A to Z April Blogging Challenge List

It's two weeks till April, and I've got 26 posts to figure out topics for. I've set up a google document, so if you feel like giving me some topics, you can either go there or drop me a comment here!

Good luck to everyone who's taking the challenge!

A to Z April blogging Challenge

Chris over at The Vaults of Nagoh discovered the April A to Z challenge.

The premise of the Blogging From A to Z April Challenge is to post something on your blog every day in April except for Sundays. In doing this you will have 26 blog posts -- one for each letter of the alphabet. Each day you will theme your post according to a letter of the alphabet.

You will only be limited by your own imagination in this challenge. There is an unlimited universe of possibilities. You can post essays, short pieces of fiction, poetry, recipes, travel sketches, or anything else you would like to write about. You don't have to be a writer to do this. You can post photos, including samples of your own art or craftwork. Everyone who blogs can post from A to Z.

Anyone else?

Now I just need to figure out what my 26 posts are going to be about. For April's Audience Participation, pick a letter and give me a topic.

Monthly Audience Patricipation Results for February!

The votes are in! For a while the Witch Character Class was neck in neck with Megadungeon Topics, when a late surge brought New Locations up from the back. In the end, Welleran's Megadungeon Topics managed to hold onto the lead.

By the end of the month you should have a new keyed megadungeon section, in the same 2 page format as my first section, as well as some commentary on stocking it.

For those who were hoping for one of the other topics, all is not lost! I've been thinking about each and every one of them, and jotting down ideas. I probably won't be able to get to them this month, but that doesn't mean they aren't coming! And if you really want to make sure I get to it, suggest and vote for it next Monthly Audience Participation round!

Admin Updates

I have disabled anonymous comments. As much as I love getting comments (and I do) I always feel like anonymous comments are cowardly. I never use the anonymous option even when it's given. If I am going to take the time and effort to leave a comment, I'm going to put my name to it, I'm going to own it. I have to insist that while you're here, you do the same.

Thanks

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Monthly Audience Participation voting update!
With 1 day to go, Megadungeon Topics is in the lead, but just a couple of votes could dislodge it from the top spot. Corgis remains in last place with a single vote. I have not told my dogs this.

If you haven't voted already there is still time! 

Monthly Audience Participation Poll

The poll for this months audience participation is live!  Go vote for your topic choice!

Monthly Audience Participation for February

Once again, I'm opening it up.  What would you like me to blog about?  Want more reviews? Magic items? Monsters? Corgis?

Leave a comment, and let me know.

Also, there is a new poll over to the right about genre preference in your games.

4e Innovations - the good and the bad

Flynn asked “What are your three most favorite game mechanic innovations from 4E, and why? Also, what are your three least favorite game mechanic innovations from 4E, and why?”

I've been stewing over this post for, well, about a month now!   Part of the problem I've been having writing it, is that I've again been working on my megadungeon, and haven't been working with 4e very much.  However, I have thought about it, and here's what I've come up with.

My favorite innovations for 4e would have to be the balance they've achieved.  Granted, I've only got the first round of releases, so I don't have any experience with PHBII or III or MMII or III.  I know there was some cleanup that was needed from the first round, and the FAQ came out really quickly, but still, the level of progression from 1-30 is pretty even across all the classes.  In previous editions, and 3.x especially there was little reason not to play a spellcasting class.  Batman wizards, clericzillas, and druids were the go to classes for power gamers.  A lot of that was taken away with 4e, and I like that.

I also really enjoy the way that monsters are designed to work in mixed groups, and how different monsters have different roles to play in encounters.  I personally always enjoyed mixing up the opponents my players faced, as it made for a more interesting time for everyone.  4e makes that the official way to do things.

The 3rd mechanical innovation that I really like is the chart on page 42 of the DMG.  Ok, yes, I know they revised it, but with the PHB and that page you can run a D&D game.

My least favorite mechanical aspects of 4e are the skill challenge, the necessity of picking certain feats, and standard array ability scores.

Skill challenges seem like a really neat way to handle a variety of situations, but the presentation is awkward, and I didn't enjoy trying to run it with my players.  I do feel that with a good example, I might be willing to change my mind on this.

