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Post by Zenopus on Jan 13, 2023 11:07:27 GMT -6
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Post by Zenopus on Jan 11, 2023 18:00:05 GMT -6
Just got notice that my events are scheduled! "The Forgotten Smugglers' Cave" is on Friday morning from 9-1; Level 3; 6 seats. tabletop.events/conventions/gary-con-xv/schedule/893"Expedition to Skull Stack Crater" is on Saturday night from 7-11; Level 3-4; 6 seats. tabletop.events/conventions/gary-con-xv/schedule/892I picked "OD&D" as the category for each - which I've always selected before for my Gary Con games - but whoever made the listing changed them to "D&D Basic". Which is also fine. I'm using the same pre-gens for each so I think I will advance any surviving characters from the first adventure for the second one. |
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Post by Zenopus on Jan 9, 2023 16:01:53 GMT -6
Which Wargame, if you don't mind me asking? It's a game that paleologos is putting together, and some details are still in flux, so I will defer to him until it is submitted. ' game that I mentioned above is now on the schedule: The Black Eagle Banner. |
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Post by Zenopus on Jan 8, 2023 14:03:19 GMT -6
Including XP values with the monster stat blocks only appears obvious in hindsight. The Monster Manual was still following the OD&D paradigm where XP values are calculated using the table. Even B/X still lacks the XP values in the stat blocks; it first appears in the Basic line in the Mentzer sets.
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Post by Zenopus on Jan 5, 2023 15:15:27 GMT -6
*bump* I'm registered, have a hotel room and plane ticket, and am planning on running two D&D games: 1. The Forgotten Smugglers' Cave (Lvl 3?) - likely Friday morning 9-1. 2. Expedition to Skull Stack Crater (Lvl 3) - likely Saturday evening 8-12. The first one is new, and the second one I ran last year, with paleologos, muddy and GRWelsh from these boards all playing in it. See the event description here, and my con write-up here. The pregens for the second one are 3rd level. I haven't decided on the levels for pregens for the first one, but may use 3rd level as well. Each is a Holmes Basic + OD&D (for higher levels) game. Times are tentative because I haven't submitted them yet, because I'm waiting on scheduling of a third game that I'm going to help referee (a wargame). I will put in for 6 or 8 seats for each game. As an update, I submitted each of these games for the indicated times, each at 3rd level and with 6 seats, and they are currently "Queued for Scheduling". |
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Post by Zenopus on Dec 22, 2022 11:11:37 GMT -6
Initiative is a dirty word, not found in the 1974 game, or in GREYHAWK, or in BLACKMOOR. With no explicit rules for who attacks first in those three products, it is an obvious solution to go with dexterity determining who is...most dexterous. One could argue that initative based on dexterity rule is "hidden" in OD&D Vol. I: Certainly, although that could refer to using either direct scores (as in Warlock/Holmes) or for a modifier to a d6 roll (as in the OD&D FAQ by Gygax) |
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Post by Zenopus on Dec 4, 2022 16:21:22 GMT -6
I recently realized that I never finished up my Gary Con XIV report, so here is the belated third installment covering Saturday and Sunday: Gary Con 2022: Days 3 and 4The first two installments can be found here: Day 1Day 2 |
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Post by Zenopus on Dec 4, 2022 16:18:09 GMT -6
... I'm waiting on scheduling of a third game that I'm going to help referee (a wargame). Which Wargame, if you don't mind me asking? It's a game that paleologos is putting together, and some details are still in flux, so I will defer to him until it is submitted. |
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Post by Zenopus on Dec 3, 2022 16:51:39 GMT -6
I'm registered, have a hotel room and plane ticket, and am planning on running two D&D games: 1. The Forgotten Smugglers' Cave (Lvl 3?) - likely Friday morning 9-1. 2. Expedition to Skull Stack Crater (Lvl 3) - likely Saturday evening 8-12. The first one is new, and the second one I ran last year, with paleologos, muddy and GRWelsh from these boards all playing in it. See the event description here, and my con write-up here. The pregens for the second one are 3rd level. I haven't decided on the levels for pregens for the first one, but may use 3rd level as well. Each is a Holmes Basic + OD&D (for higher levels) game. Times are tentative because I haven't submitted them yet, because I'm waiting on scheduling of a third game that I'm going to help referee (a wargame). I will put in for 6 or 8 seats for each game. |
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Post by Zenopus on Dec 1, 2022 9:06:27 GMT -6
 Just announced this week!
For those in the DC metro area, or willing to travel there, Scrum Con returns to in-person gaming in just over four months, on April 8th, 2023!
It will once again be held at the Silver Spring Civic Building in Silver Spring, MD, just north of Washington, DC.
Sign up for the email newsletter at scrum-con.com so that you don't miss any announcements about registration.
For those not familiar with it, this small con aims to program a 50:50 mix of RPGs & miniature wargames from a variety of genres. I'm part of the group organizing it, and plan to run my new Holmes Basic/OD&D adventure, The Forgotten Smugglers' Cave (which I will also run at Gary Con).
See this post on my blog for more information and to find links to photos from previous events: Scrum Con Returns!
And please help us get the word out by sharing this with anyone who may be interested.
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Post by Zenopus on Nov 28, 2022 17:05:36 GMT -6
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Post by Zenopus on Nov 11, 2022 17:39:26 GMT -6
Recently I've finally read my first Michael Moorcock book, Jewel in the Skull. I loved it. I purchased two Elric Compilations since I can't find more Hawkmoon at the local used bookstore. I did finally come across the last three Hawkmoon books, and I swooped those up. I'm digging Elric. The compilations are not organized by publication date, but it's all good stuff. If you like those, I'd highly recommend the first Corum trilogy by Moorcock. He's another Eternal Champion, with some similarities to Elric, but more a straight hero rather than an anti-hero. When I first picked it up in high school, the opening words hooked me: |
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Post by Zenopus on Nov 10, 2022 20:07:10 GMT -6
Sutherland
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Post by Zenopus on Oct 22, 2022 13:39:08 GMT -6
I took Zeb's name off the subject line since it's clear now that he wasn't involved in this.
