Using Bad Dice?

Take a look at this:

Lou Zocchi and the Science of Dice

Garycon 2, Right Around the Corner

Allan Grohe and I were exchanging emails today on good ole GARYCON 2 which is forthcoming in March.

Here's where it is being held.

Here are the directions.

And here is their website.

See you there! :)

Image Copyright, Garycon 2010.

Spin Cycle meets Spin Doctor

This is in part to a reaction to Cimmerian's question here.

The average person who now plays D&D does it from the perspective of when they were rooted in the time stream of that exchange.  If one started in the era of AD&D then they gravitate to that era.  If they did so in the latter or earlier times, then there is a greater proclivity for those eras to manifest in their overall expression, with expression here being a perceived standard of tools of information and participation within these.

While OD&D was for the most part in its entire time stream dependent upon no further source for playing it other than creating and "stocking" maps and/or similar scenarios, the advent of Basic+ and AD&D by contrast added the dimension of pre-made adventures.   This in fact split the D&D constituency then into easily recognizable camps--I list them as the "Creationists" (those who create their own material); the "Middlings," who create their own stuff and use some printed matter to complement their designs, and the "Dependents," those solely dependent upon pre-made (published) material to run (and in many cases, even fathom) their own games and/or game worlds.  As I have tracked over time, the dependents were the majority, and in that, they were those that moved on to support whole-heartedly newer forms of the game, such as 3E.  In as much as their camp later fractionalized into different percentages based upon this tri-concept of consumption and demand, it ranks even higher in its curve as its base was soundly rooted in the third category to begin with.  These consumers were easy adherents for a set-in-stone rules system and also for the d20 movement.  "Buy and dispose" syndrome as I name it.

Though the creation of new material has its merits and desires for and by those who 1) have no time in their schedules to create, or 2) are not very creative, and thus in both cases benefit in no small way from published material, this however creates a need-based way of publishing material and in turn promulgates a direct market> to> game style which dominates the other two categories for expression (for their individual information assimilation).  Thus we see (until the latter explosion of blogs and forums dedicated to such exchanges, such as DRAGONSFOOT, etc.) a lack in the printed area of theoretical-based game ideas, notwithstanding those articles in the Dragon magazine which were for the most part game-specific-driven and thus confined themselves to a structure as already realized and promoted on both sides.

Where is this leading?  Well, going ALL THE WAY back, we find correspondences to this in many games by Avalon Hill and others of the Historical Simulation age predating D&D.  But D&D actually broke that category.  Solidly broke it.  From it spawns tons of new ideas and RPGs (EN Garde by GDW is the most prevalent example of this, as it does not stay within the defined limits of RPG one-on-one combat but indeed sheds the preset emulation of a mechanical simulacrum present in both Avalon Hill  Games and in TSR RPGs by taking the role-playing concept to new and different exploratory levels).

Now, in as much as we are in a niche industry, TSR promulgated the industry in different forms and to different mind-sets of people.  Traditionally industries market to the greatest area of sales and with TSR that was no different.  People for the most part who come from that era and who are now in our niche were of course propagated from the 2nd sector of my tri-concept and thus represent most of whom support such companies as PPP and others in this reformed niche.  The ongoing indication is that people are solidly rooted from the AD&D era (making sense of course as this is the height of appeal as it was the height of TSR's growth and marketing world wide of the game).  That in itself foretells a lot of expression as is being seen in today's re-examining the history of the game.  There is a tendency to over value the things that individuals invest in, of course.  If I make a decision to buy a pen, for example, then of course it must have been to use it, and that in itself is worthy of the time and expression and of my continued attachment to the pen; and for the most part I will have nothing bad to say about said pen, for woe-is-me for having made a bad decision in purchasing and then using such an instrument.  Compare this to the dependent followers of many of WotC's games and you might get the gist of such psychology which is partially re-rooting in the "OS Movement".  And do note that this "syndrome" was not started by WotC, but of course by TSR as it marketed into the boom of adventure crafting.

This industry is in a self-perpetuating state, IMO.  Emulations of the past do not point to a single golden age but to separate rooted eras of individual expression only. D&D was and still is (NOTE) an ongoing and burgeoning concept which, unfortunately, and later, got rooted in marketing and expanding sales. It fast became an object of desire and of need, replacing self-made-enchantment and immersive participation on primary creative levels.

The quiet sadness of it all to me is just this:  It was meant to expand minds and not to contract them, or worse, to set them spinning in a circle.

