benoist
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Post by benoist on Sept 3, 2015 13:35:00 GMT -6
Trying to recuperate after a few nights with little to no sleep, a good celebration yesterday, and already thinking of our next kickstarter update, and the way forward for the project!
Thank you all for your support and pledges. MUCH appreciated!
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benoist
Level 5 Thaumaturgist
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Post by benoist on Aug 30, 2015 15:26:09 GMT -6
$90K mark, Sammi-Zowa tie-in unlocked, GM Cheat Sheets in sight, and beyond, the Twin Tankard stretch goal revealed!! Pledge now while you can at bit.ly/hsd-ksOnly 64 hours to go on this wild ride of a Kickstarter! I have that exact same set of orange Zocchi dice. What a minute. Where are my dice? Hey, you stole my dice! *blink blink* *steps away slowly from the thread, then starts to RUNNN!* Ah ah.
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benoist
Level 5 Thaumaturgist
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Posts: 346
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Post by benoist on Aug 28, 2015 13:15:53 GMT -6
FOUR days to go on the Kickstarter folks! We are entering the end game! Link to the project: bit.ly/hsd-ks
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benoist
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Post by benoist on Aug 20, 2015 0:07:56 GMT -6
Whatever your imagination dictates.
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benoist
Level 5 Thaumaturgist
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Posts: 346
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Post by benoist on Aug 12, 2015 11:52:08 GMT -6
I'm definitely in on this one, looks Outstanding! Thank you Simrion!
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benoist
Level 5 Thaumaturgist
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Posts: 346
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Post by benoist on Aug 11, 2015 13:43:49 GMT -6
Just a word here to let you know guys and gals that the Kickstarter is cruising along, unlocking multiple stretch goals in the process. 1st edition compatible, 5th edition, Pathfinder, Castles & Crusades conversions, science-fiction and modern horror customization packs, fold-up maps pack, panels for a GM screen... the Marmoreal Tomb Campaign Starter just keeps getting better and better! Check it out: bit.ly/hsd-ksRight now for $60 on Ernie Gygax's Marmoreal Tomb kickstarter you get: Print +PDF of the Marmoreal Tomb Main Module Print +PDF of the Wilderness Expansion Print +PDF of the Underworld Expansion Your name in the credits + Map of the Crypts + Map of the Tunnels under Crom Caemloch + Full Bestiary Appendices That's approximately EIGHT times the amount of material presented in Gygax Mag (the first level of the Marmoreal Tomb pictured below), with the Outdoor Wilderness map (my re-creation of that board that was advised for use with the little brown booklets) about to be unlocked as well! And it just gets better from there! The link to the KS: bit.ly/hsd-ks
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benoist
Level 5 Thaumaturgist
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Posts: 346
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Post by benoist on Jul 31, 2015 10:22:42 GMT -6
Good luck with this, looks awesome! Thanks mate! Means a lot! The community's support has been nothing short of outstanding so far!
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benoist
Level 5 Thaumaturgist
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Posts: 346
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Post by benoist on Jul 30, 2015 15:37:23 GMT -6
GP Adventures is very proud to present the Marmoreal Tomb Campaign Starter, a complete kit to start playing in the campaign created by Ernie in 1978, and now available to all.
The Marmoreal Tomb Campaign Starter is a completely self-contained sandbox module introducing Ernest Gary Gygax Jr.'s setting, The Hobby Shop Dungeon, and the lands of the Duinnsmere around it, to the gaming masses.
The Campaign Starter can be used with its own default setting of the Duinnsmere, and/or in conjunction with other settings, published and home-brewed. Its design seeks to reflect both the way Ernest Gary Gygax Jr. runs the game, and to be amenable to one's own preferences and play styles.
It is made of three parts, each presented as the classic modules with full color maps and keys and all the details you need to run them, which you can use together or in conjunction with one another, as the GM desires. It is presented in a First-Edition TSR compatible format, with guidelines to use with different editions and variants of the game, including Fifth edition and Pathfinder, even different genres and role-playing games. Full conversions are part of our stretch goals.
Already half-funded after a few hours!
