Some brief examples of what will NOT be featured in the new D&D

Axon Spaceship

 Flesh Golem sucker punch

Sweet devil girl ass

Moe Black's brother, Fat Andy

Dungeon Punks

THE DUNGEON PUNK

It's a phase that most young people grow out of. You know, hanging around in the local dungeon, painting graffiti, smoking clove cigarettes, maybe making out with a cute half-elf girl or boy. Usually, the young dungeon punks leave it behind and go off to school, or become smith apprentices, or brewmasters, or whatever.

However, sometimes the lure of the dungeon is so great that they cast their practical aspirations aside and become adventurers or explorers or sometimes even a sorcerer, or to the true dismay of their family and peers, a bard.
Most will take up the sword - 

And some will take up the eyeliner

It is my estimation that this is what a badass first level character looks like. (Well not the dude in eyeliner necessarily) They've spent their lives up to that point dreaming of adventuring, battling foul creatures, and uncovering untold treasure in the deep and dark.

Sure, some characters have been apprentice mages, did odd jobs for the local thieves guild, was an acolyte at the local church, but others, the fighter, those who learned to defend themselves, those who dreamed of getting the fuck out of the sticks and out into the wilderlands of high adventure.

The "Dungeon Punk" is a hybrid of various class skills. They've been trained, not formally but by a friend or by reading a book or by taking a class at the local Y. They've perhaps stolen their gear. They're naive, but eager. Maybe to a fault.

Here are a few skill/bonus ideas for the "Dungeon Punk"

Can perform one thief skill at the first level. Two at the third level and three at the ninth. 

Has magic artifact or enchanted weapon. How they came to possess it could have repercussions later in the game. 

Has a magical amulet or family heirloom that will allow them to cast one MU spell per day (a non-lethal spell) 

Grew up in a religious school for troubled youths. Knows one first level cleric spell but only has a 50% chance of success.

Is an expert at gathering information, gossip and rumors. 

Can write and speak an additional localized "street" dialect. Knows local slang and expressions. 

Very good at evaluating monetary value of items. Knows the "street value".

Listens to only the most underground of bards. 

Very good at DIY projects. Can repair leather armor, mend clothing. Can make simple leather goods with right materials. 

Can improvise weapons. Gets a bonus to hit when using a broken bottle or pool cue, etc. 

Eyes adjust to darkness quickly. 

Bonus for running and evading pursuers. Good at climbing chain link fences. 

Always "knows a guy". Has a friend of a friend nearly everywhere they go. 

Expert in local squatting laws. 

B1 Hack - Into Cytheron Wandering Monsters Upper Level (NSFW)

1. PLAGUE CHILDREN

(2-6) AC 9, HD 1/2, #AT 1, D by weapon -1, plus disease, MV 90' (30'), Save NM

The plague children were the offspring of men and women who perished in a cruel and tortuous enclave for the diseased. The children escaped the colony and found shelter and refuge within the caverns. They attack with clubs and daggers, but whoever comes within 60' of any of the plague children have a 25% chance of contracting the plague unless a successful saving throw is made. If a player contracts the plague, they will infect the other members of the party after ten rounds. Symptoms of the plague appear within 6-10 days. Symptoms include dizziness, vomiting, memory loss, loss of feeling in extremities, fever, wild hallucinations, and explosive diarrhea. Players with plague-symptoms will be unable to do anything but rest. The sufferer must make a saving throw each week vs. disease at a penalty of 1d6. If the saving throw is unsuccessful, the character dies a horrible death, vomiting blood and necrotic tissue. If slain, the remains of the children are still infectious. They will not attack unless threatened, but will ask for food and water in exchange for information (most of which, will be false).

2. RAT THINGS

(6-18)-AC 7, HD 1/2 (2 hp) #AT 1, D 1 -4 MV 120' (60') Save NM 

Rat Things are the horrible hybrid of rodent and halfling. Rumored to be an abominable creation of Zog himself, the lower vaults and caverns are teeming with these strange 2' high creatures. They have very low intelligence and will only attack if provoked, or if a player casts any magical spell in their presence. 

