJdGSWieF02ujKDukJ5m2bEcxlZvAGQjPW7oBJKrrSDR0ls1W3xku7mE9W53OpigDaob3o6axs3-pWsUpdL-5CXJBNfktfClhxWv1hQZfLGnTO2Uq2ypAGu4wdB71DUGMYnAn/s400/lifeinbiblicalisrael2.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5595660699401595170" border="0" /></a>Ed Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01262472490580424119noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10738063.post-58957430640997372542011-03-22T01:06:00.003-04:002011-03-22T01:08:25.539-04:00Tony and the Worm...Mr. Tony Dowler is inching closer to releasing The Purple Worm Graveyard, a Dungeon World adventure for which I did some <a href="http://blog.microdungeons.com/2011/03/december-compilation-and-upcoming.html">pleasantly disturbing art (NSFW)</a>. If you aren't following his blog, what's wrong with you?Ed Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01262472490580424119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10738063.post-75883928614225920442011-03-18T01:41:00.003-04:002011-03-18T13:43:36.689-04:00Nine Delvers In Amber<a href="http://www.lizdanforth.com/2011/03/city-of-terrors/">Learn the tale</a> of the first ever (as far as I know!) Amber roleplaying game, largely undertaken by (snail) mail, created by Ken St. Andre, while in correspondence with Roger Zelazny. And how it affected the production of the cover of City of Terrors. From Liz Danforth's blog.<br /><br />Amber references were *rife* in places like Sorcerer's Apprentice (which also carried a number of original Zelazny stories!), but I was a kid and didn't have access to much of a bookstore, and didn't know to look for Amber in the library, if it was even available there, so most of it went right past me. It's only later on, late in high school I think, I got ahold of the Amber books, in the form of a hardcover collection that I was given by a friend of the family who devoured science fiction books from his book club like candy, and gave them away when he was done (unlike candy, I guess).<br /><br /><a href="http://grognardia.blogspot.com/">Chroniclers of the Old School ways</a> take note -- <a href="http://www.lizdanforth.com/">this woman tells good stories</a>. :)Ed Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01262472490580424119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10738063.post-69980570568544680312011-03-10T14:26:00.002-05:002011-03-10T14:34:44.449-05:00Support Fiendish Plans And Hot Elf ChicksThis is not of course an "old school roleplaying" blog, just a blog written by old, old roleplayers. Hell, one of us regularly runs and plays 4th edition D&D. But I can't help admiring the <a href="http://underdarkgazette.blogspot.com/2011/03/hot-elf-chick-my-fiendish-plan-to-grow.html">Underdark Gazette's fiendish, if sexist, plan</a> to increase visibility of the Old School Rules movement by means of <a href="http://grognardia.blogspot.com/2011/03/hot-elf-chick-welcomes-you-to-vanaheim.html">hot elf chicks</a>. (Or hot chicks of whatever <a href="http://shirosrpg.blogspot.com/2011/03/hot-dwarf-chicks.html">demihuman persuasion</a> you prefer.)<br /><br />So -- consider this a standing offer from me, Ed, of your very own hot demihuman chick drawing for anybody looking to participate in this fiendish plan on their own blog.<br /><br />Unless I'm in an artistic slump, in which case the drawing may be delayed, or may kind of suck. But lately the muses seem to be with me.Ed Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01262472490580424119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10738063.post-81500652249854615882011-03-09T01:19:00.002-05:002011-03-09T01:31:51.045-05:00E.g. Stolen By Gremlins<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKsFjjf0Fb3vD_dVa1Jg3v_Q94IS7aJyL2tZaxddg7s9MNXt2JcIRn6x3che4uXTGpgGEUkcCJ1XHikSF2VCTIMVDBkJUe5mny2zVa-9djnqcfO9wuSP1z7NeVZqsRmKPe5k7j/s1600/FaceOfTerror1.