[The Stronghold 'Zine] Issue #3 Has Hatched!

Baby A'Tuin is Born!

Yep. My own micro-sized version of the World Turtle has arrived. I cannot wait to hear what you think.

The cover of this issue was provided by +Jim Magnusson.
 +Matt Hildebrand  and +Ripley Stonebrook  have kindly  donated interior illustrations.

The first few copies came off the printer last night; the assembly process has begun. The link to buy your own copy is below; still only a print 'zine, in the old-school-style tradition.

**You can see a preview of the contents here. You can still pick up copies of Issues #1 and #2 as well here. --OR-- click on the link below to go ahead and buy #3.**


When you do pick up a copy, please drop me a line, especially if you use anything from Issue #3 in your game.

Rates:

USA $5.00 USD Canada $5.50 USD Europe & Australia $6.00 USD

[The Stronghold 'Zine] Contractions Have Started! Issue #3 Sneak Preview.

Final editing phase on Issue #3 of The Stronghold 'Zine has begun.  Last night, in fact.

Just need to proofread, finish the Introduction, and make sure layout survives the conversion process.

And then I can release it into the cold, cruel world.

What's in store?

Well, besides some fantastic art contributed by +Jim Magnusson, +Matt Hildebrand, and +Ripley Stonebrook, we have the following:

• A collection of terrific—yet cursed—capes and cloaks
• A new class: the Warder. A type of protector/bodyguard class for the wealthy and paranoid. 
• "[A] new kind of protector: one who was talented enough to heal them when injured, to avoid pitfalls when traveling, to detect the poison of a would-be assassin, and to have the strength and fighting ability to fend off a coup."
• A new NPC: an information collector and thief-master, complete with a couple treasure caches...and a twist.
• A new locale, The Crag: a neighborhood filled with merchants, inns, and temples, including suggested rumors, sample wares, and brief NPC sketches, all intended to provide some DM seeds. Oh, yeah...a map of the neighborhood too. It's set in my personal city of Coldtreath, but applicable in any good sized city.
• A series of tables, to be used to create random meals and foodstuffs for both local and roadside taverns. I'm kinda proud of this one. O.K., in all honesty, I'm really proud of this one...mostly because it was birthed in the midst of a dream and survived into waking. Here's a couple random samples:
• Mystery cakes
• Roasted snake &  horse stew
• Shredded pheasant pudding
• Diced snails & cheese
• Fried dog hash 

Bonus news: the Warder Class is presented in a 3.X version and a Swords & Wizardy/OSR version. In order to accommodate the OSR version,this issue has been increased from the regular 24 pages to 28 pages.

Keep an eye out; the release is imminent!

[The Stronghold 'Zine] Issue #3 is One Step Closer!

Gentle readers, Issue #3 is one step closer to reality!

Both figuratively and literally (at least, in a literary sense).

Last night I received the digital image for the cover from +Jim Magnusson. It is, in a word, fantastic. I gave him the barest of suggestions (include a monster and the Stronghold) and he delivered in spades and with bells on. the artwork means I'm down to waiting for just one last image. And the monster in question, is leaving footprints. Big ones.

Sorry, folks. No teaser image this time around.

It truly made my day, and I needed it. Family crap again; trying to divide up my parents' estate is nearly killing me. The sheer greed and childishness that has come to light is...well, ludicrous, but also absurd to the level of humorous. I needed some good news after the emotional wringer that was my Saturday and Sunday.

Back to Issue #3: start gearing up and spreading the word. It's coming; can't you feel the earth shake?

[From the Mailbag] Post-Vacation Embarassment of Riches

Well, I went away for a week--far away from cell service, land line service, internet service. It was restful. Utterly restful. Gamed a bit with my family (game report in process). Read a bit. Slept a bit. All in all a very, very restful week.

It made coming back to the office dreadfully miserable.

But, oh! What was waiting for me when I got home. The neighbor collecting our mail commented on the number of packages and hand-addressed envelopes I received. I guess all they ever get is bills and shopping mailers.

Here's what made last weekend terrific. Sorry for the bad photo, but I wanted to get everything in one shot.