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benoist
Level 5 Thaumaturgist
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Posts: 346
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Post by benoist on Feb 15, 2015 14:31:54 GMT -6
Hi there! Just a heads up that we released the material we built for a 6-Mile hex of Tenkar's Landing for free on the GP Adventures website. The link: www.gp-adventures.com/shop/the-stone-alignments-of-kor-nak-pdf-digital-format/From the product description: This 22-page free digital module gathers the two maps and the key of the Stone Alignments of Kor Nak, a small sandbox setting the size of a standard 6-mile hex created for Tenkar’s Landing, the crowdsourced game setting sponsored by the Tavern of the same name. GP Adventures wanted to show its support of the "Do It Yourself", Old School Revival scene and thank all the support it has received so far from gamers far and wide. The opportunity came when Tenkar’s Tavern launched the crowdsourced project linked above. The concept was simple: each and every gamer could claim one hex on the map of the Landing, and describe it however desired, working with the other enthusiasts describing their own hexes around, so the whole ends up making some sort of sense, and is ultimately enjoyable to explore around a game table. This free product describes the hex we designed for the Landing. It is relatively light on stats and other mechanical detail, using a default 0e/1e Swords & Wizardry Complete Rules format where deemed necessary. This makes the module readily compatible with most editions and variants of the World’s Premier Fantasy Role-playing Game. The hex could also be used as a setting, as a prime location or alternate dimension or even a virtual world of some type, for many other tabletop role-playing games, as inspiration warrants. Within, you will find the hex thoroughly described in a loose, inspirational manner. You will learn about the general features of the area, its history, the main inhabitants of the landmarks on its surface, along with an accompanying wandering monsters table and likewise detail. A sample Underworld map closes the hex’s description for those who would expand on the surface and use it as the top of an underground complex spanning one or several levels. Together, these elements can be used in any which way that would seem the most suited for your game table and play style. We hope you enjoy the material. Thank you for your support, one and all!
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benoist
Level 5 Thaumaturgist
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Posts: 346
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Post by benoist on Jul 17, 2014 19:55:46 GMT -6
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benoist
Level 5 Thaumaturgist
OD&D, AD&D, AS&SH
Posts: 346
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Post by benoist on Jul 17, 2014 17:38:21 GMT -6
Okay, I ended up backing this. -Havard Thank you Havard! Your support is much appreciated!
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benoist
Level 5 Thaumaturgist
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Posts: 346
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Post by benoist on Jul 17, 2014 12:26:25 GMT -6
No, not necessarily, but it would make it harder for everyone involved.
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benoist
Level 5 Thaumaturgist
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Posts: 346
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Post by benoist on Jul 17, 2014 12:04:54 GMT -6
This is kickstarting right now. Two days left. It's going to be hard, but not impossible.
We need you guys.
Let me post what I said about it yesterday evening:
"Right now, The Great Kingdom Kickstarter is just shy of $33,000. The goal is $50,000, and we have three days to make it happen. It CAN happen. So share this as much as you can, let's keep on working, keep on boosting the signal.
The Great Kingdom is a feature length documentary that tells the story of the inception of the game, the people and families that built it, the rise of TSR, the growth of role-playing games as a hobby, the explosion and phenomenon these games became. It is the story of our passion, its roots, and the amazing lightning in the bottle that revolutionized our media, our games, and our own imaginations over the years. This is an opportunity. We can make it happen.
Ernest Gary Gygax Jr. and I, Rob Kuntz, John Bobek and so many more are supporting this kickstarter. You want a copy of Sammi-Zowa versus the Dueling Dragons signed by Ernie? You want John Bobek's book "The Games of War", which talks about the wargaming hobby from where our games come from? Plus the movie? Plus our digital offerings? You can get all that, and much more.
Check it out. Share it on your Facebook wall, share it with your friends, in groups you know, on message boards left and right, on Google Plus, Twitter, Reddit, what-have-you. Let's make this happen!"
Thank you.
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benoist
Level 5 Thaumaturgist
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Posts: 346
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Post by benoist on Jun 4, 2014 19:57:36 GMT -6
When you are starting a business, every penny counts. The sheets do make a difference. So far at least.
