Pimping a New Blog: Headless Horse Archer

A gentleman known around the scene as Premier, has started a blog: Headless Horse Archer. His subtitle is "Reckless creation of new material for old D&D. That's a sentiment I can appreciate!

A Big Shoutout To Tenkar of Tenkar’s Tavern, For Giving Me A Free Copy of Dragon Warriors!

Tenkar of Tenkar’s Tavern ran a contest, earlier in the month, randomly choosing respondents to this post, requesting everyone’s favorite BBEG’s. I won! Woo-Hoo! I now have a copy of the new edition of Dragon Warriors!

“Dragon Warriors was first published by Corgi Books in 1985-6 as a series of six paperbacks. This new edition compiles the material from those books into a series of new releases, revised and updated, with new text, art and maps. The PDF release has had all the errata from the printed rulebook corrected, and has been exhaustively bookmarked and cross-linked for ease of use.”

A big thanks to Tenkar! He also has more contests in the works, planning to giveaway more stuff, when his blog hits 40, 50 and 60 followers. Tenkar is a featured reviewer for OneBookShelf / RPGNow / DriveThruRPG and keeps everyone up to date and informed on all kinds of gaming goodness; Old School, New School, Tenkar and his trusty iPad, has the skinny! In short, head over and follow that blog! You might win something cool and even if you don’t, you’ll have found another awesome and informative blog!

Here’s my evil villain entry. A baddie from an old, long-running 3.5 campaign. This was copied and pasted from my notes, with a quick, dashed off synopsis added for the blog Comment (as you can see, I used the BoVD, back in my 3e days):

Chong Wahng - Thrall of Orcus

Male human Ftr 6/Wiz 3/Thrall of Orcus 4
CR 12; Size M (5 ft., 10 in. tall);  AL CE                    

HD 6d10+6 + 3d4+3; 4d8+5 hp 85; Init +3 (+3 Dex); Spd 30 ft.; AC 18 (+3 Dex);

Attack +15/+10/+5 (+4 Str) melee, or +13/+8/+3 (+7 Base, +3 Dex) ranged;

SV Fort +11, Ref +7 (+3 Base, +3 Dex), Will +9 (+5 Base,); Str 18 (+4), Dex 16 (+3)(14), Con 12 (+1),(14) Int 16 (+3), Wis 10 , Cha 11 (+0).

Skills and feats: intimidate +6 Balance +6.5 (+4.5 Rank, +2 Dex), Bluff +5 (+5 Rank), Climb +13 (+9 Rank, +4 Str), Concentration +8 (+7 Rank, +1 Con), Handle animal +9 (+9 Rank), Hide +7.5 (+5.5 Rank, +2 Dex), Intuit direction +3 (+3 Rank,), Jump +6 (+2 Rank, +4 Str), Knowledge (arcana) +11 (+8 Rank, +3 Int), Listen +6.5 (+4.5 Rank, +2 Alertness), Move silently +3 (+3 Dex), Perform +2 (+2 Rank), know. religion +11 (+8 Rank,), Ride +6.5 (+4.5 Rank, +2 Dex), Sense motive +5 (+5 Rank,), Spot +3 (+1 Rank, , +2 Alertness), Wilderness lore +2 (+2 Rank);

Alertness, Enlarge spell, thrall to demon, cleave, Point blank shot, Precise shot, Quicken spell, [Scribe scroll], Track, powerattack, Weapon focus (katana,) lichloved. Deformity- obese, evil brand, sacrif. Mastery.

Carrion stench – dc 15
Touch of fear 3/day
Demon wings
Tongue studs of hellfire
Bracers ac +5
Katana +3 keen
+20 / +15 / +8
1d8 +7 dmg

Wizard Spells Known (4/3/2): 0th -- Arcane Mark, Dancing Lights, Daze, Detect Magic, Detect Poison, Disrupt Undead, Flare, Ghost Sound, Light, Mage Hand, Mending, Open/Close, Prestidigitation, Ray of Frost, Read Magic, Resistance. 1st -- Charm Person, Feather Fall, Identify, Mage Armor, Magic Missile, Shocking Grasp, truestrike. 2nd -- Ghoul Touch, Knock, See Invisibility.

Chong Wahng was a warrior from Feudal Japan, who went through an inter dimensional portal, with his brother, in search of their missing father.
His brother, Hashimi, a Samurai/Kensai was a Player Character in the campaign. The brothers were separated during their dimensional jaunt and didn't see each other again, for many years.

