Ultanya

As every July my blog becomes a tad quiet as I spend time preparing for Ultracon. This is the fourth year of our friends and family event and it should be a memorable one. On the way into work this morning I was thinking back to the first Ultracon which started it all. I thought a short follow-up on the event would be perfect for throwback thursday material.

When creating the adventure for UC1 my goal was to design something that our teenage selves would have enjoyed. After all I was gaming with some players which had not gathered in years. And I decided to use Baba Yaga as the BBEG the center of the story. In Ultanya the deformed old crone is an arch mage of considerable power and influence.

She is very well-traveled across multiple planes of existence with wisdom of the multiverse. So much that brave adventurers, kings and queens often seek her counsel for a price. Baba Yaga is also a collector of strange arcana and curios which she keeps in her extra-dimensional abode the tesseract. But alas she had become bored and decided to trap some adventurers to test their mettle for her amusement!

Baba Yaga was watching remotely from the tesseract control room as exploration unfolded. If the players made their way through her gauntlet all the way to the control room they would be faced with one last challenge: The Tesseract Arena!

When designing the tesseract encounters I made sure everything was gonzo and outlandish. From the time they entered what seemed to be a mundane hut the warning signs were there. A magic mouth named Gygax appeared and asked them to sign a contract. It was presented Willy Wonka style with all sorts of clauses. The smiles on some of the player’s faces were priceless when this handout was presented. They immediately knew they were in for a wild ride!

Some of the more fun dungeon rooms in no particular order:

Tesseract Sewers: All the waste generated by Baba Yaga’s bestiary is magically channeled here. Waiting for the players was highly intelligent rot grubs and of course mutated gelatinous cubes of gargantuan size. Unfortunately for the players the cubes absorbed a large cache of magic potions over the years and the miscibility table favored them completely!

The Spaceship: Not any ordinary spaceship but one filled with Daleks! The look on the Whovian faces when we placed the Dalek miniatures on the table was great. Plungers of doom and yes disintegration rays completed their arsenal. Eventually the players made it to the senior Dalek whose mechanical shell was damaged. It offered information on navigating the tesseract in return for the player’s help. Instead of using dice I purchased a copy of Dalek Operation to simulate removing the damaged parts.

Dredgehammer Brewery: The ruby ale of this lost brewery was coveted by dwarf and human alike. Surely this must be a good place to rest while exploring the tesseract…WRONG. The magic that once enabled some of the brewing process became unstable and wild. It seeped into the aged kegs and created BEER elementals! With special attacks named Hangover and Beer Brawl you can only imagine the chaos which ensued. This was a fun one and of course the loot was an actual cooler of ice cold beer that was hidden inside a closet at the convention hall.

Fremont the Troll: While scouring for outlandish ideas I happened upon something from our own world. This actual statue exists in the Fremont area of Seattle, Washington under the Aurora Bridge. At 18’ tall and 13,000lbs of steel, rebar and concrete Baba Yaga just had to have him! Fremont was guarding a bridge inside the tesseract that the players had to cross. They needed to answer his riddles or be attacked by massive fists or a thrown VW bug!

Gate of Doom: This was a massive trapped door with many unique tumblers in its plethora of locks. Instead of using dice I decided yet again to use a tactile puzzle. We used a Jenga tower with each piece removed representing a lock. The player squared off against one of the DM’s while everyone watched. The tension generated as the Jenga tower wobbled resembled a rogue picking dangerous locks. If the tower fell on the player’s turn they would set off a nasty trap. Alternatively if it fell on the DM’s turn they disabled all the traps successfully.

At some point when I have the time I will clean up Baba Yaga’s Tesseract adventure and make it available for download. There are many more other fun encounters which occurred throughout the weekend. The take away here is that while high fantasy is indeed fun adding some gonzo to your game sessions makes things refreshing and new. Don’t be afraid to game outside the box and keep your players on their toes!

Never sign a contract in a dungeon!

You are the enemy of the Daleks!

Fremont the Troll

HOW many cubes?

Game outside the box!

50 bottles of Dredgehammer ready for Ultracon 4!

Venger of Kort'thalis publishing asked me to review his newest product Crimson Dragon Slayer. For the uninitiated CDS is an OSR style role playing game with a retro and very gonzo foundation. The premise of the game takes us back to the wonderful era of the 1980s. The players start out enjoying a game of Crimson Dragon Slayer on their Commodore 64 and are inexplicably pulled into the realm of Thule.

I must admit when I was a daydreaming ten year old in 1983 I often wished something like this would happen. Much like the Dungeons & Dragons cartoon my friends and I would spend hours musing over living through a similar situation. It is that feeling of both nostalgia and old school RPGs that Venger has wrapped into CDS.

The name of the game is tied to one of the adversaries the players have to contend with in the land of Thule. I actually like the name as it reminds me of a cheesy 80s metal band. That being said, I would love to see a future release with an alternate cover. As it stands if I saw the game on a shelf I would instantly think it was some sort of regular fantasy RPG. Thisunfortunately carries over into much of the interior art as well.

The book numbers 42 pages some of which are dedicated to an easy to follow d6 system. If I had any complaint it would be the small size of the book.The ideas prepared within were so fun I just kept wanting more. For my review I admittedly glossed over the ruleset as with most games I simply don’t use them. Rather I look for inspiration and system neutral material to mash-up with whatever system I’m currently using.

Instead I concentrated on content and flavor to see if Venger captured the vibe the game proclaims to have. The caveat being the d6 rule set is indeed part of that flavor. In the 1980s RPGs were not riddled with voluminous texts of mechanics so the d6 system captures some of that nostalgia. I will say that the material presented in CDS can be easily converted and used in other RPGs.

The first thing I liked was random tables to generate things like your job before you were transported to Thule. In a future release of the CDS I would like to see more random tables. A fun duo of tables in the current version of the game gives the characters a new name. I rolled and ended up with Emerald Slime which immediately made me think of Slimer from the Ghostbusters. Or maybe my character is addicted to Hi-C Ecto-Cooler???

In terms of races a player can choose from all the standard fantasy types which are represented. In addition we have the Infernal Elf, Robots, Crystalline and my favorite the Pixie Fairy Princess. Their entry cracked me up and is as follows: pixie fairies flutter here and there, initiating tea parties, shopping for sparkly dresses, sharing secrets, and obsessively hording magic. Pixie fairies are female and for some inexplicable reason they are all princesses.

In terms of equipment Venger included a starter list of miscellaneous items available for purchase. A few standouts include the Mel Gibson interceptor, Commodore 128 or even an Air-Wolf chopper! Let’s face it the 1980s are loaded with items you could add to this list. I can already envision Trapper Keepers, Reebok Pumps, and the dreaded Cabbage Patch kids for sale. The former could even be giant monsters to encounter with their crazed minions being shoppers trying to obtain them.