Going from left to right:

• A buddy of mine came across some duplicate 3.x titles from "his source" and passed along his extras to me: A Pathfinder module named Guardians of Dragonfall. Also a Pathfinder sourcebook entitled Tombs of Golarion--because one can never have too many tombs or ill-meaning NPCs. A CD, released with Dungeon #87 that includes the first issue of Dungeon as well as some bonus adventures and other stuff. Then there's a Paizo-produced map of the Sleeping Dragon Inn. You may recall I already have a copy of this, but it's gone missing, so I welcomed the new copy.
• Then there's the latest two creature postcards from +Jim Magnusson. As usual, these are gorgeous and creepy. If you aren't already a patron of his, you should be. Rectify that. Soon.
• Up top were some duplicate WotC miniatures, also from that great friend of mine. These are the Blackroot Treant from the Against the Giants set (my collection's first treant) and the Flesh Golem from the Night Below set.
• The July Mythoard arrived as well: no dice or miniature this time, but almost as good--some fire counters from Advanced Deployment and a stack of coaster-dungeonmorphs, and a d12 table of NPC names on a business card (thanks, +Jarrod Shaw, et al.). Also included is a copy of Ancient Odysseys: Treasure Awaits! (an introductory RPG), a copy of Issue #5 of the Undercroft 'zine (thanks +Daniel Sell), another binder-ready locale/NPC, a copy of The Red Mausoleum module from Expeditious Press, and a copy of a Judges Guild adventure, Rat on a Stick. 
• Next to the miniatures are the latest Patreon rewards from the great and incomparable +Tim Shorts. Again, he fails to disappoint. A medieval crypt and a futuristic sci-fi patrol scenario. Great maps, great substance, and laminated for dry-erase or Mountain Dew repellant qualities. If you have ever enjoyed an issue of The Manor 'zine and haven't yet signed up for his Patreon account, get over there and do it now.
• 
  And the gifts continued after the weekend. When Monday's mail arrived, I found another great postcard map from +Simon Forster. This time a two-room main floor building surrounded by idyllic trees. The basement of the building is filed with surprises, including an attached cavern room. I always love getting these postcards; they are, to be honest, the main inspiration behind my own mail-maps that I've been sending out to Stronghold 'zine customers. These are great little locales just crying out for some dungeon-stocking, awaiting a drop-in into your campaign as a side-quest or random encounter. If you haven't signed up on Patreon to support Simon, well...see the above-pro-Patreon-support exhortations and feel a bit guilty, OK? Then go to Patreon and start clicking to support these fine gentleman artists!

Speaking of mail-maps, I suppose I'm well overdue to pay a Joesky tax. So, I present to you the following mail-map that went out to +Jason Zavoda. As I imagined it, it's a shrine built into the side of a cliff. The shrine has an attached chapel area, with a passageway down to an altar/contemplation pool. Then a little trapped hallway (see the inset for the pit trap side-view) leading into the cult's treasure room. But use it how you will; it's free for your use. As always, if you use it, drop me a line to tell me where and how it went.

The Shrine of Adovaz!

[The Stronghold 'Zine] Issue #2: It's ALIVE!

With an anxiety that almost amounted to agony, I collected the instruments of life around me, that I might infuse a spark of being into the lifeless thing.... It was already one in the morning...and my candle was nearly burnt out, when, by the glimmer of the half-extinguished light, I saw the dull yellow eye of the creature open; it breathed hard, and a convulsive motion agitated its limbs.

~Mary Shelley

                                                  

It is done. The Stronghold, Issue #2 is unleashed!

I'm proud of what's inside. I'm amazed that it's ready so soon. I'm also excited to hear what you think.

The cover of this issue was donated by a talented young lady who shows a lot of promise. Inside, Jim Magnusson has kindly provided me with three (3!) illustrations.

The first few copies are already winging their way to some lucky individuals. The link to buy your own copy is below; still only a print 'zine, in the old-school-style tradition.

**You can see a preview of the contents here and pick up a copy of Issue #1 as well. --OR-- click on the link below to go ahead and buy #2.**




When you do pick up a copy, please drop me a line, especially if you use anything from Issue #2 in your game.