Reverse Engineering D&D's Original Vision. -- Editorial

One might say today what with the numerous ways that one can play the D&D game that its base understanding and thus vision derived from 1972-1976 has been flattened to an all inclusive view of "that's what it is for us now."

Let's Track This Beasty--

1)  RPG is invented!  There are no books.  No modules.  Everything has to be created.  TSR Rules sells up to 10,000 copies of D&D and there are no adventures then, only what people (DMs) are creating--megadungeons, etc.

2)  Geomorphs are envisioned. Booklets of Monsters and Treasures. (Still keeping with the support approach to the original vision of self-created material, but with some published boosters to aid with that). A book of monsters is conceived! (Ever wonder why the Monster Manual preceded the PHB and DMG?)  Examine the mindset here.  It is rapidly shifting with a sudden realization curve taking effect, sometime after the release of "Palace of the Vampire Queen."  Judges Guild starts its rumblings, following suit.  More realization.  The sounds of cash registers ringing?  The hearty throngs coming to the voided well of creativity and moaning?  Their silent appeal being met?

3)  And then there were ALL. Diversity is good...  Now there are pre-made adventures, flying off the presses like pancakes.  Role Aids breeches the scene.  More for everyone...  Tourney adventures... AD&D and the RPGA.  And the band played on... (just a little out of step and out of tune)

4)  The visionaries leave the band...  TSR's marketing kicks in, doubling output.  Here, you editors, you write this.  We'll slap a fun picture on it and market it to death.  Random House will never know the truth....

5)  TSR markets itself into 30,000,000 dollars of debt while on its "publishing this and that merry-go-round".  WotC buys the band's songs and promises to re-release the album!

6)  WotC reinvents the wheel.  The songs are remixed and the band members are not invited to help, for how could they?  They are from the OLD 8-track and cassette age and this is the NEW CD/DVD mindset leading the way into the cash-cow future.  Very similar to the later TSR mindset, but with more bucks.

7) We'll do d20!  Dancey is blessed for the OGL.  Not to be outdone by Dancey's nefarious wizardry of D&D cause and effect, WOTC makes the new D&D an overnight success and before the BOOM goes BUST!!! sells to HASBRO.  In between, the too many uncreative types, now lead down the path of uncreativity by hundreds of releases perfectly sculpted for their perfect game, are inundated with thousands of dollars of choices and less to do with them!  Buy.  Dispose,  Buy.  Dispose.

8)  4th Edition.  Old School attrition.   Does the band play on?  One shall see.  Looks like a lot of adventures to me.... hmm.

9) Now that the original vision has been reverse engineered, now that everyone knows what "IT" was all about, let us tune in for the next event, such as, how to reverse engineer what was going on before it all went bust, and furthermore, how can this all make sense to the people who are still drawing maps and designing their "stuff" from the old days?  And what about those who actually itch to pick up a pen or pencil, and god forbid, draw or create something! Well, they are wearing head-sets now, so not all is lost...

An Interesting Greyhawk Link

Here.

Gary Gygax in Europa Newsletter 1975: On D&D and Castle Greyhawk

Extracted From Europa WEB ARCHIVE, issues 6-8, April 1975.

Page 20 

E 6,8, page 18 GABT GÏGAX: D&D 

HPV TO SET UP YOUR DÜNGEONS & DRAGONS CAMPAIGN -AMD BE STOCK REFE- 

RËEING If SEVEN SAÏS'pSU ÏEËK PTOL TriE WEE HOURS OP THÈ MOKMÏNÏÏF 

Part II of a Series by Gary Gygax (USA) 

Let us assume that you have shelled out the requisita number of

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dollars to purchase all of the materials necessary for a DftD cam- 

paign - rules, dice, reams of various kinds of paper, pencils, and 

so forth. Several persons have expressed a desire to play the ga- 

me, so all you really need now is the game! That's right, folks. 

The referee of the campaign must structure the game so as to have 

something to play. He must decide upon these things: 

1) The overall setting of the campaign; 

2) The countryside of the immediate area; 

3) The location of the dungeon where most adventures will take 

place; 

4) The layout and composition of the nearest large town; and 

5) Eventually the entire world - and possibly other worlds, times, 

dimensions, and so forth must be structured, mapped and added. 