One of the areas where Venger has included his style the most I believe is the spell section. Always one to push the limits spells like Cube of Coitus and Ice Cream Phantom Servant are included. I personally find these both amusing and fitting for a theme such as CDS. My friends and I would always butcher or poke fun at published spell names as teenagers in the 1980s. There are a few other gems in the spell section but I don’t want to spoil it for anyone.

The last thing I read through was the included adventure called the Cavern of Carnage. Right away I smiled looking at the wandering monster table which included Psychotic Candy-Colored Bears. Ironically I had a pack of Gummy Bears on my desk as I read CDS…and I think I saw one move. All jokes aside the adventure has many such fun encounters which incorporate well known and sometimes iconic persons, places or things from the 1980s.

There is clever material and genuine gonzo goodness in Crimson Dragon Slayer. If you always dreamed of fighting hordes of Laser Raptors, jumping on rocket propelled Pogo Balls or having an Excellent Adventure then look no further. Grab a couple friends, some dice and head back to the future with Crimson Dragon Slayer!

Every summer my family and I make the trek to one of the New Jersey shore points for vacation. Growing up on the east coast it has been a tradition as long as I can remember. Salt water taffy, weird shops on the board walk, disco fries, the smell of salt water and the cackle of seagulls. And like many places in the country New Jersey has its own legendary monster which lives in the Pine Barrens.

For several hundred years now people have reported seeing this beastie steeped in heavy folklore. So much that the state even named its professional hockey team The New Jersey Devils. According to legend in the early 1700s a settler named Mother Leeds thirteenth child morphed into a terrible creature soon after birth. Complete with massive claws, wings and glowing eyes it dispatched its mother and all other witnesses in short order.

After the carnage the horrific creature flew away and made its lair somewhere in the prodigious Pine Barrens. During the 18th and 19th centuries the legend of the Jersey (or Leeds) Devil grew as residents of the surrounding areas became frightened. At one point schools were actually closed and people refused to leave their homes for fear of the creature attacking them. To this day as with Big Foot it remains common for residents or visitors to report finding strange foot prints or tufts of hair. Or perhaps they report seeing a strange flapping shadow or hear some unearthly howl during the night.

The Jersey devil seems like a perfect critter to add to an existing D&D campaign or to create a one shot adventure for. As with all folklore monsters sometimes the best inspiration comes from real life stories and legends. Krampus who has spiked in popularity recently is perhaps the best example of this. Depending on how serious you are about your monster research maybe a camping trip inside the New Jersey Pine Barrens is in order? After all it really is a rite of passage for anyone on the east coast who is a folklore buff. I would recommend bringing your lucky D20 though because saving throws versus fear are the worst!

For now I have created a version of the Jersey Devil for 5E Dungeons & Dragons:

JERSEY DEVIL
Medium Cryptid (devil), Chaotic evil
Armor Class 19 (natural armor)
Hit Points 142 (15d10 + 60)
Speed 40 ft. , fly 40ft.
STR 18 (+4) DEX 16 (+3) CON 17 (+3) INT 13 (+1) WIS 18 (+4) CHA 16 (+3)

Damage Resistances cold; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from non-magical
weapons that aren't silvered
Damage Immunities fire, poison
Condition Immunities poisoned
Senses darkvision 120 ft
Languages Infernal
Challenge 15 (13,000 XP)
Devil's Sight. Magical darkness doesn't impede the Jersey Devil's darkvision.
Magic Resistance. The Jersey Devil has advantage on saving throws
against spells and other magical effects.
ACTIONS
Multiattack. The Jersey Devil makes three attacks: two with its claws and one with its sting.
Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target.
Hit: 8 (1d8 + 4) slashing damage.
Sting. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5ft., one target.
Hit: 13 (2d8 + 4) piercing damage
Bonechilling Wail. The Jersey Devil’s terrible cries can be heard for upwards to a mile away. Anyone within 100’ of this wail however must succeed on a DC 16 Wisdom saving throw or become frightened until the end of the Jersey Devil’s next turn. If the target fails the saving throw by 5 or more, it is also becomes paralyzed for the same duration. A target that succeeds on the saving throw is immune to the Bonechilling Wail for the next 24 hours.

Legendary Actions
The Jersey Devil can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature's turn. The Jersey Devil regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.

Attack. The Jersey Devil makes one attack with its Claw, Sting or Bonechilling Wail.

Wing Attack (Costs 2 Actions). The Jersey Devil beats its wings. Each creature within 15 feet must succeed on a DC 16 Dexterity saving throw or take 13 (2d8 + 4) bludgeoning damage and be knocked prone. The Jersey Devil can then fly up to half its flying speed.

Blood Frenzy (Costs 3 Actions). The Jersey Devil makes a claw attack against a target at 0 HP and if successful instead of failing one death save automatically they fail two.

For more information on the Jersey Devil visit the The New Jersey Historical Society.

Whenever I’m afforded the chance I like to point other tabletop gamers to Kickstarters that I have personally backed. Ernest Gary Gygax Jr.'s Marmoreal Tomb Campaign Starter is one such project. Already funded the Kickstarter is now working on stretch goals. For the uninitiated Ernest is the oldest son of the late Gary Gygax who is one of the creators of my favorite game Dungeons & Dragons.

We were first afforded a preview of the material back when Gygax Magazine issue #3 was released. Even then I found myself taking a walk down memory lane looking at the writing style and accompanying artwork. While some people are not fans of the famous Gygaxian prose I’m hoping that style is a continued theme of the Marmoreal Tomb Campaign Starter. For me it’s just a nostalgia thing since as a young DM I poured over texts filled with it.

So what is this campaign starter all about? Well for background it all started in 1978 when Ernest was working as a clerk in the original Dungeon Hobby shop. What followed was a huge mega dungeon themed sandbox that challenged players in the store. The Marmoreal Tomb will be using material from this vintage home brewed setting.

If you are a student of RPG history this is a really cool product to eventually own. Helping Ernest on the project is his partner Benoist Poire who admittedly is one of my favorite mappers. There is just a wonderful organic feel to his creations and they are just part and parcel to this project.

So what does Marmoreal mean? Well it’s a great old word meaning “marble-like”. Interestingly in our own world grave headstones were once crafted from marble. The problem with marble however was erosion and soon names and etchings became undecipherable. So the Marmoreal Tomb is clever name and who knows what runes once existed that are no longer legible.

The adventure is being designed to capture the feel of the material that many of us grew up with. Although presented to be played with 1E compatible rules, 5E and Pathfinder conversions will be available with stretch goals. That being said, although I’m thrilled about the former it would not have been a roadblock for me in backing this project. As always I'm personally looking for environment and never concerned with the rules.

Many of the old time gamers are advancing in age and the chance to own a new project created by one of them is a real treat. The Gygax family has contributed so much to our hobby from Gary’s original work, to Gygax magazine, Garycon and now this really cool project. So take a walk down memory lane with the new old school and check out Ernest Gary Gygax Jr.'s Marmoreal Tomb Campaign Starter!

