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Kellri’s 18 Module Challenge – Day 9: Pavis and Big Rubble

2022-12-26T15:58:07-05:00October 7th, 2018|

Day 9 - A Module That You've Never Played:  _Pavis_ and _Big Rubble_ by Greg Stafford, Steve Perrin, Oliver Dickinson, & Diverse HandsBig Rubble box contents (Chaosium, 1983)Pavis: Threshold to Danger back of box (Chaosium, 1983)I never played RuneQuest back-in-the-day (despite my love for Call of Cthulhu, and frequent experimentation with new systems demo'd at local conventions), likely in part because my exposure to it was pretty limited (and primarily through the Oliver Dickinson short stories in White Dwarf).  At the time, the setting didn't resonate with my more-AD&D-driven tastes, and Dickinson's stories didn't really click either.  That changed in the early 2000s when I picked up a copy of the RQ2 hardcover rulebook at a gaming fleamarket at DunDraCon or KublaCon, and a few years later Jason Zavoda sent me some RQ materials he was getting rid of.  After going through them I grew a bit more intrigued, then I remembered Dickinson's stories, and picked up a copy of The Complete Griselda.  Dickinson's tales of Pavis and its adjoining ruin, The Big Rubble, came to life in ways I never appreciated as a teenager:  it's adventuring companies and ruffians, scoundrels and monsters, cults and mythologies, resonated and clicked for me, finally.  I have since played RQ2 with Jennel Jaquays at the North Texas RPG Con, and with Steve Perrin using his RQ-like SPRQ rules at one of the SoCalMiniCon events organized by Dragonnsfoot members during the later '00s, and would happily play again, if given the chance.    Why I Love Pavis and Big RubbleOne of things that I like about Pavis and Big Rubble  is their inter-twined proximity:  the much-smaller, non-ruined city of Pavis is dwarfed ... read more!

Kellri’s 18 Module Challenge – Day 8: Angmar, Land of the Witch King

2022-12-26T15:58:07-05:00October 6th, 2018|

Day 8 - A Module Featuring Undead:  Angmar, Land of the Witch King by Heike KubaschAngmar, Land of the Witch King (ICE, 1982; image from Wayne's Books)Why I Love Angmar, Land of the Witch KingI'm not really sure that I need to explain why Angmar would top my list of modules featuring undead---the Lord of the Nazgûl should just make that self-evident, shouldn't it?:Well, just in case you need some more convincing, here are my thoughts:As with all MERP 1e products, the maps produced by Pete Fenlon are phenomenal, and the Angmar maps are no exception:  the wilderness maps convey the style of Tolkien's Hobbit and LOTR regional maps very well, while adding detail and color make them more usable in-game, and the dungeon maps offer an economy of design that is functional as well as aesthetically pleasing to the eye:Carn Dûm, overview and level 2 dungeon mapsCastle Morkai illustrationCastle Morkai, plan viewNAZGÛL!Three Runners Up Ivid the Undying by Carl Sargent (unpublished by TSR but excerpted in Dragon Magazine and published online for free, along with a wonderful map by Kent Matthewson):  I'm not too fond of the animus undead that rule and overran the Great Kingdom in Sargent's sourcebook, but they are a primary feature of the adventure.... Cairn of the Skeleton King by Rob Kuntz (Black Blade Publishing, 2015):  an under-rated module with some excellent site-based adventure locations, where undead feature more-prominently than in its sequel, Tower of Blood co-written with Lance Hawvermale (but which also introduces some new undead/shadow monsters, the uderlings) S1 Tomb of Horrors by Gary Gygax (TSR, 1978):  the classic demi-lich's lair (and his four-armed skeleton servitors, too!)  My other ... read more!