This might seem to be too large a task, but it isn't really IP you 

and your players are enjoying the game (and it is odds-on you 

willl). Furthermore, not all five things need not to be done BEFO- 

RE play commences. In fact, most of the fine referees I know of 

work continually on their campaign, adding, changing, and expan- 

ding various parts continually. A thorough discussion of each of 

the five areas of campaign play is necessary before considering 

how to go about involving players in the affair. 

Step 1 is something you do in your head. Now fantasy/swords & sor- 

cery games need not have any fixed basis for the assumptions made 

by its referee (my own doesn't) except those which embrace the 

whole of fantasy. This sort of campaign can mix any and all of the 

various bases which will be mentioned below — and then some-. 

Regardless for what setting you opt, keep it secret from your play- 

ers, or else they can study your sources and become immediately 

too knowledgable, thus removing the charm of uncertainty. Settings 

based upon the limits (if one can speak of fantasy limits) can be 

very interesting in themselves providing the scope of the setting 

will allow the players relative free-reign to their imaginations. 

Typical settings are: Teutonic/Norse Mythology; Medieval European 

Folklore (including King Arthur, Holger the bane, and so on); The 

"Hyborean Age" created by R E Howard; Fritz Leiber's "Nehwoh" with 

Pafhrd and The Grey Mouser; Indian Mythology; and Lost Continents 

such as Atlantis or Mu. Regardless of the setting you can have it 

all taking place on an 'alternative earth' or a parallel world. 

In this way minor variations can easily be explained/justified. 

When the setting is decided upon some good books dealing with it 

should always be kept handy. The time has come to begin working on 

the campaign« 

Step 2 requires sitting down with a large piece of hex ruled paper 

and drawing a large scale map. A map with a scale of 1 hex = 1 «ai- 

le (or 2 kilometers for those of you who go in for recent faddish 

modes of measure)(yes, I often use rods, chains, furlongs, and lea- 

gues tool) will allow you to use your imagination to devise some 

interesting terrain and places, and it will be about right for 

player operations such as exploring, camping, adventuring, and e— 

ventually building their strongholds. Even such small things as a 

witch's hut and side entrances to the dungeon can be shown on the 

map. The central features of the map must be the major town and 

the dungeon entrance. - 

Page 21 

Step 3 ! involves the decision, aspe et already mentioned a,nd the ac- 

tual Work of sitting down and drawing dungeon levels. This is very 

difficult and time consuming. Each level should have a central the- 

me and some distinguishing feature, i.e. a level with large open 

areas swarming with goblins, one where the basic pattern of corri- 

dores seems to repeat endlessly, one inhabited.by nothing but fire-

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dwelling or fire—using monsters, etc. 

As each level is finished the various means of getting to lower le- 

vels must be keyed and noted on the appropriate lower levels, so 

that if a room sinks fours levels it will then be necessary to im- 

mediately show it on 4 sheets of graph paper "umbered-so as to in- 

dicate successively lower levels. A careful plan of what monsters 

and treasures will be found where on each level is also most neces- 

sary, and it can take as long to prepare as the level itself, for 

you may wish to include something UNUSUAL (a treasure, monster, 

and/or trick or trap not shown in D&D) on each level. 

(Before the rules for D&D were published 'Old G-reyhawk Castle1 vras 

13 levels deep. The first level was a simple maze of rooms and cor- 

r.idores, for none of the participants had ever played such a game 

before. The second level had two unusual items, a Nixie pool and a 

fountain of snakes. The third featured a torture chamber and many 

small cells and prison rooms. The forth was a level of crypts and 

un'dead. The fifth was- centered around a strange font of black fire 

and gargoyles. The sixth was a repeating maze with dozens of wild 

hogs (3 dice) in inconvinient spots, naturally backed up by appro- 

priate numbers of Wereboars. The seventh was centered around a cir- 

cular labyrinth and a street of masses of ogres. The eigth through 

tenth levels were caves and caverns featuring Trolls, ¡triant insects, 

and a transporter nexus with an evil ?izard (with a number of tough 

associates) guarding it. The eleventh level was the home of the 

most powerful wizard in the castle. He had Balrogs as servants. The 

remainder of the level was populated by Martian White Apes, except 

the sub-passage system underneath the corridores which was full of 

poisonous critters with no treasure. Level twelve was filled with 

Dragons. The bottom level, number thirteen, contained an inescapa- 

ble slide which took the players 'clear through to China', from 

whence they had to return via 'Outdoor Adventure'. It was quite 

possible to hourney downward to the bottom level by an insidious 

series of slanting passages which began on the second level, but 

the liklihood of following such a route unknowingly didn't become 

too great until the seventh or eighth level. Of the dozen or so 

who played on a fairly regular basis, four made the lowest level 

and took the trip: RobKuntz, now a co—referee in the campaign 

went alone; and three of his friends managed to trace part of his 

route and blunder along the rest, so they followed him quickly to 

the Land of China-.- Side levels included a barracks with Ores, Hob- 

goblins, and Gnolls continuallying warring with eachother, a museum, 

a huge arena, an underground lake,, a Giant/s home, and a garden of 

fungi.) 