Today, today I have the game con blues
Ooh today, today I have the game con blues

Sounds like a B.B. King song, eh?

This past weekend marked the 4th year of our friends and family convention called Ultracon. For this year’s theme the players all were villains and part of a mercenary company named the Grim Legion. They were tasked with hunting down various targets in a dangerous archipelago over the course of the weekend. I along with three other members of the DM Team ran the event which consisted of nine blocks of play. Each lasted four hours and we swapped DMs and players in-between adventure blocks.

This is a special event because we custom design it for our gaming circle. Each of the seventeen characters were created with extra special care and detailed backgrounds. The story is part of a continuing saga from previous Ultracons and is developed over six months. It really amounts to a campaign themed RPG extravaganza spanning two days.

The amount of work which goes into the event is really quite incredible. Every year I feel overwhelmed and think to myself I will never do this again. But even as I write this ideas are churning through my head for Ultracon 5. There is just something really great about gaming and sharing a story together. But more importantly spending time surrounded by awesome friends and family is my favorite part of the event.

There are some really unbelievably crafty people that come to Ultracon every year. One of the couples came to the event with custom beer mugs for everyone and decorated cupcakes. Another player crafted an entire case of Dredgehammer and several bottles of amazing mead for everyone to partake in. Other players were so into their character they purchased props to enhance their role-play experience. One in particular was playing a Norse skald and came to the event with a drum to play.

Our sign in book this year was actually tied to the story. The Immortudictum is a terrible and forbidden text and even those that truly believe it to exist suggest it is purely imaginary. The substance of the volume pertains almost wholly with the afterlife and necromancy. One of the DM team members created the grimoire complete with faux rust and leather. In terms of props it was a real standout!

The game convention blues grabbed ahold me post event. All day my mind drifted back to the weekend and all the great times I had rolling dice, laughing with friends and escaping for a little while. That to me is what makes the RPG pastime so wonderful. All things may have to come to an end but we can certainly plan for the next gathering. There are more days of high adventure ahead!

What you do to cure your game convention blues?

Loot bags for Ultracon 4

Cupcakes of Awesome +5

So cute on a bed of tasty treasure!

Grim Legion mugs!


A player's custom folder!

The Immortudictum

Used as a DM & Player sign in book

Custom designed by ikespaperworlds.blogspot.com

Sweet Leaf Wæs Hal Mead

Sweet Leaf Hive Juice

Ultracon 4 Dredgehammer

Last year when we conceptualized the Game Tavern we wanted to build a cozy place to have many tabletop adventures in. Ever since we were kids playing D&D in my old garage we dreamed of having a space dedicated to entertaining and gaming.

In February the space was finally completed so we took some pictures and shared them with the world. The feedback and excitement was contagious and many gamers hopefully have been inspired to build something similar.

We decided to enter the Game Tavern in the Geekie Awardsbecause we wanted that inspiration to reach an even bigger audience. The Geekie Awards® is an award show by geeks for geeks™, aimed at putting the true geek culture in the spotlight as a collection of valid, respected, award-winning genres for storytelling and creation. We are excited to announce that the judges voted the Game Tavern a 2015 nominee!

The Game Tavern is competing with four other amazing entries in the Toys & Craft category. Public voting has now gone live and will be used to determine who wins the coveted “Geekie” trophy (pictured here). We are asking for the gaming communities help in spreading the word and giving us your daily votes! We believe the Game Tavern is representative of the gaming community as a whole. It’s just a cool place to play games and make memories with friends.

While visiting the Geekie Awards voting site please cast votes in all the categories. My mind is boggled when looking over the incredible work of the contestants. On behalf of the event and all its participants thank you for your support as it’s very much appreciated.


Click here to vote daily for the Game Tavern!!

After a week of vacation my first day back to work does not have enough coffee in the world. I actually feel like a zombie as the vacation hangover slowly leaves my system. That being said, perhaps the way I feel has something to do with the zombie theme of this past weekend?

Last night many viewers tuned in to watch the first episode of Fear the Walking Dead. For those unaware the new show is a companion series to the very popular Walking Dead. The first season will be focusing on the start of the zombie apocalypse from the perspective of a dysfunctional family. The former will surely add a layer of complication for the characters. I personally enjoyed episode one even though many viewers have commented it was very slow.

The only caveat would be the reaction of some of the characters upon seeing their first zombie. They seemed as numb as a seasoned zombie slaying veteran rather than in shock. This oversight did not bother me enough to not continue watching the show but it was strange. I’m sure the characters have seen bizarre things in their lives but a shambling corpse that just won’t die? I’m sorry but the average person would not stand there gawking but would run for their lives.

A while back I purchased End of the World: Zombie Apocalypse and hope to finally play it soon. One of the scenarios presented in the book deals with the initial outbreak. I really think that would be a terrifying time to set a campaign in as society crumbles around the player characters. Panicked people, martial law, complete chaos, and the grid going down would happen really fast I would imagine. I’m looking forward to some inspiration from Fear the Walking Dead for my own games

In preparation for the first episode we spent Sunday in the Game Tavernplaying one of my favorite cooperative board games Zombicide. Back in November of last year I shared some pictures of my storage solution for all the miniatures. In addition I included some custom character cards I created based on the Walking Dead cast. I decided to create a few more and wanted to share them with all the fans out there.

For Throwback Thursday I thought it would be cool to look at the original iteration of Blackrazor. Inspired by Elric’s Stormbringer this is a sword any old school gamer knows well. In S2 White Plume Mountain the nefarious wizard Keraptis was the thieving owner of three priceless artifact weapons named Wave, Whelm, and Blackrazor. As to not spoil anything for the uninitiated I will not delve into any further aspect of the story.

Here are the statistics as presented in my 1980 printing of White Plume Mountain:

Blackrazor (1E)
Chaotic neutral sword +3.
Intelligence 17
Ego 16
Purpose: to suck souls.

It is a black sword that shines like a piece of night sky filled with stars, and it is sheathed in a black scabbard decorated with pieces of cut obsidian.

On a killing stroke, Blackrazor temporarily adds the number of levels of the dead foe to its bearer's levels (in terms of fighting ability). The bearer also temporarily gains the full hit points of the victim. All subsequent damage to the sword's wielder is removed from the added hit points first. The extra levels and hit points last a number of turns equal to the number of levels received. The souls of all entities killed by Blackrazor are sucked out and devoured; those killed by the black sword cannot be raised. For every three days the sword remains "unfed", its ego increases by one point, until it can compel its bearer to kill a human or humanoid being. Upon feeding, its ego returns to 16.