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benoist
Level 5 Thaumaturgist
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Posts: 346
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Post by benoist on Jun 4, 2014 12:21:03 GMT -6
PPs are succinctly explained at the end of the character record sheet proper, much in the manner I just explained it here. As for the substance, it is coming. We will soon have the complete DU1 Marmoreal Tomb, with an additional level under what you've seen in Gygax Mag, elements surrounding it, more advice etc, we'll have the DU2 Haunted Halls of the Beggar King module with its two additional levels (usable in addition to the preview, or instead of it, I'll come back to that on the blog), the surface map, etc, we have another module in the works from Simon Todd entitled GB1 Murder at Sandermire, and obviously the big one, the Dungeon proper. Sammi-Zowa versus the Dueling Dragons will ultimately tie into the big picture of the HSD setting as well, with its own dedicated module. That's without counting the game books of Crossroads to Adventure that tie into the Dungeon and campaign, the game aids, and related adventure games work that'll accompany all of this. There's (much) more. But that gives you an idea of what's about to come, and the tasks at hand for us at GP.
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benoist
Level 5 Thaumaturgist
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Posts: 346
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Post by benoist on Jun 4, 2014 10:50:54 GMT -6
Below is Tom Wham's own first character sheet, from 1975/76, which he posted on Facebook. The character portrait is done in his signature style. (click on the pic for a larger view) That is terrific! Thank you for fishing it back! Those sheets look nice with a genuine old school feel to them. Thanks! That's what we wanted: that genuine old school feel, and that modern functionality as well.
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benoist
Level 5 Thaumaturgist
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Posts: 346
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Post by benoist on Jun 4, 2014 10:40:19 GMT -6
I like the look of that first character sheet, though the scan quality on top is not great. I like Dyson's sheet too - I used it in my HSD games as well. Another sheet I really like is the "goldenrod" sheet of the Mad Irishman, for 1st ed, if you know that one too. What would be great is to combine the nice look of that first one with the organization of Dyson's and the customizable aspects with layers of the Mad Irishman's goldenrod sheet. And what do you know: This is exactly what we have with the GP Adventures Character Record Sheet! You have the looks, you have the organization, and you have layers that you can customize to get the character class or classes and that information which is most pertinent to your character, however you want it. I'm certainly biased here, but I think our sheet is superior. That said, I don't have anything against people who'd say "why would I pay $2.50 for this? I have a perfectly usable sheet right here from blog XXX". That's fine. People should use what feels the most appropriate to them. Index cards still work as well as they did back in 1974, after all! When we set out to do this sheet, we got Mark Allen, who's a good guy and great artist on board. It wouldn't have come to my mind to tell him to do this extensive work on our character sheet and have him do it for days on end for free. As you might guess, that's not what happened, because I like to think that good artists and good designers can do a good quality job and actually make some beer money out of it. If I'm giving a pay check to Mark Allen to do some good work for me, that also means that I have a responsibility to my company to make this work financially. And that's where the nominal price, half the price of a beer at a pub, say, comes from. I'd love to chuck out stuff for free like the bloggers and spend all my time doing this to please people far and wide, but if I want to build something that gets better and better with time, if I want to hire the best, and do what it takes to do justice to something like the Hobby Shop Dungeon, I can't keep giving away everything we make. I know, I know, the Gygax cachet is important. And Ernie lost everything in the fire and needs the income. And now I kinda feel like a jerk for pointing that out. You're not a jerk mate. You point out something that is very true and that needed to be pointed out. I think that gamers should be free to do what they want to do. If using an index card is what it takes to get the game you want at your game table, then that's it. That's what you should use for your OD&D character. If Dyson's sheet does it, then cool, awesome. Some people will feel they get something special out of our GP sheet, and that's awesome as well. But really, I want to address this too: It is not about the "Gygax" cachet. This sheet works with our Hobby Shop Dungeon offerings, and we're in this to bring about the Dungeon proper, and a whole slew of modules and products besides. We're in this to do the dungeon and setting justice. We're not going to sell crap counting on the Gygax name to do us a favor: that would work ONCE, for some scam artists perhaps, and then people would realize they've been robbed and that'd be the end of it. This is not what we want. What we want is to bring some quality products to the table. We're in it for the long run. We're in it to build a structure that allows us to create the modules and setting we want, the way we want them to be presented and to be shared, so that gamers get the most value out of the whole. This character sheet is a little part of this. So is the Beggar King preview you can see here.So the Gygax cachet is one thing, but it's not some sort of pass for chucking out crap out the door. It shouldn't be, anyway. And I don't want GP offerings to be seen as a way to add to the fire relief fund because that's not the case. It's great that people donated so much to give the breathing room Ernie needed to get back on his feet, pay the medical bills, and get back to work with me on the dungeon. I am super grateful to everyone who's given a dime, some time, shared some stuff to spread the word about it. You helped my best friend, and that's something that I can't repay with mere words. But I can repay it another way: by making GP a success. By giving you guys some kick-ass gaming stuff to play with. And that's what I intend to do, to build and develop with Ernie over time. That's my personal commitment to you.