Step 4 should be handled concurrently with designing the first 

three or four dungeon levels. Here your players will find lodgings, 

buy equipment, hire mercenaries, seek magical and clerical aid. 

drink, gamble and wench. The town would do well to resemble some of 

those in Howard's "Conan" series or Leiber's city of "Lankhmar", 

Strange towers, a thieves quarter, and temples of horrible deitie:; 

add greater flavor to play. The 'Thieves Guild ', a scoiety of evil 

clerics, a brotherhood of lawful men, and so on bring a bit more 

interest also. If a few warring nobles from the surrounding terri- 

tory also send large parties of men into the place occasionally 

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some interesting brawls can occur. Honest and. dishonest merchants 

should be indicated. Taverns which drug patrons should likewise be 

indicated, and so on. In any event be sure and leave room for addi- 

tional things and expansion. 

Step 5 is, as noted, something that you won't immediately have to 

worry about; but it is a good idea to have a general plan in mind

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worry about; but it is a good idea to have a general plan in mind 

immediately. The general geography of the 'world' should be sketch- 

ed out. If you plan to make it possible to visit other worlds, ti- 

mes or places the general outline of all such areas should, also be 

sketched out. For example, you might wish to have the Moon an in- 

habitable (and inhabited) place which can be traveled to by means 

of a Flying Carpet, A deseciption of this lunar world should be lo- 

cated somewhere as well as a raeans of getting there, but only AFTER 

you have something solid in the way of maps and the like. 

Having accomplished those parts of the five steps which Te immedi- 

ately necessary (probably taking a week or so), you are ready to 

begin to- play. 

Let us further assume that there are four prospects. These players 

should begin together and for a time at least operate as a team if 

possible. Each in' turn rolls three dice to record the various sco- 

res for the makeup of the character they are to play and. how large 

an initial bankroll the character begin vrith. This accomplished, 

players decide »hat class of character thoy wish to play, the type 

(human, elf, etc), a,nd the alignment of the character (the la,tter 

can ba secretly told the referee, with an announced alignment be- 

ing false). At this stage each player locates his base in some inn 

or the like, and then they can set forth to explore the town and 

purchase their adventuring equipment. Those that are careful and/ 

or lucky might also be able to hire a few men—at—arms to accompany 

them also. The latter is particulary true if players pool their 

funds. In a short time the first dungeon expedition can be made, 

but that is the subject of Part III of this series, so we will re- 

turn to it again later. 

There is one further subject to be dealt with here, and tha,t is 

selection of character type. It is pretty obvious that high base 

scores in the areas of Strength, Intelligence, Y'isdom, or Dexteri- 

ty indicate that becoming a Fighter, kagic-User, Cleric or Thief 

(see the upcoming D&D Supplement "Grayhawk" to be released someti- 

me before the summer of this year). But what about those players 

who roll just average (or worse) totals? They are the ones who 

should take advantage of the non—human types, for these have 

built—in abilities despite the general handicap of being unable to 

work up as high as humans. If the character is poor anyway, will 

he ever bo worked up very high? Possibly, but the odds are against 

it as a human, but as an Elf, Dwarf, Hobbit, Half-Elf or even some 

other creature some interesting', possibilities exist. It is up to 

the referee to help bis players in this area by pointing out the 

advantages and disadvantages of each type. ?/hat do you do if a 

player opts to become a Golden Dragon? Agree, of course. Allow the 

player to adventure only with strictly Lawful players, and normal 

mon—at-arms would never go near even a good dragon. He would be 

Yory Young, siso being determined by a die roll. Advancement in 

ability would be a function of game time (the dragon would normal- 

ly take about four years to grow to its next level) and accumula- 

ted treasure - let us say that for every 100 000 pieces of gold 

(or its equivalent) the dragon in effect gains an extra year of 

growth, counting magical items which go into the horde ,p,s fairly 

high in gold vaine. While the pLayer will be quite advanced at 

first, those who are playing more usual roles will surpass him ra- 

ther quickly, and in this way you'll not find a G.D. dominating. 

