Showing posts with label blogs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label blogs. Show all posts

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Bloghops

February brings us the D&D 40th Anniversary Bloghop challenge from d20 Dark Ages.
If you have a D&D-related blog I would like to see you sign up. I think it will be very interesting to see everyone's stories.


You have plenty of time to sign up.

Also coming up is the big April A to Z bloghop.  I have participated in this every year now for a while. Sometimes while doing my Atheism blog and the Red Sonja blog I participate in.

I will be honest.  The April A to Z has gotten huge. Maybe way too big. Plus I am not sure my enthusiasm is there for it this year.  I do have things I can post.  That is not the issue. The issue is one of time really.  I have a lot of projects I am working on now for myself and other publishers, so I think I might not do it this year.  Or least not do it to the level I had been.

Wait and see I guess. If I get a lot done the next couple of months I might change my mind.

Thursday, January 9, 2014

PWWO: Magical Theorems & Dark Pacts + The Witch

Here is one of my first "official" Plays Well With Others posts.

Recently I spent some quality time with Dyson's Magical Theorems & Dark Pacts.
Well I rather enjoy this book and I have been looking for more ways to use it. It occurred to me while reading over the Pact Bound and Enchanter that many of the spells would work great with my Witch class and a number of my spells would work great with these classes.

So I went through the book and my book and figured out which "witch" spells would work good for the MT&DP classes.  You can see the fruits of my efforts here:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Aus4EyYHejOidFlsQVhVUVJPcDhIYWpoQ1RyYmFQMXc&usp=sharing

All my witch spells and the MT&DP classes, with levels.  I want do the reverse later as well, which new MT&DP spells can be used with the Witch.  If you pop into that sheet you might actually see me working on it live.  I am getting rather fond of Google Drive for collaboration.

Dyson is also talking about his book today, looking at some of the Elven classes and subclasses.   Worth checking out and adding in a bunch of new spells.

This book also works quite well if you use his "d12 subclasses" idea.  Here are his tables for the Wizard, Cleric, Enchanter and Elven Warder.

I could do something like that with the Witch, using the Traditions as a guide.
  1. Amazon: +1 to all hits, able to use a sword, spear and bow as weapons. See also
  2. Aquarian (from the Witch)
  3. Classical (from the Witch)
  4. Craft of the Wise  (from the Eldritch Witchery)
  5. Faerie (from the Witch)
  6. Family (from the Witch)
  7. Gypsy (from the Eldritch Witchery)
  8. Maleficia (from the Witch)
  9. Tradition of the Magna Mater (Great Mother)  (from the Eldritch Witchery)
  10. Venefica: Bonus to creation of potions, poisons and balms.
  11. Eclectic: Mix
  12. Choose one or make up a new one.
Certainly works for me.

Tuesday, January 7, 2014

d20 Dark Ages: D&D Blog Challenge

Stelios V. Perdios  over at d20 Dark Ages is going to be hosting a D&D themed blog challenge for February.

It is worth checking out.
http://d20darkages.blogspot.com/2014/01/d-40th-anniversary-blogging-challenge.html

Tentative list

I am going to be on board of course.  I love things like this.  I am also looking forward to seeing what everyone else does as well.

We get some grief in the old OSR for being nostalgia soaked.  Some of that grief is actually warranted. But this is a big anniversary moment in the age of this hobby of ours and a little self reflection is fun and appropriate.

Now if I can only remember everything I did!


Thursday, December 12, 2013

The 12 Days of OSR-Xmas

Tenkar over at his Eponymous Tavern will begin his "Twelve Days of OSR Christmas" where he will be giving away a TON of great OSR products.  Included in the mix are a copy of the Witch and Eldritch Witchery.
That tomorrow is also Friday the 13th makes it doubly fun for me.

So please make sure you stop by and give it a look.  Hopefully you will win something cool.


Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Dyvers: Best Reads

This has been making it's rounds and I even posted a little about it on Friday.