Rates:

USA $5.00 USD Canada $5.50 USD Europe & Australia $6.00 USD

[The Stronghold 'Zine] The Contractions Have Started!

I'm going to catch grief for that title, I just know it.

But the fact remains, birthing pains are increasing, and delivery is imminent on Issue #2 of The Stronghold 'Zine!

Formatting has been finished, copy has been sent to my proofreaders and the cover is being finalized. We're finally fully dilated and ...

O.K., I just can't keep the metaphor going. I'm getting into "sleeping on the couch" territory.

So...what to expect from this issue? Well, honestly, this one is more of a theme issue than #1. A common theme runs through most of the articles, binding them together, but by no means so tightly that it requires using them all together. I've already given a sneak preview of what's in store, but for those who missed the previous post, here's what #2 looks like:

Stats for three new critters; one of these is friendly, one can be friendly, and one is...erm...not so much. While these are 3.x stat blocks, I think they're fairly easily converted to any retro-clone rule set.

There's a new locale described, with an accompanying new map. Two of the above-mentioned critters are directly associated with the locale, as is the new NPC statted up (3.x) and illustrated by the great +Jim Magnusson. I've also included names and descriptions for nearly a dozen-and-a-half new and system neutral critters. There's another installment of system-neutral random treasure tables included; these can be used with the locale as well as in your own setting of choice.

I've also drawn up a series of new wondrous magic items; I tried to make them fairly system-neutral or as easily imported as possible.NOTE:  these are NOT associated with the locale and the "theme" of the rest of the issue.

The cover art was donated by a young lady of my acquaintance who is working on her artistic talent and, I think, amazing potential. I'm proud to have been given what she terms "my best one yet" for the cover of Issue #2.

Finally, even though the random nose-picking article was not a big hit with some readers last issue, my philosophy is that every game needs a little bit of humor. Accordingly, and due to the joint fault of +Tim Shorts and +Jason Zavoda, there's another useful (I think) set of random tables to add a little bit of humor and ...erm... flavor to your game. No, really...I think thre's some great role-playing potential with this article. I guess we can discuss and debate once the issue is released into the world.

So...prepare yourselves. Spread the word. Issue #2 is coming. A birth announcement and purchase links will be forthcoming...SOON.

Long Live The King! (Flayed Though He May Be....)

My friend, +Tim Shorts from The Manor and GM Games has released a new nugget of S&W happiness.

The Flayed King is his latest offering. It's a 'zine/adventure that's once again up to Tim's normal EXCELLENT standards. It's  also sufficiently gruesome fun, even if you happen to be one that judges a booklet by its cover, that is. (A cover, I might add, that was birthed from the talented hands and warped magnificent mind of the great +Jim Magnusson. You could drop this into any ongoing campaign as a side quest or run it as a one-shot.

It's on sale and (at least for now) it's FREE! FREE! FREE! Head on over here and pick yourself up a copy.

[From the Mailbag] A Monstrous Postcard!

On a personal note, I spent all night at the Emergency Room and hospital as my mom was rushed there late Sunday afternoon and eventually admitted. She suffered one of the classic "I've fallen and I can't get up!" scenarios. Unlike the commercials, she actually had an alert pendant available to her. Unfortunately, it was trapped underneath her when she fell, tangled in her heavy walker, and she couldn't reach it to activate it, and was trapped there for several hours.

She's recovering, however, and under observation for the time being. We're being told that she should fully recover.

So, I had a lot of time to sit and do some thinking, as well as some additional cursory work on The Stronghold Issue #2. It also means that I had very little sleep and have had, consequently, a pretty grumpy day. Until I got home.

You see, I had this waiting for me in my mailbox: A special treat from Sweden. Of course, ANYTHING I can get from Sweden is a special treat--[Aside: In all honesty, just about ANYTHING from Sweden is a treat. My father spent three years in Sweden as a young man serving as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints back in the day, and was still capable of speaking it some 60+ years later when he passed away. He didn't tell a lot of stories, but enough to give me a soft spot for the country. Getting something from there makes him feel a little closer for a while. End aside.]--getting something from Sweden AND from +Jim Magnusson? Extra special.