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********* ******** ************************ **** ****** ** if ****** ***** 

DÜNGEONS & DRAGONS 

wlh. : D&D seems to get more and more popular; some quotations and 

remarks (out of letters and other zines) may prove it: 

STEPHEN M TYMESON (Hawaii, USA): In our Rame club,"right now, Mi- 

cro Armor 1/285, Third Reich and D&D are the most popul.ar (...). 

Greg Hines and his group has a set of D&D clarifications, correc- 

tions and additions that are terrific. Their dungeons must be the

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most elaborate around. Much of this stuff will bo published in a 

new magazine, they hope this summer. Their system covers the loop 

holes and makes play faster and. easier inspite of adding about a 

million new things." 

NICKY PALMEIt (Danmark/UK): In his zine "Battleground" (in which se- 

veral PBM-CoSira—games are played) he started a PBM-D&D-Kame also. 

He explains: "There are two possibilities: a single expedition, or 

a series of special rules combined with the solo rules ¡¿ iven in 

the "Strategic Review" (l,l). Probably it'll be the first; I have 

been trying the second., though, with Graham Buckell, and it works 

marvellously — he sends me 50 or so sealed bits of paper, and I 

open them in accordance with my actions ("If you take the left 

turn then open no. 21"..."If you try and break open the box, thon 

open no. 33", etc). He may combine the two. So far there are 4 

players interested in playing; we should get a couple more nearer 

the date." 

(Nicky shortly reviewed D&D also in BG 11,3). 

KEVIN SLIMAK (in "The American Wargamer" II,7: 12): "St Louis ap- 

pears to be one of the few areas that isn't hooked on DSD at pre- 

sent." 

GEORGE PHILLIES (in "The American Wargamer" 11,8:8-9): "To judge 

from published accounts in-wargaming magazines (and I see a lot of 

local magazines) D&D (by Gary Gygax) seems to be the most popular 

gaming title in some time. The explanation must in some sense be, 

psychological, since D&D is entirely unlike any previous sort of 

wargame (if it is one, a thing of which I am not convinced). No- 

velty has its effect, but the novelty has worn off, at least local- 

Previously, there have been three sorts of wargaming efforts: 

boardgames, miniatures and Diplomacy (...) It would appear that 

Gary Gygax has added a Fourth dimension to the wargaming scene." 

"D&D is not a competitive game in the usual sense, at least not as 

played here. It is more, in the old sense, the game of life - you 

vs the world, as represented by ;the gamemaster and the dice." 

"In a sense the popularity of D&D arises from its ability to ap- 

peal to the 'Rommel syndrome'*- the feeling that one actually is 

the character represented in the game." 

"In D&D you are one character (perhaps a few characters, but usu- 

ally individual ones) with a set of strength determined in the ga- 

me. This is a very seductive approach; it is ¡>ju 

sion oneself as .a real person in some other world, than it is to 

believe that one is all of the German eastern front commanders. 

Furthermore, many wargaraers are also SF fans, and D&D can appeal 

to the imagination — the notion that one can create one's own 

world." 

( (Cf also: Flying Buffalo's "WargaroerJ s_Inf qroiation" 1,1; "Ab- 

wehr" 11,8:5; then the reviews mentioned in "Íhe__Guide to Warga- 

ming Periodical Literature" 111,4, No. 951-9H3; and, of course: 

Europa 3,14; 4/5,17.61)). *• cf Orvw^s a . <-, \ 

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E 6-8, page 22 ! GART GYGAX / SANDY EISEN: D&D 

**********************i****************************************** 

RE; SANDÏ EISEN ABOUT D&D (by Gary Gygax, USA) 

((wlh. In E 4/5, p 61, Sandy np.de some remarks about D&D, especial- 

ly he mentioned: "This has impressed me as very good indeed when 

I started playing, but now the shine is wearing off as I see that 

it is not really as open—ended as it seemed to be. Nevertheless it 

is still good- fun.")) 

