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

Wednesday, March 15, 2023

Blogging A to Z Theme Reveal: Doctor Who

Once again, I am participating in the April A to Z Blogging Challenge, but this year I wanted to do something a little different than more normal witch or monster-related postings. 

This year is the 60th Anniversary of my favorite sci-fi show of all time, Doctor Who!

Doctor Who 2023 Logo

I thought it would be fun to celebrate all things Doctor Who next month. 

Not 100% sure what I'll talk about, but I know I have plenty to work with.


AtoZChallenge theme reveal 2023 #atozchallenge

Monday, October 31, 2022

It's Halloween!

Monster Party!
It's Halloween! 

I have a lot going on today, so let's get going.

I am ending my Month of Halloween the same way I began, by guest starring on a podcast.

On October 1 I appeared on Monster Movie Fun Time Go where I talked about the movie Day Shift and my game NIGHT SHIFT.

And today October 31 I appeared again on Wobblies & Wizards. Where I talked with Shane (Logar) and Ryan of Appendix N Entertainment about all sorts of horror movies. 

So check them both out!

I was also interviewed over at Third Kingdom Games. So give that a read as well.

Saturday, September 3, 2022

100 Days of Halloween: Limited Edition Pumpkin Spice Wampus Country

Limited Edition Pumpkin Spice Wampus Country
For the most part, my 100 Days of Halloween has been about all the witch or spooky stuff I need to get some reviews done or just stuff I like. Typically everything has been languishing on my hard drive for years.  But not tonight's entry.  I bought it just for this because it looked fun.

Limited Edition Pumpkin Spice Wampus Country

PDF. 30 pages 

From the product page,

A Halloween-and-Harvest compilation of articles from the Wampus Country blog, suitable for use with classic fantasy games and related nonsense. Within, you'll learn the dark arts of sucromancy, punch ghosts, explore death masks, and more.

Yeah sounds like something I would like really.  

These are all articles collected from the Wampus Country Blog which has been out there doing its thing for 11 years.  So they are quite upfront with what to expect, but the new format and layout of this PDF is worth the price really.

The articles are a mixed (Halloween) bag, including Candy Magic and Bone Magic. There is a great section on creating random witches, which I really liked. A Ghost Hunter monk subclass. 

The art is Halloween ephemera so it is all rather appropriate. 

It is a rather fun collection of articles to be honest and to have them all in one place for an easy download is worth the price of the PDF easily.


The Other Side - 100 Days of Halloween

Wednesday, August 31, 2022

#RPGaDAY2022 Day 31 - When did you first take part in #RPGaDAY?

Ah, I had to look back for this one, but my very first was not until 2014.

One of the reasons for this is I am always super busy in August due to Gen Con (didn't go this year) and my Fall term start.

Well, that is another #RPGaDAY for the history books! How did you all do?

RPGaDAY2022


Tuesday, August 30, 2022

#RPGaDAY2022 Day 30 - What should #RPGaDAY do for its 10th anniversary next year?

Today's question looks to the future.  What should #RPGaDAY do for its 10th anniversary next year?

Two things I can think of.

1. Poster's choice.  You participate in a past #RPGaDAY that you did not do originally or did not complete.  So for me 2017 and 2018.

2. Roll a d10 to and post for whatever that year was.  This means Dave still needed to come up with things for Year 10 (2023)

I think my money is on #1.

RPGaDAY2022


Monday, August 29, 2022

#RPGaDAY2022 Day 29 - Who would you like to see take part in #RPGaDAY?

Who would you like to see take part in #RPGaDAY?

Honestly? I would like to see some of the big names in the industry do something with it. So Wizards, Paizo, and others. Sure, use it to sell your own games, but it would be fun to get some of the big names involved.

Though the more the merrier to be honest!

RPGaDAY2022


Saturday, August 6, 2022

#RPGaDAY2022 Day 6 - How would you get more people playing RPGs?

In the past, I would have focused on the adventure, the excitement and the interactivity of it all. Today I would still do that, but I would also focus on the things that mean more to me these days; playing with family and friends.

I'd also point out how it is a great creative effort.  Want to write an 11 backstory for your character? Sure! Go ahead. But keep in mind they might die at any point.  What to do then? New character and new backstory!

There are so many reasons people get into RPGs now and so many different kinds to choose from. Getting people into RPGs may not be the right question. Instead, how do we help people find the right RPG for their needs and wants?

RPGaDAY2022

Friday, August 5, 2022

#RPGaDAY2022 Day 5 - Why will they like this game?

I guess this is continuing on from Day 3's choice.