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 153px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKsFjjf0Fb3vD_dVa1Jg3v_Q94IS7aJyL2tZaxddg7s9MNXt2JcIRn6x3che4uXTGpgGEUkcCJ1XHikSF2VCTIMVDBkJUe5mny2zVa-9djnqcfO9wuSP1z7NeVZqsRmKPe5k7j/s200/FaceOfTerror1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5581964066976552082" border="0" /></a><br />So Jeff Rients <a href="http://jrients.blogspot.com/2011/03/new-spells-for-your-considerationconste.html">dropped a couple spells in his blog</a>, and as I read it I knew I had to draw at least one -- the Face of Terror. Took me a long time to figure out how to draw it so it was clear (to me at least) there was a theft going on; turning the action 90 degrees so the figures were clearly separated did the trick.<br /><br />Don't think for a moment I didn't consider a Brood of Sin illustration too. But this was enough creepiness for one day.Ed Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01262472490580424119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10738063.post-33038582840871328062011-03-08T16:11:00.002-05:002011-03-08T16:12:24.906-05:00Some more demons.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCiqNGKMThbGFbU9ZcXnGDdzxWGDtHz_Xg2405UfPR76wNGUhEDjt7hVw636mWlRFLzL_FC_netvkcEHOQd90Max_HNpZdc0kSDvCYH5Rj6gYunNXQXMyU-ViPvIbM6th1OlEI/s1600/gentlespider.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 128px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCiqNGKMThbGFbU9ZcXnGDdzxWGDtHz_Xg2405UfPR76wNGUhEDjt7hVw636mWlRFLzL_FC_netvkcEHOQd90Max_HNpZdc0kSDvCYH5Rj6gYunNXQXMyU-ViPvIbM6th1OlEI/s200/gentlespider.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5581819944427490066" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhnvY8xpJrjEzxu0YRB_tMZCHdlvgNyK3AQA0FPgGRaEb8x561rZpWBtpQsNKLv7ZaSV4YQRAZPdEeSn_aSSplc0oHcTt8R5uiByaqmTf2zxQgQyp4Xqy2fJvMPCZZj7lcEwRd/s1600/skulpion.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 168px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhnvY8xpJrjEzxu0YRB_tMZCHdlvgNyK3AQA0FPgGRaEb8x561rZpWBtpQsNKLv7ZaSV4YQRAZPdEeSn_aSSplc0oHcTt8R5uiByaqmTf2zxQgQyp4Xqy2fJvMPCZZj7lcEwRd/s200/skulpion.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5581819864778835026" border="0" /></a><br />Remember <a href="http://esotericmurmurs.blogspot.com/2009/07/some-demons.html">these guys</a>? I did a couple more.Ed Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01262472490580424119noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10738063.post-42744662838776605722011-01-18T14:18:00.002-05:002011-01-18T14:20:44.623-05:00Interview with Jeff Dee and Jack HermanAnd if you don't hear the names "Jeff Dee and Jack Herman" and immediately think "the creators of Villains and Vigilantes" then what is <span style="font-style: italic;">wrong</span> with you? V&V is probably the single game which I have played and GM'ed the most of in my entire life.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.aintitcool.com/node/48121">Check it out</a>.Ed Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01262472490580424119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10738063.post-11650956210310093782010-10-26T16:29:00.006-04:002010-10-26T17:11:41.296-04:00Spam from Tunnels & Trolls's Favorite Outlaw, James ShipmanHaving unfortunately done business with James Shipman, Thief of Art and Tunnels & Trolls Content, in the past, my email was apparently on his list.<br /><br />He spammed me today, and -- silly boy -- cc'ed everyone else he was spamming with that particular email (a couple dozen out of 150 addresses, alphabetically "e" through "h"), so I could do a "reply all" to everyone on his spamlist.<br /><br />This is what he sent:<br /><blockquote><br />Hello<br />Everyone,<br /><br />Welcome to<br />the Outlaw Press Tunnels & Trolls E-mail Sales. If you wish to opt out of<br />our free monthly e-mail featuring New & Old T&T items, just return this<br />e-mail with the words “Remove Me” in<br />the subject line and we will smite you from this list.<br /><br />We are open<br />to all suggestions, including rule / articles discussions and may include them<br />in future e-mails, or even publish them in future issue of The Hobbit Hole<br />magazine. If you would like to see a specific T&T items profiled here, let<br />me know.