Charles Akins has posted, and updated, his massive list of all the "OSR" blogs.
http://dyverscampaign.blogspot.com/2013/12/the-great-blog-roll-call.html

Here is what he had to say about your truly:

An OSR blog that's biggest cause is the Witch class in Dungeons and Dragons style role-playing games. The author is quite persuasive and will make you jump on his bandwagon if you give him half a chance. Updates: An average of 45 times per month. Wow! An amazing amount of out put!
I wholeheartedly concur!

While some may claim that the blogging community is loosing steam, I prefer to think of it as gaining focus.  Instead of 25 posts a day on roughly the same thing we now get 10 posts a variety of topics.  It also shows that there is more going on than I even knew.

So stop by, read his massive list and stick around to read the rest of his blog.  It's some good stuff.

Sunday, November 3, 2013

The Other Side, the First 2000 Posts!

How is everyone tonight?

Me? I Am gearing up to give away a few copies of Eldritch Witchery and The Witch to my readers here!
Yup that time again.  But this time it is going to coincide with some other big milestones.

This is my 1,999th post here at the Other Side.
The next post is post #2000.

I have also set up a Facebook page for this blog.
https://www.facebook.com/OtherSideblog

So how can you win a copy of Eldritch Witchery or The Witch?  Simple, follow the rules below and in the comments section please post who your favorite witch (or wizard) is


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck!!

Sunday, October 27, 2013

Lazy Sunday

This is really more of Twitter post than a real blog posting.

Checking out blog posts from around the gaming blogs.

So much cool stuff going on!  Just great fun stuff.

More thoughts later, making more more coffee and reading more.

Friday, October 25, 2013

My RPG Person Profile

This was cooked up by +Zak Smith over at his blog Playing D&D With Porn Stars.
It's a pretty cool idea really. I have seen a few others (linked below) so I figure I throw in my 2cents.

I'm currently running (at home):  D&D 3.5 Epic level game and AD&D 1st Ed start up

Tabletop RPGs I'm currently playing (at home) include: See above.

I'm currently running (online): nothing

Tabletop RPGs I'm currently playing (online) include: Pathfinder

I would especially like to play/run: Basic D&D, WitchCraft, Mutants & Masterminds, Monster Hearts, Vampire the Masquerade, any version of Mage, Call of Cthulhu (any ed), Doctor Who Adventures in Time and Space.

...but would also try: Feng Shui, Victoria, Victoriana 3rd Ed.

I live in: The NW Burbs of Chicago

2 or 3 well-known RPG products other people made that I like:  AD&D 1st Ed, WitchCraft, Chill

2 or 3 novels I like: Dracula, Lord of the Rings, most horror

2 or 3 movies I like:  Too many to name.  Most all horror, especially horror from the 70s.

Best place to find me on-line: Everywhere. Facebook, email, my blog Google+

I will read almost anything on tabletop RPGs if it's: Horror or Victorian

I really do not want to hear about: Nothing. I am pretty much open to everything.

I think dead orc babies are ( circle one: funny / problematic / ....well, ok, it's complicated because....): Depends on the game. In D&D they are usually collateral damage, in ShadowRun they are a plot point, in Orkworld they are a campaign about taking their souls back to wherever John Wick thinks Ork souls come from.

Game I'm in are like (link to something): Little guy or Anti-hero taking back the world from the grips of evil.  Plenty of monsters and over the top action, metal music and roots deep in the 80s  Or Trippy weird, gothy magical stuff or Sword & Sorcery with a bit of tongue in cheek humor, also with roots deep in the 80s.

Free RPG Content I made for OSR and Unisystem are available here on my Downloads page.
Also the Ghosts of Albion Quick Start Rules.

You can buy RPG stuff I made at DriveThruRPG, Amazon or at your FLGS
If you know anything about Dragons it'd help me with a project I'm working on

I talk about RPGs on mostly my blog and Facebook under the name Timothy S. Brannan or Tim Brannan. You  can find me on some forums (RPG.net) and going back to the Usenet under the name Web Warlock.


I've Been Blitzed!

My recent post on the release of Eldritch Witchery is getting Blized by the Blog Blitz Team!


I have participated in all the Blog Blitzes before and it has been a great way to visit new blogs that I might not otherwise know about.  Many thanks to DL Hammons for setting this up.

