New Family Member

Say hello to the newest member of the Stronghold family!

A relative had him show up and try to adopt himself into their family. They weren't able to keep another dog and were ready to make a trip to the Humane Society. Instead, we spoke up. I've wanted another dog since our last dog passed away last year after 16 years.

We're not sure exactly what he is: he seems to be a lab mix, possibly an Australian Shepherd/Labrador mix. He seems to be in good health: a trip to the vet for a check-up is forthcoming.

He's quite lovable and has taken to the wife and kids very well. He IS a bit skittish and nervous, and the way he acts when you try and pet him? It seems as though he's been hit enough to be scared of a raised hand. It appears as though we've rescued him from more than just the pound.

Honestly, it's just really nice to have a dog around the castle again.

Mini-map Monday: Nothingness Unsaved

I was sailing along, manipulating the GIMP like a mad man this morning. I was going to have a new mini-map all ready for the world by lunch.

And then I tried to add a secret door. The "text" function froze the GIMP. Everything else on my work desktop functioned. Not the GIMP. It was stuck somewhere in between my typing an "S" and the generation of the "S" image on the screen. It wouldn't close; it wouldn't change tools. Nothing. I had to nuke the program to get it to close down.

Of course, I was sailing along so swimmingly...so confidently...that I completely and utterly forgot to save ANY bit of my work.

Epic Fail of Stupidity.

I should know better. I do, in fact. Just five minutes before it happened I thought to myself "I really should save this." I really did.

But I didn't bother.

So, then I started over. And got distracted. Then came the Internet search for pre-generated freeware graphics to drop in to make a bed on the map actually look like a bed. Then there were the rock walls that would look better than simple scrawled lines. Then there were stairways.

I didn't ever find a good source of these, by the way.

Then I looked at the clock and realized I'd killed the entire afternoon with my angsting and my searches and now it was time to go home.

Guess I know what I'll be working on this week. And I'll settle for some scrawled lines rather than nifty looking beds, stairs, and rock walls.

Unless someone out there points me to some really cool GIMP add-ons, that is.

'Zines--Print and E-*

As Tim over at Gothridge Manor mentioned, a man named Christian has started something with his Loviatar 'zine.

As you may recall, I mentioned once that my love of 'zines goes all the way back to my high school days. I fell out of the collection of these shortly after high school, but after my discovery of Loviatar, I've started collecting them again.

There's not a lot of RPG-oriented 'zines out there, at least, what I consider to be 'zines. (Kobold Quarterly, in my estimation, is a magazine, not a 'zine. Once you have some slick production value, it loses the homey-ness of a 'zine.) Perhaps the blog has replaced the 'zine of old, doing what the 'zine used to do. Slowly, though, it appears that there is a resurgence of interest in the old 'zine: colored cardstock covers, etc. in all their hand-made goodness. Print-wise, at least. Some of our colleagues out there are using electronic media to disseminate their fine 'zines. (See Lapsus Calumni for an example.)

Because of my love for these things, I'm starting a new little sidebar feature on the blog: I'll be trying to collect links for current RPG 'zines, a card catalog of sorts. For this, I'll be asking for your assistance: If you know of a 'zine -- print or electronic -- let me know. If you publish a 'zine, let me know and I'll add yours to the list. There's also an argument to be made that Fight On!, Knockspell, and Oubliette could be added to this list. If you think so, make that argument to me and I'll add them.

Life, The Universe, and Everything

Yes, the answer is "42".

But that's not entirely relevant today. Today I am at the 30th iteration of the Life, The Universe, and Everything symposium, a.k.a., "LTUE", a.k.a., the Marion K. “Doc” Smith Symposium on Science Fiction & Fantasy.

I've heard about the symposium now for 30 years; this year is the first year that I've been able to attend. It's a three-day event filled with signings, readings, and classes on every aspect of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and other writing-related information. Truth be told, there are enough intriguing presentations each hour that I'm not sure which directino is UP. My wife plans on coming with me on Friday and Saturday; today I am a "conference bachelor" responsible for taking high-quality notes for dissemination to my wife.

No pressure at all there.