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benoist
Level 5 Thaumaturgist
OD&D, AD&D, AS&SH
Posts: 346
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Post by benoist on Jun 3, 2014 16:35:23 GMT -6
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benoist
Level 5 Thaumaturgist
OD&D, AD&D, AS&SH
Posts: 346
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Post by benoist on Jun 3, 2014 14:21:41 GMT -6
Ernie says that the sheets were used at the earliest hours of the actual HSD campaign (so that's 77/78). He doesn't have a surviving copy. He might still have some programs and doodles though. I'll see if I can get him to share some, if any survived. EDIT - nothing survived the fire apparently. I sent a call for those who knew the Dungeon hobby shop, in case anything survived, something that could be scanned and shown to you guys. That'd be cool.
Thanks for bringing this up Falc.
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benoist
Level 5 Thaumaturgist
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Posts: 346
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Post by benoist on Jun 3, 2014 13:25:01 GMT -6
Tom Wham used to do a lot of doodling for the Dungeon hobby shop, in programs, catalogs, sheets and stuff like that. I'll see if Ernie's got some scans of that and show you if I find anything. PP stand for Pivot Points, which are a resource specific to the Hobby Shop Dungeon. They share some traits with Joss from Mythus, but their use is really wide. These are points that allow you to get an heirloom to start the game, modify your stats before beginning play, survive a situation in game that should have mean certain death, those kinds of things. They are rare (1d4+2 at first level, with very rare situations in which you could theoretically gain some - it never happened while I played in Ernie's game - and only for your main character in your stable of PCs, or those characters the referee deem worth it), and kind of represent different concepts compounded together, like hit points, a sum of luck, fate, willpower, depending on particular situations in and out of the game.
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benoist
Level 5 Thaumaturgist
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Posts: 346
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Post by benoist on Jun 3, 2014 11:52:50 GMT -6
The GP Adventures Character Record Sheet is now available at our shop at www.gp-adventures.com/shop/gpa-character-record-sheet-1e-compatible/"This Official GP Adventures Character Record Sheet is First Edition compatible, and will satisfy all the fans of Advanced-style role-playing games. Heavily inspired by the early record sheets doodled by Tom Wham for the Dungeon hobby shop in the 70s, this sheet is entirely hand-drawn by old school favorite artist Mark Allen. Customize your records with this handy PDF using a clever system of layers (reminiscent of the mad irishman’s creations, for those in the know), while still retaining this unique penciled look that makes the best handouts around the game table. Venture forth to adventure!" Since it is first edition compatible, the sheet is ipso facto compatible with OD&D + Supplements games (which is actually just as close from the truth concerning Ernest Gygax's games as straight 1E would be). This PDF files uses layers, and should be viewed with a reader that supports them, such as Adobe Reader, which can be downloaded for free here: get.adobe.com/reader/Some preview thumbnails of the sheet, showing just a few permutations of the sheet:
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benoist
Level 5 Thaumaturgist
OD&D, AD&D, AS&SH
Posts: 346
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Post by benoist on May 8, 2014 10:38:54 GMT -6
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benoist
Level 5 Thaumaturgist
OD&D, AD&D, AS&SH
Posts: 346
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Post by benoist on May 8, 2014 10:33:52 GMT -6
Thanks coffee! It's awesome, both scary and exciting at the same time, you know? By the way, if you or anyone orders a print copy of Sammi-Zowa versus the Dueling Dragons from our website's online store and messages us after checkout with their real name (the one that appears in the address with the order) and order number (which you receive via email with your invoice), Ernie will be happy to autograph and personalize the copy before sending it by mail! This is a limited time offer! You can either message me here about it or send a PM to Ernie directly on facebook. Here's his page: www.facebook.com/ernest.gygax
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benoist
Level 5 Thaumaturgist
OD&D, AD&D, AS&SH
Posts: 346
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Post by benoist on May 6, 2014 12:34:18 GMT -6