Hashimi's new home, became a battle-ground for extra-planar forces, as the various sides sought to gain control of the Rod of Seven Parts. Certain parties wished to use it, to free an Undead God from its imprisonment (The Epic Handbook version of the Atropal.) Others, wanted to prevent this.
The characters became embroiled in the struggle and soon found themselves at odds with the minions of Orcus. During a confrontation at a warehouse, Hashimi was reunited with his brother, Chong Wahng! Now grossly fat, Evil and seeking the two parts of the Rod, which the PC's held, Chong had been keeping tabs on the party and manipulating them, for a while. They had also met and fought his Vampire girlfriend, on a couple of occasions.

After much scheming, backstabbing and fighting, as well as various attempts by Chong to convert his brother to his cause, the party finally killed the Vampiress and captured Chong, taking the part of the Rod he was carrying. Though they left him alive, Chong was eventually slain by the forces of Hell, his master having abandoned him, due to his failure.

Chong had, on occasion, dropped hints to his brother of bigger schemes and that Hashimi was more of a pawn than he realized. Several months later, during a raid upon a secret society which was performing some work for hire for their foes, the party stumbled upon a room of sealed containers, which contained several Clones of Chong Wahng. They had been heinously experimented upon and were no longer human. Hashimi never discovered, whether or not the Thrall of Orcus, which he had been interacting with, was a Clone of his brother, or the original. Nor, if there was any truth to the more disturbing implication, that he himself, might be a Clone.

An Open Letter to the Old School Ranter

A response to this post. He has comments turned off.

Dear Scottsz,

 

As I tool around various OSR sites, throughout the week, I keep a little notepad program pulled up, wherein I copy and past the URL’s I find for easy reference on Friday nights, when I prepare my This Week in the OSR posts.

This is no easy task, by the way. A very few people have been kind enough to send me some information (thanks Norman,) but I have to harvest the vast majority of the news, without any aid. It’s something I’m happy to do, as at least a few people have let me know that the work’s appreciated.

But, the downside is, that I have very little time to actually enjoy the blogs and forums I hunt. Regardless, it’s impossible for one person to keep up with it all. Which is why I was so pleased to see your blog, when it appeared.

My notepad helps, but on occasion, I’ll rely on my memory. A sometimes bad habit, picked up when I feel really, really, pressed for time.

Like this week. My wife goes into the hospital Tuesday for Radiation Treatments and I have a whole lot going on. Then there’s the situation at my job, which has become, utterly insane. :) The only reason I haven’t went looking for different employment, is because of my wife’s health situation. My spouse makes great money, but her company has horrid insurance. I make lousy money, but have absolutely, unbelievably fantastic insurance benefits.

Then there’s trying to keep up work on The Underdark Gazette and working on my own campaign. And most important of all, spending time with my son. These aren’t all the pressing issues I’m dealing with. My own health issues, are a constant pain in the ass. There’s more, but I’m merely trying to make a point, so I think that’s more than enough!

I had every intention of mentioning your second post, but made the error of relying on my memory. I was rushed enough to get things done last night, that I forgot. My apologies.

As for the whole I Hit It With My Axe thing, your comments did not elicit anger, outrage, hurt or fear of the sort that would inspire me to choose the kind of pettiness, which you have ascribed to my motivations. The post in question, left very little impact upon me at all.

Don’t care if you don’t like Zak. Don’t care if Zak likes you. Don’t care if Zak likes me. Don’t care about Zak’s politics. Don’t care about google search results. Not interested in judging you, for what you do or don’t care about.

Lastly, I alone am responsible for the content of the OSR NEWS posts, on the TARGA blog.

Happy Gaming,

James

Goodbye to Destination Unknown

If anyone missed his last post, Christian has taken down his Destination Unknown blog. I’ll miss reading his posts. Of late, he was keeping us up to date, with his adventure into running a WOD campaign for the first time. In the process, he revealed a lot about himself and his approach to GMing.

His writing on Destination Unknown, was honest and sincere. I feel blessed, to have been able to share a little, in his world. One of the things that always came through in his posts, was his desire to provide his players with a special experience.

The DM as Host, is a concept I’ve always resonated with and have striven to manifest in my games. Unlike Christian, I’m not much of a cook. My wife has always taken care of the culinary duties, on game day. Inviting friends into our home, sharing a meal and then doing my utmost to create a magical experience for my players, is a very, special thing. One I’ll hopefully, always have in my life.