<br /><br />OP<br />Publisher,<br /><br />James ~<br /><br />BRAND NEW T&T ITEMS:<br /><br />Special: A couple years ago we purchased the rights to Deliamber’s Delight and<br />Andy promised us it would be a multi level series. Below is the second solo in<br />the series and there are still two more levels to go. As always, Andy Holmes is<br />a great solo writer and we expect great things from the final two solo’s in the<br />series.<br />DELIAMBER’S DELIGHT – LEVEL TWO (Full Solo): Cost: $14.00<br /><br />Written by A.R Holmes, but published in the USA by Outlaw Press as a 24 page full<br />sized solo, and the 2nd in the series. This solo previously appeared<br />in The Hobbit Hole #17. “When you discovered the way down to Level Two of this<br />dungeon, your heart leaped with joy and excitement. Now you do not feel quite<br />so euphoric. The door opened easily, and you have stepped through and entered a<br />circular chamber, from which a single corridor, directly opposite the entrance,<br />extends into the gloom. This dungeon level is lit here and there by torchlight,<br />constantly casting eerie shadows within the tunnels and chambers, which could<br />hide any number of ghastly creatures.” Suitability:<br />One character of level 1 to 3 with no more than 50 personal adds. Pre-generated<br />character provided (No). Blank character sheet provided (Yes). Kindred type<br />used in this solo (Any). Class type used in this solo (Any). Magic Matrix (No).<br /><br />BEST SELLING T&T ITEMS:<br /><br />TUNNELS AND TROLLS CAMPAIGN SETTINGS (T&T settings): Cost: $18.00<br /><br />Within this 6-by-9 sized, 216+ page, bound Campaign<br />book you will find; Campaign Setting #1: Gamma-Trollworld–Have you ever wanted<br />to play Tunnels & Trolls in a true post-apocalyptic setting? Now for the<br />first time ever you have the chance to do so, with two ready-to-run GM<br />adventures (Truck Stop Blues & Death Dwarves Attack) and one mini-solo.<br />Campaign Setting #2: Superheroes Power Trip–BAM! Power Trip is an all new hard<br />hitting, mind bending, super power flinging, action oriented thrill ride of a<br />T&T Supplement that is fully Tunnels & Trolls 7.5v Edition compatible.<br />It also comes with two ready-to-run GM adventures. Campaign Setting #3: New<br />Khazan–Now have the chance to play (and GM) in a true sci-fi setting using the<br />Tunnels & Trolls rules. It has been written in a way to be easily<br />compatible with all editions of T&T. The New Khazan Supplement doesn’t just<br />leave the GM with nothing to start with. Included in this rules supplement you<br />will find a Solo and a GM Adventure to help you jump start your very own<br />T&T sci-fi campaign (on any number of planets).<br />TUNNELS AND TROLLS CAMPAIGN SETTINGS<br />#2 (T&T<br />settings): Cost: $14.00<br /><br />Within this 60 page, 6-by-9 sized, center stapled<br />book you will find; Campaign Setting #1: Adapting Discworld Characters With<br />Tunnels & Trolls Character Generation–Yes, there are trolls, dwarfs, a<br />sapient pear wood chest, an orang-utan and assorted other misfits but the human<br />character is the most common on the Discworld. Campaign Setting #2: The<br />Discworld Meets Tunnels & Trolls–The setting that follows is not intended<br />to reveal the Discworld to the uninitiated. Rather it is aimed at regular<br />visitors to Pratchett’s wonderful world who wish to add a little of that land’s<br />own magic to their T&T games. Campaign Setting #3: Ice Age Setting: Clan of<br />the Cave Troll–The following setting discusses a radically different setting<br />for your Tunnels and Trolls campaign. The characters in this game are Ice Age<br />adventurers (hunters) owing allegiance to clan and tribe as they struggle for<br />survival against the elements and creatures of a still earlier age.