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Post by Zenopus on Oct 3, 2022 10:11:27 GMT -6
Another CM passage to perhaps add to consideration: CM2 p33/CM3 p37 WIGHTS (and Ghouls) has this: Although this is in the fantasy supplement, it describes mass combat between wights and normal men. It seems to me that if, ordinarily, there were "but only one round" during "one complete turn" it would not be necessary to include this passage at all. The next question is then: If there is ordinarily one round of blows per turn, and wight paralaysis lasts for one turn, and a paralysed figure fights for one round in that turn, then what is the actual combat effect of wight/ghoul paralysis? "If they touch a normal figure during melee..." Some questions: ---When do you think this condition met? Is it automatic if the two figures are in melee range at the end of the movement? ---"One full turn". Does this mean that the paralysis lasts from the start of melee in the first turn until the start of melee in the second turn, or does it mean an entire turn, i.e., the entire second turn? |
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Post by Zenopus on Sept 30, 2022 12:47:55 GMT -6
Regarding (1), increment gives the best answer on his blog here, where he concludes: See also his follow-up post, 5 years later, here. Regarding (2), none yet! |
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Post by Zenopus on Sept 27, 2022 15:37:41 GMT -6
In Holmes Basic, we don't get full write-ups for any of the named characters used in the examples, but we do get some of their stats:
Malchor the Magic-User: Lvl 1, Int 10, Sleep known & memorized, Dagger & entire equipment list on page 9
Bruno the Battler: Dex 13, AC 5 (Chainmail & Shield), 6 HP, Sword, Longbow & Arrows
Mogo the Mighty: Dex 9, AC 5 (Chainmail & Shield), 3 HP, Sword, Longbow & Arrows
Priestess Clarissa: Dex 6, Mace
Drego the Thief: Lvl 1
(I included four of them as pregens in my 5e conversion of the Zenopus dungeon)
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Post by Zenopus on Sept 27, 2022 15:13:16 GMT -6
Hello. Just submitted my request for membership. I am known as a games reviewer and blogger. I'm familiar with your blog Reviews from R'lyeh. Approved & welcome! Z |
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Post by Zenopus on Aug 31, 2022 19:18:07 GMT -6
There was a Dagon zine for the Call of Cthulhu RPG that started in 1982. Early issues are pricey although #1 is available as a free pdf from Yog-Sothoth.
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Post by Zenopus on Aug 23, 2022 22:20:01 GMT -6
I surmised as much because the last update to the Kickstarter, the same one that announced it was going out of print, also mentioned that Ward and Clark were "getting their IP all assembled".
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Post by Zenopus on Aug 22, 2022 14:49:27 GMT -6
I've merged the two threads about the Starship Warden kickstarter.
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Post by Zenopus on Aug 22, 2022 14:43:44 GMT -6
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Post by Zenopus on Aug 20, 2022 9:25:08 GMT -6
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Post by Zenopus on Aug 18, 2022 15:55:17 GMT -6
I've listened to the first three episodes and greatly enjoyed them. Even my wife, a very casual D&D fan, was hooked! Looking forward to Episode 4.
Z
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Post by Zenopus on Jul 23, 2022 9:09:25 GMT -6
My impression was always that he was listing the two different options for going around the forest. To paraphrase:
"It would be 200 extra miles to the Lonely Mountain if you went around Mirkwood to the north, and 400 extra miles if you went around Mirkwood to the south."
The southern option is much longer, which makes sense as the forest path and Lonely Mountain are towards the north end of the forest.
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Post by Zenopus on Jul 13, 2022 7:24:37 GMT -6
I've been reading classic fantasy books with my six-year old daughter every night. We finished The Hobbit a couple of weeks ago and are now finishing off the Narnia series. I'm wondering where to go next. We've already read Chronicles of Prydain (my favorite children's book series) and several books of Greek mythology. What other classic fantasy is appropriate for a six-year old? Books I liked as a younger kid: My Father's Dragon (1948) by Ruth Stiles Gannett, which is the first book in a trilogy Over Sea, Under Stone (1965) by Susan Cooper - first book in the Dark is Rising series d'Aulaires' mythology books - in addition to Greek, "Norse Gods" and especially the " Book of Trolls" Oz series by Baum - original 14 books by Baum himself Doctor Doolittle series by Hugh Lofting - especially the one where he goes to the moon, "Doctor Doolittle in the Moon". |
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Post by Zenopus on Apr 15, 2022 10:52:04 GMT -6
Nice work!
FWIW, I don't think Chris ever envisioned Boinger with a beard; he actually once indicated to me that he was surprised when Roslof drew Boinger with a mustache in Dragon. Chris' vintage (1970s) and modern (Tales of Peril) images of Boinger are all clean-shaven. Likely from that Tolkien conception that Hobbits are largely facial-hair free.
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Post by Zenopus on Apr 9, 2022 10:21:07 GMT -6
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Post by Zenopus on Apr 1, 2022 17:03:48 GMT -6
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Post by Zenopus on Mar 31, 2022 9:29:55 GMT -6
Would you like for me to contact Chris Holmes? He is an artist, and drew new pictures of B&Z for Tales of Peril. If so, what is the time frame for completion?
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