I am first of all interested in knowing who it was that introduced 

the D&D campaign to you I More, importantly, however, I ^ould like 

to know what caused you to find the "shine" rubbing away ~nd the

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game not "as open—ended a,s it seemed to be". The campaign does 

rest very heavily upon the referee, but if he is doing a proper 

job it will be completely open—ended. The usual fault is a tenden- 

cy to make a D&D cajnpaign into a give—away, with dungeon levels re- 

sembling a magical department store. Players progress so quickly 

that 20th level becomes a run—of—the—mill thing, and where can it 

go from there? (On the other hand there is .a campaign I know of 

where I am informed by a player that after eight month of constant 

adventuring there is an 8th level Magi'c-U'ser as the highest level 

in the game, .and that is tough but good). 

Those who find their campaign in a too-much, too-soon fix can try 

to rectify it by including desi—gods, super-powerful supernatural 

types and the like. This isn't the way D&D was me'ant to be played, 

but it is a fantasy game, and if it saves a game so much the bet- 

ter. There are all sorts of other things that can be done also. 

Other-world adventures can be staged, .and by getting into a semi- 

science fiction situation some of the power of high-level players 

can be negated. Devines, and tricks can be used to nullify and take 

away magic items. Tricks, geases, and quests can cause levels tò be 

lost. Monsters which drain levels can be sot so as to surprise and 

have a good chance of draining players. As a last resort you can 

begin again, and avoid the mistakes originally made. Let me know . 

the specifics if you think I can be of any help. 

SANDY'S REPLY TO GARY (by Sandy Msen, UK) 

I was introduced to D&D, and I a,m currently living in a, campaign 

being refereed by Roger Lighty from Pasadena (now living in Chur- 

chill College Cambridge, UK). I founr the first few games intensely 

enjoyable and exiting; I really lived the part and ny 'willing sus- 

pension of disbelief' found myself there — in the dungeon. My ac- 

tions (and of course my thoughts a,bout these actions) were dicta- 

ted by real-life considerations and no thought of Wargame mechanics 

entered my head to distract me from the 'events' going on. 

However, on my first games, by browsing through the rules booklets 

and pastering Roger with questions, I picked up a rough idea of the 

game mechanics and it was this knowledge that, with its attendant 

realisation thp.t D&D was just another minitures combat system 

(abeit a highly imaginitivo and distinctive one) broke the spell 

of perfect involvement.I had been under until then. Thus when I 

spoke of D&D not being so open—ended, you misunderstood mo. I ^ id 

not mean in terras of the long—term course of the campaign and the 

lifcs of the characters, but rather the possibilities inherent in 

each fight, encounter, discovery, etc. These are still wide, but 

inevitably when you are awarr of the rules, you play out each si- 

tuation with an eye to obtaining best odds/chances of survival,etc. 

considering the rules rather than the situation you are in. 

To avoid this I have decided that when I design and run my own dun- 

geon I will not permit the players (people who do not know about 

D&D yet) to discover the rules. Of course this will put them at a 

great disadvantage, and I feel I may have to put over quite abit of 

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information in the form of legend/folklore/tales so that they will 

have some idea of what they are up against and what to try, but all 

without-disclosing the game mechanics. Although learning-by-your- 

mistakes will be a harder way, I feel that it will be more enjoyable 

both for the players and the referee. 

I can appreciate your concerns over too-rapid progress and possibi- 

lities for hra.nching-out after characters have made it to the top, 

but it does not really apply to us, as the campaign I'm in seems

Greyhawk Castle History

This, is so riddled with a partial treatment, lack of coherent treatment, lack of pertinent information, and has holes all over the place, to have made it a sickening read for me.

I guess it's about time to write another essay for print, perhaps in my CASTLE MAKER collection which I am taking notes for.  In between, if someone wants to volunteer to help redo this travesty of an article, please email me for the facts regarding this venerable Castle's history.

Castle El Raja Key Front Cover Final (Sample)

CA Smith: The Rennaisance Man of Fantasy

I am always amazed at CA Smith's versatility in his art and the range of subjects that he learned (self-taught for the most part).  Poet, short-story writer, painter, sculptor, translator (of French and Spanish poetry).  Certainly not the ploymath like Da Vinci, but for a man with little more than a grade school education, more than just quite impressive. Link.

Castle El Raja Key Update 2

Andy Taylor finished the full page print that will be included in the release of this project.  IMO it is his best work to date.  Andy will also be drawing some interior illustrations for it.   Eric Bergeron has finished the HI-RES cover (included on the sample cover was a LOW-RES version).  I am now 5,000 words (plus or minus) into the MS.  I am laying it out inline as I proceed.  The map versions being used are scanned by GRODOG and are better than the original ones scanned during the auction (like 5x better).  I am including historical anecdotes when these occur, mostly relating to EGG's adventures upon the 1st-3rd levels when he was a wee Mordy.  All around this is looking more exciting than the Bottle City adventure.