I plan to visit everyone's blog that leaves a post, so please also leave a link back to your own blogs.

Saturday, September 7, 2013

Zatannurday: Super-Team Family

I have featured Zatanna covers from the great Super Team Family blog in the past.  But recently they hit their 1000th post and it featured two of my favorites.  Zatanna and Harry Potter.



Love the cards.

Other Zatanna covers are just as great.

This one of Zee and Doctor Strange would make for a great story, or adventure!


I personally think she could take him.

And one of my favorites,


Zee always seem to have the upper hand in these.  As it should be!

Great job.  Looking forward to more.

Tuesday, September 3, 2013

30 Day D&D Challenge, Day 3: Favorite Playable Class

Day 3: Favorite Playable Class

Well this one is no surprise.  The Witch.
I started out playing clerics and paladins which was fun.  I did indeed play the cleric like Van Helsing (all those Hammer films).  But for me the Witch was always the best of both the Cleric and the Wizard with a bit  of dark anima as well.  I wrote my first witch class close to 30 years ago and I am not tired of playing them yet!


Monday, September 2, 2013

30 Day D&D Challenge, Day 2: Favorite Playable Race

Day 2: Favorite Playable Race

This one is easy, if predictable. I prefer to play humans.  I just always felt that despite all the perk the other races got, humans still got the best deal.  Plus in the days of AD&D humans were the only race that had unlimited advancement.  Also in the AD&D1 days I liked Dual Classes.  I had a number of characters that started out as one thing and then went on to be something else.  I liked the character building implications.

If I were to pick a second favorite it would be half-elf.


Sunday, September 1, 2013

30 Day D&D Challenge, Day 1: How You Got Started

Day 1: How You Got Started

I got started in 1979. I was in "silent reading" and a buddy had a copy of the new AD&D Monster Manual.  WOW. IT blew my mind.  I loved mythology and had already read everything in the library on Greek and Roman myths.  Seeing all the same creatures, plus demons, devils and things I never heard of.
After that I looked for the rules, but to no avail.  It wasn't until I got a hold of a badly xeroxed copy of Holmes D&D.  The rest was as they say history.
Around this very same time I discovered the Hobbit, having seen it recently on TV.  I was in the right place at the right time for this to happen.  Like many my "first" D&D was a combination of Basic and Advanced. Still today that is the same experience I look for in D&D. Also recapturing that thrill of first holding that Monster Manual in 5th grade.


Friday, August 30, 2013

30 Day D&D Challenge, Part 2

Looks like I am going to be in good company with this.

http://isungr.blogspot.com/2013/08/30-day-d-challenge-upcoming.html (who had the idea first)
http://realmsofchirak.blogspot.com/2013/08/september-30-day-d-challenge.html
http://murkypool.blogspot.com/2013/08/challenge-accepted.html
http://alifefullofadventure.blogspot.com/2013/08/september-d-challenge.html
http://wishfulgaming.blogspot.com/2013/08/d-challenge.html
http://the-disoriented-ranger.blogspot.com/2013/08/alright-lets-do-this-d-30-day-challenge.html


I have a few ideas of things to say already.


30 Day D&D Challenge

Anthony Emmel  over at Polar Bear Dreams and Stranger Things is going to do the 30-Day D&D Challenge.
I have seen this floating around and thought it was a cool idea.  He makes the very good point that September has 30 days, so it's a perfect fit really.

So I am going to do it too!


I am going to talk about ALL versions of D&D.  Not a lot in each post, but enough.

Come on join us!  You know you want too. ;)

Monday, August 26, 2013

Everyone loves Sparlock

I just discovered JaclynGlenn on YouTube and she discovered Sparlock.


She rips the video too.  Watch her channel, it's great.

Thursday, August 22, 2013

Sexual Harassment in the Gaming Workplace

Again, with all apologies to Frank Zappa.

There has been some more talk about sexual harassment, gender power politics and related issues when it comes to gaming.  No surprises really, it is a hot button topic in most of the places I frequent on the net.