Christian would often make video posts, of himself preparing lunch for his group. After his game, he would make another post, analyzing his game and giving us glimpses, as to where he was going to take things. Always, his generosity towards and care for his players was evident.

Christian’s Iridia site, is still up. Along with contact information. Also, he has another blog, Cook and Destroy.

Best wishes, Christian. Don’t be a stranger! And Happy Gaming!

Holy Crap! I Won!

Back on January 31, I reported on the contest, which Tony Dowler was holding at his blog, Year of the Dungeon. Tony is selling some of his original Dungeon Art and invited everyone to enter a drawing, to win one of his pieces, "Kobold Perfidy." Today he announced the winner and I was delighted to discover that it’s me!

A big thanks to Tony! I’m looking forward to receiving my Dungeon Art.

Carcosa And The OSR – The Impact of Geoffrey McKinney

Human beings, like to take ideas and push them to the limit. We like to see just how far, we can take and ride, our concepts, our plans, our theories. A look around us, as well as backwards into history, will show that sometimes, we go too damn far.

But, we can’t let that realization stifle our creativity, or, imprison our artistic impulses. Art has to be free to break the bonds of our self-imposed limits, to blaze new trails, for others to follow. And to open doors, upon disturbing places.

When I first discovered the OSR, Geoffrey McKinney’s Carcosa, had been out for almost a year. I think I first saw it referenced on James Maliszewski’s, Grognardia. My interest piqued, I followed up on the several reviews, as well as various forum threads.

Of course, with so much hoopla being made, I had to get a copy of the First Edition and see it for myself.

The work is incredibly evocative. The sections of Carcosa, unfold like the symbolism within a particularly disparate dream, informing a rich, unique milieu. It is, Far Fucking Out!

As a work of art, of fiction, I can appreciate Carcosa for what it is, disturbing  elements and all. I’m glad I own a copy. As an RPG supplement, it’s not something I would ever use, in its entirety.

When it comes to evil PC’s, there’s evil and then, there’s EVIL. I’ve never had things go so far, that I felt the need to step in and stop it. I had a session come real close, once. I’ll tell you guys about that, sometime.

Geoffrey McKinney, made a post on Dragonsfoot, showing what was said, as his group utilized one of Carcosa’s rituals. From what I can tell, they kind of glossed it. You know, like many of us sometimes gloss over PC shopping trips, or long overland travels?

Not that I blame them. I mean, I’ve role-played some rather intense, Mature Audiences Only, scenes in my time. But really, some of the places, presented in the Rituals section of Carcosa, aren’t ones I would choose to visit.

But, the “shopping trip” approach, is a cop-out. If I’m not willing to role-play a situation, then, why the hell would I want to bring elements into my game, which are likely to foster the creation of such a scene?

Yeah, I’m being a little disingenuous. I know the answer to that question. It’s so I can create that kind of dark, horrifying story and touch on that kind of role-playing experience, without wading in, too deeply. Frankly, though, if the swimming pool is just too nasty to dive into, then, I’m not going to fuck around in the shallow end, either.

Interestingly enough, while I’ve never had a player, sacrifice a victim to the Dark  Ones, I’ve played NPC’s, doing so. I don’t have a problem with role-playing a happy little human sacrifice, scene. Wherever my personal Line in the Sand is, it’s somewhere on the other side, of the picture to the right and this side, of the more heinous Rituals, in Geoffrey Mckinney’s, weird little masterpiece.

This isn’t a shot, at gamers who use Carcosa’s sorcery. I wish all you guys well, whatever it is you’re playing. Have fun and be sure to give us a play report, along with anything else, you feel like sharing.

Many people, seeking to defend the ritual section of the work, have brought up the fact that it’s written in a very sober, minimalist, matter of fact style. The idea being, that no salaciousness, or joy in the repugnant details, was involved or intended.

The emotionless, neutral tone of the writing, is delivered in such a way, that it manages to be both formulaic and evocative. In places, the tone and delivery, reminded me of some of the passages, from the 18th century era European Grimoires. Kind of an amoral cookbook, vibe. The presentation, may have exacerbated, the already disturbing elements involved, for some readers. There were some really, really hysterical reactions, out there.