I've always heard great things about LTUE in general. I have to confess, however, that the first hour's presentation on "Historical Weaponry" left me nonplussed and unimpressed. It was supposed to be presented by an "expert"--turns out most of the class knew as much or more than he did.

Sigh.

Well, I'm off to meet Larry Correia and then on to an editing presentation. Have a good day; more reports as something interesting happens.

[Real Life] The Existence of Evil

I was all ready for a string of new posts today and a new map tomorrow.

Then I turned on the news and was reminded that Evil exists on this earth. The black image here is my black armband, mourning the loss of two innocents: Charlie and Braden Powell.

A piece of trash father sperm donor decided to take his life and that of his two young sons by blowing up his house.

I'm referring, of course, to the late Josh Powell. He was the sole "person of interest" in his wife's disappearance in December 2009. He steadfastly maintained his innocence while acting in bizarre ways. His boys were living with his in-laws under court order; the Judge in the case said that Josh's home was an "unsafe" environment for the boys. Josh was granted limited supervised visitation.

Oh yeah, we should probably mention that Josh's own father is sitting in prison awaiting trial on charges including but not limited to posession of child pornography. We should also mention that the pictures and videos also included voyeuristic materials of his missing daughter-in-law, Susan Cox Powell.

Josh himself was ordered just last week by a Judge to undergo psychosexual evaluation and a polygraph test regarding what he knew about his father's "activities."

Shortly after noon today, the piece of trash pulled his boys inside the house and locked the door -- they ran ahead of the social worker that was delivering them for visitation. She smelled gas and called her supervisor. While she was on the phone, the house exploded.

This game we play, whatever the flavor or name, these RPGs... they all deal at some time with the concept of Evil and Evil creatures/individuals. A little of that Evil has leaked out today to touch the Real World.

Nothing -- absolutely nothing -- except pure Evil would consider the intentional, pre-meditated murder of a seven-year-old boy and his five-year-old brother. The darkness of a Soul who would carry this kind of thing off -- especially a man against his own children -- the darkness is incomprehensible. There is no excuse for it, no explanation, except UTTER, COMPLETE DARKNESS.

As a father of two sons myself, may I express my heartfelt condolences to both families. My prayers go out to them in this time of loss and tragedy. Madness. Senseless madness.

I'm sure the boy are finally once again in the loving arms of their mother with the loving arms of their Savior wrapped around the three of them.

Rest in peace, Charlie and Braden.

AAARRRGGHHHHH!!!!!

Oops. Apparently I posted my previous post earlier in the day and never previewed it.

When I finally went there tonight, what did I find? No picture of the map and an odd, broken attempt at a link.

Oops.

I apologize to you all. The link is now mended and the picture of the map is there for all to see.

I'm confident that it was, in fact, NOT user error. It was instead an act of vengeance by Th'a-gaar, Patron Deity of the gaming blogosphere. He was seemingly angered by two mis-used "Map Monday" posts. In a row.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it. (Rolls Bluff check.)

Map Monday: Caverns of Sceades, Level One

Awhile back...OK, last November to be exact, I posted up level one of the treacherous Caverns of Sceades. THAT wasn't a Monday either, although I billed it as a "Map Monday" then as well. I also promised some dungeon-stocking and keying to happen in the following week.

Yeah, that didn't happen. What did happen, however, over the past few days is a re-imaging of the first level. I suppose it's a bit of a re-imagining too, but specifically a re-imaging.

It's not perfect, and my skills still aren't what I wish they were, but here's the new Level One of the Caverns of Sceades.

And here's the link to download the .pdf for yourselves.

A few clarifications of the previous description: there is still a shaded-out portion of the lake. I called this a "overhang" previously. Instead, imagine it as a solid rock wall that comes down nearly to the level of the water and which stretches across half of the lake. Also, that little statue room up in the upper left-hand corner? The statue is still there, but you'll notice that the walls of the cave are smoother, more polished than before. That's right: the chamber walls are highly polished and completely smooth, in an almost spherical shape.

As usual, the map is free to use. Just please shoot me a link and a note to let me see how and where you used it.

A to Z: Round Two

How on earth is it almost that time again?

