New Appendix N Books?

     Made a trip to the bigger of the two local used bookshops, and could not resist finishing off my Fritz Leiber books. Also found Jack Vance's Eyes of the Overworld, woot!

     Just finished the Fafhrd and Gray Mouser book Swords and Ice Magic last night, what a read! The climax was fantastic, with lasting consequences for the duo. I enjoy when there is a bit of continuity in a series (too much can be obstructive, just ask Marvel and DC) and Leiber threw references to their past experiences, but not to the point of losing a reader who had skipped some stories.

     In terms of things to use at the game table, there seems to be different types of will o the wisps. It could be something to stat up for a session to make things interesting.

     I am thinking that the next book I read will be Burroughs Tarzan of the Apes, mainly to get a feel for a jungle setting that I can use for a region I am working on for a game. Plus, somehow I have never read any Tarzan, so there you go. Please leave a comment and let me know what you think, have you read any of these stories? Any opinions about them?

Fritz Leiber's Swords and Ice Magic!

      My current book is Swords and Ice Magic, the sixth Fafhrd and Grey Mouser book. I have read the first book and part of the second, but a part of me decided to just go ahead and read this one.

     It starts off with a short (fourteen pages I think) story involving Death with each subsequent story getting longer. It is all to set up what comes later, as all good stories should. I am midway through the next to last story and it really seems to have built up to some serious shenanigans and skulduggery.

     I'm wondering what I should follow it up with, any thoughts? Until next time, take care!

King of Elfland's Daughter!

     So I recently jumped back into reading Appendix N literature, since I have a backlog of books I own but have not read. Her is what I think of Lord Dunsany's King of Elfland's Daughter, published in 1924.

What a read! The style of prose was a change of pace, along with the use of vocabulary that was refreshing. I have read of HP Lovecraft singing his praises, stating his dream cycle stories were Dunsanian. There is a faerie tale quality that is a break from the hack and slash of Howard or action adventure of Burroughs. If you have a chance to read this, and you want something a bit different, give it a shot. I have one other of his books, but decided to read something different.

     Good ole Manly Wade Wellman! This is the second Wellman novel (Also the second Silver John) that I have read, the first being The Hanging Stones (published in 1984. After Dark, published in 1980, was a bit more confrontational than I recall Hanging Stones to be. It has John and his friends confronting and ancient race that wants to subvert humanity. Silver John uses his knowledge of folk lore and a book called The Long Lost Friend to great effect. Once you get used to the way characters speak, ie nair is never, hair is hear, hark is to call out, the pages zip along. Well worth searching used bookstores or even the internet.

Diving back into Appendix N Literature!

     Just started reading Lord Dunsany's The King of Elfland's Daughter, which is also my first time reading any of his work. I first heard of Dunsany in relation to HP Lovecraft, who had a fondness for Lord Dunsany.

     What first struck me was the prose, a bit flowery but it does not get in the way of the story unlike some other more well known authors. I am reminded that this was first published in 1924. The DCC patron King of Elfland comes from this book and from what I have read so far, they did well emulating him.
"Master of the verdant realm glimpsed only through sun-dappled groves, the mist of great waterfalls, and the moments of dusk and dawn,the King of Elfland rules all elf-kin from his throne of mist and ice. Fierce once roused, the white-bearded regent keeps watch over the dreaming land,protecting against incursion."
Yep, that sounds like Dunsany's King.

     There are more bits that I would like to share, but only after I have finished. There will be more Appendix N literature to come, as I have a backlog of them to read. It seems silly to continue to pick up books and not read them. Downright irresponsible if you ask me. Anyone out there read this yet, leave a comment, did you like it? Take care and have fun everybody!

Sword and Planet Adventure

     I have been playing Destiny 2 a bit and it had me thinking how I would translate it into a sword and planet setting for 5E? Which reminds me of the fantastic work that Tim Callahan and company did on the Crawljammer (old link but has info on the various issues)fanzine for DCC! They started with just enough information on the planets to get you excited and slowly expanded from there with six issues in all and a couple standalone adventures. If this seems up your alley you can purchase them here!