The DM will note that Blackrazor is a negative-energy entity that exists by absorbing positive life energy levels from those it kills. However, if it even strikes a negative-energy being like an undead (except for ghouls and ghosts),it will work in reverse, transferring one level and corresponding hit points from the wielder to the creature attacked. lt will do this each time that it strikes. Under these conditions, the wielder can actually die and have his soul sucked out by his own sword. If the wielder survives, he will need a restoration spell or twice the usual number of levels received from positive "kills" to replace the lost levels. Those killed for replacement must be of the same race as the sword-wielder.

Blackrazor (and you, the DM) may very well keep this little drawback a secret until the first time the sword bites into a wight or a vampire. The DM must remember that Blackrazor exists solely to feel power and souls coursing through itself, and sometimes it may not be too picky about where the energy is coming from.

In addition to the above, the sword has the following powers:

Speech and telepathy (common and whatever tongues its wielder knows, which it learns telepathically)
Detects living creatures (souls), 60' radius
Haste spell (bearer only, 10 rounds}, once per day
100% magic resistance to charm and fear (exact percentage chance of resistance will depend on the level of the opponent casting such a spell)

For the 5th edition of Dungeons & Dragons the sword was presented with the below iteration on page 216 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide. What do you think of this version compared to the original?

Blackrazor (5E)

Weapon (greatsword), legendary (requires attunement by a creature of non-lawful alignment)

Hidden in the dungeon of White Plume Mountain, Blackrazor shines like a piece of night sky filled with stars. Its black scabbard is decorated with pieces of cut obsidian.

You gain a +3 bonus to attack and damage rolls mad. with this magic weapon. It has the following additional properties.

Devour Soul
Whenever you use it to reduce a creature to 0 hit points the sword slays the creature and devours its soul, unless it is a construct or an undead. A creature whose soul has been devoured by Blackrazor can be restored to life only by a wish spell.

When it devours a soul, Blackrazor grants you temporary hit points equal to the slain creature's hit point maximum. These hit points fade after 24 hours. As long as these temporary hit points last and you keep Blackrazor in hand. you have advantage on attack rolls, saving throws, and ability checks. If you hit an undead with this weapon, you take 1d10 necrotic damage and the target regains 1d10 hit points If this necrotic damage reduces you to 0 hit points, Black razor devours your soul.

Soul Hunter
While you hold the weapon you are aware of the presence of Tiny or larger creatures within 60 feet of you that aren't constructs or undead. You also can't be charmed or frightened. Blackrazor can cast the haste spell on you once per day. It decides when to cast the spell and maintains concentration on it so that you don't have to.

Sentience
Blackrazor is a sentient chaotic neutral weapon with an Intelligence of 17, a Wisdom of 10, and a Charisma of 19. It has hearing and darkvision out to a range of 120 feet.

The weapon can speak, read. and understand Common, and can communicate with its wielder telepathically. Its voice is deep and echoing. While you are attuned to it, Blackrazor also understands every language you know.

Personality
Blackrazor speaks with an imperious tone, as though accustomed to being obeyed. The sword's purpose is to consume souls. It doesn't care whose souls it eats, including the wielder's. The sword believes that all matter and energy sprang from a void of negative energy and will one day return to it. Blackrazor is meant to hurry that process along.

Despite its nihilism, Black razor feels a strange kinship to Wave and Whelm, two other weapons locked away under White Plume Mountain. It wants the three weapons to be united again and wielded together in combat, even though it violently disagrees with Whelm and finds Wave tedious. Blackrazor's hunger for souls must be regularly fed. If the sword goes three days or more without consuming a soul, a conflict between it and its wielder occurs at the next sunset.

ChimericalDragonfly's awesome version on Etsy

Click here to visit the store

I was enjoying vacation relaxing on the beach during H.P. Lovecraft’s birthday last August 20th. Of course while basking in the sun and staring out over the endless expanse of waves my mind started to wander. I can certainly be counted among those Dungeon Masters influenced by his work. I kept thinking about sea creatures when my daydreaming was interrupted by a purple beach ball that landed nearby. The rich lavender tones stood out in stark contrast against the pale sand.

In ancient times the color purple was prized as most clothing was lackluster. A certain dye called Tyrian purple was harvested from sea snails and worth its weight in gold. That is when I had my light bulb moment and decided to create a new ooze to make the rest quiver. The current D&D storyline is Rage of Demons which includes one of my favorites known as Juiblex (JOO-ee-blex). I thought this would be a perfect time to add another monster to the Faceless Lord’s cadre. Presented below in 5th edition stats is a creature that will make you sunbath with one eye open on the beach.

Purple Ooze

This creature is an eldritch amalgamation of a giant sea snail and gray ooze. Giant sea snails are popular sources of purple dye because of the secretions they yield. Although land dwellers milk the gland of the snail for its dye the mucus also has a powerful sedation element. Legend holds that Juiblex recognized this infatuation with the color purple as an opportunity for malevolent intent. Humans considered purple a color of nobility and station. Soon however they would associate it with a grotesque mockery from the deep realms beyond their comprehension.

Purple ooze is a large quivering mass of translucent veiny membrane. The creature is extremely predatory and usually hunts beaches with regular humanoid traffic. Purple ooze has no discernible anatomy but does grow hundreds of small tentacles around its circumference. These are used similar to a cat’s whiskers and provide the ooze with sensory information. Although it does not communicate with any sort of language those which have survived a purple ooze attack tell a different story. Victims are left mentally scarred with terrible nightmares of reality warping around them. The one memory they all share is the sloshing gurgle calling out their name over and over.

PURPLE OOZE

Large ooze, chaotic evil
Armor Class 12
Hit Points 142 (15d10+60)
Speed 20ft., swim 40ft., climb 20ft.
STR 16 (+3)
DEX 14 (+2)
CON 18 (+4)
INT12 (+1)
WIS 11 (+0)
CHR 11 (+0)
Damage Resistances acid, cold, fire
Condition Immunities blinded, poisoned, paralyzed, charmed, deafened, exhaustion, frightened, prone
Senses blindsight 60ft. (blind beyond this radius)
Languages –
Challenge7 (2,900 XP)
Amorphous. The ooze can move through a space as narrow as 1 inch wide without squeezing.
Magic Resistance. The purple ooze has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
ACTIONS
Pseudopod. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 11 (2d6 + 4) bludgeoning damage plus 7 (2d6) acid damage, and if the target is wearing non magical metal armor, its armor is partly corroded and takes a permanent and cumulative -1 penalty to the AC it offers. The armor is destroyed if the penalty reduces its AC to 10.
Gurgle of the Deep (Recharge 5-6). The purple ooze magically emits a psychic cacophony in a 30-foot cube centered on itself. Each creature in that area must succeed on a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or take 22 (4d8 + 4) psychic damage and be stunned for 1 minute. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.
Note: Any player character stricken by the gurgle of the deep should have a lingering fear of the color purple and the sea. Moreover they should be ailed with recurring dreams of cosmic horror and being consumed by a sloshing wet blanket of slime. Nothing short of a Remove Curse should help them cure this terrible condition.

