D&D 40th Anniversary Blog Hop Challenge

Not sure what a Blog Hop Challenge is, so I'm just copying what Tales of the Rambling Bumblers did. With my own answers of course.

Bluebox Baby!

1: First person who introduced you to D&D? Which edition? Your first Character?

My dad regularly brought to the hobby shop. He went for HO scale model railroad stuff. It must of been on one of these trips that I got the Basic D&D Blue Dragon boxset. 30+ years later I fail to remember my first character.

2: First person YOU introduced to D&D? Which edition? THEIR first character?

Hm. Probably Andy, kid who lived up the street, blue box.

3: First dungeon you explored as a PC or ran as a DM.

B2 Caves of Chaos.

4: First dragon you slew (or some other powerful monster).

I probably cheated and killed some gods from DDG, who didn't? I've never really felt that slaying the big bad / "winning" is the point or fun aspect of D&D. Exploration, discovery, experiencing (or revealing if Refree) the wonder of a fantastic world. The journey and not the destination.

5: First character to go from 1st level to 20th level (or highest possible level in a given edition).

Never liked high levels, so never have done them. I like the struggle of 2nd to 5th levels or so. Haven't kept characters for very long. I have ADD.

6: First character death. How did you handle it?

Booyah! Opportunity to play something new.

7: First D&D Product you ever bought. Do you still have it?

I'll answer the first product ever bought for me. The original Rogues Gallery bought for me by my father. Despite not understanding what this D&D thing was and not very approving. He knew it made me happy and that was enough for him.

8: First set of polyhedral dice you owned. Do you still use them?

I've sold/lost/thrown away everything I've ever had several times over. The dice I had are long gone. My current dice are less than 5 years old. I'm not nostalgic for dice...

9: First campaign setting (homebrew or published) you played in.

Greyhawk. The Darlene maps thrilled my youngling imagination. I dig Mystara. But I've never really been able to "love" any setting like I do Greyhawk (pre-war). You never get over your first, eh?

10: First gaming magazine you ever bought (Dragon, Dungeon, White Dwarf, etc.).

Dragon around issue numbers 60-70. I distinctly remember the chessboard covers. Bought my own subscription with Lawn Mowing income. A big deal for a 13 year old. IRRC it came in a brown paper wrap. Highlight of the month.

11: First splatbook you begged your DM to approve.

I hate splatbooks. 2e splatageddon drove me away from D&D and the hobby for years. I don't need some publisher to tell me and limit what I can do. This is a game of imagination. Create it yourself!

12: First store where you bought your gaming supplies. Does it still exist?

Oh, no idea. Some hobby shop in or around Vienna, VA. Probably at Tyson's Corner.

13: First miniature(s) you used for D&D.

I never used them back in the day. First use was in early 2000's re-purposed MageKnights bought in bulk off Ebay for my "The Gods Themselves" 3.5 campaign.

14: Did you meet your significant other while playing D&D? Does he or she still play? (Or just post a randomly generated monster in protest of Valentine’s Day).

Nope.

15: What was the first edition you didn’t enjoy. Why?

2ed, cause it sucked balls. All the modules are linear railroads authored by failed fantasy authors who wrote novellas instead of adventures. Art went from inspiring, abstract, funky cool, appx N pen and ink to high-fantasy realistic oil. Too heroic, not enough murder hobo. Splatbook hell. It was obvious TSR only cared about shipping as much crap as possible to suck the most money out of fans. Isn't this also when the changed demon and devil names cause of bad press? Fucking cowards.

In retrospect (and having run it recently for a ToEE campaign) 1st ed blows too. Too complex (without benefit) and inconsistent.

A Type II Demon sans Balls

16: Do you remember your first edition war? Did you win?

The even numbered editions (assuming 0 is not even) suck giant Type II demon balls. There are no winners only soul-crushing despair for the survivors of their evil.

17: First time you heard D&D was somehow “evil.”

Long, long after if was a fad to call it such. In one of those kick ass over the top Chick Cartoons. When I saw that Tom Hanks movie, I didn't connect game they played to D&D, cause it wasn't. (Although I tried to create illuminated kick ass magic tomes like from that movie). Nor did it make me think "play rpg" leads to going crazy and trying to fly off building. Cause duh! 3 out of 4 players didn't do that. And it is obvious crazy dude was crazy and playing RPG didn't some how make him crazy. 18: First gaming convention you ever attended.