Not exactly a gaming product (this is a children's book at its core), but since it was created by Ernest Gary Gygax Jr. based on the bed time stories he listened to as a child, it does speak of the micro-history of the game, the creative landscape that created it, and will ultimately tie into the Hobby Shop Dungeon world and modules. Bob Brinkman reviewed SAMMI-ZOWA VERSUS THE DUELING DRAGONS on GoodReads: "As a gamer, I must admit, I never once wondered what a Gygax family bedtime story would be like. Wow, I missed out! At least, I missed out until now." "Set in a mythical version of feudal Japan, the story revolves around the exploits of Sammi-Zowa while also tying in to the adventures of his grandfather before him. There are so many great bits and pieces to this tale, I just couldn't resist it and it left me wanting to read more about that world." "This book is just great fun. Originally presented as a bedtime story to the grandsons, the book expands on the story with brilliant illustrations from British artist Simon Todd. The words and art blend together seamlessly, presenting a unified whole that is both entertaining and stimulating to the imagination." "I think I'd much prefer to read this book aloud than just sit and read it, and that is probably how it is truly intended to be experienced. This fun tale has great values (without being preachy) while giving a full back story and an adventure tale." "So yes, high marks and recommendations. Any gamer is going to love this book, any gamer with children should, flat-out, not be without this book." Source: www.goodreads.com/review/show/900848249From the Product Description:A Child’s Tale by Ernest Gary Gygax Jr., Nerissa Montie and Simon Todd. 79-page PDF Digital Offering. A family story of courage in the face of adversity and growing up to the world set in a medieval Japan that never was, this story was conceived by Ernest G. Gygax for his grandson, Sam, and directly inspired by the bed time stories his father used to tell him as a child. It is a rare piece of gaming history Ernest wanted to share with gamers so they too could share it with their own children and grandchildren. Part of the Hobby Shop Dungeon world and setting. Hearken back to a day when a younger Gary Gygax ate up tale after tale of Japanese folklore. These stories helped inspire fantastical worlds peopled with creatures and humans both honourable and devious. Click on the bedside lamp and sit alongside Gary as he spins dreams of heroic exploit and dastardly deeds for his wide-eyed sons. Ernest Gygax Jr. and brother, Luke, starred in many of these nightly tales as Gary dotingly nurtured their imaginations. Lean against the armchair of Ernest as he continues the tradition for the next generation. An ancient Nippon that never really was swirls through the carefully-crafted bedside yarns for his grandchildren. Ernest invites you to partake in the stories of brave children and crafty monsters that he has been telling for years. Shared here, for the first time, is his bed time tale about young Sammi-Zowa’s first adventure. Whisked from a comfortable life of sword-practice and farming, Sammi-Zowa faces two possibilities—waiting for the samurai warriors to assemble and save his kidnapped grandparents or, more riskily, ride forth himself to face the ire and might of two mighty red dragons. The strong love Sammi-Zowa has for his grandparents guides his decision. He ventures down the road to an uncertain fate. Ernest Gygax Jr.’s tale, spruced and polished by Nerissa Montie and charmingly illustrated by Simon Todd, is a tale for the ages. You’ll find yourself drawn into this story that will speak to a child in your life or to the child within yourself. “ A wonderful story with lots of surprises. It’s a must-read if you enjoy fantasy.” James M. Ward, Director of Creative Development, TSR Inc. Author, Random House, Del Rey, Bantam, Western Publishing, Marvel & DC Comics. “ Fun story. The Illustrations are stunning!” Margaret Weis, co-author, Dragonlance Chronicles, President and Owner, Margaret Weis Productions. “ [The] Illustrations are charming and the writing is reminiscent of that of the master storyteller himself, E. Gary Gygax.” Pamela Mohan, Editor, Wizards of the Coast, Independent Writing and Editing Professional. “ Utterly timeless. Offers a glimpse into the world of all our childhoods. Beautifully rendered by Ernie Gygax.” Stephen Chenault, The Troll Lord of Troll Lord Games. “ Ernie was a guest/ghost writer for his father on the Sagard novels. After this story, Gary must be grinning right now from his vantage point. Ernie you’ve gotten to be a scary good writer.” Flint Dille, creative collaborator (screenwriter, novelist, game designer, etc.) on the Transformers, Chronicles of Riddick, Sin City and Diablo III properties.