Juiblex as originally presented in the AD&D Monster Manual

Another time another place
A hollow universe in space
I took a trip to see the sights
That will be blacker than the night

The new Iron Maiden album Book of Souls has some great thematic stuff to draw inspiration from. Add in new imagery of Eddie the head and it just all meshes so well with old school gaming vibe. Just a look at full track listing and any of these songs could be the name of some old school module:

Disc 1
1. If Eternity Should Fail
2. Speed Of Light
3. The Great Unknown
4. The Red And The Black
5. When The River Runs Deep
6. The Book Of Souls

Disc 2
7. Death Or Glory
8. Shadows Of The Valley
9. Tears Of A Clown
10. The Man Of Sorrows
11. Empire Of The Clouds

According to their website The Book Of Souls is the band’s 16th studio album since their eponymous debut in 1980 charted at #4 in the UK, in a career achieving sales of over 90 million albums worldwide. Their previous album, 2010’s The Final Frontier was Maiden’s most successful chart-wise to date, reaching Number One in 28 countries and was their highest chart debut in the U.S reaching #4 in the Billboard 200.

In a previous post I detailed how metal has been a foundation for the gritty side of my imagination as a Dungeon Master. I’m sure as most old school gamers can attest metal and RPGs walk the same path for a couple reasons. Besides dealing with thematically similar material they both had popularity spikes in the 1980s. In my older post I created a magic sword to use in any campaign named Death Metal. I have decided to follow-up with a new creation inspired by Book of Souls fittingly named Speed of Light.

Speed of Light

Description
Speed of Light is crafted from a crystal shard which legend holds fell from the sky in a great ball of fire and energy. The knowledge of who was able to fashion the shard into a weapon has been lost to time. The long jagged shard is secured into a magic handle and cross guard. When held the weapon pulses faintly in the wielders hand until used in combat. At that very instance the shard vibrates so fast it literally becomes a beam of hazy blue light.

By tasyne.deviantart.com

Powers
Speed of Light constantly exists in multiple times and dimensions when used during combat. As it cuts opponents they are stricken with glimpses of these strange alien sights and sounds. Targets struck by the weapon are unable to comprehend the otherworldly cosmic visions because they have no real context and become paralyzed for 1d4 rounds. A saving throw should only be allowed if the victim is damaged again by any source.

Speed of Light has a +2 enchantment bonus and should be considered neutral in terms of alignment. The wielder of Speed of Light gains an additional attack every round.

Unfortunately such power comes at a cost. Every time the wielder uses Speed of Light in combat there is a cumulative 10% chance it simply vanishes and appears in another time or place.

History
The first recorded use of the weapon exists on a royal tapestry of some antiquity. Speed of Light was responsible for the death of a great king because it left his side during a terrible battle. Some suggest the king dropped the sword or that it was wrestled from his hand. History and arcane scholars however are not convinced and believe the weapon has a paranormal or planar quality to it. Whenever the weapon makes an appearance if not secreted away many will come looking for it. Even though its power is fleeting for a short time it has the ability to turn the tide of any battle.

If you would like to play the 8-bit game based off this music video the link is to the right of this post!

On Wednesday just for fun I sent the following tweet:

The community responded and below you will find ideas in unedited form. If I missed anyone I do apologize. The fun thing about this little experiment is the sheer variety that came from it. Keep in mind that on Twitter you are limited to 140 characters. So if you would like to add more material or use our little sunken ziggurat by all means please do. Just remember danger is everywhere so you may want to bring a few torch bearers and a 10’ pole!

@FailedGM: The cistern holds a hungry narwhal.

@Dungeon_Junk: You find a well-decorated room full of shelves containing valuable scrolls. They are all ruined due to the damp.

@Dungeon_Junk: In the armoury you discovered the legendary scimitar Godsbane. It's turned almost completely to rust.

@theAdjunctDM as the party enters the sanctuary, their torchlight reveals a portion of a massive, golden statue of a Yuan-Ti.

@theAngryGm The Sunken Antechamber: Swamp water fills this chamber to the knee. Most don't see the stairs under the water... Until they fall.

@seanbonney: Low ceiling honeycombed with overhead shafts. Most filled with trip-wire released bones and armor. A few with skeleton warriors.

@fiddleback: The Room of Hours. Upon entering this large sand filled room (difficult terrain), PCs are under the influence of a slow spell.

@jencilmonkey Huge clockwork gears grind inexorably, partially submerged in the sand, skeletons impaled on the cogs' sharpened teeth

@dmdandanfieldng The floor in the hall is under 6cm of water mixed with oil from a ruptured flame trap. Any spark will ignite the oil

@karakdamnaz You find a fountain spraying a rainbow hued liquid. Non-lawful PCs that drink heal 3d8+5 hit points.

@karakdamnaz A sloping room with deep water at the far end blocking exit. Dessicated frogs litter the floor. The water is an illusion, DC 28.

‏@medicmsh The vines coil & twine towards the light far overhead. Their carnivorous rootlets, however, coil & twine towards the nearest PC...

@bengrunzel The submerged gear room can drain water in one level, but a hydra-troll is stuck in the gears.

@spaceseeker19 Room with doors on 6 sides rotates forward each time it's entered, changing its location & dropping PCs to far wall.

@haelyn78 u find an altar of an ancient deity. Sacrifice an uncommon magic item gives u adv in the next 5 checks to locate traps/doors

@Aetherium83 Hall of Ancestors. A long passage w/ countless lines and symbols etched in blood identifying the lineages of the tribes.

@ThemDave carapaced bugs scuttle down a southern hallway using ceilings as floor. Perhaps they lead to water, perhaps they flee in terror.

@galev_ph The hallway gets more and more thickly covered in sticky webs towards the end.

@Iron_Fox off of the main foyer is an incongruous ball pit.

Aleena was the first character death witnessed as I learned how to play the game with the Red Box. A now infamous wizard named Bargle fells her with a well-placed magic missile. That unforgettable moment was part of the solo adventure and went as follows:

Aleena can’t find Bargle, and is starting to look worried. Suddenly, the sound of a spell comes from a far corner of the room! The cleric turns and runs in that direction, waving her mace and shouting. The black-robed magic-user appears in the same corner as the spell noise, with a glowing arrow floating in the air beside him. He points at Aleena; the arrow shoots out, and hits her! She wails and falls with a sigh, collapsing in the middle of the room. The glowing arrow disappears.

As a young player in 1983 this actually made quite an impression on me. After frantically trying to see if there was another potential outcome I realized it was cast in stone. As a fledgling dungeon master it was almost like a moment of clarity with how to proceed in the years ahead. Although I could never be accused of being a killer DM, there have been plenty of character deaths in my sessions over the years. In fact in my current campaign we have seen the demise of two characters over the past year.