Kellri’s 18 Module Challenge – Day 7: X2 Castle Amber by Tom Moldvay

2022-12-26T15:58:08-05:00October 5th, 2018|

Day 7 - A Module I Wish I Had Written: X2 Castle Amber by Tom MoldvaySeveral somewhat-conflicting interpretations of Kellri's Day 7 module topic immediately came to mind when thinking through the question of which module I wish that I had written:What published adventure is so cool that I wish that I'd written it?What adventure that I've written do I wish had been published by TSR?---the snarky rejoinder is, of course, "NONE" since then I wouldn't own my adventure anymore ;) What unpublished-but-known TSR manuscript/adventure idea do really I wish I had written so that it was, in fact, published?What module do I wish that I had written so that the flaws I see in it would have been fixed (i.e., I think I would have done a better job than the original author)? What module do I wish that I had written that I haven't written yet?For the most part, I assume that folks responding to this topic are answering Question #1.  Question #2 is an interesting one worth thinking a bit more about, but I think my snarky answer remains on-target for the most part (although I had planned to submit my old "Valley of Pain" wilderness adventure to the RPGA for consideration as a high-level tournament at some point in the early 1980s...).  Question #3, while somewhat convoluted and strange, is the most interesting iteration to me, and I'll return to that concept later after the challenge concludes.  Question #4 overlaps with Day 10's topic, so I'll address it there rather than here, and while Question #5 might be somewhat interesting-ish, it seems rather self-serving, as well as lazy, so it's right out!So, ... read more!

Kellri’s 18 Module Challenge – Day 6: DMG Monastery Dungeon by Gary Gygax

2022-12-26T15:58:09-05:00October 4th, 2018|

Day 6 - A Module You Can Play with Children: DMG Monastery Dungeon by Gary Gygax The Monastery Dungeon, 1979 Why I Love the Monastery DungeonIt's iconic design not only represents the one and only map in the Dungeon Masters Guide, but it is also central to the Example of PlayLike all good dungeon designs, the monastery map is extensible, and built-in hooks help to coach a fledgling Dungeon Master how to further refine its contents:hints about additional monsters types from the Wandering Monster table:  goblins in 7-8, bandits in 4-5, fire beetles in 12-13, ghouls from 24, evil cleric and hobgoblins from 35-37, skeletons from 27 references from early keys to further ones yet-to-be-designed:  the map's description in 2 mentions the secret door 28, the treasury at 29, and the caverns below this level; a secret entrance/exit is also mentioned in passing on page 96, in the description of the DMG's "three" maps (the other two sadly non-existent), and while not identified specifically, the stairs at 39 are suggestive of such a portalDespite being a pretty small dungeon (although it's still bigger than some levels of Rappan Athuk...), the map design offers a variety of challenges and tactical options for players (and monsters!) to leverage in play, including looping corridors, several secret and concealed doors, and a number of potentially-deadly dead-ends.If you're looking for some additional inspiration, you should check out Timrod's excellent and intertwined blog pieces on the relationships between the DMG Monastery Dungeon, T1's Moathouse dungeon level, and the wilderness environs of B2 Keep on the Borderlands.  Jonathan Tweet also wrote the ready-made "Dungeon of the Fire Opal" adventure for this dungeon map in ... read more!

Kellri’s 18 Module Challenge – Day 5: S3 Expedition to the Barrier Peaks by Gary Gygax

2022-12-26T15:58:10-05:00October 3rd, 2018|

Day 5 - A Module that Needs to be Played by a BIG Party: _S3 Expedition to the Barrier Peaks_ by Gary GygaxLike its predecessor S1 Tomb of Horrors (TSR, 1978), S3 Expedition to the Barrier Peaks was first published to support TSR's "D&D for Prizes" tourney at Origins II in 1976.  The module we know and love wasn't formally printed until 1980: S3 Expedition to the Barrier Peaks: 1976 Origins II tournament version, above a copy of TSR's 1980 first printing module.Why I Love S3 Expedition to the Barrier PeaksS3 is one of the most highly-lethal adventures I've run, and probably surpasses S1 Tomb of Horrors for the droves of PCs sent to early graves beneath its chromium lights High-tech lasers, grenades, power armor, robots, and androids abound that will (appropriately) perplex and befuddle the players while folding-spindling-and-mutilating their PCs with with efficiency!Introduces oodles of new and unique monsters (both flora, fauna, fungi, and more!), including some personal favorites---aurumvorax, froghemoth, gas bats, russet mold---as well as rarely-encountered iconic monsters like the eye of the deep, intellect devourer, and the iconic illustration-booklet-cover mind flayer!Features some of Rob Kuntz's best design work:  Expedition to the Barrier Peaks builds upon materials from the Expanded Castle Greyhawk, including from Kuntz's Garden of the Plant Master/Garden of Tharizdun level, as well as the infamous Machine Level The 1980 publication of S3 was TSR's only adventure to include color interior artwork all rendered by the incomparable Erol Otus, who's fabulous pieces feature throughout the art-heavy book as well:S3 Expedition to the Barrier Peaks, TSR 1980 Three Runners UpThe lethality-factor isn't the only criteria that requires a large party of PCs to tackle ... read more!