Feats - this 3.x holdover is a neat way to customize your character, make it a little different from the standard.  Unfortunately, there are a few feats with such clear mechanical advantage that they are automatically taken. 

Ability scores are random in every edition, except this one.  The degree of randomness changes, but there is always a chance that you'll roll a whole bunch of 1s or a bunch of 6s.  I kinda miss that, though I think that having the option of taking a standard array isn't a bad one, but only as an alternate option.  Give my my d6's!

A time of growing darkness

November has arrived, and for my Monthly Audience Participation Flynn asked “What are your three most favorite game mechanic innovations from 4E, and why? Also, what are your three least favorite game mechanic innovations from 4E, and why?”

As this was the only suggestion, I’ll happily answer it with a post (just not today)! 

Tomorrow is Election Day, and I’m serving as an election judge.  This is a nice long 15+ hour day, so don’t expect much from me for the next couple of days as I recover from that and from Halloween. There are some fun things to look forward to however!  

Coming soon:

Steampunk minimonsters and magic items

Thing in a well

A Spider

Altered Realities
Gryphons

I hope everyone had a frightful Halloween!

Monthly Audience Patricipation for November

50 followers, 90 Google subscribers (there is probably some overlap), and some of you must have something you'd like me to write about!  This is your chance!  That topic you want another opinion about, or the one you don't want to write about yourself. 

Leave a comment!  Let me know!

Issues: My First Issue (post 2 of 2)

My first issue was Dragon #193.  It was a great first issue, and I spent countless hours pouring over it.  I’m going to give a retro-review of the issue.

 

The Cover: Definitely the first thing that caught my eye.  A red wyrm in a large misty cavern sprinkled with gold and 3 nervous adventurers trying to scoop up as much gold as they can before the wyrm shows up.  A great picture by Raymond Van Tilburg, and one that I see today in a new light.  Not only is it a great picture, but it’s also very old school.  Those adventurers would rather get the gold and get out than face the wyrm!  But then wouldn’t you? 

Next we’ve got a 2 page ad for Dragon Mountain.  Actually it’s a 1 page ad for Dragon Mountain, and a 1 page ad for Walden Books selling Dragon Mountain and the Humanoids Handbook.

2 pages of table of contents, and a page of letters. The letters range from Great Issue! to  “I’m 13 and play D&D, and I’m not going to kill your cat” to “What languages is D&D translated into” and “a quick test to see if your DM is really unfair.”  There is also a funny little errata about cows.

Page 5 is a neat ad for Mage: The Awakening.  It wasn’t D&D, but I still thought it was cool. 

Page 6 is Roger Moore’s dinosaur editorial.  Page 7 is people congratulating Roger.  Page 8 is an ad for home delivery of Dragon.

Page 9 is a splash page on “Unlocking the Secrets of the Underdark with an illustration of 2 adventurers in the underdark.  The lady elf is picking a lock, and the wussy swordsman is swinging at a single bat that’s probably just pissed off because of their lantern.  The rat in the foreground is probably hoping they kill the bat so he can eat it. 

Page 10 is another full page illustration, the cover picture from the dungeoneers survival guide. 

Page 11 - 14 + 16 made me fall in love with Dragon magazine. The article is Advice for fledgling dungeon-crawlers by Steven E. Schend, and it covers everything from caves and dungeons, traps to monsters, and the importance of light and 10’ poles, and it’s told from the perspective of an old adventurer by the name of Essimuth.  It was a great article, and one I reread often. 

Page 15 and 17 are ads for Mayfair Games’ Underground RPG.  Serious dystopian RPG didn’t do much for me.  Still doesn’t really.   

Page 18 gives us an ad for the Amazing Engine RPG from TSR. 

Pages 19-22 gives us 3 interesting golems – Brain Golem, Hammer Golem, and a Spiderstone Golem.  The brain golem is created by the squid faced guys.  The hammer golem is used by dwarves to assist in their mining, and the spiderstone golem is unsurprisingly used by the drow.

Page 23 was another eye opener for me – an ad for Tales from the Floating Vagabond.  I’ve reproduced it below. 

You should really click and see the full size ad.  Eventually I got my hands on a copy of the game (though not this module) and it’s every bit as fun as this ad (and all the others I’d see) made it seem. 