DunDraCon in Northern California which was totally awesome and made me into a "convention goer". Never been to the big one though.

19: First gamer who just annoyed the hell out of you.

12 year girl at OwlCon who was way too fucking hyper and wouldn't ever shut up about Harry Potter. I am an acknowledged cranky, old, curmudgeon. Still, if you'd been there you would not fault me.

20: First non-D&D RPG you played.

RoleMaster! Although I had Star Frontiers and Traveler first I didn't play SF until last year, and have never played Traveler (except with myself). I've played many other systems over the years. Mostly just one-shots, it always being impossible to find players.

21: First time you sold some of your D&D books–for whatever reason.

Mid 90's I sold all of my MERP collection (and MTG cards + other stuff) to fund 9mo trip around Germany and Czech Republic. Don't regret it. Other than that I've mostly given away or lost books. I now have 4 large bookshelves filled with RPG books and boxsets. Recently bought bigger house so I don't have to get rid of any and have space to acquire mor!

22: First D&D-based novel you ever read (Dragonlance Trilogy, Realms novels, etc.)

I don't think I have ever read a D&D novel. But I played the old SSI series and the modern totally awesome despite what reviewers might say ToEE which actually brought me back into playing Pen and Paper RPGs.

23: First song that comes to mind that you associate with D&D. Why?

"How Heavy Is My Axe" cause of cause I feel same way listening to that song as I do when really in the groove playing OD&D and cause of Pornstars.

Although these days, my games have more Appx N "Fire Lances of the Hyperzephyrians" in them.

24: First movie that comes to mind that you associate with D&D. Why?

"Conan the Barbarian" only cause it's the first movie that comes to mind when I'm thinking fantasy. "Conan the Destroyer" is more D&D like (A mixed party, thrown together by DM fait, (er I mean Queen), a couple of dungeon locations, random bad guys to fight, and of course betrayal). Another totally D&D movie is "Legend".

25: Longest running campaign/gaming group you’ve been in.

Rarely lasted a year. Although I've played in a campaign that had existed for over 20years, but only for 9mo or so. That ADD again.

26: Do you still game with the people who introduced you to the hobby?

I introduced myself beyatch! Although, I still play with people I've introduced.

27: If you had to do it all over again, would you do anything different when you first started gaming?

Hell yeah, I was 12 or younger. Knowing I'd have to write this someday I would have kept notes. Kept everything (my notes, characters, maps, etc). Would have embraced DIY/OSR/Jeff Rients from the start. Flirted with girls more. Many other things.

28: What is the single most important lesson you’ve learned from playing Dungeons & Dragons?

Have fun, the rest will work itself out.

April Blogroll Additions

Sites added to my blog roll recently.

http://hereticwerks.blogspot.com/  Space Age Sorcery! and I'm a sucker for purple.

http://josephbrowning.blogspot.com/ Hello!!! Sorcery and Super Science. Like deep fried butter dipped in delicious butter sauce

http://daggerarts.blogspot.com/ Came for the S&W Appreciation Day, stayed for the victuals.

http://castledragonscar.blogspot.com/  "Simulations & Dragons (or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and do my own Fantasy Heartbreaker)" Preach it brother!

http://codexapocrypha.blogspot.com/ It's metal.

http://www.sycarion.com/ Came for S&W Appreciation Day, stayed for the alternative magic systems

http://19thlevel.blogspot.com/   Came for S&W Appreciation Day, stayed for the reviews, which I dig muchly.

http://www.dizzysdungeon.com/ Hmmmm, probationary, looks promising.

http://appliedphantasticality.blogspot.com/ Mo magic system ideas.

Swords and Wizardry Appreciation Day

I am running a Swords & Wizardry game this very day at my local FLGS, Whose Turn is It? Austin, TX. 

Swords and Wizardry Appreciation Day. Represent!

One of the attractions of Swords and Wizardry for me is its shallow power curve. Which means less math, a much broader range of levels that can adventure together and increased serendipity (with a little luck and planning a gang can defeat an opponent well beyond their level). The following house rules attempt to carry on that tradition.

Combat Effects

[Really need a better name.] 