Why will they like this game? 

Well for Basic D&D you can get up and running really fast. Character creation is quick, you can be right into the action in under an hour.

I also use D&D Basic to sell people on the game by appealing to their sense of history, I talk about how many others have traveled the same paths they have. I appeal to their nostalgia.  With "Stranger Things" so prominent in the media now this is a good hook.

Gateway to Adventure

"So many heroes have walked this path, but so many more are now forgotten. Which one will you be?"


RPGaDAY2022



Thursday, August 4, 2022

#RPGaDAY2022 Day 4 - Where would you host a first game?

This one is easy.

If it is the first game for people I don't know well and I am teaching them the game then I usually want to do it at my Favorite Local Game Store, Games Plus in Mount Prospect, IL.  This way if they want to buy the game in question everything they need is right there.  Plus it is a nice neutral environment.

Games Plus

If it is for people I know well then I prefer my game room here at my home.  I always wanted my own game room and now I have one.

My Sanctum Sanctorum

I just need to convince my kids they need to clean up when they are done using it.


RPGaDAY2022


Wednesday, August 3, 2022

#RPGaDAY2022 Day 3 - When were you first introduced to RPGs?

I believe I have shared this story before, but it never hurts to re-share.

For me, it was the Winter of 1979.  It was "quiet reading" time at school and I had already read everything in our school's small library on science and my new fascination, Mythology.  So instead of picking up "D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths" for the 100th time, I borrowed a friend's book that also covered all the same monsters and creatures. 

The book was the AD&D Monster Manual.

D&D gateway

The rest is history.  I tried to figure out to play on my own, made up a bunch of stuff, and then finally got a copy of the Holmes Basic book. A poorly Xeroxed copy to be exact. Until I got my hands on the Moldvay Basic set this was how I tried to play D&D.  

RPGaDAY2022


Tuesday, August 2, 2022

#RPGaDAY2022 Day 2 - What is a great introductory RPG?

There are a lot of great choices out there, but I am still rather partial to the 1981 Moldvay Basic Set.  Starts you out simple and lets you build as you go on.  While the Mentzer Red Box Basic for the BECMI line gets a lot of kudos (and got the sales to be sure) I am still more in the camp of Moldvay.

I suppose it follows then that Old-School Essentials is also a good choice as is Basic Fantasy.

RPGaDAY2022

 

Monday, August 1, 2022

#RPGaDAY2022 Day 1 - Who would you like to introduce to RPGs?

Hmm. I have already introduced RPGs to so many people. My kids and through them more people. 

I think there are is an untapped market in appealing to other creatives I know; artists, writers, and the like. I think many of them would naturally take to RPGs.

Though it is still many, many years down the road, maybe I can introduce RPGs to my grandkids!

RPGaDAY2022

 

Sunday, July 31, 2022

#RPGaDay2022

Tomorrow is the first of August and that means #RPGaDAY for 2022!

Started and maintained by Dave Chapman at AUTOCRATIK, this has been a yearly thing for the last nine years.  My first was in 2014. I took 2017 off, and didn't finish 2018s. But I am here for it all in 2022!

Here is the list of post prompts I will be doing all month.  They follow the questions of Who, What When, Where, Why, and How. With bonus questions on Sunday.

RPGaDAY2022

As well as text ones for anyone using a screen reader.

#RPGaDAY2022 Prompts:

1 - Who would you like to introduce to RPGs?

2 - What is a great introductory RPG?

3 - When were you first introduced to RPGs?

4 - Where would you host a first game?

5 - Why will they like this game?

6 - How would you get more people playing RPGs?

7 - System Sunday: Describe a cool part of a system that you love.

8 - Who introduced you to RPGs?

9 - What is the 2nd RPG you bought?

10 - When did/will you start Gamemastering?

11 - If you could live in a game setting, where would it be?

12 - Why did you start RPGing?

13 - How would you change the way you started RPGing?

14 - Suggestion Sunday: Roll 1d8+1, and tag that many friends and suggest a new RPG to try.

15 - Who would you like to Gamemaster for you?

16 - What would be your perfect game?

17 - Past, Present, or Future? When is your favorite game set?

18 - Where is your favorite place to play?

19 - Why has your favorite game stayed with you?

20 - How long do your games last?

21 - Setting Sunday: Share an intriguing detail from a game setting you enjoy.

22 - Who is your current character?

23 - What situation are they currently in?

24 - When did you start playing this character?

25 - Where has the character been?

26 - Why does your character do what they do?

27 - How has the character changed?