3. BLUE SKELETONS

(3-12)-AC 7, HD 1-1, #AT 1, D var by weapon, MV 60' (20'), Save F1

Throughout the winding corridors and caverns of Cytheron, the animated remains of long-dead warriors wander in search of the living. They carry longswords and spears and will attack on sight. Zog the Sullen had raised these undead warriors as his own personal guard. The skeletons have a strange blue tint to their bones and will appear slightly phosphorescent in the dark. The blue skeletons cannot be turned no matter how high the cleric level. The strange blue coating on the bones is extremely flammable and will catch fire if too close to a source of flame. While ignited, skeletons will still attack and move as usual with the flames going out in 2 rounds.

4. BERSERKERS

(1-4* see below) AC 7, HD 1 +1', #AT 1, D 1-8 or by weapon, MV 90' (30'), Save F1

Nomadic berserkers have been exploring Cytheron for several days. They are seeking any artifacts that may have been taken off the bodies of their slain dead in Stranathon's many battles with their barbarian kin.

There's a 25% chance that a Berserker Chieftain will be among them.

BERSERKER CHIEFTAIN

(1-2) AC 5, HD 2, #AT 1, D 1-8 or by weapon, MV 90' (30'), Save F2 

The Berserker Chieftains wear full burnished plate mail and usually fight with a morning star or flail. They will always carry a shield, giving them a total AC of 5. The Chieftains will speak multiple languages including common, goblin, elvish and their own tribal dialects.

5. MOUNTAIN GOBLINS

(1 -4)-AC 6, HD 1, #AT 1, D 1 -4, 1-6 or by weapon, MV 90' (30'), Save F1

Hordes of Mountain Goblins were enslaved to help construct Cytheron. Some say that most of them were lost in the darkness of the caverns far beneath. Many Goblins still dwell within the interior and seek intruders to kill and eat. Mountain Goblins wear spiked leather armor with wrist gauntlets that they can swing for 1d4 points of damage. They also carry crude swords and knives.

6. INSECTOID WANDERER

(1-2)-AC 9, HD 1/2, hp 2,2, #AT 1, D poison, MV 60' (20'), Save NM

Random giant insect creatures - 2' - 4' long - giant crickets or centipedes. There are massive hives of these clicking and whirring beasties hidden away in the darkest caverns of Cytheron.

7. PARTY OF NPCs

This should be an exact reverse duplicate of the party. For example if a player's character is a lawful female fighter, they will encounter a chaotic male fighter. Races, armor class, hit points will all be the same. The NPC party also has the same mission and will readily agree to combine forces and share information until a chance at treachery will reveal itself. As a wandering monster, only 2 of the NPC party will appear and will then call upon the rest of their group. 

8. THE WANDERING WITCHES

As Level 1 Magic User - AC 7, HD 1, (4 hp)  #AT 1, dagger 1-4 or spell, MV 90' (30'), Save MU1

Three young women have been reported missing. Many in the nearby town of Gristwallow say that three young women with red hair wandered into the caves. Those who are close to the young women say that they are witches who are seeking artifacts of Zog's magical workings. All three of them wander the caverns alone. Each wears an amulet that casts an instant Charm Person spell. Players must save at -1d4 to resist. Each young woman can cast the following spells - Magic Missile, Telepathy, Sleep, Detect Evil. The witches will tell the party that they need help finding the other two and they also need help overcoming any barriers or locked doors within the corridors. They will also come and go as they please, usually vanishing while the party is engaged in combat. Their names are Tessaree, Ancharun, and Bree.

9. HOBGOBLIN

(1-2) AC 6 HD 1+1 # Attacks 1, by weapon, MV 60' (20'), SV F1

The Hobgoblins were used by Stranathon and Zog to keep the Goblin slaves in line. They still search the corridors of Cytheron seeking their lower Goblin quarry. They will attack players on sight. They carry longswords (1d8 damage) and whips and nets. Each wears studded leather armor and carries a large shield. 

10. SASQUANATH

(1-2)-AC 5, HD 1, #AT 2, D 1-4/1-4, MV 80' (40'), Save F2

Feral bipedal beasts covered in coarse yellow, brown or gray fur. They attack with two large claws. The Sasquanath is a relative of the Sasquatch of folklore and myth. Several of these creatures wander the darkness of Cytheron. Zog had several of them locked in the dungeon where he attempted to train them into doing his bidding. 