<br /><br />NEWLY REPRINTED T&T ITEMS:<br /><br />TNT ZINE Nos. 15-18: Cost: $12.00<br /><br />This is the<br />most influential Tunnels & Trolls fanzine ever printed. It was published by<br />Ken St. Andre back in the 1980s. Within this 54-page 6-by-9-inch<br />black-and-white book with center stapled binding, you will find a reprint of<br />issues Nos. 15-18. The articles included in this book are: The Abolition of the Wizards’ Guild, Pointblank Perfection, Wizard Guilds in T&T, Children in<br />Tunnels & Trolls, The Wizards’ Guild in Lingusia, A Savage Killing,<br />A note to human readers of TnT, Batsignals, Character Conception, World<br />of Power Trip, Superheroes and The Quick Fix. Just because it is so<br />rare, TnT is a must buy for T&T collectors who may otherwise never get to<br />see Ken’s TnT Zine.<br /><br />TNT ZINE Nos. 25-26: Cost: $11.00<br /><br />This is the most influential Tunnels & Trolls fanzine ever printed, and its very last<br />double issue to come out. It was published by Ken St. Andre back in the 1980s.<br />Within this 32-page 6-by-9-inch black-and-white book with center stapled<br />binding, you will find a reprint of issues Nos. 25-26. Included within its<br />pages are the following articles: More Lore of You Know What, Dungeon of the<br />Gray Lords (This T&T Dungeon is extremely tough – for character levels<br />7-12), and Fantastic Fantasy Book reviews. Just because it is so rare, TnT is a must buy for T&T collectors who may otherwise never get to see Ken’s TnT Zine.<br /><br />MURDER ON THE LATONA / HEDRIEN ELIXIR (Full Dual Solo): Cost: $16.00<br /><br />Written By Tim Labor. This is a new full length<br />nautical solo. It is 88 pages, printed in a 6 by 9 sized bound book format. “Breathless<br />and drenched, you cross the threshold of Galutha House. Your elf friend Jurl,<br />supported by his wizard compatriot Churang, Molaton of Masatl, and the birdlike<br />Giko, a khodaga from Hamon’s Lair barely draw the attention of the seaport inn’s<br />jaded clientele. After a few ales and plates of fish stew you regain your<br />strength and renew your efforts to find a ship to take you north. “Captain<br />Redslate,” the bartender points to a surly dwarf in the corner, “He’s the best.”<br />“Not rare enough!” Servants cringe as they place plate after plate of spring<br />lamb in front of Redslate’s blood-spackled beard. Beggars can’t be choosers.”<br />Suitability: 3rd to 5th level character (One character).<br />Pre-generated character provided (Yes). Kindred type used in this solo (Any).<br />Class type used in this solo (Any). Magic Matrix (No). Hedrien’s Elixir: “Emeralds<br />worth 1850 in gold… 2000 if you fence them in Masatl. It’s the easiest money<br />you ever made,” the oily voice of the wizened dwarf wizard, Grappa, wheedles as<br />he shuts a small wooden box containing the emblem of the house of Khatau. From<br />behind him on a bed in the crude Crabbe Inn, Lord Hedrien emits a pained wheeze<br />as he clutches a pendant engraved with an arcane symbol. Those gems could solve<br />a lot of problems…” Suitability: 1st<br />level or newly-created character (One character). Pre-generated character<br />provided (Yes). Kindred type used in this solo (Any). Class type used in this<br />solo (Any). Magic Matrix (No).<br /><br />ESCAPE FROM GA-‘TYR (Mega Solo): Cost:<br />$18.00<br /><br />By Tim Labor. This 6-by-9-inch solo is huge at 100<br />plus pages. “You thought the sleepy seaside village of Haro’s Port was the safest in Ilesia, but the shockingly violent sack of the town by pirates shortly after your<br />arrival proved you completely wrong. The evil band, under the command of the<br />inexperienced but brilliant rogue Kasatar, a former Ilesian lieutenant, was<br />cruel and virtually unstoppable. You were bound, blindfolded and beaten until<br />sleeping potion could be forced down your throat. That is the last thing you<br />remember.” This solo is heavily illustrated throughout. Not only is it a<br />Tunnels & Trolls solo, but it has also been designed for used with both the<br />D20 System and RuneQuest. Suitability: 1st level (One or two characters). Pre-generated character provided (Yes, 6 pre-rolled characters). Kindred type used in this solo (Any). Class type used in this solo (Any). Magic Matrix (No).