Kellri’s 18 Module Challenge – Day 4: Deep Shit by Jeff Barber

2022-12-26T15:58:11-05:00October 2nd, 2018|

Day 4 - A Module That Takes Place Underwater or in the Air: "Deep Shit" by Jeff Barber"Deep Shit" is a Blue Planet 1st edition convention scenario set on the water world of Poseidon:A secret underwater lab on the exoplanet Poseidon has gone silent. The last transmission indicates the on site security chief went mad and began to slaughter everyone on the station. A team of commandos from Global Ecology Organization (GEO) has been sent in to investigate why. They will have to deal with storms, the station’s defenses, and a renegade genetically enhanced super soldier. Written by Jeff Barber of Biohazard Games (also previously a founder of Pagan Publishing), "Deep Shit" is somewhat analogous to Jeff's previous Pagan underwater scenario, "Grace Under Pressure" (co-written with John Tynes in The Unspeakable Oath #2 from 1991), but differs from its predecessor in some significant ways.  Run many times throughout the 1990s, Jeff also ran "Deep Shit" in April 2017 for the Role-Playing Public Radio crew; the podcast presents the entire four-hour scenario, from start to finish.    Why I Love "Deep Shit" This four-hour, timed convention scenario is full of action and suspense, and somewhat mimics the structures of the films Aliens and The Abyss.  The PCs are GEO super soldiers who drop planet-side through a brutal storm (a la , and, like the Colonial Marines, must determine the nature of the silence from the scientific research station.   Unlike Aliens, the PCs have no advance intelligence about what could be causing the radio silence, and the entire facility sits on the ocean floor (like GUP).  The super troopers are probably a bit more powerful than Colonial Marines, too, but ... read more!

Kellri’s 18 Module Challenge – Day 3: A Fabled City of Brass by Anthony Huso

2022-12-26T15:58:11-05:00October 1st, 2018|

Day 3 - A Module You Like with a Place in the Title: _A Fabled City of Brass_ by Anthony HusoUnlike yesterday's choices, which felt very limited to me, today's selections very-much span a cornucopia of good adventuring options!  Choosing what place-based titles to eliminate meant making some tough choices:I decided to exclude Castle Greyhawk since I've not played it as a published adventure, and it's not really been published yet (although I have DM'd several of the levels extracted from it, and have designed my own version too)I also disqualified other unpublished module manuscripts that I've played or run, like Kuntz's Lost City of the Elders and Castle El Raja Key, Barker's Jakallan Underworld, Chainsaw's Foolsgrave, etc., since they've not yet been printed or made generally availableOther favorite adventures unfortunately lack place names in their titles (or fit later categories better than this one, in some cases):  WG5 Mordenkainen's Fantastic Adventure (although I could squeak by using "Maure Castle" I imagine...), Yellow Clearance Black Box Blues, After much deliberation, I finally settled in on a more-recent OSRIC title for today's module---Anthony Huso's A Fabled City of Brass:A Fabled City of Brass map - by Anthony HusoAnthony's take on the storied home of the efreet returns to the origins of its mythology via Scheherazade's Tales of A Thousand and One Nights, and is a two-volume set: A Fabled City of Brass (softcover - and also available in PDF)City of Brass Appendicies (software - also available in PDF)The beautiful maps are freely available to download...:Player map - high-resolution versionPlayer Map Compressed for Fantasy Grounds  DM map - high-resolution version  ...and You can also watch a time-lapse video ... read more!