28 - Style Sunday: Roll 1d8+1, tag that many friends with your favorite RPG cover art.

29 - Who would you like to see take part in #RPGaDAY?

30 - What should #RPGaDAY do for its 10th anniversary next year?

31 - When did you first take part in #RPGaDAY?

--

Follow along here and on Twitter.

Wednesday, March 2, 2022

New NIGHT SHIFT Content from Elf Lair Games

Night's Companion
My *other* publisher, Elf Lair Games, has been putting out some great free content for all of February in support of the new Night Companion and I would be remiss if I didn't share or point some of it out to you all.

Click on the links below for more information.

The Order of the Dragon

This is a holy order of knights set to defend Christianity from Muslim incursions.  Vlad Dracul was a member, but when he became a vampire the order shifted focus to destruction of all vampires and hunting of the supernatural. 

The Divine Order of the Sisters of Orleans  

A sister organization to the Order of the Dragon created by and in the name of Jeanne d’Arc.  They have also survived to the modern day to fight supernatural threats.

Folk Horror

Jason gives some advice on adding Folk Horror to your NIGHT SHIFT games.  This part was left out of the core rules. 

The Mandragora Book Store

Our old friend from the Eden days Derek Stoelting has been part of NIGHT SHIFT from the start.  He is up with more information on the location mentioned in the Quick Start Kit

Supers

A couple of good posts on Supers including how to create street-level supers in NIGHT SHIFT using the Inventor class.  Followed up by adding supers to a fantasy style RPG, with NIGHT SHIFT as the translator.

This naturally branched out to and from the next two topics.

Cyberpunk and how NIGHT SHIFT, or more accurately O.G.R.E.S. is a great Rosetta Stone for all sorts of old-school play. 

Finally we get some discussion on the Fighter class.

I also have more NIGHT SHIFT goodness for you all coming up including some more weirdness from Valhalla, AK and a new feature I am working on called From the Editor to support my Weirdly World News NIGHT WORLD from the Night Companion, and GenHEX from the NIGHT SHIFT Core Rules.

So keep an eye out here and on the Elf Lair Games blog for more material for Jason, Derek and myself.

Friday, February 5, 2021

#FollowFriday and Kickstart Your Weekend: Zine Quest 3

One of the things I loved about small cons in the 80s (and really, those were the only ones I went too then) was the little indie Zines.  Small, cheap (a bonus for a broke high school student) and packed with all sorts of strangeness, they had all sorts of appeal to me. 

Granted they were not all good, but they had a sense of, I don't know, love about them. This was before Desk Top Publishing was even taking off yet so often these were Xeroxed, hand stapled affairs. 

While it might be easier to get Zines out to the masses, the sense of love is still there.

This is why Zine Quest was made and now we are at the beginning of Zine Quest #3 over on Kickstarter and the choices are overwhelming. 


There are plenty of OSR and D&D 5 choices as well as plenty of other indie games in the truest sense.  

Trying to track them all is a bit more than I want to take on by myself. Thankfully there are good resources to help us all.

Hero Press / I'd Rather Be Killing Monsters

If you come here then you know "the other Tim" from across the pond.  Hero Press is my go-to entertainment blog for all things RPG, Superhero, and more. Go there. No qualifiers, just go there. But he is also covering the Zine Quest projects he likes.  You can also follow his Zine Quest tags.

Over on the Facebook side of things his group, I'd Rather Be Killing Monsters will be featuring even more Zines and project owners are encouraged to post links to theirs. 

Gothridge Manor / RPG Zines

Tim Shorts (yes another Tim!) is also keeping everyone posted on Zines.  He has been talking about them on his blog Gothridge Manor (also a great blog!) and his Facebook group RPG Zines.  This is pretty much Zine central and worth your time to check out.  Like Tim, Tim has a Zine tag for his blog as well. 

But where Tim Shorts rises above the other Tims is his own contribution to the Zine project.
Be sure to back The Many Crypts of Lady Ingrade on Kickstarter. 

Tenkar's Tavern

If you have been in the OSR any amount of time you likely know about Tenkar's Tavern blog/podcast/Facebook group.  Tenkar is also covering Zine Quest with a lean to the OSR zines coming out.

You can also follow the #Zinequest3 hashtag on Twitter.

There are more launching every day in February, in fact, one launched while I was writing this post that I want to back.  So expect a Part 2 next week!

Friday, December 18, 2020

#FollowFriday: TBBYANR and More!