There’s much, much more to Carcosa, than intense, fucked up sorcery. There are aliens, advanced technology, Cthulhu, Power Armor, Psionics, a hell of a cool hexmap, strange dice mechanics, thirteen races of humans and so many delightful ideas, that I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it.

Some folks, predicted that Carcosa would fall flat and go nowhere. That, the more disturbing aspects of the work, would insure that it would never find an audience. I suspect, most of those gamers, hadn’t even examined the contents. Regardless, they were wrong. Very, very wrong.

  Many gamers, dig Carcosa, immensely. The Original D&D Discussion forum, hosts a Carcosa sub-forum, as well as an online Pbp game. The Carcosan Grimoire, a free supplement, produced by gamers who appreciate Carcosa, may be found, here.

Mr. McKinney wrote a module for the setting, Fungoid Gardens of the Bone Sorcerer, which, was published in Fight On! #4, then re-issued, in a revised edition, now available from the author. Lastly, as far as specifically Carcosan materials go, Cameron DuBeers wrote a module, published by Brave Halfling Publishing, called Obregon’s Dishonor. That Carcosa has spawned its own supplements and modules is noteworthy.

Evidently, Mr. McKinney hit a chord, here.

But, Carcosa’s influence, extends even further. Blair’s Planet Algol, is one of the most well known blog’s in the OSR and rightly so. With a heavy dollop of Carcosa’s Seasoning, mixed with a psychedelic soundtrack and more high weirdness than a Robert Anton Wilson story (fiction or non-fiction, take your pick,) Planet Algol is one of those campaigns, which is destined to become the stuff of legend. It’s already spawned a progeny of its own, as Sean Wills, has started his own Planet Algol game. He’s giving us the details on his blog, Bite the Bulette. Blair is getting ready to publish a supplement, Planet Algol 1 : The Iridium Plateau. Personally, I love Planet Algol and can’t wait for the supplement.

Mr. McKinney has helped inspire at least one other campaign and blog, as well.  Check out the introductory post, at G. Benedicto’s Quantique.

Weird Science, Lovecraft, Horror and more. The broader spectrum of the Fantastic, is finding expression in the OSR and Geoffrey McKinney’s work has helped shape and give impetus to this phenomenon. These elements were always there, going all the way back, to the beginning of RPG history. Most certainly, many other designers have a hand in current trends, from both before Carcosa and afterwards. With all that, being said, Geoffrey McKinney’s influence is palpable. Whatever one may think of Carcosa, there’s no denying that it has proven itself to be a seminal work of the burgeoning, Old School Renaissance.

Bloody Vikings!

I did a quick check of my blog this morning, only to discover that my Comments had been Spammed! Some poor, broken hearted soul, with a Shoe Fetish, had left what must have been either an enigmatic, yet, obviously desperate cry for help, or, a supreme example of Dadaism, in the comments section of seven or so, of my posts. Alas, I was ill this afternoon and in a horrible mood, thus, I deleted all the comments, without saving an example. I later did a quick search and Zazzle is offering a “Dadaism Keds Shoe,” for sale, so, maybe someone was inspired.

Just in case you missed it, Joseph has the January update of Castle of the Mad Archmage, up. On the off chance you’re new to the OSR, this is a version of the Castle Greyhawk Mega-Dungeon, written by a Gentleman and Greyhawk Scholar. If you love Greyhawk, you can easily spend a few hours, going through his blog and wondering if it’s time to pull the old World of Greyhawk Boxed Set or Folio, off of the shelf and run the Quintessential D&D Campaign.  I’ve never ran Greyhawk. It’s something that’s been on my “to do” list, for a while. I just enjoy creating my own campaigns so much, that that’s how I always choose to proceed. But, my sensibilities have changed, over the years. Now that I’m no longer concerned with creating the “Next, Great Fantasy World” and am merely looking to create the best D&D Campaign I’m capable of, I might soon break out that Boxed Set and let my players wreak havoc in Mr. Gygax’s sandbox. Soon, but, not yet.

There’s something else I never ran. This’ll surely call my Old School cred into question, but, I’ve never ran The Keep on the Borderlands. Never. What the Hell’s up with that? I’m throwing the Keep, somewhere, in the Sandbox for my upcoming game. If the players find their way there, I’ll be interested to see if any of them recognize where they are. After my initial D&D apprenticeship, I never ran modules. So, there’s a lot of the classic TSR stuff, that I never used. Then, there’s all the new OSR stuff, I’ve picked up of late.