Kellri’s 18 Module Challenge – Day 2: Masks of Nyarlathotep by Larry DiTillio

2022-12-26T15:58:13-05:00September 30th, 2018|

Day 2 - A Module You Like with a Monster in the Title:  _Masks of Nyarlathotep_ by Larry DiTillioMasks of Nyarlathotep: Perilous Adventures to Thrwart the Dark God was first published as a 140 page boxed set by Chaosium in 1984, with one scenario from the original box version cut and published in Terror Australis in 1987.  Masks was fully reintegrated with the third printing in 1996's Complete Masks of Nyarlathotep, which also added four new encounters to the campaign.   grodog's Masks madness - from first edition onward!Written by Larry DiTillio and developed by Lynn Willis, Masks is a masterpiece of campaign-adventure design, and features the following globe-trotting adventure chapters/locations, each originally published as as stand-alone booklet within the box (with "City in the Sands" in Terror Australis):New York London Egypt Kenya Shanghai Australia - City in the Sands (in Terror Australis)Extensive Play Aids and HandoutsThe Masks of Nyarlathotep Companion was created by the membership of the venerable Yog-Sothoth.com Call of Cthulhu fan site to add historical resources and context to teh campaign, to fill perceived gaps, and correct errors/omissions in the original text.  The Companion was published in a semi-final form for free in PDF format in 2013.  A print edition was funded via Kickstarter in 2015 in conjunction with Sixtystone Press, and finally appeared in 2017.  Masks was also recently updated to Call of Cthulhu 7th edition, and vastly expanded in response in part to the Masks Companion's critiques and additions:  the new version is at least 869 pages (with the main adventure book being 666 pages in length!).  An analysis of the expanded content in the new edition was shared by Mike Mason of Chaosium on the YSDC ... read more!

Kellri’s 18 Module Challenge – Day 1: Empire of the Ghouls by Wolfgang Baur

2022-12-26T15:58:14-05:00September 29th, 2018|

Scot "Kellri" Hoover posted his 18 Day Module Challenge today, and I think this is just the kick-in-the-pants that I need to get this wayward blog back on track!  So, for those who are link averse, here's Scot's concept summary: "Despite my [Kellri's] own focus on classic and/or old-school AD&D modules - you should feel free to choose anything you like, even something for another edition of the game or one you've written.  Ideally we should all discover something new that we might like to include in our own gaming."Now, I have written about my favorite RPG game system and adventures back in May (this topics arises often enough on old school message boards, in one form or another, that I started saving my responses in a file back in December of 2005), and I'm leveraging many of my favorites from that listing, but several of Scot's criteria for the challenge will push me outside the bounds of my previously-defined lists, too.  And the scope of each day's challenge will also give me an opportunity to talk about the cools things in each module that I love, as well as to mention some favorite runners-up.  So, without further ado, here's my tossing of the gauntlet to accept Scot's challenge!:Day 1 - A Module from a Series:  _Empire of the Ghouls_ by Wolfgang BaurEmpire of the Ghouls by Wolfgang Baur (Open Design, 2007)Empire of the Ghouls by Wolfgang Baur (Open Design, 2007; RPGgeek entry) is both a sequel and a prequel, of sorts, nominally set in the World of Greyhawk.  Empire of the Ghouls is a 3.5-era sequel to and expansion upon Baur's late 2e-era "Kingdom ... read more!