<br /><br /><br />SORCERER’S APPRENTICE MAGAZINE<br />ARCHIVE No. 1: Cost: $16.00<br /><br />This 36-page 8-by-11-inch full-sized center stapled book with full-color (inside and out) covers is the complete archive of the long out of print magazine Sorcerer’s Apprentice No. 1. The magazine has been scanned and reproduced exactly as it was printed.<br />Inside it you will find Kingmaker (a T&T solo) by Mike Stackpole, Firearms in<br />T&T by Ken St. Andre, Know Your Foe 101 by Mike Stackpole, Weapon<br />Experience by Gregory Courter, Heroic Fantasy by Ken St. Andre, Midnight<br />Sun (a poem) by Karl Edward Wagner and Brother to Ghosts by Robert E. Vardeman. If you were to find the original publication on E-bay, it would cost you well over US$100. It has been reprinted in such a way that if you wish to do so you can easily remove the first and last two pages, leaving a perfectly reprinted Sorcerer’s Apprentice No. 1 magazine.<br /><br /><br />NOT YET RELEASED T&T ITEMS:<br /><br /><br />The Hobbit<br />Hole #19 is still being put together, so some things may change before it is<br />printed.<br />THE HOBBIT HOLE No. 19:<br /><br />This issue is 80-pages in length and features covers by Jeff Freels. REGULAR FEATURES: Of Hairy Feet and Taters…<br />Editorial – By James L. Shipman II. T&T ARTICLES: A Monkey Throwing Stones at Monsters – By Paul Ingrassia,<br />Kindred Dice: Fantastic Armies – By Ken St. Andre & James L. Shipman, Ken’s<br />Original Trollworld / Khazan Map – By Ken St. Andre, The Hierarchy of Trolls –<br />By Bill Ferrero, The Wizened Wizard’s Wrath – By Bill Ferrero & David O’<br />Donnell, Exotic Mounts – For when a horse is just not… – By Justin T. Williams.<br />SOLO / GAMING: The Depths of<br />Kerak-Ban: Level 8 – By Gianmatteo Tonci<br />(A Tunnels & Trolls GM Adventure — The Hidden Treasury), Figurine of the<br />Death Goddess – By David Eber & James L. Shipman (A large Tunnels &<br />Trolls Solo for all the major kindred types), Rage Over Rjeng-Hang – By A. R.<br />Holmes (A mini-scenario for Tunnels & Trolls role-playing within a city). FICTION: Monsters! Monsters!: (Agents<br />of the Death Goddess) – By Ken St. Andre (This follows the adventures of Gnnarggh), Grumlahk’s<br />Fish Tale – By Jeff Freels (A short but exciting tale of Grumlahk’s fishing<br />adventure), Monsters! Monsters!: (Agents of the Death Goddess) – By Ken St. Andre (This follows the adventures<br />of Pnak). OTHER: Comic: Comic: Troll<br />Trouble, Comic pg47 – By James L. Shipman, Comic: Starfaring – By Paul Hogan, Troll Limricks: – By Trollhalla People.<br />New T&T Dice<br /><br />Based on the game rules Kindred Dice: Fantastic Armies – By Ken St. Andre & James L. Shipman<br /><br />PAYING & SHIPPING:<br /><br />For all USA customers, shipping is FREE! You simply PayPal the total to this e-mail (Hobbit_King@Yahoo.com) and your items will be shipped Priority Mail. Large orders will be shipped slower.<br /><br />For all OVERSEAS customers, please add $13.00 for shipping. Total your order, and then add $13.00 for shipping. Most overseas orders take from 7-14 days to arrive<br />(just as guess). This is the only rate offered with overseas orders.<br /><br />Note: Some items can sell out (if all of you order the same item), but all items will be restocked within one week and shipped immediately. Every order sent to us will be filled and shipped. We also offer Tracking ($1.00 extra) for any USA customer. Tracking is not available for overseas orders. Special packing with added cardboard can be added to items shipped if requested.<br /><br />Some of you on this mailing list are Hobby Shop owners, and we do appreciate your large orders. Discounts will continue to be offered when purchasing 5 or more copies of each item.<br /><br />All items profiled here, new or reprinted are in mint condition when shipped.