Yeah, we're two months away, but it's never to early to start planning. Especially for a professional procrastinator.

What is the "A to Z Challenge" you ask? Well,

The brainchild of Arlee Bird, at Tossing it Out, the A to Z Challenges to post the letter of the alphabet every day during the month of April, with Sundays off for good behavior. Since April 1 falls on a Sunday, that will be the day we start with A. Whether you go with a theme or freestyle, your post must match the letter of the alphabet for that day....This is a great opportunity to discipline yourself, grow as a blogger, and make new friends -- come join us!

I managed it last year...barely...and am looking forward to pushing myself again. I agree it's a great discipline and growth process, and would encourage any and all to join in the fun.

Of course, I have no ideas, no plans, and no direction. But I've signed up, so...I'm committed, right?

(Or maybe only about to be committed....)

2011 Totals

The end of 2011 is well-past, and it's also well-past time to tabulate the numbers for my year-long gaming addiction.

Adventures written: 31
Creatures created: 4
Dice obtained: 105
Game sessions DM'd: 11
Games played: 5
Items created: 7
Maps drawn: 12
Miniatures painted: 1
Miniatures purchased: 120 (5 metal)
NPCs created: 38
Spells scribed: 2
Tables drafted: 3
Terrain constructed: 0

Some of those numbers are quite similar to 2010; some show a stronger addiction dedication to the habit hobby. With the ending of WotC's miniature line, I suppose my miniature numbers will not be as high this year. (I've already purchased some of the Pathfinder minis, and am not overly impressed with many of them--blog entry coming soon on that topic.)

I've done a much better job of keeping the blog current, but not as good as I would like. I'm aiming for at least an entry a week, if not two. As the workload at the firm looks right now, that may be a lofty goal.

Like the year prior, it was a year of considerable stress and family sorrow--even more so than 2010. The game certainly helped, but so did the kind words of my friends out there in the blogosphere.

Keep your dice dry....and here's to another year.

[Blog maintenance] Inventory Tracking

I've decided to keep an even more detailed inventory of my gaming acquisitions and purchases for 2012. I've placed them (for the present) on the right-hand side of the blog, underneath the "generic" 2012 Totals accounting. I'm guessing it won't stay there very long; for length reasons it may need to move, perhaps to the very bottom of the front page of the blog. Any advice you all may want to give as to placement, etc. will be welcomed.

This probably won't be of interest to anyone but myself...and probably my loving, long-suffering wife. But there it is.

Found Item Friday: Beholder Pong

Sheesh.

The firm has been kicking me while I'm down lately. I thought that after the New Year I'd have more time to blog, game, write, etc. This last week is proving me wrong. I've left the office after longer-than-usual days with the best of intentions, only to fall asleep in my recliner.

Anyway, I had a little time to dig through some old boxes and guess what I found: my first beholder mini! (It sounds like it should be the new Fisher-Price release: My First Beholder!)

Twelve years ago, when I got back into gaming, there were few-to-no options on the market for gamers who wanted a beholder miniature. At least, no inexpensive options. But my group needed one and I devoted myself to finding one for the campaign.

So I did some searching.

I reached out to the few people I knew in my newly-rediscovered hobby. And lo! I lucked out. There used to be a "little" site up in Canada called Cyberdungeon.com. I'd had some quick e-bay interaction with the store and happened to ask a then-employee named Luc if he had any suggestions for a beholder.

He said that he'd heard of people using ping pong balls and making their own.

It was a revelation. I tried my hand at it. Using estimates from the 2nd Edition AD&D books, I roughed out a size-to-character ratio. A ping pong ball fit the bill perfectly. A bit of Green Stuff, some random beads and wire, and a little paint.

Say hello to my little friend.

So here it is; the pictures aren't that great, and he's got a bit of paint loss in spots, but all in all, I still love the little guy.It remains my only scratch-built/sculpted miniature, and was only my second "kit-bashed" miniature. But I think it worked. And I'm still danged proud of it.