Monsters Not in DMG Appendix C – Dungeon Random Monster Tables by Monster Level

2022-12-26T15:58:15-05:00September 24th, 2018|

While working on keying the recently-redesigned and -expanded dungeon level 2 of my version of Castle Greyhawk, I discovered that many monsters from the 1977 Monster Manual were not, in fact, represented in the Dungeon Masters Guide's Appendix C's Dungeon Random Monster Tables, which list dungeon monster encounters by Monster Level:DMG Appendix C - Dungeon Random Monster Tables - Monster LevelSince I use the DMG Appendix C tables to help populate run-of-the-mill dungeon encounters, using only the Appendix C tables would preclude certain monsters/types of monsters from showing up all, without some tinkering. The analysis of these tables (as well as those that appear in the Fiend Folio and the Monster Manual II) reveals that the following noteworthy---to my eye, anyway---MM monsters are missing from the standard dungeon encounter tables by monster level:anhkheg bulette giant crab (despite appearing in the Black Reservoir level of Castle Greyhawk)giant crayfish (despite appearing T1 Village of Hommlet's Moathouse dungeon)crocodile (despite appearing in the Magician's Ring level of Castle Greyhawk as well as in the OD&D tables)dinosaur (any)dragonnedragon turtle (a primary antagonist in my own version of the Black Reservoir!)harpy homunculusixitxachitllarvalizard man perytonpseudo-dragongiant scorpion (despite appearing in the original Castle Greyhawk)sphinx (any)giant waspwater weirdThe above is not an all-inclusive list, and this is not to imply that these monsters don't appear in Appendix C at all, merely that they're not present in the Level I to Level X tables listed by monster level for use as random dungeon encounters.  (Also noteworthy:  both the nycadaemon and mezzodaemon from D3 Vault of the Drow appear in the tables, too, although drow do not, nor do other new creatures introduced with TSR's new modules).  ... read more!

A request for grodog’s Castle Greyhawk playtesting stories

2022-12-26T15:58:16-05:00July 4th, 2018|

I'm starting to work in earnest on the writing required to complete the levels from my version of Castle Greyhawk that have received the most playtesting over the past several years:  The Iounic Caverns, The Heretical Temple of Wee Jas, The Black Reservoir, Diamonds in the Rough, Escape from Level 14, etc. (and not necessarily in that order).  To that end, if you've played in any of my games at Gary Con, North Texas RPG Con, KantCon, SoCal Mini Con, Lake Geneva Gaming Convention, on my semi-regular trips back to South Jersey, etc., I'd appreciate reminders from our games about things that still stand out in your memories.  I have most of my lists of players from each session for playtesting credit, my monster HP scratch sheets, and my maps and encounter keys of course, but some encounters and events were certainly improvised during play, and it's those that I'm most-looking to try to freshen in my memory as I begin more-formal writing for the levels.  Most of my maps are posted to my site @ http://www.greyhawkonline.com/grodog/gh_castle_grodog.html and I'll go through and tag the usual suspects from over the years too.  I'm not just looking for good player stories either.  If you've played and not had as good a time as you would have liked, input on how I could improve the session is welcome as well!  Thanks!Allan.

grodog’s start in gaming – 1977: Cedar Avenue, Star Wars, and Holmes Basic

2022-12-26T15:58:17-05:00May 21st, 2018|

As with many who began to play D&D in the late 1970s, I started playing in 1977 (the summer of 1977, in my case), and began to play with what is now-known as the Holmes Basic Set. A the time, it was, of course, just The Basic Set, since it was the first one published by TSR:1977 Holmes Basic set, first printing (image from The Acaeum)What follows is text I wrote for the first few drafts of my introduction to Tales of Peril: The Complete Boinger and Zereth Stories of John Eric Holmes.  I eventually rejected that draft and rewrote it because in the writing I focused too much on me (Allan) and not enough on JEH (Holmes), who is after-all the real author of Tales of Peril, and he and his works are why the book was being published in the first place.I still kept the text, though, because I liked parts of it, and it does tell the story of how I not only got into D&D, but part of why I continue to love Holmes' work so much. The summer of 1977 was a very good year in my life, for three wonderful reasons: 1) my youngest brother Brian was born in March, so in August we moved into a very cool Dutch Colonial home across town from our old house on Euclid Avenue---the new house featured a dumbwaiter in the kitchen, hidden compartments in benches, trapdoors in ceilings, an Alice-In-Wonderland-sized door in my bedroom, and a secret door between the dining room and the garage; 2) “Star Wars” was released and received with instant acclaim in our family; 3) and, sometime ... read more!