<br /><br />This mailing list has 149 members as of this e-mail, all of whom are T&T fans<br />and have purchased something from Outlaw Press. You can also read this in the attached MS Word file.<br /><br />An Official Publisher of Tunnels & Trolls.Outlaw Press Inc.<br /><br /></blockquote><br /><hr /><br />This is what I sent to everyone *except* him:<br /><br /><hr /><br /><blockquote><br />Everyone, things to think about before doing business with James Shipman of Outlaw Press:<br /><br />http://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?t=483885<br />http://eposic.net/blog/archives/298<br />http://falckart.blogspot.com/2009/12/stolen-art.html<br />http://mxyzplk.wordpress.com/2009/12/11/outlaw-press-aka-jim-shipman-is-a-big-crook/<br />http://mxyzplk.wordpress.com/2010/01/19/outlaw-pressjim-shipman-sinks-to-demented-pathetic-new-lows-in-art-theft-scandal/<br />http://mxyzplk.wordpress.com/2010/01/07/outlaw-press-thieving-update/<br />http://timbrannan.blogspot.com/2010/01/more-from-outlaw-press.html<br />http://unclebear.com/2009/12/putting-the-outlaw-in-outlaw-press/<br />http://www.enworld.org/forum/general-rpg-discussion/269217-outlaw-press-stolen-artwork-accusations.html<br />http://forum.rpg.net/showpost.php?p=11324399&postcount=843<br />http://rpg.brouhaha.us/?p=1998<br /><br />I found this one especially interesting at http://eposic.net/blog/archives/298<br /><br />Ken St. Andre<br />Phoenix, Arizona, 85008.<br />September 8, 2010<br /><br />James,<br /><br />I received your package yesterday with some surprise. Received six copies of the revised Gristlegrim Dungeon. This dismays me, as I told you to quit publishing it back in January of this year when I broke with you. If this parcel was an attempt at a reconciliation between us, then I appreciate the effort you took, but I reject it. Our friendship and partnership is broken and done forever. I do not wish to collaborate on Gristlegrim or any other project with you. Not now! Not ever again! You had no right to add your material to my work. You have no right to continue publishing and selling it. Please stop!<br /><br />James, you no longer have any right to publish or sell my works. We have no written contracts. We have no formal accounting of royalties. Your habit of sending money and or copies of the items is no longer good enough. Any informal agreements we may have made in 2009 and earlier are terminated on my side of the deal. I no longer wish to associate with you, either professionally or informally.<br /><br />Find some other outlet for your creativity. Leave me, and leave Tunnels and Trolls, alone. I am rejecting any further association with you.<br /><br />I hope this is clearly understood. Do not publish anything with my name on it as author. Do not presume to collaborate with me on my projects. Do not keep attempting to infiltrate trollhalla.com under false names–you are banned and unwelcome on that site. Do not attempt to rewrite the history of Tunnels and Trolls on Wikipedia or any other online sources. Do not send me money. Do not send me product. I do not want it from you. However, I am under no legal obligation to send back things that arrive unsolicited in the mail. I won’t waste the money or the effort to send them back. I am not interested in theatrical gestures. I simply wish to terminate our association and to move on with other things in life.<br /><br />I hereby reclaim my rights to anything I ever gave you to publish. In particular, I assert my right to the novel Griffin Feathers which consists entirely of my own work with some input in the short sections of the book from the members of Trollhalla.<br /><br />I am forwarding the “royalties” that you sent me to Jeff Freels, the artist whose work you have re-used to illustrate this version of Gristlegrim. He deserves compensation for his work.<br /><br />James, I am not angry at you, and I do not hate you. I simply will not associate with you ever again. For several years we were, I thought, very good friends. Outlaw Press did a lot for Tunnels and Trolls. You know why that time has ended. Let it go. Move on.