What we have here is the latest in Jim's Patreon postcard series: Pages from "The Lost Monster Manual." Specifically, a representative of the Coot People. The reverse side is filled with fluff and crunch--background and stats about the critters. Unfortunately, I had a rage-fit about the United States Postal Service when I got it, because they gave it "a personality mark." A nice purple spot nearly dead center, with a streak all the way up to the top of the card. Not enough to really detract, but enough that it annoys my anal-retentive nature. [Aside ²: I've got it; I have it figured out. I was just about to hit "Publish" when I realized...it's nearly the color of lingonberry, which my father loved. So, I figure a postal worker on one or the other side of the Pond, was intrigued by the artwork while he was eating his lunch and dropped a glop of lingonberry onto the card, then tried to wipe it off. That works. End aside ².] But I'm going to curl up with a bit, let it spark the creative grey cells, and then tuck it safely with its brothers in a place of honor. [Aside ³: I'd like nothing more than to collapse; I really want to, but I've reached that over-tired point. My brain is racing, but not productively. End aside ³.]

[The Stronghold 'Zine] Day One is In The Books--Sales Report

Well, my friends, "Day One" is done and, I must say, I'm both amazed and humbled. Amazed at the feeling of watching my product go out into the world and humbled that so many of you thought enough to grab a copy of The Stronghold 'Zine, Issue #1, on Day One. I have to give a shout-out to those who forwarded the news of the release out into the world; specifically +Tim Shorts and +Jim Magnusson for their efforts to get the word out.

All told, fourteen of you pulled the trigger on Issue #1 yesterday, from all across the US, to Canada, and the UK and Australia as well. Those of you in the US, your copies are in the mail. International customers? Well, yours will be in the mail this afternoon, once I clear up a couple things around the office.

A reminder: this IS a "print only" run. The good news is that I still have some copies left after yesterday's madness.

(I say "madness" only because every time I looked at the computer it seems there was yet another sale notification. And there's another one now.)

Grab 'em while they're hot, my friends. Purchase info is below.

**You can see a preview of the contents here or click on the link below to go ahead and buy.**

Rates:

USA $5.00 USD Canada $5.50 USD Europe & Australia $6.00 USD

[The Stronghold 'Zine] Get the Cigars, Boys! The Stork's Arrived!

What you see is the cover image for Issue #1 of The Stronghold. That's right, boys and girls, we have a new baby. And I'm a proud, proud papa. Like I've said before, I think there's some good, fun, and useful stuff between these pages.

Plus, I'm humbled to have been graced with a magnificent cover image by none other than the great Jay Penn and two wonderful illustrations within by the extremely talented (and quick-penned) Jim Magnusson.

The first copies have already hit the US Mail system, hot off the press. I can't wait to see what y'all think. The link to buy your own copy is below; sorry, for the time being, it's a "Print Only" 'zine, in the old-school-style tradition. Also, unfortunately rates to places outside the US are a bit higher, due to postage costs. Hopefully that won't dissuade you from picking up a copy. Or two.

**You can see a preview of the contents here or click on the link below to go ahead and buy.**

When you do pick up a copy, please drop me a line, especially if you use anything from Issue #1 in your game.

Rates:

USA $5.00 USD Canada $5.50 USD Europe & Australia $6.00 USD

Light At The End Of The Tunnel

It's time to start getting a little excited. The Stronghold 'Zine is nearing completion. The articles are getting a few finishing touches. The artwork is nearly ready. The cover art has been commissioned. Layout is in the planning stages. Next step...finish up and find some poor suckers slaves editors to tighten the work up. Then it'll be up to you, my readers, to want to take a gander.

A word about the artwork: I've been blessed to obtain the help of a couple of FANTASTIC artists. First off, Jim Magnusson agreed to do some illustrations for the interior...and they look TERRIFIC. Then, I managed sneak in a request for a cover from Jay Penn  just before he closed his commission's calendar for the next year. I'm really excited to see what he comes up with.

More coming soon....