Best of all: it scared the crap out of my fellow players and the DM loved it. I was named "propmaster" for the group and the rest is local miniature-collecting history. (grin) I only wish that I'd had a chance to show Luc what his innocent comment spawned. I promised him several times a photograph, but I never got around to it. Cyberdungeon.com closed their doors a year or so later, and I quickly lost touch with Luc. [By the way, if anyone out there knows Luc from Cyberdungeon.com or has any connections to the store (I believe he was in Quebec), I'd welcome any chance to get back in touch with him.]

Yeah, it's a bit cheesy. His secondary eyes make him look a bit like he's a crown rack of lamb; his eyes are not quite as wild as newer renditions seem to appear. And the guys can laugh at it now, years later. In fact, they call him "Ping." But I think they've forgotten that they all wet themselves--just a little--when the DM put this guy out on the board. (Here's a side view just to show that there is a bit of detail work; he isn't just a flat, painted ping pong ball.) I'm a bit proud of some of the details; for example, his pupil is a thrice-forked pupil. This came from an image from the Monstrous Manual; a picure by Tony DiTerlizzi of a group of beholder-kin showed several variations on the pupil shape. This was my take. I figured, "Hey, if they can have a pupil split into two, or stretched out, who's to say there's not a type out there with a thrice-forked pupil. Maybe it's a signal that the central eye just ain't what the characters expect it to be. Maybe THAT'S the disintegrating eye instead of an anti-magic field." I should note that this is the first time that theory/explanation has ever been used. No one's ever questioned the odd pupil. Who would have guessed? (And in truth, it makes me a bit sad that WotC decided to go with the plain, old single pupil with their beholders. Kinda boring, ain't it boys and girls?)

And just to show that my measurements were fairly accurate, all those years ago? Here he is next to one of Wizards of the Coast's DDM miniatures:
He flies a bit higher than WotC's mini. Attribute that to either higher buoyancy, a better attack angle, or the simple fact that I had never heard of a "flying base" for a mini before and I did the best I could with what I had. Size-wise, I think it matches up.

My buddies have always mocked the coloration of my beholder, too. Granted, it was an early paint job and he doesn't look slimy so much as metallic. But again, WotC validated my choice when they released their "ultimate" eye tyrant figure. Tell me what you think; I think the colors work JUST FINE.

Like I said, my buddies laugh about him now; in fact, they've nick-named him "Ping" (for obvious reasons). I don't take that as an insult, though. I take it as a badge of honor and a show of respect. Because all of them have admitted to me that I did something they could not do. And all of them have come to me at one point or another and paid their respect to Ping. Most--if not all, including the DM--have admitted being scared for their characters' lives, as well as the entire party, when Ping makes an appearance.

And something about him seems to demand a little respect. Maybe it's just the idea he's a beholder. Maybe it's something mystical; perhaps I instilled a bit of life to him with the care and patience with which I constructed him. I don't know what it is, but I do know that my kids shouted "NO!" in horror when I brought him out last night.

That makes me smile.

Catsup Dreams, and a Spell!

Just a quick post today as it's game night and I have to finish prepping a character.

I took a break from the grind at the firm today for lunch and headed to the local Golden Arches. For setting purposes, this particular McDonald's is one of the top five busiest in the city. And, for the sake of argument, remember that McDonald's itself is probably the busiest (or in the top three) hamburger joints in the country-slash-world. Then consider that their french fries are arguably the most popular (or in the top two) in the country.

All set?

WHEN ASKED, THIS McDONALD'S WAS OUT OF CATSUP PACKETS.

You heard me: Out. Of. Catsup. or Ketchup. However you want to spell it, this popular purveyor of pomme frites was completely out of packets of sweetened tomato-based condiment. What the...?

I wound up being given a small plastic dressing cup with one squirt of catsup in the bottom.

Sheesh. Fries without catsup. The inhumanity of it all....

-----------------------------------
Joesky tax time:

Create Syrup
Conjuration (Creation)
Level: Clr 0, Drd 0, Pal 0
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Effect: Up to 1 tablespoon of syrup/level (max of 15)
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: No

This spell generates one tablespoon of syrup per level. This syrup has a wholesome, purifying effect which, when consumed atop another food source, grants to the consumer 1 temporary Hit Point per tablespoon consumed (max 5 tablespoons per day). Any syrup conjured cannot be stored or preserved and will spoil within one hour, losing its magical property, if not consumed within that time. The temporary hit points last for an hour after consuption.