After rolling damage an attacker may offer the defender an option to take a "Combat Effect" in place of damage.  Combat Effects are whatever the player can come up with (and referee agrees to). Some ideas; disarm, entangle, keep away, push back, knock down, block, bypass, stun, cut suspenders/belt.

I visualize this as the defender can stand their ground, fight back and suffer the consequences (damage).  Or, they can give ground, let go of weapon when pressed, etc. It nicely and naturally incorporates attack success. Score a weak 1 point of damage, defender will take that 1pt of damage rather than be knocked down. Scoring 5, a very good hit, you are more likely to impose your will on opponent.

Some targets may get save or be immune to some effects.  E.g. everything probably gets save vs "stun" and you're not gonna be "knocking down" the 30' dragon.

Example time: Borg the Barbarian hits a cultist for 4 points and wanting to get past this fodder so he can stop the EHP from sacrificing the damsel, Borg offers "Knock Down or 4 points of damage".  Referee considers morale of cultist; just a bored farm kid? a blood boiling fanatic? will 4pts kill him? Cultist decides to "fall down" and play dead.  Next round Borg charges the EHP!

This goes two ways, of course.  Referee can use for capturing, pushing around, and causing complications for players with more "color" than binary "You die or We die" that most confrontations devolve into.  Possibly neutrals who just want to force their way past party. Local crime lord's minions sent to "beat up" characters (and not earn a murder rap). Town guards trying to capture rambunctious adventurers.  Most "lawful" types should be offering disarm/knock down rather than murdering outright.

A whole range of tactics that a more structured (and restrictive) rule set would spend gobs of pages on, we've codified with a few sentences and no additional dice rolls.  It This to me is essence of "good" S&W house rule. Concise and quick (no/few dice rolls, no/few modifiers, no/few exceptions). Provides choices / trade-offs, and does not escalate power.

Critical Hits

Any damage roll that is the maximum possible for that die (e.g. '6' with a d6) is a critical. In addition a natural '20' attack roll is a critical and automatically does maximum damage.

A critical hit enables an attacker to force defender to take a "combat effect" in place of the damage.  The defender no longer has the choice.  Giving up a maximum damage is big sacrifice but sometimes is game changer (pun, ugh).

Borg the Barbarian has been swinging and occasionally hitting the EHP offering to sunder the "McGuffin of Summing Thing the Players Would Rather not have Summoned" that the EHP is holding.  But the EHP is rather determined to use said McGuffin and has plenty of hit points.  The round before summoning is complete Borg scores a critical hit, Booyah! Summing foiled, TPK avoided, EHP flees, and victory seized.

Weapon Damage

I use the above two rules in my weekly game with a slight variation on "all weapons do d6 damage".  I'm unsure how well critical hit on max damage roll would work with variable damage.  It could be easily dropped. I simply wanted "forced" Combat Effects more common.

Normal weapons roll d6 for damage.  Two-handed weapons roll 2d6 taking the highest single die for damage.  This means those big axes, long spears, and huge claymores are more likely to get a "critical" and thus be able to force a Combat Effect on defender.  Besides feeling right it gives small advantage to two-handed weapons to compensate for loosing use of shield.

December Blog Roll Addditions

Last additions of the year to the Blog Roll


http://migellito.blogspot.ca/ - Nicodemus.

http://www.godsmonsters.com/ - Hard to say, it's just different than typical blog.

November Blog Roll Addditions

Super radtacular Blogs added to the Roll and totally awesome why.


http://monstroustelevision.blogspot.com/ - post on being ridiculously excited / hyperbolic in product reviews which I, of course, totally am all the time. It's my style. I'm providing my opinion and my opinions are frequently "over the top". If I'm only "meh" on something there's nothing interesting to say about it.

http://admtale.blogspot.com/ - the guy with frozen eyelashes.

http://falsemachine.blogspot.com/ - I want to read about Veins of the Earth (and since I've mentioned it he can't back down now). Also opinionated people, like Stalin on cocaine, are more interesting.

http://elfmaidsandoctopi.blogspot.com.au - Great name, don't get to interact with many down under RPGrs. Gamma Posts. Great pics "Ahhhhh"

http://tribecomicsandgames.blogspot.com/ - One of my FLGS.

http://strangemagic.robertsongames.com/ - PocketMod Spellbook and Bene Gesserit Class!!! Great minimalistic mod of turning chart.

http://gibletblizzard.blogspot.co.nz/ - Santicore! and Dark Sun content which I've never played, always been interested in, and rarely see.

http://dreamsofmythicfantasy.blogspot.com/ - Conan pic.