RPG reviews take us from page 24-32 + 38.  I must admit I didn’t spend very much time here mostly because I was young and cash poor and D&D was my game. 

Pages 33 + 34 are ads for Gamma World (again, D&D was my game) and a TSR book: Naked came the Susquach.  Flip.

Convention listings covered pages 35-38 – none were anywhere near me, and I knew I’d never get my dad to take my to Philadelphia, NYC or Pittsburg, so…  flip.

Betrayal at Krondor the computer game was the ad on page 39.  I’d eventually get to play this, but I was many years away from having a computer in the house.

Dungeon Magazine ad on the next page with a cute elf girl and her furry footed Halfling companion.  Did you know Halflings have the fur on the bottom of their feet?  Anyway, this ad proclaims Dungeon magazine to be “Serious Fun”

The Known World Grimore expands upon the castle building info found in the Rules Cyclopedia.  This article was another that I often referenced during my RC days, and manages to pack a lot of info between pages 41-44.

Boring ad on page 45.

Black and white picture of some albino ape creatures attacking a pair of adventurers in a dark cave on page 46.

Fiction on pages 47-55.  In spite of enjoying reading D&D rule books, I wasn’t much of a reader when I had this.  I’m sure I read the story at one point, but it seems a forgettable story by Ralph A Bundy called Bainnor’s Last Ballad.

Next we come to the computer games.  Again, no computer.  Flip to page 65.

We now come to another article that I referenced more than once when playing RC D&D – The Druid Gets A Life.  From pages 65-69 we get an overview of the druids place in rural society and some new spells.  Not having any of the AD&D books, this was all new to me. 

Pages 71-73 contain an article about the D&D collectors cards.  I loved this article for one reason only.  The nearly naked green woman with leaves.  Some sort of fairy, I didn’t care.  She was hot. 

The Forum covered pages 75-78, along with an ad for DC Heroes.  Only 3 pages of forum letters… seems to little now, doesn’t it.  Quaint. 

A full color and evocative ad for Earthdawn filled page 79.  Again, D&D was my game, but an interesting picture none-the-less. 

Sage Advice takes us from page 85-88.  I didn’t play AD&D, so a lot of it didn’t make sense. 

88+89 are ads for Shadowrun.  Eh.

90-93 brings us The Role of Books – aka book reviews.  Flip.

Page 94 has THE WORST AD EVER.  I can’t even bring myself to describe it, just look for yourself.

  

Even at 13 years old I was embarrassed for the people who made this ad.  

The Dragons Bestiary covers pages 95-100 and discusses the Giant Nautilus, Abyss Ants, and Incarnates.   BORING to my younger self, and even now I’m not impressed.

The comics section Dragonmirth fills pages 102-104.  Good stuff.  I once threw in a sword with an electrical plug into a game once.  My players weren’t amused. 

Flipping past a bunch of ads to pages 112, and we arrive at the miniatures review article.  I would have loved to have more minis, but the figures from Hero Quest were all I’d have for a long time.

A few more ads and we come to the back cover, an ad for Dark Sun. 

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tl:dr version –3 great articles, some good art, lots of ads, and some filler.  I still think it’s a great issue because of the Advice for fledgling dungeon-crawlers article.  That alone would have made it worth picking up. 

Issues (post 1 of 2)

I finally finished catching up on all of your blog posts from the last week.  You all write a lot, you know that?  Don’t get me wrong, I love that there is such a wealth of creativity in our community, but try going away for a week, and see how it all builds up.  There are many things that I read that I want to comment on, but we’ll see how many of them I get to. 

So, Issues.  The biggest issue I’m dealing with right now is time, and my lack of it that I can devote to my blog, and to gaming in general.  My 4e game is stalled, as all 3 group members are in college (including me), and we haven’t been able to find some time that works for all of our schedules.  I started a solo PbP game, but the player who started it got busy and it fizzled out.

(Anyone else interested in a PbP old school Megadungeon game?)

So how am I addressing this issue?  Well, there isn’t too much I can do about the various things I have to do.  I’m not going to quit my job, school, or the various other responsibilities that I’ve taken on.  Sorry, but gaming is actually low on the totem pole.  But with the time I do have, I’ve been playing some Neverwinter Nights, working on a bunch of Halloween props (which help fuel the inspirational fires), taking some vacation time (to recharge the batteries), reading some classics, and posting here. 