This syrup can take the form of numerous sticky, syrupy condiments including maple syrup, catsup, hot pepper paste, or chocolate sauce.

[game report] New Year's TPK (almost)

So the dust of the new year has started to settle, and the post-holiday chaos at the firm has also started to die down (somewhat). I can finally dip my pen and pick up the blog again. I hope that you all had an enjoyable holiday season and have had a good start to 2012.

Heading into New Year’s Eve, my wife and I had planned a quiet night at home with the kids, with copious amounts of reasonably healthy snacks and loads of board games. When she approached the kids with this idea, the unanimous response that morning was that they wanted to play Dungeons & Dragons with Dad.

We’ve played occasionally over the past couple years; I started the four of them off with the 3.5 Basic Game, the 2006 edition of the set. It’s not a bad iteration of the rules...a very simplified version of 3.5 with each pre-gen character (there are four) having an entire booklet for their character. Granted, the way the rules are presented led my children to say things such as, “I want to move my speed, then move my speed again.” It also reveals the nerfed version of some of the 3.5 monsters: just three encounters after reaching second level the PCs are led to face (and expected to defeat) a young blue dragon.

No joke. Allow me to repeat myself here: THE iconic creature of D&D is expected to be defeated by a party of four second-level characters.

Sigh.

At any rate, after running through the encounters contained in the Basic Game in September, I had several different ideas about where to take the characters next. The appeal to play on New Year’s Eve made the decision critical, so I turned to something that I knew would allow for some range of open decisions on my kids’ part and something that would allow for some exposition on detail, backstory, and whatnot. I was also concerned that it pose a serious enough challenge to them that it subdues their memories of killing a dragon so easily. What I decided upon was this: Dyson’s Delve.

I had a “battle map”: I’d wanted to run my adult players through this little gem in the next few months and so I’d already taken some time to prepare some blown-up versions of the first three levels. They weren’t perfect and they weren’t hi-res, but they worked with the kids’ miniatures at 10' per square. And they gave the kids something to look at. And I know, all my OSR friends and readers are apoplectic right now. I know that I didn’t have the maps and miniatures back in the day and I did just fine with my imagination. My kids range from sixteen to eight and have varying degrees of concentration so I’ve found the miniatures and maps are necessary for now.

I also have to admit that I turned to what most consider to be an overused trope: the tavern meeting. Not having a lot of time to plan any kind of set up, I jumped to Digital Orc’s Inn Table. The percentile dice came out and rolled twice giving me The Putrid Wand, a less-than-reputable inn on the edge of the Thieves’ Quarter in Burlingbrook, the town at the base of Mt. Chal (my homebrew location for the dungeon in our Basic Game).

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD!! (And to my Players: this means STAY OUT.)

Fever Dreams and Obnoxious Toys

JB over at B/X Blackrazor is feeling under the weather. First of all, I have to pass along all the good karma possible, as well as two vials of cure serious wounds to build his hit points back up a bit.

In the course of warning us all to stay away from his contagion explaining his illness, he made a comment that made me blow cola out of my nose:

My son got this Elmo airplane from his grandparents that he has been riding up and down the hallway. It is cool (he loves it) but it plays this eerie flute music that sounds like something described in a Lovecraft story...creeps me out, especially with the background propeller noise. Like some bizarre machine of ancient evil space gods.

It's nice to know there are other parents out there with creepy, disturbing (and annoying) toys. My parents delighted in giving my kids any toy that operates on batteries and either makes annoying noises or music.

The closest I have come in my home to what he experienced is a toy my parents gave my oldest some six or seven years ago. This little piece of work is called: "Fright Light Scooby-Doo with Ghost Spotting Flashlight." The little plush toy seems harmless at first glance. Turn it on, however, and prepare to welcome Linda Blair, an Old One, and Ted Bundy into your home.

