Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Quick post: OSR games

Quick one while I get the garbage outside.

List of OSR/Retro-clone Games.
http://blog.retroroleplaying.com/2011/08/long-list-of-old-school-games-and.html

Some are even new to me, but guess that should not be a surprise really.  Been so busy the last month or three.

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Half Baked Adventure idea

So while driving home from Gen Con I had this idea about running a multi-adventure mini series using all editions of D&D.  The plot hook is that the Great Librarian has died and the walls between realities have weakened (which one causes which? have to play to find out!) the character need to collect the Three Great Books and return them to Library or all reality is lost!

Part 1 where the characters are summoned and tested would be played using Basic/Original D&D.
Part 2 where the characters find the first Great Book would be played using AD&D 1st ed.
Part 3 the characters must seek out the second Great Book and would be run using AD&D 2nd ed.
Part 4 a new threat is found, but the characters also gain the support of a mysterious cabal of Wizards located in their rain soaked tower on the Coast.  They must find the third great Book and is played with D&D 3rd ed.
Part 5 the characters, now powerful indeed must return the books to the Library, but the dangers would be great.  This would be played with D&D 4th ed.

I would like to use the basic archetypes for this, a cleric, a thief (maybe a halfling here), a fighter, a wizard and an elf fighter/magic-user and feature something that highlights the benefits of each rule-set.

Could be great fun for a Gen Con based game where everyone plays every night.  Maybe even with the right crowd each person could rotate GM duties and pass their characters around.

Like I said.  Only a half-baked thought at the moment.

EDITED TO ADD: My son says that in each part the characters need to fight one of the five chromatic dragons.  So a white first and ending with a huge, ancient red.

Monday, August 8, 2011

RPGNow/DriveThruRPG and Operation Backpack

I want to interrupt my Gen Con posting for something a little more charitable.

RPG Now / DriveThruRPG are hosting another charity even to help Operation Backpack.
Operation Backpack provides school supplies for needy children.
Getting a quality education cannot be understated.  But one thing that we shouldn't forget is how much kids actually need in way of school supplies.  Paper, pencils, rulers, calculators.  It all adds up really fast.

I am very happy that DriveThruRPG / RPGNow are participating in this, and I am very happy I can let you know about it.

Here is a link to the collection of eBooks they are selling.  Proceeds go to Operation Backpack.
http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product_info.php?products_id=93486&affiliate_id=10748

Please join me in helping them out.

Gen Con 2011 Haul

I picked up:

OSRIC hardcover from the OSR booth.  Figured I should support the cause and I didn't have an OSRIC book anymore.

Call of Cthulhu 30th Anniversary Ed

DC Adventures Heroes and Villains

A bunch of the old Mayfair Role-Aids "Demons" books.  Four books and two boxed sets for 15 bucks. All still in their shrink wrap.
It's for 2nd Ed AD&D, but there are a lot of stats on the sheet (including ability scores) that all they are missing are skills and feats for 3.x.



And the Mage Knight Apocalypse Dragon to stand in for Tiamat when the Dragon Slayers battle her in the final battle of their campaign.
I spent more on this than I should have and more than my wife wanted me to, but I figure it is for the kids' last D&D 3 game so it should be worth it.


Shown here with Aspect of Tiamat and Orcus.  AoT takes up 3x3 squares, Orcus 4x4.  The Apocalypse Dragon, or in our game it will be the full manifestation of Tiamat, takes up 7x7.
It will be brutal.

The swag bag this year had magic cards, some True Dungeon tokens and a coupon for the Gen Con d6.  Though out of 4 bags we only got one coupon.

Game reviews later.

Sunday, August 7, 2011

Gen Con 2011 Last Day

Well another Gen Con is over.

Got to play some games, buys some games and see some people I have not seen in a year.

I did not get to play any Victoriana, but I did have some Cubicle 7 people in my Ghosts of Albion game so that was good.

Dinosauria went great!  Much better than I thought it might.  The game came in at just a little over 3 and a quarter hours, so not too bad really.
Obsession went really well with the "revised" version and I had what might be the best Byron player ever.

I have had a request to run Blight again, so I'll see about that.

I have been itching to do something with a train or even the Orient Express itself.  Just have to find the right story.

More later.  Have not even unpacked yet.

Saturday, August 6, 2011

Zatannurday: Paul Dini

Tomorrow is Paul Dini's birthday and no discussion of Zatanna can occur unless someone brings up Paul Dini.  Paul Dini loves Zatanna.
How much?
Well I personally can't recall a single Zatanna episode of Batman the Animated Series, Justice League or Batman the Brave and the Bold that he did not write.



He has been the writer for the Zatanna comic since it's debut . Oh and his wife, real life stage magician Misty Lee, is a dead ringer for Zatanna.


One thing though is certain; Paul Dini loves his magic girls.
His own creation is "Jingle Belle" the teen-age daughter of Santa Claus.
He wrote the famous Evil-Lyn episode of Masters of the Universe, The Witch and the Warrior.



So happy birthday Paul Dini!

Friday, August 5, 2011

Gen Con 2011, Day 1 Over

Day One of Gen Con is done.

Ghosts of Albion: Obsession ran great!
Quote of the night from Byron "Does it burn like fire or burn like syphilis?"

We played "The Legend of Drizzt" yesterday, but the woman running the game was a bit of a flake so we had to kind of muddle forward on our own. Oh and she didn't get us started till a half hour after we were supposed to.

Today is Dinosauria.
More on that later!