It’s been a bit since I pulled out my Megadungeon, but I’ve got some more ideas that I want to add to it, and there’s a bunch of finishing work I need to do on the second level.  I keep needing to remind myself that it doesn’t all have to “make sense” that it is kind of a “funhouse dungeon”, and should become more “funhouse” as it gets deeper.  I have many years of 2nd and 3rd edition baggage that I’m still sometimes burdened with. 

So what is it that keeps me from going out and finding a steady group?  I could, there are certainly gamers in the area.  The issue is that I want to game with peers.  People who are in a similar life stage to mine; gamers who realize that I can’t game until 2am, that don’t want to spend the whole time drinking, that aren’t going to go home for summer break.

You know, adults. 

Are there adult gamers in the area?  Probably.  How to find them?  That I’m not sure, not without spending some time (ha!) and energy trying to find them. I have neither in abundance right now.

Anyway, I’m serious about a PbP game.  Any takers? 

Next post will have some actual game content, I promise!

Happy (late) Anniversary to me!!

Apparently I've been blogging here for a year (plus) now!  Go me! 

I received not a single suggestion for the Monthly Audience Participation, in spite of my 49 followers and 80-odd subscribers through google reader.  I guess it'll be a random topic this month!  I'm planning on doing Halloween focus posts this month, so prepare for spooky, creepy, and even silly posts that all relate to the ultimate day of October. 

Ok, so rolling on Rusty's charts... on a d6 I rolled a... 6!  Chart #3.

Rolling a d10 I got a 2!  Roll once on sub-charts 2 and 4. 

Sub-chart 2, rolled a d12 and got a 4.  "Two"

Sub-chart 4, rolled a 52 "Issues"

So expect a post about Two Issues!

Happy October everyone!

The Dungeon Master

There is a short story in the New Yorker called "The Dungeon Master" and it's available online.

The Dungeon Master

It's actually well written, and I enjoyed it more than The Elvish Gene.  Check it out!

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Also, today is the last day for this months Audience Participation!  Suggest your ideas, or it's just going to be a Rusty's Random Blog Topic roll!!

October Audience Participation

Just a reminder that I'm looking for your ideas about what to post about during October!

Give me your ideas here!

Thinking about things

This month there has been a lot less content here.  The least that I managed to produce since February.  I knew there would be a slowdown, but I thought that I would do better than I did.

So far I've only given you 4 new things for your games, 1 review, 1 link, 1 response to the a post on Grognardia, and 1 announcement.  Plus this post.  Tomorrow I'll be sharing the first artifact to grace the Tower, which I'm rather excited about.  I have a bunch of other posts that are more ethereal than not, and I haven't done much with my megadungeon since July. I intend to keep at it, and I hope you continue to enjoy it.

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In other news it seems that I am a level 5 RPG blogger, and #80 on the big list of old school blogs.  That's damn cool!  Top 100, Baby!! 

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Lastly, I'm opening up this months Audience Participation thread!  What do you want me to blog about in October?

Key to Her Heart

“That is truly a fascinating philosophy” the mustachioed man replied.  “Perhaps we could discuss this further?  There is a wonderful café where the drink is nearly as stimulating as this conversation.”

“What a wonderful suggestion!” Allianora replied with a grin.  “I really want to know your thoughts on the Book of the Eighth Prelate, on love and understanding.”

“And I would love to share them with you.”

“Allianora!” Rathgar yelled across the temple hall.  He, Nimble, and Feris were walking toward the pair.

“Those are my frien-“ Allianora turned back toward her companion to find him gone. 

Nimble smiled at her as he approached.  “Garion’s a nice guy isn’t he?”

“Garion?  He said his name was Torak”

“Yeah, sometimes he says things like that to people, right before he robs them.” 

“But he didn’t…” Allianora’s hand fell to her empty belt pouch. “Still, he really is so nice” she finished.   

The Key to Her Heart

When in the possession of a male, this magical key provides a +2 bonus to all reaction rolls with females, and can be used to cast Charm Person 3 times per day, but only on females.   