The premise of the toy isn't a bad one: when the motion/light sensor is activated, the toy shouts out something in "Scooby-speak" about seeing a ghost, the flashlight in his hand turns on, and a "ghost" silhouette shines on the wall. Then Scooby starts to shiver and shake. Great fun, right? Except for the fact that the motion/light sensor on this thing is incredibly sensitive and touchy. It sets the toy off at the slightest breeze or shadow.

Again, this wouldn't be a huge problem. Except when you consider the toy sitting in your child's room, at 2:00 a.m., when you get up to get a drink and are wandering down a dark hallway. A car goes by outside and the shadows in your child's room shift and suddenly you hear a voice talking in an otherwise dark house.

Or you're laying in bed in the wee hours of the morning and suddenly hear a strange voice talking somewhere in the house after your child left it in the living room. Or they left it in the furnace room and the voice is echoing through the air vents.

You get the gist? The toy is evil. I think the thing may have originated somewhere just slightly left of the Mountains of Madness. And I think he boarded the Elmo Plane to get here.

Satanic toys aside, though...JB? Get feeling better...and if you need to dismantle the Elmo plane, let me know. I'll supply the hammer.

Found Items: Last RPG Purchases for 2011

OK. The post title is a little misleading, as I plan on making several purchases from RPGNow later today. But I wanted to share with you my final FLGS RPG purchases for 2011.

First of all, my final die purchase of the year.
I wish I knew the manufacturer; this one was pulled from a bin of random crystal d20s. Marked down to 85¢ it grabbed my attention because, upon close examination, there was a hint of red at each of the corners of the die. It's not apparent in the photo, but oddly the photo shows sparkles which are not apparent to the naked eye. The other oddity on this die? I have been unable to roll over an 11 on it. The majority of the rolls are in single digits. I suppose this is the one that I have to use for players' Search/Perception rolls. [Cue evil laughter]

Now for the minis.
I happened upon these tucked away on a side counter in a bin marked "Toys: 50¢." In among several handfuls of random promotional lapel pins were some random plastic miniatures. They were quite unusual-looking and, at first, I didn't recognize them. But I thought: "Hey, 50¢ miniatures. How can I pass THAT up? I'll figure out what to do with them later!" I emptied the bin.

As I suspected, a quick search of the 'net told me these were Dreamblade minis. A slightly longer search suggests these are all from the base set. Anyhow, I picked up two of the minis on the left: something called a "dreamstuff entity." I thought they'd make great oozes, until I turned it around and saw the face peering out of the middle of the mass, like a melted juvenile Abzorbaloff. But now I have two of them. They only had one of the "runetagged brawler," but he'll make a good golem or construct.

Then there was this one: a "loyal scragglemaw" -- there were four of them. They are now mine. This one was a puzzler; I had absolutely NO idea what to do with them. Then, after I got home, I tossed the bag of minis on my desk and started surfing the OSR blogs and came across a reference to a monster I'd long wanted to investigate for my own campaign(s). Another search of the internet revealed that the critter had already been statted for 3.5 Edition. Lo and behold! I had the book! I pulled my copy of Dave Arneson's Blackmoor off the shelf. When I opened up to the critter in question, my jaw dropped and my eyes bugged out. I had just purchased the mini!

It's a thoul. Yes, the infamous thoul. The description was uncanny, but the picture was the kicker. Here's what the book says:

Thouls are a magically created crossbreed of hobgoblin, ghoul, and troll created more than a millennium ago by insane hobgoblin necromancers seeking the key to eternal life.
The thouls of today look much like their ancestors did: they have rope-like, stone-gray to jet-black hair, usually worn in long locks. Their skin is hairless and colored deep green or red, with yellow or white eyes that lack visible pupils. They stand over six feet high and weigh more than 180 pounds.*

Now: opinions anyone?

Now I just need to work on unbasing all these critters from the obnoxious Dreamblade bases and putting them on nice, standard bases. I also need to work on getting these critters into a game session.

All in all, a happy end to the year. Happy New Year, everyone!

*Legal stuff: the text and the picture are not my work and are reproduced from Dave Arenson's Blackmoor copyright 2004 by Zeitgeist Games. Use here are not intended to assume ownership of or otherwise violate the copyright owner's rights in any fashion or manner.