In case you forgot (it has been a while) TBBYANR stands for "The Best Blog You Are Not Reading" and is was a great feature in the early days of the blogging scene. Since then communications have become more fractionalized with people on Facebook, Discord and other mediums.  It is hard to know how well others know about other blogs.  Plus so many blogs also have their own Facebook and/or Twitter outlets.

So in my merging of these two features or more accurately #FollowFriday assuming the role that TBBYANR once held I figure I'll post some blogs I have been enjoying and how you can interact with them on social media.

They Might Be Gazebos!

Chuck Thorin's "They Might Be Gazebos!" is a good classic OSR blog. He does some reviews and retrospectives and is usually focused on Swords & Wizardry and Dungeon Crawl Classics.  He does the occasional character write-up as well.

One of my favorite features of his is his OSR Retrospective where he looks at the games of the Old-School Renaissance. 

Chuck is also the author of "Gary vs. The Monsters" the cinematic, campy horror monster-fighting old-school RPG.

Again, I am not sure how many of you know about this site, but they are worth checking out.

Links

Mythopoeic Rambling

Theodric Ælfwinesson has been running MR for a bit now. While the focus is Old School there is still new content (like Pathfinder) but viewed from an Old-School lens. 

Some of my favorite topics are on monsters and world-building.

Definitely check it out, there is an absolute ton of material there. 

Links



Former TSR staffer and expert on all things Mystara, Bruce Heard is still giving us great content often for just the price of a mouse click.  His blog focuses on his campaign world, Calidar, but there is still a ton of great content for BECMI here as well.

Links

Swords & Stitchery is very likely a blog you all do know about.  Eric has been posting his thoughts on old-school games and his own campaigns for a long time now.  At a couple of posts per day he is constantly supplying new material. I have to pause often to just catch up to his output.  His OSR Commentary might be the best feature, and his coverage of Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea keeps me coming back time and time again.  

Recently he has been discussing NIGHT SHIFT and I am very excited to see what he does with it.

Links

  That's good for now! 

Thursday, December 5, 2019

Updated Witch Links

I have updated my Witch Links Page.   Every so often I search the blog archives and find links to articles, posts or what have you on what others are saying or doing with witches.  Yeah, I am a tad obsessed, but anything worth doing is worth doing to excess.

Library

So here are some of the ones I found that I thought were fun or interesting from the last six or so months.

If you visit, let them know I sent ya!
If you have a link you would like to share, post it in the comments below.

Boccob's Blessed Blog
20 Pathfinder Witch Quest Ideas
https://boccobsblog.com/2019/05/17/20-pathfinder-witch-quest-ideas/

Daemons & Deathrays
Eastern Gothic – Creatures of Slavic Folklore (Part 1)
https://daemonsanddeathrays.wordpress.com/2019/11/22/eastern-gothic-creatures-of-slavic-folklore/

Eastern Gothic – Creatures of Slavic Folklore (Part 2)
https://daemonsanddeathrays.wordpress.com/2019/11/29/eastern-gothic-part-2/

Greyhawk Stories
Iggwilv: Mother of Witches
https://greyhawkstories.com/tales-from-the-flanaess/iggwilv-mother-of-witches/

Greyhawkery
Witch Queen Iggwilv Discussion Tonight
http://greyhawkery.blogspot.com/2019/09/witch-queen-iggwilv-discussion-tonight.html

Hall of the Mountain King
Project - Blackmoor Land of a Thousand Witches - the Sisterhood
http://jasonzavoda-hallofthemountainking.blogspot.com/2019/05/project-blackmoor-land-of-thousand_16.html

Project - Blackmoor Land of a Thousand Witches - NPC Tuure
http://jasonzavoda-hallofthemountainking.blogspot.com/2019/05/project-blackmoor-land-of-thousand_17.html

Project - Blackmoor Land of a Thousand Witches - The Moon Hall
http://jasonzavoda-hallofthemountainking.blogspot.com/2019/05/project-blackmoor-land-of-thousand_22.html

NPC - Linnea Schnai Witch
http://jasonzavoda-hallofthemountainking.blogspot.com/2019/12/npc-linnea-schnai-witch.html

Hero Press
Which Witch Are You?
http://heropresstwo.blogspot.com/2019/10/which-witch-are-you.html

I Don't Remember That Move
a peeper deeper, Ready to Harvest the Witch's Garden
http://rememberdismove.blogspot.com/2019/10/a-peeper-deeper.html

Tales of the Grotesque and Dungeonesque
Conjure Wife
http://talesofthegrotesqueanddungeonesque.blogspot.com/2019/10/conjure-wife.html

Satanic Temple, Witch Board Museum, Count Orlok, Lighthouse, Parasite
https://talesofthegrotesqueanddungeonesque.blogspot.com/2019/12/satanic-temple-witch-board-museum-count.html

Writeups.org
All of these are for DC Heroes Role-Playing Game

Tara Maclay (!) but sadly no Willow
https://www.writeups.org/tara-maclay-amber-benson-buffy-vampire-slayer/

Evil-Lyn (Masters of the Universe cartoons) 
https://www.writeups.org/evil-lyn-masters-universe-cartoon/

Wednesday, July 31, 2019

The Return of #RPGaDAY 2019

Once again I am participating in Dave Chapman's #RPGaDAY for 2019.