When is comes to gaming here are some of the latest developments.

http://dndwithpornstars.blogspot.com/2013/08/open-letter-to-shannon-appelcline-and.html
http://greyhawkgrognard.blogspot.com/2013/08/a-convention-prudery-counter-current.html
http://gmskarka.com/2013/08/20/when-nazis-get-rapey/
https://twitter.com/GOODNESSaidan/status/368856722233761792/photo/1
https://twitter.com/Gen_Con/status/368870917754998784
http://greyhawkgrognard.blogspot.com/2013/08/first-they-came-for-saucy-sloganed.html

And there are lots more.  How many more really is sorta the point.  Everyone seems to be talking about it.
Not sure what anyone is doing yet.

Though to be 100% honest I am not even sure what there is to do.  Not that there isn't something to do, I just don't really know what *I* could do.

I am not espousing a particular viewpoint here; I think my viewpoint is pretty well known.
Though I do think talking is good, action is better.

What to do?  No idea.

Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Top Ten Questions

I know. I am slow, but here are my thoughts on the top 10 Questions from Random Wizard.

(1). Race (Elf, Dwarf, Halfling) as a class? Yes or no?
No.  I love my B/X, but I like to be able to choose race and class separately. Granted I just don't play many demi-humans.

(2). Do demi-humans have souls?
Halflings and Dwarves do, Elves and Gnomes do not.  By that logic then neither do goblins and maybe not orcs.

(3). Ascending or descending armor class?
Ascending.  Sorry it is just better game design and better for newbies.

(4). Demi-human level limits?
No.  I understand why they were used, I just buy the logic.

(5). Should thief be a class?
Yes. Though an argument could be made that Assassin shouldn't be.

(6). Do characters get non-weapon skills?
Why not? If I want to play a skills-based game I have Unisystem and GURPS, but a few extra skills for characters in D&D never hurt.

(7). Are magic-users more powerful than fighters (and, if yes, what level do they take the lead)?
They should compliment each other.  But Wizards take the center stage as soon as they get Fireball.
Also I think high level fighters should be able to wade through scores of enemies, knocking them down like a lawn mower does to weeds.

(8). Do you use alignment languages?
Only for religious purposes, using them in public should be viewed as the same as some one today saying "Thee" and "thou".

(9). XP for gold, or XP for objectives (thieves disarming traps, etc...)?
Both. Why not.  I like to focus on solving problems, and sometime killing the monster doesn't actually fix anything.

(10). Which is the best edition; ODD, Holmes, Moldvay, Mentzer, Rules Cyclopedia, 1E ADD, 2E ADD, 3E ADD, 4E ADD, Next ?
Actually there no such thing as 3E ADD or 4E ADD since both were called D&D (no Advanced) and the answer is "what ever I am playing and having a good time with".  Which was, at the last time I checked, all of them.

Bonus Question: Unified XP level tables or individual XP level tables for each class?
I am happy with either to be honest.  Individual XP tables solve a lot of "balance" issues.
I'd get around the demi-human level limits by giving them more XP they need to get per level.  To offset this they get some racial powers, ie dwarves get better at finding secret doors and the like.

You can see his answers here and many other replies here.


Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Cheeses from Around the World

Over at Rather Gamey Ark has collected a list of over 300 art, rpg, old-school and geekery blogs.

http://rathergamey.blogspot.com/2013/06/breathing-blogs.html

Stop by and see his impressive list!

Monday, June 24, 2013

Monday Monday

So nothing really to post or chat about today.

The day job is kicking my butt this week.  Our next Summer term starts next week so I am busy getting ready all this week.

In game news I am re-reading "The Silmarillion" for the first time since high school.  I am loving it and enjoying it on a completely different level than I did 30 years ago.  It's just fantastic really.  I had just finished reading "The Children of Húrin" and loved it.

I should have some game reviews up sometime.

Something interesting.
Tenkar has a post about advertising and marketing the OSR.   Go over there read his post, watch the video.
http://www.tenkarstavern.com/2013/06/marketing-your-rpg-panel-on-air-with.html

Me. I am happy with beer money (I make enough at my day job to pay bills and get the things I want).  Or rather, I use the money I make to buy more games or material for new game books.  It's a crazy little eco-system that I am happy with.

Maybe something will motivate me later today.