I’m doing things differently, this go around and I’ve decided to place several adventures, purchased and free download items, in my game. I’ll still be writing some stuff myself, but, this will save me time and since I’m letting the players have free reign, also let me put out a lot of interesting options and adventure hooks. I’ll DM on the fly, anytime, but, I kinda like the idea of having this large, library of material, ready to whip out, when the players decide to head to the appropriate hex. Besides, I’ve been buying quite a bit of OSR stuff, these past few months and I want to actually use some of it! At one time, I was far, far, to Superior of a DM to use a Published Module, but, as I continue to make progress in removing the Giant Stick that’s been up my ass, for years, I’m changing a lot of my attitudes. I’m looking forward to my new campaign!

More Odds & Ends

I don’t care for the way yesterday’s random divinity, turned out. Truth is, I’m not sure a Nomad culture will even be featured in the campaign. Also, I should have put some more time into it, but, my creative juices were a bit sluggish, last night. The Halfling one, I’m keeping.

The redoubtable James Maliszewski posted some words about his developing campaign, today. More or less, it’s the type of approach I’m wanting to take. A spontaneous development of the campaign world, brought about by, and brewed in, the synergistic interactions of the DM and the Players. I just need to restrain myself from going too far, with the initial developmental work. Daddy Grognard posted some of his campaign material today, where he’s working from the top down. Be sure to Check it out.

I’ve added a few new blogs, to the ever-growing, monstrous blogroll; of particular interest, is World of Onn, James Bobb’s blog. Mr. Bobb is the author of World of Onn: Supplement 1, a supplement for Swords & Wizardry. I picked this up over the holidays and so far, I’m quite pleased with my purchase. Available in print & pdf, the supplement features alternate rules, classes, spells, monsters, etc. It also has some very charming illustrations. I haven’t finished it, but, so far, it’s been a pleasure to read and there’s a lot of nice material, for use in S&W and other Old School games.

If I’m not too lazy, I’m going to work a little more on some hexmapping, as well as the key for The Demesne of the Iron Lich, over the weekend. I also have a review, coming up, so, till later…

The 666 Layers of the Old School Blogoverse

I now have 80 blogs on my roll. All but a handful are OSR related. All but 11 have updated within the past week, so, we’re a pretty active bunch. I’ve found a couple of more Mutant Future blogs in the past day or two, which I think is just awesome! I was never into Gamma World, back in the day, but I find myself really wanting to play Mutant Future. Or, some weird Mutant Future/Labyrinth Lord, Science Fantasy hybrid.

My blogroll is, perhaps, a little unwieldy, but I’m fine with that. The promotion of the OSR has become one of the primary purposes of my blog and it’s my intent for The Underdark Gazette to serve as a comprehensive link resource for Old School gaming.

When I took my blog off of the Wotc site and went looking for other options, I had no idea that the OSR existed, or that a talented network of creative, Old School gamers were sharing their ideas, with such dedication and flair. Or, that I would soon find myself reading Knockspell, Fight On!, Stonehell and The Majestic Wilderlands. I never dreamed that I would discover a magical work called Swords & Wizardry and become as inspired and excited at the prospect of DMing, as when I first discovered D&D, so many years ago.

We’ve all seen or heard fellow gamers use one of several variations of the phrase “D&D is just a game.” It’s a sentiment which I heartily decry. While it’s important to keep our perspective, as well as our sense of humor, about all of our activities, the phrase “just a game,” is far too belittling for an activity that inspires, fosters and serves as a medium for such a rich panoply of art, creativity, friendship and love.

Play can be very serious indeed, as those of us with children often have the opportunity to witness. Play is important and unwisely denigrated in our society. “Just a Game,” is paltry and dismissive of a series of creative endeavors, which has enriched my life in more ways than I ever could have imagined. Perspective and sense of humor are important, but using the idea of “just, merely, or only” in relation to anything we love, is demeaning to our humanity.

The past three months have been enriching and utterly delightful. You all have my gratitude, appreciation and respect.

And with that, it’s time for my yearly viewing of A Christmas Carol. Two of the presents under our tree are just the right size and shape to be LotFP modules, but I’ll just have to wait until the morning to see if they are, or not.

Just in case you’re not following the Greyhawk Grognard blog.

The Castle of the Mad Archmage December Release is available! 

Thanks Joseph!