British author Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch in 1916 is quoted with saying “Murder your darlings” which since become “kill your darlings” in another quote by William Faulkner. What does this mean? My interpretation is that everything in a story or campaign is indeed disposable. It does not matter if it’s a favorite NPC, PC, place or thing. Since in a role playing game our darlings are often tied to dice rolls everyone needs to be objective when a change occurs.

Anyone who is a fan of George R.R. Martin is very familiar with this concept of killing off your darlings. That being said, a role playing game at its very essence is about the characters. A character death you always hope will have meaning if you are involved in a serious campaign. But as the old adage goes as one door closes often another opens. A perfect example is my wife’s favorite character, a pirate named Anjelica the Red. She would have never been created if not for her prior character meeting an untimely demise at the hands (or tentacles) of a mind flayer.

Being an avid blog reader I’m often surprised to see suggestions on how to basically DM with kid gloves on. Character death needs to be something that can occur in any campaign or the credibility of danger is gone. Role playing games at the very essence are essentially cooperative story telling exercises. If the protagonists know they are invincible that makes for a very boring story in my opinion. I think the idea of character death as a minor inconvenience can be attributed to video gaming. Younger players especially are so used to resurrecting over and over that character death becomes a joke.

As a dungeon master if you are afraid to let a player character die you are doing it wrong. I’m sure my last statement may draw the ire of some gamers but I stand by it. Surely it should never be the goal of the DM to intentionally kill a player character. Again cooperative story telling does not include a “versus” anywhere in its make-up. I know how hard it is to get everyone together for a game night and I honestly dislike when a favorite character dies. But in the end it usually helps to move the story forward in ways none of us were even aware of at the time.

What are your feelings on player character death?

This new zine will be filled each issue with system agnostic role playing game material. The hope is this will appeal to a larger audience since there is virtually nothing to convert. When applicable, statistics and examples will be provided with common RPG terminology. My goal is to share with the community the types of material that are commonplace in the Game Tavern. The publication is designed to have the vibe of a classic zine while keeping to a theme with every issue.

Tales from the Game Tavern is a fun creative outlet for me and as such will not adhere to a strict publishing schedule. My hope is that I will be able to release a new issue every two months but that may be ambitious. Depending on the feedback I receive from the community subscriptions may become available down the road. In terms of submissions I’m not actively looking for them now but will listen to any pitch sent to me. This includes artwork or system agnostic gaming material.

The first issue totals 28 pages and is aptly themed Halloween for the Autumn release. Inside you will find the following content:

Flesh Golem Redux: The Brides of Frankenstein think you’re cute!

Haunted Armor: Four pieces of protection with a tainted past.

Tavern Ghosts: Are they just local stories or true hauntings?

Grody the Ghoul: A low level seasonal adventure and hex crawl.

Alien Abduction: Tables for creating an encounter of the 3rd kind!

Malignant Scourge: Add a zombie apocalypse to your campaign.

Game Tavern Ghoulash: A tavern favorite to cook on your own game night!

There will be a print run of 200 physical issues. The silhouette cover art for issue #1 was designed by Ike’s Paper Worlds. As part of a promotion for the debut issue the original art will be raffled off. Each physical copy purchased will count as one (1) ticket for the raffle. Tentative date to announce the winner is November 1st, 2015. PDF copies purchased at RPGNow.com (.pdf should be available in 1-5 days) will not count as tickets.

To purchase your copy of Tales from the Game Taven issue #1 click here.

I just wanted to show everyone the original paper cut artwork entitled Smite or Treat. This scene is what graces the cover of Tales from the Game Tavern issue one. As part of a promotion the artist, Ike Horton will be graciously donating the original for a raffle. Every physical copy of the Tales from the Game Tavern issue one sold directly from ultanya.com will count as a raffle ticket. As previously mentioned our tentative plans are to announce the winner in November.

Ike’s comments on the piece are as follows:

SMITE OR TREAT all finished but the signature. This the closest to a traditional cut paper piece as I've done. All the black silhouette parts are cut from single piece of Watercolor paper and painted a satin Mars Black. The darker crater color of the moon was painted directly on the background with Yellow Ochre with a wash of Cadmium Yellow Medium and the lighter is Watercolor paper painted with Cadmium Yellow Medium. The background is various washes of Cadmium Orange and Cadmium Red Medium mixtures.

I actually own several paper cut pieces crafted by Ike and I can tell you pictures do them no justice. Very often the three dimensional aspects are not captured by a camera. Additionally the intricate cutting involved cannot be fully appreciated until you see the work in person. If you are looking for a wonderful piece of Halloween décor Smite or Treat would be a good addition. Ike also does commissions so if you get a chance check out his Facebook page and give it a like.

Get your copy of issue #1 here!

In memoriam, I wanted to talk a bit about Dave Arneson. Today would have been his birthday as he was born October 1, 1947. Best known as one of the co-creators of my favorite game Dungeons & Dragons, I will not be exploring his departure from TSR during this post. Rather I just wanted to celebrate his contributions to the gaming industry because they are important.

Dave’s love of games really took off in the 1960s when he attended the University of Minnesota. Historic miniature war gaming was his regular hobby but it was about to change dramatically. Dave was very interested in having individual war game models learn from their experiences in-between battles. This desire to develop one model instead of the entire military unit was a great example of the earliest stages of role playing games. Dave put these concepts to test in his campaign world named Blackmoor.

Soon Dave met another gaming enthusiast named Gary Gygax at Gen Con in 1969. Their amazing collaboration would go on to create the wonderful pastime that so many of us enjoy today. 1974 marks the year that famous little white box appeared which would change tabletop gaming forever. In 1975 Supplement II: Blackmoor was released with a forward by Gary Gygax. In the former Gary goes on to say that Blackmoor is the “oldest and longest running Dungeons & Dragons game”.

In the years after leaving TSR, Dave continued to publish more role-playing game material and taught classes at Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida. In 2010, Full Sail University dedicated the student game development studio space as "Dave Arneson's Blackmoor Studios" in Arneson's honor. Turbine's Dungeons and Dragons Online added an in-game memorial altar to Arneson and also created an in-game item named the "Mantle of the Worldshaper".

Admittedly for many years I had no idea who Dave Arneson even was. As a young player cutting my teeth on BCMI and eventually AD&D he was just not on my radar. But as I grew older and the history of the game started to fascinate me I eventually learned about Dave. Ironically sometime in late 2001 when the MMORPG explosion occurred I was playing Dark Age of Camelot with one of his students. Every time he had a chance this student heaped praise upon Dave’s name as a professor.

At the time I thought it was cool he had one of the co-creators of D&D as a teacher. Now so many years later my only regret was not listening more closely to those stories. If anything that experience is a constant reminder to me that the old guard is slowly passing on. It remains my sincere hope that we as a community will continue to seek out as much gaming history as possible.

So later today maybe take a stroll through Dave’s Lake Gloomey to the Temple of the Frog. Just remember to bring your favorite D20 because Dave will almost certainly be asking you to roll for initiative!