October Blog Roll Additions

Blogs added to the Roll and semi-arbitrary why.

http://thealexandrian.net/ - lots and lots of awesome articles on DMing hexcrawling & megadungeons.

http://dreamsinthelichhouse.blogspot.com/ - more awesome megadungery!

http://untimately.blogspot.com/ - completionism.

http://ravencrowking.blogspot.com/ - (recently) lots posts on Raggi stuff (which I don't pay attention to myself)

http://retiredadventurer.blogspot.com/ - http://retiredadventurer.blogspot.com/2012/09/visual-inspirations-for-necrocarcerus.html which simultaneously makes me want to crawl into fetal position and run necrocarcerus adventures!

http://thedragonsflagon.blogspot.com/ - meaty articles need further perusing...

http://misanthropicharlot.blogspot.com/ - ASE

http://bruce-heard.blogspot.no/ - Mystara!!!

Sept Blog Roll Additions

Blogs added to the Roll and semi-arbitrary why.

http://dungeonfantastic.blogspot.com/ - Mega dungeon best practices.  [Although, for Mythic Dungeons my rule is doors don't have hinges and open away from players, even on both sides :)]

http://rottenpulp.blogspot.com/ - This anti-hammerspace item tracker, hand (assuming self) drawn art.

http://evilbaboons.blogspot.com.au/ - had me at baboons, LOVE the style, lots of numbers and analysis. This may be my new favorite simian flavored blog.

July Blog Roll Additions

Sites I've added to Blog Roll recently. Link and (sometimes arbitrary) reason for joining the fellowship.

http://crushingskulls.blogspot.com/  whoops, not sure how I've missed then so long.

June Blog Roll Additions

Sites I've added to Blog Roll recently.  Link and (sometimes arbitrary) reason for joining the fellowship.


http://www.wizardawn.com/rpg/ Awesome Generators.

http://dougkovacs.com/dkblog/ Cause his art is high bad assery.

http://plagmada.blogspot.com/ RPG Ephemera Archive!

http://jerrysmap.blogspot.com/  because of this short documentary.

http://rathergamey.blogspot.com/  Glacia, Barbaric Ice Queen and I know this dude from past NTRPG Conventions.

http://towerofzenopus.blogspot.com/  The first D&D Next article I've liked (I avoid most without reading) and Zenopus!

http://hugeruinedpile.wordpress.com/  Dig the pics and core ideas post.  Big proponent of "essence" over mechanics or mimicry.  For instance Milius understood the essence of an REH yarn.  Hint; it's not whether Conan's hair is the right color or not.

http://propnomicon.blogspot.com/  Horror and Fantasy props.

http://flamingtales.blogspot.com/  Sucker for the name.

http://mostunreadblogever.blogspot.com/ Several interesting reviews of products I hadn't heard of.  Deadlands Noir!

http://d20pirates.blogspot.com/ Duh, pirates!

http://fromtheashesrpg.blogspot.com/ need more science / mutant / space blogs.

RPG Ephemera Archive

Play Generated Map and Document Archive

"PlaGMaDA's mission is to preserve, present, and interpret play generated cultural artifacts, namely manuscripts and drawings created to communicate a shared imaginative space."

At NTRPGCon I found out about PlaGMaDA, The RPG Ephemera Archive.  Which endeavors to preserve our (gamers) history along the lines of The Internet Archive and textfiles.com.

I can totally get behind this!

I buy too much stuff on eBay and occasionally find maps, character sheets, notes that I'll be sending of to PlaGMaDA from now on. I've added the plagmada blog to my roll.


This site is fabulous, some examples of items in the archive.


Side view

Dragon Art

Woot, Woot

Burned Toast

Treasure Map

Can spend hours exploring there.

Blogroll Additions

Blogger fixed the "I can't fracking add to my blog roll" issue.  So, I've been busy...