Poor Richard’s Amazing Key of Energy Absorption

The old gnome stood defiantly before the gate of his workshop, his balding head glistening in the sunlight, small round frames sitting on his nose.  “You have no power here Thales.  Your reign over these lands is over.  We are free.  Begone.”

“Ah Richard, you know I can’t do that.” The curly bearded sorcerer replied.  “These lands are mine by right, and besides, I really must have that flying machine of yours.  I’d rather not take it by force, but I will.”  Thalos brought his hands up in front of his chest, and sparks of blue-white energy arced between them.

“Do what you must.” Richard replied, leveling a hollow rod at the sorcerer.

With a blinding flash lightning shot from Thales’ hands, blasting directly into the gnome.  When Thales eyes adjusted he saw the Richard standing there, unharmed save for a scorch mark on his sleeve.   The key hanging from Richard’s belt seemed to pulse with energy though. 

“All Gnomes shall be Free!” Richard yelled, and he pulled the trigger bar.

 

Poor Richard’s Amazing Key of Energy Absorption

This magical key, forged by the magitech philosopher and Gnomish Liberation Front leader “Poor Ben” aka Richard Frankton, is specifically designed to counteract the oppressors primary tool of terror, the lightning bolt.  It can absorb the energy of multiple lightning bolts, reducing damage taken by anyone with the key by up to 18 points per round up to 10 times before being discharged.  After absorbing 10 bolts, either natural or magical, it will not only fail to stop a 11^th bolt, but it will release the previously held charges causing 12d6 points of electrical damage to all within 20’ of the key (save vs spells for half for everyone except whoever is holding the key). 

It is possible to release the energy stored in the key.  It may be discharged directly into the ground by attaching it to a string which is then allowed to touch the ground.  It may also be attached to one of Poor Ben’s Miraculous Lightning Rods which has a variety of useful functions. 

The Key of Respite

Feris held the small key in his hand.  The body of the slain warlock at his feet was already beginning to desiccate from its own infernal emanations.     

“What’s that?” Rathgar asked, poking at the body with his boot. 

“A key, obviously” Allianora remarked.

“Thanks”

“It’s a door key, or at least that’s what it looks like.  However there is some magic attuned to it.” 

“Well, shall we try it out on that door?” Nimble asked.

“But we just came through that door.” Rathgar pointed out.

“Well, sure!  If works, and something happens, we’ll know it!” Nimble replied.

Feris shrugged “Why not?”  He stepped to the closed door, and slid the key into the lock.  Surprisingly it seemed to fit, and with a twist the locking mechanism clicked.  Feris put his hand on the handle, turned and pulled.  The door swung open easily, revealing not the hallway they’d just traversed, but the garishly decorated retreat of the warlock.

“So that’s where he kept his treasure!” Nimble said gleefully. 

The Key of Respite

While within any Megadungeon this key, when used on any door large enough to admit a human sized creature, will cause the door to become an egress to an otherwise inaccessible room.  This room supplied with fresh air, and comfortably kept warm by an ever-burning fireplace.  The décor and contents of the room vary over time as different owners take possession of the key.  Several of these keys are known to exist, and each one seems to access different rooms.  Most of these rooms are around 20’x30’ with the door and fireplace on opposite short walls. 

If the door is closed from the inside, and then reopened it will do so in the most recently used doorway 99% of the time.  If the 1% is rolled, or the door is already open or destroyed then the exit will appear randomly within the Megadungeon, at the discretion of the DM.  

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This is the first of the magic items for the monthly audience participation program. 

Monthly Audience Participation Results

With the votes tallied we have a win for the random blog topic!

Ok, so Rusty wrote 3 different topic generators. Using Kobrets Dice Roller I first rolled a d6 and I got a 2, divided by 2 makes a 1. So I’ll be rolling on the original gnerator. One 1d30 roll and I rolled a 16 which according to the chart is Three New Magic Items!

Expect them over the next week. I need to figure out what they're going to be!

Ok, 46 of you follow my blog. Yet I only have 5 votes in my poll?  There's a 2 way tie, your vote could make it a 3 way tie! 

And because I know you aren't supposed to post anything like that without offering anything of value:

Here is a link to a fantastic Halloween prop website that does almost everything with paper mache.    I plan of showing off my own first paper mache very soon.