<br /><br />James, I will be publishing this letter in open forums on the internet, so that all the world can see how I feel, and how I react to what I can only believe are attempt s to manipulate me and to gain control of Tunnels and Trolls. If you have no ulterior intentions, then forgive me for being suspicious, but I no longer feel that I can trust you.<br />James, you have your own unique style of creativity. Please go and do your own thing, and stop messing with me and with Tunnels and Trolls.<br /><br />Sincerely,<br />Ken St. Andre<br /><br /></blockquote><br />Please, anybody who's reading this who knows how to get ahold of anybody who Shippy may be ripping off here (including the estate of Karl Edward Wagner!) please send them a copy of this email or a link to this blog.<br /><br /><blockquote></blockquote><blockquote></blockquote>Ed Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01262472490580424119noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10738063.post-82067627849105252402010-10-20T14:13:00.003-04:002010-10-20T14:17:35.791-04:0015 games in 15 minutes: Ed Edition"The rules: Don't take too long to think about it. Fifteen roleplaying games you've played that will always stick with you. List the first 15 you can recall in no more than 15 minutes."<br /><br />1. Tunnels & Trolls<br />2. First Edition Gamma World<br />3. First Edition Top Secret<br />4. Villains and Vigilantes<br />5. Fantasy Hero (first ed.)<br />6. Traveller (little black books)<br />7. Ninjas & Superspies<br />8. Talislanta (various editions)<br />9. NightLife<br />10. The Fantasy Trip<br />11. AD&D<br />12. Space Patrol / Star Patrol by Gamescience<br />13. Runequest (when it was still Glorantha)<br />14. Call of Cthulhu<br />15. Sorcerer (which stands in some way for the whole indie thing, but is also one of my favorite manifestations thereof)<br /><br />Joe, you want to chime in?Ed Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01262472490580424119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10738063.post-46831983155617890352010-09-16T14:00:00.003-04:002010-09-16T15:21:10.142-04:00Post worth reading by JBE<a href="http://www.stone-baby.com/wordpress/?p=128">Julia is awesome</a> as usual, being called upon to defend her game from people who criticize her game without actually knowing much about it... as usual. The whole thing ended well though, with the initial poster showing up in the comments and being quite cool about everything in the end.<br /><br />(Julia's note "please remember I’m a real person, not a swine" reminded me of the fact that the so-called "RPG pundit" is apparently <span style="font-style:italic;">still alive</span> and <span style="font-style:italic;">still a terrible person</span>. I hope one of those two things changes ASAP.)Ed Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01262472490580424119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10738063.post-18695869631971952662010-08-10T00:38:00.006-04:002010-08-10T01:31:26.531-04:00Gen Con 2010So I went! I had a great time. Contrary to original plan, I didn't actually do any Games On Demand. (Slept too late for the 10 AM session both days. Got there 20 minutes late for the 2PM one once, and nothing was open; people weren't obviously playing games I was super interested in. So I didn't end up making it the next day, since I really wanted to be in the dealer room that afternoon.) Did play Apocalypse D&D / Dungeon World with Sage, who's working on extending it from Tony's work. Rocking good fun. <a href="http://twitgoo.com/1ghe1g">Drew one of the characters.</a> By my own standards for my work, the drawing was kind of mediocre, but everybody acted like it was Picasso, which was a great reminder that evaluation of artwork is relative. (No worries about a swelled head -- I was surrounded by incredible art all over Gen Con.)