Link and why

http://exonauts.blogspot.com/  Need more spacey awesomness in my life.

http://chasmosaurs.blogspot.com/  Duh, dinosaurs.

http://www.awesomedice.com/blog/ History of Dice and Balthazar but mostly the S.I. (unexpected).

http://unto-the-breach.blogspot.com/ Have a weakness for alphabets.

http://dungeonofsigns.blogspot.com/  Recommended by Henchman Abuse with promises of random tables.

http://apolitical.info/teleleli/ Short posts, full of awesome.

http://monstermanualsewnfrompants.blogspot.com/ Pants.

http://www.rolang.com/ Tables.

http://worldofalshain.blogspot.com/ Despite the horrid to read yellow on red, pics of monsters who want to eat me.

http://theyaqqothlgrimoire.blogspot.com/  This quote "I'm not saying new-wave rpgs are shit: I'm saying any new-waved mod of D&D would be shit. Remember 2e? That was shit. A shitload of fucking shit."

http://dangerousbrian.blogspot.com/ Awesome English civil war fantasy setting.

Cleaned up Blogroll.

Blogger fixed not being able to edit blog roll, or something happened.  I was finally able to clear out old, broken, dumb links.  I am now, finally, able to add new blogs.

In other news 2012 1PDC!

http://campaignwiki.org/wiki/DungeonMaps/One_Page_Dungeon_Contest_2012

Reading all the entries is really gonna side track all my projects...

Why can't I edit Blogroll Anymore!

This is really annoying.  For weeks now I've not been able to add or remove from by blog roll.  I'm using the old interface cause the new one is fucking horrible.  Under Chrome and Firefox.

I've noticed a few bloggers moving away from blogger (mostly I think cause of twisted panties around google plus).  But, blogger seems to sucking hard lately.


So, sorry there's stuff that use to be cool but now is stupid, "Soviet Russia", and many new blogs I'm unable to add.

Shit People Say to Roleplayers

I can't figure out how to comment to the post on The Escapist Blog.  So, replying here.

I'm a single (41yr old) programmer and board/card/computer/RPG game player.  I live in a liberal city.  I work at a small hi-tech company.  Most the people I interact with are well educated and tech-savvy, many are nerds of one sort of another (music, computer, game, TV, etc).

I say all that cause the list of what people say to RPGrs from The Escapist Blog was so negative.  I rarely have heard shit like that since high-school.   Holy crap guys!  Where do you live and who the hell do you hang out with?  No wonder people "hide" the fact that they are gamers.


Mostly I get:

"How does it work?" 

"Its like WoW?"  Often people don't realize right away I'm not talking about MMORPG or other computer game. 

"Can I join?" 

"Can I have my own figure?" 

"Wish I had still had time for that." 

"Oh man, let me tell about the time my Paladin Centaur ...."

The winning / what's the point thing comes up fairly often.  But, more from curiosity / wanting to understand rather than derogatory angle.

23 Questions, Answered

Zak Asked too many questions.  My answers...


1. If you had to pick a single invention in a game you were most proud of what would it be?

Hmmm, "proud" and "invented" are too strong.  But, I enjoy eliminating modifiers and rolling 2 (or more) dice.  e.g. attacking invisible target, roll two attacks take worst result.  charge, roll two take best.  Ranged into melee, both must succeed to hit target.  If only one does you've hit some other random target in the melee



2. When was the last time you GMed?

Last Sunday, Jan 15th



3. When was the last time you played?

Within a month.  But, I don't play nearly enough.



4. Give us a one-sentence pitch for an adventure you haven't run but would like to.

The Dirty Dozen - Twelve humanoids prisoners, given option of beheading or suicide mission to sneak into the Fey Court's Winter Festival and slaughter as many Elven Princes, Princessess, and Generals as possible.



5. What do you do while you wait for players to do things?

Pester players to do something, review notes, go pee, remember to take notes (rarely)



6. What, if anything, do you eat while you play?

Nothing. Take break for food.



7. Do you find GMing physically exhausting?

No.  I tend to GM standing which I find tiring, significantly less extreme than exhausting



8. What was the last interesting (to you, anyway) thing you remember a PC you were running doing?

My elephant ex-butler arm wresting a wolf biker for his chopper. (After the Bomb)



9. Do your players take your serious setting and make it unserious? Vice versa? Neither?

Neither. Setting and players are, happily, middle of the road, nice mix of serious and sillyness.