B1 Hack - Into Cytheron Background

Zog the Sullen & Stranathon the Blood-Washed

Many years ago, there were two tight bros - Zog the Sullen and Stranathon the Blood-Washed. Zog was a powerful mage and Stranathon was a warrior without peer. Together they faced many challenges and many foes, adventures that had soon passed into legend.
Zog and Stranathon enslaved thousands to build a swanky underground hideout together constructed a hidden headquarters and base of operations deep within the Mountain of the Menstruating Moon - a labyrinth of chambers and caverns called Cytheron, named after the Moon Goddess.
In the great wars against the Barbarians of the Wintermoon, Zog and Stranathon helped lead the free people of the land to victory. Afterwards, they took all of their retainers and sellswords to invade the Northern Kingdoms of Frost.

Barbarians of the Wintermoon

Rumors tell of a great battle in the North where Stranathon and Zog met their demise. It is said that the demonic beings that Zog had long courted aided the armies of the north. If only someone had the knowledge and wherewithal to find their hideaway, there would be great things to explore! And who knows what riches of wealth and magic might be there for the taking?

Hoodlum Adventurers

Over time however, the hideout had been discovered. The Caves of Cytheron became a place for local youths to smoke black lotus and drink hallucinatory elixers. For witches and rogue mages to seek traces of Zog's magical workings. However, none could find the way into the depths of the stronghold, much less the oft-rumored caverns beneath. Furthermore, gangs of mysterious brigands and berserkers had been seen within the entry halls and in the rocky passes among the Mountain of the Menstrual Moon. 

In the nearby city of Gristwallow, rumors of Cytheron abound -

1. The name of the stronghold is Cythereon. It is named after the moon goddess and has been built as a symbol of her glory.
2. Zog had a secret chamber in the stronghold where he performed dark rituals and powerful magical workings.
3. The shadowy figures seen going into and coming out of the dungeon are Xyglian cultists.
4. Zog and Stranathon had several slaves to do the menial work, and were imprisoned at the stronghold.
5. The complex has twenty levels.
6. The skeletons with blue bones cannot be turned.
7. The complex has a rear exit which is secret and well hidden.
8. There is a woman who lives deep within the caverns who grants wishes.
9. Strange sasquatch creatures have moved into the complex in the absence of its normal inhabitants.
10. There are portals to other worlds inside the caverns.
11. The very walls speak to visitors.
12. An enchanted stone within the stronghold will grant a wish to anyone who chips off a piece of it and places it within their mouth.
13. Stranathon & Zog still live within the caverns and watch the trials of unwary travelers and adventurers for their amusement.
14. A coven of red-haired witches entered the caverns in recent weeks, and did not return.
15. There is a gold mine on one of the lower levels of the caves.
16. Anyone who dies within the walls of Cytheron can never be restored to life by any means.
17. There is an entire brood of dragons nesting in Cytheron. 
18. Cytheron is suffused with raw magic, making spells more powerful when cast within. 
19. Stranathon was a cannibal who had a fully-staffed kitchen in Cytheron dedicated to the butchering and culinary preperation of his enemies.
20. Tribes of Goblins have taken up refuge within the complex.

INTO CYTHERON is a re-imagining of the original 1979 D&D adventure module "In Search of the Unknown". Some names, concepts and inspirations have been also gleaned from Jack Shear's "Devilmount" Hail to the Anti Pope!

The Hobgoblin Queen's Birthday - The Throne of Ngorluz

Although the Great Map Contest over at Tenkar's Tavern is over. I still wanted to share my notes and ideas for the wonderful Dyson map - The Rose River

THE HOBGOBLIN QUEEN'S BIRTHDAY

or

PARTY TIME ON THE ROSE RIVER

~Part Three~

THE THRONE OF NGORLUZ

A 

1d10 Bugbear Guards with long blowguns and scimitars

B

Lair of the Bruggler. He will attack passing ships with a large trident and club. In his lair are several humans and goblinoids shackled to the wall. If freed, they will help lead a revolt against the Ngorluz and her court.