<br /><br />Met cool people like Sage, Shannon, Paul, and Daniel, who I played that game with. Got to talk a bit with folks like John Harper, Matt Wilson, Matt Snyder, Ron Edwards, and at least briefly talk to other cool people like Vincent, Nathan Paoletta, Keith Senkowski, Luke, Thor, and Alexander of Burning Wheel, Emily Care, and probably a few others I can't remember. I'm grateful to know such a great bunch of people, even through the internet and the occasional con sighting.<br /><br />I had a lot of fun with my posse -- we had a smaller group than usual, and it was just me and 4 other guys in the room, all of whom are awesome folks. Had a great time on the ride down talking to Robb and <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZGJuWgF4jU">braving</a> <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfThCkA_Frc">storms</a>, walking around with Jason, Greg, Dave, and sometimes getting to see Pat, Pat, Mike, Mike, and other less plural folks. Saturday night at Buca di Beppo's was great -- we ordered less than usual, spent less than usual, but were at least as satisfied as ever. I think substituting individual long island iced teas for those who partake, instead of bottle after bottle of chianti for everyone, probably helped. Driving back with Greg and Dave was great. Dave had a series of 200+ gigapan-style photos from New York that I helped stitch together over the weekend. I took a few pictures at Gen Con myself, not a ton. Left my camera in my room on Saturday, which is costume day -- bit of a bummer. Oh, highlight of the con -- we had a kitchenette in our room, and Robb made some delicious breakfast skillet mix stuff the first morning. There were complaints about the bacon smell lingering in the room, but for the record, I did not mind one bit.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd3XB0XBncFISwTIq1ODNiqp_8rlbqlfKiw-zMTg5GZXD6DExU_35SJ3sHfMFVz9GexM79etwmq6rqJS1srQxYEnmXyRnlck1E4eoM_slsPxKGg40teSxRz42N7cXChvnylgsl/s1600/IMG_0638.JPG"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd3XB0XBncFISwTIq1ODNiqp_8rlbqlfKiw-zMTg5GZXD6DExU_35SJ3sHfMFVz9GexM79etwmq6rqJS1srQxYEnmXyRnlck1E4eoM_slsPxKGg40teSxRz42N7cXChvnylgsl/s200/IMG_0638.JPG" alt="The Factory That Apparently Only Manufactures Sparks" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5503646533238119026" border="0" /></a><br />We roomed at Staybridge Suites, which is a number of blocks from the convention center, and inbetween the two is the Factory That Apparently Only Manufactures Sparks.<br /><br />I bought the following hotness, which is a fraction of what cool things were available but was enough for now --<br /><ul><li>Apocalypse World. I was legally required to buy this because I attended Gen Con 2010 and like indie RPGs. There was no way around it.</li><li>Magic Burner. Adventure Burner would have been even better, but it sold out before I could get to it.</li><li>Mechaton. I have kids, why don't I own Mechaton?</li><li>Poison'd! Why not? It's cheap and I didn't buy it last year.</li><li>A copy of the blue-cover Holmes Basic D&D rulebook, which is the first one I ever played with.</li><li>An AD&D DM's Screen, with the beautiful artwork from Dave Trampier on it.<br /></li><li>A copy of Monsters! Monsters! which Flying Buffalo/Blade just reprinted, and which I've wanted for ages.</li><li>An old copy of The Space Gamer with lots of info about Tékumel, and an interview with M.A.R. Barker.</li><li>Some more Gamescience dice, some more Death Dice from Flying Buffalo, and some extra dice bags.</li></ul>That's all I can think of right now. There's a lot more I'd have loved to do, but I enjoyed it all. What a great trip.Ed Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01262472490580424119noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10738063.post-69241213833878604692010-06-15T09:50:00.001-04:002010-06-15T09:51:43.832-04:00M.A.R. Barker's Tekumel-ClairvoyanceGreat story about M.A.R. Barker at <a href="http://grognardia.blogspot.com/2010/06/creative-process.html">Grognardia</a>.Ed Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01262472490580424119noreply@blogger.com0