10. What do you do with goblins?

Create unique tribes of them. Butt-stink(stink bombs & disease), Fart-knockers (flaming gas attacks), Poo-eaters (poo toss attack), Red Eye & Runny Nose tribes related tribes addicted to snorting zombie "blow", Mud Face (mud covered, +sneak, favor swamps/rivers).
Like all humanoids I use the basic stats and reflavor them.  Need pygmy orcs, use goblin stats.



11. What was the last non-RPG thing you saw that you converted into game material (background, setting, trap, etc.)?

Conan the Barbarian orgy scene -> Toad God's pleasure chamber and complex were strange lotus incense is used to convert the faithful into God's image ala "Innosmouth Look".  But, I do this constantly.  I'm not creative, but I am good at mixing/mashing/converting.


12. What's the funniest table moment you can remember right now?

I have bad memory.  The players deciding to drink all together at same time the potions of "water breathing"(actually poison) that the EHP (whom the deal with far too often) gave them.  So, instead of being able to swim down to the Black Dragon's lair while he was being distracted,  1/3 party was dead, rest injured with very perturbed Black Dragon almost done destroying distraction and looking for those responsible.  Very funny to me, players not so much.  I (NPCs) told them to not mess with dragon, but player agency and all that ;)


13. What was the last game book you looked at--aside from things you referenced in a game--why were you looking at it?

Latest Fight On! Cause it just arrived in mail!



14. Who's your idea of the perfect RPG illustrator?

Illustrator's work varies.  A "Perfect" RPG illustration inspires me to create or play RPG.



15. Does your game ever make your players genuinely afraid?

Once that I remember.  Got the players so paranoid and afraid of each other the each put back to different wall and drew weapons on each other until they finally figured out there was an invisible tormentor in their midst.

Now days they're mostly just shell-shocked.  "Pfft! Your character only died?  My guy in Norm's campaign had his soul stripped away who knows where.  He's not dead, not undead, just drooling."



16. What was the best time you ever had running an adventure you didn't write? (If ever)

Caves of Chaos at various conventions.



17. What would be the ideal physical set up to run a game in?

DM at end of long table, DM surrounded by shelfs and cases, side table for DM's stuff.  NO DM Shield!  Lots of decoration for "ambience".  That or someplace with lots of "traffic" to recruit new people to hobby, game store, mall.



18. If you had to think of the two most disparate games or game products that you like what would they be?

I will limit answer to RPG games.  "Bunnies and Burrows"  "Pallidum Rifts"


19. If you had to think of the most disparate influences overall on your game, what would they be?

Serving in the U.S. Navy.  Reading Jeff's Gameblog.



20. As a GM, what kind of player do you want at your table?

Engaged, well-adjusted, mature.



21. What's a real life experience you've translated into game terms?

I use my military and tactics training when running Hobgoblins, Gnolls, and elite soldiers.  Which really (sadly) fucks up players who for the most part don't know doodle about tactics.



22. Is there an RPG product that you wish existed but doesn't?

Nope.  There's more existing now than I can possibly ever use.



23. Is there anyone you know who you talk about RPGs with who doesn't play? How do those conversations go?

Lot's of people; Sister, friends, co-workers.  Some are simply humoring me, thanks sis!  Others don't understand why people "do" RPGs and are vastly interested.   Many are into other games / programming and like to discuss mechanics, world creation, player interactions, etc.

Publishers & Products

This is an Epic post of Publishers & Products, also where to get them online.  Epic amount of work, epic amount of usefulness, and shows breadth and depth of hobby's commercial side.

One snippet of post (System Equivalence)

I'm a 6th level Blogger

Thanks to 102 followers.

And you can blame The Savage Afterworld for learning me blogger levels even existed.

RPG Blog Roll Additions

http://supergalacticdreadnought.blogspot.com/ recent posts are some really cool OGRE minis

This Week's Blog Roll Additions

http://fistfulofcoppers.blogspot.com/


http://henchmanabuse.blogspot.com/

http://oldschoolheretic.blogspot.com/

http://leadpeople.blogspot.com/

http://axe-n-hammer.blogspot.com/

http://gorgonmilk.blogspot.com/

More blogs added just now

http://addgrognard.blogspot.com/

http://eternalkeep.blogspot.com/