C

Patrols of Goblins and River Dwarves on the bridge with composite bows and flaming arrows of course. Beneath the bridge are two ogres with clubs who will amush and destroy any passing boats.

D

The Entry Hall

This cavern is blocked by a large iron gate. A goblin in a spiked helm sits here in a cage. When given the password, he blows a whistle to an ogre who tugs a massive chain to open the gate.

E

Two long tables are here covered with all manner of brightly colored packages. Gifts for the Queen. At least five of the parcels are explosive. One large package holds 1d20 angry stirges and another holds a quasit. The punch bowl contains a thick, purple liquid. If disturbed, a purple-berry punch water weird erupts from the bowl.

F

The Throne Room of Ngorluz

The room is filled with thick, greasy smoke from burning torches and braziers. A huge throng has crowded in to pay homage to the Hobgoblin Queen. Ngorluz sits upon a throne made of bones, broken spears and swords, shields and scraps of wood. She drinks from a large iron helmet which may or may not still have the remains of a head inside.

Ngorluz is 7 feet tall, she has four arms, four breasts, large tusk-like fangs that jut out from between her lips. Her hair is long and black and bristly. It hangs in thick ropy braids down to her knees.

Ngorluz's court -

1d20 Hobgoblins

2d20 Goblins

1d10 Bugbears

2d10 feral jackals

1d6 Brugglers

1d4 Ogres

1d4 Hobgoblin Champions

1d4 Hobgoblin Witches

1d4 Hobgoblin Shaman

If Ngorluz's life is in danger, she will teleport herself outside to where her barge is waiting at G

G

The Landing

Ngorluz's barge is a large craft made up of bits and pieces of shipwrecks. She sits on a large wooden throne and shouts orders to her crew of 16 men, ogres, and large goblinoids who take up the oars.

Another 1d20 archers man the rails and an ogre stands at the stern with a large pole to help steer the barge. He also carries a large whip and a pole with a sharp metal hook at the end.

Ngorluz's royal bodyguards are also present on the boat. They are 1d4 Bruggers and 1d4 Bugbears.

Bruggler info is here. 

Ragnar - Bugbear God of Death by Remo di Sconzi

Ngorluz by Me

The Hobgoblin Queen's Birthday - The Jade Consort

Entry for Tenkar Tavern's Grand Original Map Contest - Part Two "The Jade Consort"

THE HOBGOBLIN QUEEN'S BIRTHDAY

or

PARTY TIME ON THE ROSE RIVER

~Part Two~

THE JADE CONSORT

Among the gifts given to Ngorluz the Hobgoblin Queen on her birthday is the legendary "Jade Consort" - The grinning skull of an ancient sorceress queen, her head still bearing a jade crown. 

It was said that the queen was the ritual consort of a powerful demon lord, and he had given her the crown as a gift. When she wore the crown, she could summon her lover from the lower planes at will.

Few have ever acquired it, and fewer have been able to master it's power.

After taking the skull from its intricate box, the user places a kiss upon the skull's hideous grin and one of the following is instantly summoned. 

01-05 Jealous Succubus

06-10 Night Hag

11-15 Quasit

16-20 Githyanki strike team (1d4) in search of the Skull

21-30 Random witch or warlock wandering the planes upon a flying carpet

31-35 Mind Flayers

36-40 Githzerai strike team (1d4) in search of the Skull

41-45 2 Rakshasa Nobles with their court and retainers

46-50 Skull shatters into hundreds of razor sharp bits, causing 1d10 damage to everyone in 50' radius

51-60 1d6 Type V Demons

61-65 Lovesick Lich, former admirer of long-dead sorceress queen

66-70 Murderous Banshee

71-75 1d20 Manes Demons 

76-80 Efreeti
81-85 Black Dragon
86-90 Seriously Jealous Succubus
91-95 Beholder
96-00 Elder Demon Lord

"Justice" by Yana

Given to Ngorluz as a tribute to her power and beauty? Or is this a very unusual assassination attempt?