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benoist
Level 5 Thaumaturgist
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Posts: 346
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Post by benoist on May 2, 2014 17:25:07 GMT -6
Hear Ye! Hear Ye! FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, May 2, 2014 GP-ADVENTURES.COM WEBSITE LAUNCHES LAKE GENEVA, WI – GP Adventures LLC is proud to announce the launch of its online store and website at www.gp-adventures.com/ Following their critically acclaimed module MARMOREAL TOMB OF GARN PAT'UUL, the introduction to THE HOBBY SHOP DUNGEON™ campaign and setting, Ernest Gary Gygax Jr. and Benoist Poiré created GP Adventures LLC in order to publish game modules, supplements, and books of general interest for the tabletop role-playing games hobby, with the intent to bring the Lake Geneva gaming tradition into the 21st century. "This is a big step for us," declares Benoist Poiré, co-founder of the company with Ernest Gygax. "We have multiple modules in the works, including Ernest's Hobby Shop Dungeon itself. The website gives us the legitimacy and presence online we require in the short term, allowing us to launch our business and release materials to gamers immediately, while at the same time guaranteeing our independence over the long term." "We already have two main products available for customers,” adds Ernest Gary Gygax Jr. "The first is my family story, SAMMI-ZOWA VERSUS THE DUELING DRAGONS, which I am ecstatic to be able to share with gamers, and the Gary Con VI PDF preview of HAUNTED HALLS OF THE BEGGAR KING, which provides an entirely playable, self-contained inside look into our design process at GP." Both founders rejoice at the idea to share their modules, dungeons and settings with gamers, regardless of boundaries, game system affiliations or play styles. "Everyone can enjoy the games. You don't have to choose between this or that version, this or that school. There are no age requirements, no purity tests, no discriminating factors at play here: We can all like a variety of games and play them with a variety of different people. All that really matters is a desire to have fun together around a game table." The website and online store can be found at www.gp-adventures.com/ABOUT GP ADVENTURES LLC GP Adventures LLC is the publishing company founded by Ernest Gary Gygax Jr. and Benoist Poiré based in Lake Geneva, WI. GP Adventures LLC aims at supporting the local gaming tradition that birthed the entire hobby of tabletop role playing games, and bringing it forward into the twenty-first century. To that end, GP Adventures LLC will bring forward multiple products and offerings, including fiction and non-fiction adding some context to the history of tabletop role playing games and the Lake Geneva gaming tradition, as well as game aids, modules and settings revisited with new, solid and fresh approaches that do the tradition justice and empower referees to take charge of their own games and unlock their imaginations. For more information, visit the company's a website and online store at www.gp-adventures.com/ ABOUT THE HOBBY SHOP DUNGEON™ THE HOBBY SHOP DUNGEON™ is an adventure game setting originally developed by Ernest Gary Gygax Jr. in 1978 while working as a clerk for the fondly-remembered Dungeon hobby shop of Lake Geneva, WI. Inspired by the many games and campaigns he played with his father and many friends, and aided by incomplete maps initially drawn by Terry Kuntz, Ernest came up with a large sprawling dungeon complex that could be used to run games at the store. Since then, thousands of players have explored its depths, including TSR alumni, family members, customers and gamer friends, up to 22 players per sitting! It has been played in a variety of venues including Margaret Weis’s and Don Perrin’s Game Guild, in California’s Dungeons & Dragons Entertainment division, as a special event for game conventions and many more besides. This is this particular setting that GP Adventures LLC plans to gradually reveal to the gaming aficionado, first through a collection of modules taking place around the dungeon itself, and later through the publication of the many levels within. ABOUT SAMMI-ZOWA VERSUS THE DUELING DRAGONS SAMMI-ZOWA VERSUS THE DUELING DRAGONS is a family tale set in a feudal Japan-that-never-was, a legend about courage and growing up to face one’s own responsibilities in the world. It is a story rooted in the creative landscape that informed the creation of the world’s premier role-playing game which Ernest Gary Gygax Jr. wants to gift to gamers far and wide so they too can share it with their own children and families. MEDIA ENQUIRIES Please contact benoistpoire@gmail.com
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benoist
Level 5 Thaumaturgist
OD&D, AD&D, AS&SH
Posts: 346
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Post by benoist on Apr 28, 2014 15:57:19 GMT -6
We agree that a writer needs independent appreciation to believe his work is worthwhile. Above you say, "it's got nothing to do with the number of sales or "hails" in my mind". And I have said the population is too small to provide insightful reviewers. So what form of evaluation is left to make the effort of presenting ideas worthwhile? Actual play. That is the only true measure of anything of merit in gaming. If you have one guy out there who can better grasp what a setting like Aione (sp?) is about and spin it on his own, as his own thing where his own creativity gets into the wheels of the machine and makes it, in effect, his or her own universe, and that the people at the game table get to have fun in the process, then that is the only value of any consequence to gaming. Some people don't have the desire to share these types of things, don't see any potential benefit from it, their gaming is their own and they don't care to spread the love, that is all fine, but usually these people also have the common sense and courtesy to realize others might care. What's more, I'd expect they wouldn't try to improvise themselves authorities on the subjects of intellect and creativity applied to games, since they haven't done anything of the sort themselves, and therefore only demonstrate personal deficiencies in both areas of claimed expertise.