He will be posting on his blog, AUTOCRATIK and elsewhere on the net, esp. Twitter.  I am planning on cross-posting in a lot of places myself, testing out some new social media tools I have.

Here is the list of topics.

  1. First
  2. Unique
  3. Engage
  4. Share
  5. Space
  6. Ancient
  7. Familiar
  8. Obscure
  9. Critical
  10. Focus
  11. Examine
  12. Friendship
  13. Mystery
  14. Guide
  15. Door
  16. Dream
  17. One
  18. Plenty
  19. Scary
  20. Noble
  21. Vast
  22. Lost
  23. Surprise
  24. Triumph
  25. Calamity
  26. Idea
  27. Suspense
  28. Love
  29. Evolve
  30. Connection
  31. Last

The idea is to get creative with the posts. So I plan to do my best.

Tune in tomorrow and all month to see what I am doing.  Participating?  Let others know here too!

Friday, April 26, 2019

April TTRPG Maker, Day 26

Day 26: Favorite Online Community

So many really. I love all my online communities.

I guess my greatest love is still blogs.  Best signal to noise ratio, best content on the games I enjoy and a chance to interact with other creators.

Facebook is still a great place to find a wide variety of opinions and games but that also means there is a large collection of "noise".

This is one I will really enjoy seeing what others are going to post.  I am always in the market for more places to learn about games.

Wednesday, April 17, 2019

Magic School: Idle Thoughts

Been busy this week.  I am part of a team that is building a new Masters of Social Work program.  It is great because this time I am NOT in charge of it, one of my really qualified co-workers is heading it up and I am really looking forward to working with him in his "Senior" role.  We are the same level so this is a nice switch and will give me some freedom to work creatively at a more "on the ground" level.  Last time our roles were reversed and he got to do the cool fun stuff while I had to mind all the details!
Remember, the reward for hard work is more hard work.

I was in my home office yesterday and two minutes before our video conference meeting started I noticed that my notebook was still out in my car.  So I grabbed the closest thing, my son's D&D notebook.  While sitting through the meeting I keep a set of parallel notes on D&D-ish social work program.  If is SOOO half baked right now and may never, ever see the light of day. But I was amused.

But it got me thinking on larger Magic School ideas and how they tie into my desire of "Back to Basics" this year.

Bruce Heard is over at his blog and online quietly building all sorts of great stuff for his Calidar world. Recently his big project is one I am REALLY dying for; Calidar On the Wings of Darkness. This product will include his magic school for his country of wizards.  Bruce gave us much of what we know about the Great School of Magic located in Glantri City.  If that work is any clue, add 32 more years of game development and writing and that gives me a hint of what we might see in On the Wings of Darkness.

His latest post also helps me figure out which flavor of Basic I am planning to use.  While my great love is B/X Molday/Cook/Marsh D&D, a strong  case has been made for BECMI flavor of Basic.  Plus I have my snazzy new Rules Cyclopedia thanks to POD so this is a good thing for me.
I just like the idea of crazy Magic School hijinks using the Basic rules.

Speaking of the Great School of Magic.  A new-to-me blog, the Breath of Mystara, pointed out a great resource to me, a 555 page PDF on the Great School of Magic.

Seriously that is a lot of material.

Another interesting bit that came up for me yesterday was this fun little character creator for making your own Hogwarts student.
https://www.deviantart.com/hapuriainen/art/Hogwarts-student-maker-302435099

For fun, I did one of me and my iconic witch Larina.  This would have been back when she had brown eyes and her hair was a bit darker.



For my magic school, I have not thought of "houses" really. but think about how important they are to the Harry Potter world and fandom.  EVERYONE has a house they think they belong to.   In my mind, I was more focused on the "Colleges" which is what we did in actual college/university and grad school.

I have also been following Dave Chapman's discussions on a Harry Potter RPG (hypothetical RPG that is) and taking a lot of his advice to heart.

Now I need to work more on my idea of "High Witchcraft", but more on that later.