Check this Blog Out

     So, I have been winding down from work, drinking some wine and surfing the net. Possibly a bad combo, but this time I have been checking out Jack's Tales of the Grotesque and Dungeonesque  and man is it cool! Anyone interested in Gothic fantasy or at least something something different should check this out. It is great fun and he has an amazing book regarding Gothic fantasy and information about his home campaign. (I hope that is correct) Please check it out and let me (or him) know what you think. Later!!

Howard's Conan

     So lately I have been reading some Conan stories. When I first began reading the stories when I was younger, it was the Acer (?) compilations. The ones where Decamp and Carter put all of the stories in order of when they occurred in Conan's life. They also changed some things around, so that they may make sense. I did not know this when I originally began reading them, so the unevenness of some of the fiction was just something I just accepted.

     Eventually I discovered the Ballantine Books Compilations, where they keep the original stories in the order Howard wrote them. It is amazing the difference between what Howard wrote and what was written to expand upon and fill in gaps. I recently read Conan of the Isles and Conan the Buccaneer (Decamp/Carter filler) before diving into The Coming of Conan the Cimmerian(original Howard) and the difference is night and day. The former is formulaic while Howard's prose is electric, full of energy but able to channel through different situations. Each story comes from a different period of Conan's life, be it as a king, a thief, or a mercenary, Howard portrays the character superbly. Tempted as I am, I will keep my Acer books since they have the typical Frank Frazetta art that just goes so well with the subject matter.

     Please leave a comment, I know someone visits this blog, but it would be nice to hear what you folks think about it. Thanks everyone and take care!

Paul Crabaugh's Customized Classes

     So, I just picked up a copy of Dragon #109 which contains the aforementioned article. I had this issue as a kid and loved it. Has anyone used this before, I just messed around with it back in the day, as I did not have any serious D&D group back then. The way it works is for every special ability or skill you want your class to know, it raises the experience points necessary to level by a certain percentage. The end of the article contains examples of different classes and how they break down, beginning with typical ones such as fighter, cleric, and magic user. It finishes up with orc, viking, fairy, and ubermensch.

     So I would really like to hear from anyone who has used this, is it worth working with? I also heard they put something like it in the 2nd ed. DMG. Please let me know and take care everyone!