These are a few of my favorite things…

2022-12-26T15:58:18-05:00May 5th, 2018|

We've been having some fun discussion on G+ about favorite old-school and new old-school/OSR titles, and I in it pulled out part of my list of favorite RPG books:  adventures, supplements, rules sets, campaigns I'd most like to run, etc.  I didn't put all of that into the G+ thread (it wasn't all relevant), but I've been evolving (and reformatting...) the list over time, and thought it would be worth sharing here.So without further ado!:My favorite RPG adventure/module ever is Masks of Nyarlathotep for Call of Cthulhu.The longer answer:My favorite D&D adventures of all time (roughly in order): G3 Hall of the Fire Giant King by Gary Gygax (D&D; TSR)Maure Castle (Paizo)/WG5 Mordenkainen's Fantastic Adventure by Rob Kuntz (AD&D; TSR)T1 Village of Hommlet by Gary Gygax (AD&D; TSR)A1 Slave Pits of the Undercity by David Cook (AD&D; TSR)Maze of Zayene #4 Eight Kings by Rob Kuntz (AD&D from Creations Unlimited, or d20 from Different Worlds)WG4 Forgotten Temple of Tharizdun by Gary Gygax (AD&D; TSR)Dark Druids by Rob Kuntz (1e/Guy Fullerton's Chaotic Henchmen)D3 Vault of the Drow by Gary Gygax (AD&D; TSR)Starstone by Paul Vernon (OD&D; Northern Sages)S4 Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth by Gary Gygax (AD&D; TSR)Caverns of Thracia by Jennell Jaquays (D&D; Judges Guild)Return of the Eight by Roger E. Moore (AD&D 2nd edition; TSR)Tomb of Abysthor by Clark Peterson and Bill Webb (d20; Necromancer Games)"Treasure of the Dragon Queen" by Rutgers University Gamers (D&D convention tourney c. 1983; Rutgers University Gamers; details on my site @ http://www.greyhawkonline.com/grodog/gh_tourneys_dragon_queen.html)Honorable Mentions for D&D adventures (in no particular order):Maze of Zayene #1 Prisoners of the Maze by Rob Kuntz (AD&D from Creations Unlimited, or d20 from Necromancer Games)D1 Descent ... read more!

New titles at Black Blade Publishing booth at GaryCon X

2022-12-26T15:58:19-05:00March 3rd, 2018|

Black Blade Publishing will have a pile of new books and games available at our GaryCon X booth at this year, with new titles from Black Blade as well as from our many friends and fellow-publishers. Black Blade Publishing Black Blade's newest title, Tales of Peril - The Complete Boinger & Zereth Stories of John Eric Holmes makes its debut appearance at GaryCon X:Tales of Peril by John Eric HolmesJon and I will have the remaining copies of the signed and numbered limited hardcover edition available.  Tales of Peril features front and back cover art from Ian Baggley: Amazons Attack the Temple of Dagon Characters Engage the Dagonite EHP ...and interior art from Jim Roslof and Chris Holmes. For further information about the book, you can read these preview blog posts:Tales of Peril - the Fifth Preview: Front Cover Art!Tales of Peril - the Fourth Preview: Back Cover Art! Tales of Peril - the Third Preview: Illustrations and ArtworkTales of Peril - the Second Preview:  Table of ContentsTales of Peril - the First Preview: Signature Page   ...and also follow-along with Zach "Zenopus Archives" Howard's Tales of Peril Book Club reading group!Robert J. KuntzBlack Blade will also stock copies of Robert J. Kuntz's publications, including RJK-1 Cairn of the Skeleton King, RJK-2 Tower of Blood, and LGCC-1 The Original Bottle City, as well as Rob's Dark Druids adventure from Guy Fullerton's Chaotic Henchmen Productions, and Dave Arneson's True Genius, El Raja Key Archive (in USB and DVD formats), K1 Sunken City from Three Line Studio and TLB Games.  Lastly, Black Blade's stock of graph and hex paper has been replenished in time for the convention, and is available ... read more!

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