My little zine treasure chest full of Crawljammer goodness

     Of course I want to do my own thing, because why check a copy of something awesome when you can get the amazing original. So if I does this it will be with the intent to bring a different spin to it, while giving credit to all those before me. This includes Edgar Rice Burroughs and Clark Ashton Smith. I am looking into running games using virtual table tops to see if any of this works, which of course I will announce new here. So keep an eye out and hopefully you will be entertained or at least find something useful. Take care, folks!

Finally dipping into 5E

     Finally I have relented and will be purchasing the main three books for D&D 5E. I have several friends who are playing, so I might as well take the plunge. My only hesitation was that i already had access to rules sets that accomplished the same thing, Labyrinth Lord for BX play (actually I also have a copy of Rules Cyclopedia) and Dungeon Crawl Classics if I want to go a bit gonzo with my fantasy.

     The final straw was a friend of mine from back in Ohio thought I was already playing it and he hoped I could direct him to web sites and such. I had to break it to him that I could not help, and then I gave in to temptation. Yeah, it doesn't take much, some days. I started with the DMG and it will be another week before I get the next one (PHB) but I am hoping to start finding some good online resources. Anyone have any tips where to look, good blogs maybe?

     The extra cool thing about this is that I should be able to adapt my old school D&D as well as the more recent retro stuff I have acquired. Maybe Dwimmermount or some stuff from Lamentations of the Flame Princess, perhaps? I could reach back to Veiled Society (B6) or The Lost City (B4), just the notion is getting me ahead of myself.

     So yeah, if anyone out there has anything they would like to share, feel free. Later guys!

Future Content

Hey everyone

     Thinking of possible offerings for my Patreon. Ultimately, I would like to take certain npc's and link them, like a little setting. There will be maps, adventure hooks, and more art of course! This would mean that like genres will be brought together, but I would try to cross things over when possible. You know, because magic/time travel. That is all in the future, and if anyone has any suggestions, all input is welcome.

Work in progress for a new banner

     This is just the start of what I hope will be a career. I am working on NPC Diversity, and next I will be setting up a section of my site for taking commissions. I cannot do it without support from you guys, whether it is monetary or with feedback, having a solid following is key. If you are in a position to share my blog, website, patreon, or all three then please go for it.

I've got my coffee

Here we are, just getting started on this Wednesday. The big move meant a purge of all manner of items I did not need, or could replace. The easy stuff was old posters, notes for games long gone(alright, that last one was a little tough at times) and music/movies. Then there was the books and games. Oh some were easy, as in will I ever play or use this for inspiration. Star Frontiers and Gamma World got donated to a nearby libraries game section. Just stop for a moment, a library had a game section, and it is in active use thanks to the dedication of Jason Paul McCartan of Infinibadger Press. That made it easier to part with those, knowing they would be used by the next generation of gamers. Hmm, I may need to interview Mr McCartan in the near future. Actually, I have started to forget what the rest was, it seemed so long ago. 

So, on to Jacksonville! Apparently known to be a Pathfinder town, which I have nothing against it just puts it in the category of games I would rather play than run. Also, I am not in the market to purchase a new game book, as hard to believe as that sounds. There is a Savage Worlds group here, which gives me hope that I may not be required to do all of the heavy lifting. I might be able to convince folks to try Call of Cthulhu, Cryptworld, Dungeon Crawl Classics, and various retroclones.

  

My little art studio/closet has most of my game library, and below is my bedside bookcase where I have put my Savage Worlds and Goblinoid Games stuff.

Anyone here, or around Jacksonville just let me know. It would be cool if anyone reading this was local to me. Take care and great gaming

I'm back, baby!

     "Just when I thought I was out, they pulled me back in." Al Pacino 

          I thought I had given up on this blog when fate changed everything for me. I currently have a web site for my art, and a passion to develop my art and get it out into the world. To have it seen by whomever cares to see it. I was not sure I had time to blog about games. Then came my big move, from Ohio to Florida, and I took a chance on finding a good job down here. Then I made a decision, to give Patreon a try, and last night I launched NPC Diversity!

      The main focus of my Patreon is to get my art out there. So twice a month I will release an npc that I have illustrated, either as a thumbnail portrait or the full depiction. Both will have a description of their character, along with; occupation, age, and which genre(s) the individual would fit best in. The first one will always be suitable for fantasy role-play, the second may be for any genre. I will not be including stats, to avoid being attached to a single rules set, though I may be convinced otherwise. This is just the beginning, and I hope many of you come with me on this adventure. Who knows where we will end up!