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benoist
Level 5 Thaumaturgist
OD&D, AD&D, AS&SH
Posts: 346
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Post by benoist on Apr 28, 2014 15:18:10 GMT -6
So go ahead, Kent ... Do something with it Well this is where I agree with Geoffrey's criticism or distancing of the prevailing culture. The only reason people publish is to take a headcount of the degree of interest, to measure the popularity of their ideas. There is no audience for what I have to say, I learned this the first time I rubbished modules on a forum, and I don't care to make the effort to persuade against ingrained tastes. Of course one can only learn how worthwhile one's own ideas are from a third party, just not through headcounts - +1s - thumbs up - or any number of forum "I liked it !!", but through insightful reviews and I don't think the tiny population of gamers provides those reviewers. I see it as a completely different ball park, regardless of the "likes" or sales you are getting. I've done both now, and from my perspective, presenting one's ideas of a campaign through posts here and there on blogs and forums is one thing, but to structure these ideas, fill the gaps and present the whole in a way that seems to make sense, that is consistent and can do its job not only teaching how to run the thing straight, but to grab the material and run it as one's own, is yet another thing. Note: it's got nothing to do with the number of sales or "hails" in my mind. If your thing is great and coherent and creative, it might still not please a great number of people, maybe because the zeitgeist is in a different place right now, or you're trying to persuade against ingrained tastes, as you put it. How many copies you sell and how many fans you've got has nothing to do with that. I think it's VERY easy to criticize and call people unimaginative, or dumb, without having done the latter yourself. Maybe if you actually gave it a shot, you'd realize there's more to this challenge than meets the eye. Right now, you're just taking pot shots from the side lines, Kent. That's a waste of time (at best). THIS, is really my point.
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benoist
Level 5 Thaumaturgist
OD&D, AD&D, AS&SH
Posts: 346
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Post by benoist on Apr 28, 2014 12:11:33 GMT -6
Oh yes. I'd love to see Kent put his fingers where his mouth is (no, not his rectum) and actually get to work on his own supplement. Anyone who's ever written some published material will be able to tell you that there's a world of difference between "here are a bunch of maps and it's creative and intelligent and awesome, all in my head!" and actually translating that into something that can be intelligibly used and spun by others into their own games.
So go ahead, Kent. I loved some of the notes and isometric maps and all those bits and pieces you shared on your blog. Do something with it, please.
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benoist
Level 5 Thaumaturgist
OD&D, AD&D, AS&SH
Posts: 346
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Post by benoist on Apr 19, 2014 12:30:20 GMT -6
I like to vary the sizes of my levels. Both small and large have their role to play in the exploration process, IMO. Variety is the spice of life. Now the Hobby Shop Dungeon maps are large, in part because it is the nature of the original, and also to provide the room to include small levels and extensions in between, at the referee's heart's content.
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benoist
Level 5 Thaumaturgist
OD&D, AD&D, AS&SH
Posts: 346
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Post by benoist on Apr 19, 2014 12:26:41 GMT -6
Each of Gary's levels was 1 or 2 pages of 8 1/2 x 11 graph paper at 6 squares to the inch. This. Ernie's maps look the same. Usually 1 page entirely filled, with not much negative space at all. Like this map of Gary's: Extracted from this picture:
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