Tis now the very witching time of night, when churchyards yawn and hell itself breathes out contagion to this world. Now I could drink hot blood and do such bitter business as the day would quake to look upon.

~William Shakespeare

While looking through all the décor at various craft stores my eyes are always drawn to the faux books. All sorts of great titles exist on the spines such as venomous potions, spells & incantations, hexes and curses. While the most infamous of all witching tools remains the cauldron, what about all the magic knowledge used in conjunction with it? D&D players love to explore the environment around them and being ready with filler material is important. Witchcraft is such a great topic for Halloween inspired game sessions I wanted to make a new table for everyone to use.

The books below and the powers or banes they grant should not be considered standard. Spells which remove curses or disease should be ineffective. Instead use these books as adventure seeds or a jumping off points for a quest. When digging through a witch’s library adventurers should be wary of what may become of them when dealing with forbidden knowledge.

Witch’s Book Shelf (1d4)

1. Libro Venenum: This vile text is filled with pages of aged papyrus and wrapped in dried lizard hide. Translated it proclaims to be the Book (of) Poisons and must be handled with absolute care. Anyone attempting to read the book must make a difficult constitution check or take 10d6 poison damage. A successful roll grants temporary insight into the long forgotten art of toxic magic.

A spell caster may add 1d6 poison damage to any offensive spell they cast. This effect lasts for 24 hours and may be repeated with a successful constitution check on subsequent days. Every use of the book is accompanied with a cumulative 10% chance of developing large green boils. These are filled with toxic puss which may erupt as determined by the DM. An eruption causes the permanent loss of 1d4 hit points to the afflicted. Additionally anyone within 15’ must make a difficult constitution check or take 5d6 poison damage.

2. Folio Malevolence: The spine of this book is crafted from the bones of tormented fairies. The pages are all exposed with no actual cover and emit a foul odor. Upon close examination one can see skin has been stretched and matted onto the parchment. The runes on these pages make the reader feel uneasy and waves of hatred flow over them. Good aligned characters will feel immediate aversion to the text.

The dark power of the book will grant a cursed boon to anyone who completes reading it. Ask the player to list on a piece of paper the four things their character dislikes the most. Then in that order while filled with seething hatred their character will seek those four choices out. Nothing else will matter to the character but their malevolence will make them stronger. When dealing with the items on their list they may re-roll any D20 attempt but must keep the new result.

3. Malleus Maleficarum: This tome was created to condemn the practices of witchcraft. Translated it means the Hammer of the Witches and is brimming with theoretical and factual information. Powerful witches usually study the volume to learn the best way to defeat rivals and protect themselves. Because of this some adventurers will brave the lair of a witch just to find a copy of the legendary tome. Stealing a witch’s copy of the Malleus Maleficarum however will draw the ire of entire coven.

If anyone studies this witch hunting treatise, taking a minimum of three days, they gain a permanent bonus of +1 to attack or defenses against all witches. This magic may only be transferred 1d4 times before the book crumbles into a pile of dust. The dust however is also an effective tool to be used against a witch. If mixed with holy water it creates a paste which can be smeared on weapons. This causes an additional 1d6 holy damage to a witch for one attack.

4. Opuscule Covetous: A small notebook created with haphazard pieces of vellum tied together with gold wire. If the pages are spread out they appear to be covered in numbered pictures. Anyone who puts the pages in the correct order will see the drawings magically animate. The story they show will be rapturing and include scenes of immense wealth and decadence. Those viewing will be intoxicated with avarice and immediately desire the treasures presented in the story.

Unbeknownst to the cursed readers this is an elaborate trap set by a witch. What appear to be treasures are actually items the witch herself desires but cannot obtain. Examples would be a holy item wished destroyed, a newborn child or perhaps a lock of hair from a person pure of heart. No matter what the item they will always appear as something else to the afflicted character. The curse will cease once one or all of the items are obtained and presented to the witch.

If you enjoyed this post and are looking for more Halloween inspiration it can be found in Tales from the Game Tavern. The theme of issue one is Halloween and there are plenty of additional adventure seeds and material to make your October games memorable!

Haunted houses have captured the imagination of people around camp fires and Halloween gatherings for years. Every family and group of friends has their own stories to tell about strange occurrences that may have been supernatural phenomena. As a kid I can recall many abandoned and creepy houses that my friends and I found in the woods. At least one of those times several of us thought we saw some pale face staring back at us from an attic window. During October game sessions I think players are expecting the DM to whip up something scary. So below please find a side trek to add to your seasonal tool belt of horror.

Background
This house once belonged to a family which retained a gypsy to conduct a séance. They wished to make contact with the other side to determine if the house was haunted. Strange things had been occurring in and around the home which caused some significant injuries. One family member had fallen from a ladder but reported they were actually pushed off. One of the children became lost in the woods and nearly drowned in the nearby river before being discovered. The child’s story was she was lead to the river by a nice old lady.

The gypsy was well regarded and arrived to work as a medium with the help of her Ouija board. Legend holds that whatever malevolent spirit indeed haunted the house became enraged when the séance began. The poltergeist possessed the body of the gypsy and violently attacked the assembled family. What became of them still to this day no one can say but the house has been long abandoned.

Player Hooks (1d4)
1.    The player characters learn about the haunted house while frequenting a local tavern. Use some of the background information mixed with false rumors.
2.    After traveling for several hours and exhausted the characters decide to seek shelter from the rain in what appears to be an abandoned house.
3.    One of the characters was related to the now deceased family of the house. While passing through the area in-between adventurers they decide to visit.
4.    The player characters are hired by the nearby village to clean the house of the evil spirit which dwells there. Again use the background information to fill in the story.

The Home: dilapidated condition; broken glass underfoot; odor of decay; strange air pressure; oppressive darkness. When the characters venture inside they find dried brown splatters of blood everywhere. The only remaining objects inside are a table and six chairs which appear untouched by weather or time. Lying atop the table is a flat board with the letters of the alphabet arrayed in two semi-circles above the numbers 0 through 9; the words “yes” and “no” in the uppermost corners, “goodbye” at the bottom. A tear dropped piece of wood lays atop the board.

Note: Any player character touching the Ouija board will automatically summon the poltergeist. They along with any companions will be instantly teleported onto the chairs around the table. Unable to move or leave the chairs, they will be compelled to engage the poltergeist with the Ouija board.

Game Outside the Box: You will need a real Ouija board for this part of the adventure to work correctly. Just a quick Google search and I found plenty that are relatively inexpensive. The poltergeist will answer as many questions as the DM will allow the characters to ask. As long as the players are having fun I would continue the exercise and really get the hair on nape of everyone’s neck on end.

My suggestion is conduct the séance by real candlelight and maybe include some very faint haunting music in the background. When an opportune time presents itself a sudden outburst from the DM should really startle the players good. This could be either role playing the poltergeist or demanding initiative rolls be made!