Updates and an "Ancient Sample"

The progress on Castle El Raja Key is proceeding nicely and it's looking more and more like an end of January release.

I am also preparing for publication (most likely in PDF form because of its immensity) the release of "Lost City of the Ancients" (aka Lost City of the Elders).  From my auction scans I pieced together the map which was unfinished at the time of auction.  However, not all parts align perfectly (probably my inexperience with Photoshop).

There are over 100 jpeg and pdf files related to this as well as many other MS pieces I have added since then.  The product is way beyond PPP's means to publish in print format due to its size and content, which has a heavy weight on maps (with the combined 40 x30 color hex map there are at least 15-20 other maps from interior buildings, sewers, etc) and illustrations, and probably over 60,000 words of text.

Due to this I have apportioned my time thusly:  Castle El Raja Key levels, Old Castle Levels, Memoirs and have added this project as a PDF only, which will allow it to be released, otherwise, it's a no-go.  I have had hundreds of inquiries over the years about this project.  Its scope has always been too large for a print endeavor and would eat away at my time to a severe degree just ordering its parts for print, but in PDF it becomes viable in the not do distant future (mid to end 2010).

Though I generally dislike polls, I would like to poll at least the readership here to get an idea of the reception of such a PDF product which would otherwise leave a part of RPG history resting in the hands of those who bought the originals at auction several years ago.  I have no idea what I would charge for such a thing, as well, but  the content will be huge, including a short story of EGG's first adventure into it.  Here's an extracted part from the Intro:

"...Historically this is the first off-world (or planar) adventure from the Original Campaign.  The city as is historically recorded existed out of the current time stream and out of known space.  It was a place of unknown and unfathomable events.  So too was it an experiment and thus of great interest to those vested in discovering the arcana that derived from it.  Its legend is only whispered among the seekers of arcane knowledge and its mere mention summons images of dread demons and less savory kin called from the depths of cold space.  Its total history will never be known lest the god who created it foretells such a time when this might pass.  Its ancient magics and beings have defeated the greatest of wizards, driving many to an early death or into the oblivion of irretrievable insanity.

The inspiration for creating the city is manyfold:  rolled into its vast and ancient mysteries are the vagaries of a god’s experiment gone awry and the resultant chaos, of loss, rebirth and the horrors unleashed from tampering with the ultimate of forbidden magic. It hints at the mysteries of the Pyramids, of the dreaded wastelands and cities of ancient Hyperborea as richly described by Clark Ashton Smith, of the interstellar intrusions of primordial beings by Lovecraft, of the lost continents of Atlantis and the myths of Lemuria rolled into one, and in many parts it embodies the stricken City of Brass as related in Burton’s tale with all of its vainglorious emptiness and ancient opulence. It is the desert which whispers of curses yet to come, the lonely place on the hill, the twice forsaken edifice, a ruin of ruins.  In awe inspiring streets, beneath burnished towers casting their last and dreadful double shadows, and amidst boney hands still clenching their final triumphs of life, there lurks within and about it an ultimate power that only death will reveal...."

Mike Carr

Mike really needs a better bio than this.  Among many other accomplishments, he was the co-designer of Don't Give up the Ship (with EGG and Dave Arneson), the designer of Fight in the Skies (aka Dawn Patrol), one of TSR's earliest officers, editor, designer of In Search of the Unknown (Basic D&D adventure module) and was among Dave Arneson's earliest players in Blackmoor.  An elder IFW member as well, Mike has always upheld great game design theory and has a consummate love of games and the history surrounding them, especially his love of WWI air combat.

An Old Happy Holidays

Maybe some of the stalwarts can identify the elder TSR employees in this holiday painting for the Dragon Magazine which was rendered by Dave Trampier back in the day...

Favorite Kurt Vonnegut Quotes

Any reviewer who expresses rage and loathing for a novel is preposterous. He or she is like a person who has put on full armor and attacked a hot fudge sundae.

    Kurt Vonnegut

I want to stay as close to the edge as I can without going over. Out on the edge you see all kinds of things you can't see from the center.

    Kurt Vonnegut

If you can do a half-assed job of anything, you're a one-eyed man in a kingdom of the blind.

    Kurt Vonnegut

Laughter and tears are both responses to frustration and exhaustion. I myself prefer to laugh, since there is less cleaning up to do afterward.

    Kurt Vonnegut

Life happens too fast for you ever to think about it. If you could just persuade people of this, but they insist on amassing information.

    Kurt Vonnegut

Say what you will about the sweet miracle of unquestioning faith, I consider a capacity for it terrifying and absolutely vile!

    Kurt Vonnegut

Those who believe in telekinetics, raise my hand

    Kurt Vonnegut

Beware of the man who works hard to learn something, learns it, and finds himself no wiser than before... He is full of murderous resentment of people who are ignorant without having come by their ignorance the hard way.

    Kurt Vonnegut, "Cat's Cradle"

One of the few good things about modern times: If you die horribly on television, you will not have died in vain. You will have entertained us.

    Kurt Vonnegut, "Cold Turkey", In These Times, May 10, 2004

Thanks to TV and for the convenience of TV, you can only be one of two kinds of human beings, either a liberal or a conservative.

    Kurt Vonnegut, "Cold Turkey", In These Times, May 10, 2004

There is a tragic flaw in our precious Constitution, and I don't know what can be done to fix it. This is it: Only nut cases want to be president.

    Kurt Vonnegut, "Cold Turkey", In These Times, May 10, 2004

Here is a lesson in creative writing. First rule: Do not use semicolons. They are transvestite hermaphrodites representing absolutely nothing. All they do is show you've been to college.

    Kurt Vonnegut, A Man without a Country

Humor is an almost physiological response to fear.

    Kurt Vonnegut, A Man without a Country

I think that novels that leave out technology misrepresent life as badly as Victorians misrepresented life by leaving out sex.

    Kurt Vonnegut, A Man without a Country

1492. As children we were taught to memorize this year with pride and joy as the year people began living full and imaginative lives on the continent of North America. Actually, people had been living full and imaginative lives on the continent of North America for hundreds of years before that. 1492 was simply the year sea pirates began to rob, cheat, and kill them.

    Kurt Vonnegut, Breakfast of Champions

New knowledge is the most valuable commodity on earth. The more truth we have to work with, the richer we become.

    Kurt Vonnegut, Breakfast of Champions

The chief weapon of sea pirates, however, was their capacity to astonish. Nobody else could believe, until it was too late, how heartless and greedy they were.

    Kurt Vonnegut, Breakfast of Champions

Charm was a scheme for making strangers like and trust a person immediately, no matter what the charmer had in mind.

    Kurt Vonnegut, breakfast of champions (page 19)

I can have oodles of charm when I want to.

    Kurt Vonnegut, Breakfast of Champions (page 20)

Maturity is a bitter disappointment for which no remedy exists, unless laughter can be said to remedy anything.

    Kurt Vonnegut, Cat's Cradle

Here's what I think the truth is: We are all addicts of fossil fuels in a state of denial, about to face cold turkey.

    Kurt Vonnegut, Cold Turkey

Another flaw in the human character is that everybody wants to build and nobody wants to do maintenance.

    Kurt Vonnegut, Hocus Pocus

During my three years in Vietnam, I certainly heard plenty of last words by dying American footsoldiers. Not one of them, however, had illusions that he had somehow accomplished something worthwhile in the process of making the Supreme Sacrifice.

    Kurt Vonnegut, Hocus Pocus

Well, the telling of jokes is an art of its own, and it always rises from some emotional threat. The best jokes are dangerous, and dangerous because they are in some way truthful.

    Kurt Vonnegut, Interview, Mcsweeneys.net

We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful what we pretend to be.

    Kurt Vonnegut, Mother Night

Just because some of us can read and write and do a little math, that doesn't mean we deserve to conquer the Universe.

    Kurt Vonnegut, Novel 'Hocus Pocus' 1990

A purpose of human life, no matter who is controlling it, is to love whoever is around to be loved.

    Kurt Vonnegut, Sirens of Titan

Like so many Americans, she was trying to construct a life that made sense from things she found in gift shops.

    Kurt Vonnegut, Slaughterhouse Five

All time is all time. It does not change. It does not lend itself to warnings or explanations. It simply is. Take it moment by moment, and you will find that we are all, as I've said before, bugs in amber.

    Kurt Vonnegut, Slaughterhouse V

How nice--to feel nothing, and still get full credit for being alive.

    Kurt Vonnegut, Slaughterhouse-Five