The poltergeist still has control over the corpse of the long dead gypsy. Through the use of dark eldritch magic it has been preserved so the poltergeist has a physical host. The poltergeist uses the question time around the Ouija board to evaluate a potential new host among the player characters. The characters should have to make a very difficult Wisdom check to break free of the magic hold. If successful they regain control of their bodies in this order:

Round 1: Head
Round 2: Upper extremities
Round 3: Lower extremities

The poltergeist will appear as the horrific corpse of the gypsy woman complete with a sickening pallor and terrible evil eye. The former will be used by the poltergeist to cause necrotic damage in a 20’ cone to anyone who tries to stop it from possessing a target. If the player characters destroy the corpse host the poltergeist will abandon the area and return another day. In terms of statistics match the encounter to the level of the party but make sure it’s a tough fight.

New Magic Item

Ouija Board
This strange board was crafted from a petrified tree found in an ancient graveyard. For some inexplicable reason the spirits of those which have perished violently in life are attracted to it. Legend holds using the Ouija board is extremely unpredictable and often dangerous. The Ouija board allows the casting of Speak with Dead and Augury each three times per day. Alternatively use a real Ouija board and use the results as part of your story and role playing. Tormented spirits will seek out the owner of the Ouija board wherever they may travel.

This beautiful Ouija board can be found at OrionOddities on Etsy.

When I think of old school D&D images like the Red Box, light blue dice, crayons, and character sheets come to mind. Specifically the green colored basic sheet and AD&D goldenrod colored sheet. I can still see the eraser hole in the hit point box on my first green sheet. Back in the early 1980s I could not just run off an endless supply of character sheets on my printer. Official character sheets were like gaming group treasure!

At one point our supply was so limited everyone just used notebook paper. If your character survived to 3rd level you were permitted to use one of the coveted green sheets. The former became a badge of honor in our little gaming circle. The theme of character sheets adding to player credibility was taken a step further when we moved onto AD&D. I mean come on after all this was ADVANCED D&D we were talking about!

If you had a character on a goldenrod sheet that meant you were clearly a veteran player. At ten or eleven years old most of us could not even navigate the Gygaxian prose of the AD&D books. When I think back to all of this now it gives me a good chuckle. But alas, that was the logic of a bunch of kids learning the game together over what seemed like an endless summer.

A few years later we would be making our own character sheets and printing them with a Dot Matrix. Back then we called our heavily house ruled version of the game ID&D for Improved Dungeons & Dragons. I think some of the grognards in my circle may actually still have a few copies. Nowadays there is virtually any type of character sheet you could dream up available for download. Mad Irishman Productions made replicas of the green and goldenrod vintage sheets. They are available for download in PDF on their website below:

Download AD&D2 1st Edition Character Record Replicas (2 pages, 804 K)

Download D&D Basic Player Character Record Sheet Replica (2 pages, 307 K)

So thinking back on this Throwback Thursday which of the old school character sheets are your favorite?

So the new Dungeons & Dragons movie will be moving ahead because of a settlement agreement. Admittedly I’m excited about this news but will reserve the right to make a saving throw once we learn more about it. Exploiting the geek culture has been really rampant the last few years. Big companies have realized there is lots of money to be made and now everyone wants “geek cred”. The problem is those of us that have always been here can sniff out a poser faster than you can roll a D20. Forbes had a great post called Fake Geek Girls Go Away a few years ago that was right on point.

That remains my biggest concern when something as big as Dungeons & Dragons comes back to the big screen. I know Hasbro is involved but honestly that can mean many different things. Will actual players of the game be consulted and utilized? Will it be screened by those of us that were rolling dice and exploring dungeons before it was cool? Or will it helmed by yet another director and group of producers that think they are in touch with the RPG culture? Having the poser geeks running things behind the DM screen will be another recipe for disaster regardless of what their cinema credentials may be.

There has been some recent stir about Vin Diesel possibly being involved in the movie. While I think that would be the icing on the potential awesome cake it does not excite me on a granular level. What would excite me would be the approach Wizards of the Coast took when designing 5th edition. They polled the community of real players and actually used the feedback provided. Quite honestly, even if they never used ANY of the feedback it was a smart marketing strategy. And if anything it put their internal ideas to test against a much bigger think tank, i.e. the public.

Even though I highly doubt Hollywood would ever use a strategy like that I think it’s a missed opportunity. The previous Dungeons & Dragons movies were dismal in so many ways it was almost laughable. I just cannot imagine spending millions of dollars on a project without completely understanding the game and its fans. Many people want to be part of the geek renaissance but their true investment in the culture is only skin deep. Sort of like the guy who was trying to convince me he had the same Game of Thrones shirt. I had to ruin his day and explain I was actually wearing the Dungeons & Dragons ampersand.

What are your thoughts or hopes for the new Dungeons & Dragons movie?

With today being Back to the Future Day I could not help to reflect on 1985 versus 2015. Certainly role playing games have come a very long way from the witch hunts of the 80s. Now just about every facet of pop-culture phenomena has been touched in some way by my favorite game, Dungeons & Dragons. Back in 1985 I had been playing the game for a whole two years at that point. I definitely considered myself a seasoned dungeon master and wish I had some Polaroids of those early sessions. After all we were playing Advanced Dungeons & Dragons unlike some of the kids in the neighborhood!

I did manage to find a few of my old adventures scribbled on graph paper and jammed into a Trapper Keeper. How anyone survived those games is beyond me as they were loaded with every horror imaginable. Below is a 1985 clipping from Newsweek which really gives a glimpse into the ridiculous fear D&D generated:

Back to the Future, we now know all that fear was completely unfounded and that role playing games are wonderful creative outlets. Other benefits include social interaction, teamwork, problem solving and mathematics. In fact role playing games are absolutely wonderful for kids! For adults role playing games allow us to exhibit skills we may not otherwise tap into on a daily basis. Things like leadership, project management and logistics. But most important of all is gathering with friends and family to help tell a story and use our imaginations.

In Back to the Future II Marty McFly read a paper which forecast certain things about 2015. Interestingly some of the predictions back in 1989 were correct about the future. So I thought what would a Dragon Magazine cover maybe look like if they added it to the movie? Hopefully this generates a chuckle of two for some of you today…and remember as Doc Brown said, “Your future is whatever you make it – so make it a good one."

Throwback Thursday: Ultracon 1

Review: Crimson Dragon Slayer RPG

The Jersey Devil

Marmoreal Tomb Kickstarter

Game Convention Blues

Vote for the Game Tavern

Zombie Monday

Throwback Thursday: Blackrazor

The Purple Ooze

Speed of Light

The 140 Character Ziggurat

Throwback Thursday: Aleena

Tales from the Game Tavern

Smite or Treat

Remembering Dave Arneson

The Witch's Bookshelf

Side Trek: Haunted House

Throwback Thursday: Character Sheets

Another D&D Movie

Back to the Future