The Hobgoblin Queen's Birthday - The Bruggler

Entry for Tenkar Tavern's Grand Original Map Contest - Part One "New Creature - THE BRUGGLER"

THE HOBGOBLIN QUEEN'S BIRTHDAY

or

PARTY TIME ON THE ROSE RIVER

~Part One~

THE BRUGGLER

BRUGGLER

Armor Class: 4

Hit Dice: 8+1

Move: 120' (40')

No. of Attacks: 1

Damage: 2d8 or by weapon (+1d8)

No. Appearing: 1d4

Save as: F8

Morale: 10

The loathsome offspring of a greater hobgoblin witch and a bugbear chieftain, a bruggler stands 8-10' tall, has the mottled orange and gray skin associated with a hobgoblin, but with coarse, black hair like their bugbear lineage. 

They are found in dark forests and ruins, often acting as bodyguards for goblinoid chieftains and kings. Some small packs of brugglers will also lurk beneath bridges or near bodies of water. They are fond of raiding boats and drowning the passengers. 

In addition to using their immense strength to choke the life out of their victims, brugglers use various weapons including scimitars, scythes, hammers, and large two-handed swords. Brugglers use their claws for 2d8 damage and recieve a +1d8 bonus to damage when using a weapon. They can also throw large rocks for 2d6 damage with a range of 20 feet.

Two-headed brugglers are rare, but they are always revered as divine. A two-headed bruggler will almost always be a spell caster at the 10-12th level. When a bruggler pack is encountered, there is a 5% chance that a two-headed "Great One" will be among them. They can cast spells, but can also wield any weapon, favoring curved serrated blades. 

On the Rose River, a pack of brugglers lie in wait in the Sandy Grotto to the north east. They will ambush any watercraft on the river that approaches the Hobgoblin Queen's lair. 

Also guarding the river will be - 

1d6 river dwarf berserkers

1d6 bugbear river commandos 

1d8 hobgoblin sentinels armed with blowguns

1d10 goblin archers with flaming arrows

1d10 feral jackals

It's Here! Dyson's Delves

My copy of the Dyson's Delve ltd edition hardback came today. It's a little smaller than I was expecting, but it will fit nicely along side my copy of Vornheim.
Fantastic stuff in here! I'm thinking about making a dust jacket for it and printing a large map on the back with the key on the flaps and back cover.
Also I think I can glue and fold in a large reproduction of one of the maps I intend to use.
This book is going to see some action.

Oh and I am so writing in this thing, it's not even a question. 

Omerta - This Thing of Ours

So I had a hook and I had a great NPC and a fantastic climax to the adventure. That was about it. Here's what I got. Fill in the rest.

The Hook:
The adventurers run afoul of the local guild of thieves - which is actually a fairly large and prosperous criminal network. The head of the guild is a ruthless and feared crime boss and he's going to make them an offer they can't refuse.

CRIME BOSS:
Bill Burrows
Halfling

Bill (aka Billy Boy, Willy the Rabbit, Bugsy Burrows, Will D. Mancer, Billy No-Shoes) Burrows began his life of crime at the age of 13. He was running contraband poisons to the Sisters of Twilight and the Mage's Guild and by the time he was 15 he was stealing holy relics from the Tabernacle of Aslos and selling them on the black market.

In his mid 20's Billy Boy had made his bones in the Royal House of Cavaliers and Clements - the biggest thieves guild in the free kingdoms. He was second to the big man himself, Ordus Spane - King of Thieves. When the church cracked down on crime, Spane was one of the first to go into hiding. When Spane met with an untimely fate, Billy Boy took the big chair and ran the Royal House for over 30 years.

See what Billy Boy could do that no one else in the guild could do, was that he had a cousin in the Imperial Courts. It was a big deal, first halfling to hold a royal rank and there was nothing, I mean nothing, that anyone in the Court could do. It was between the Imperials, it was real greaseball shit. But Billy Boy used that influence to build himself a virtual city of fronts. Legit businesses all over the city were straight with the magistrates and tax collectors, but they all gave a piece of the action back to Billy Boy.

The local sheriffs and constabulary? They were guys on Billy's payroll! I mean, these guys were actual footpads from the guild, but Billy sent his cousin a request for position and it came back approved, every single time. And the good, upstanding guards and knights who weren't on the take? They all loved Billy. Billy made for sure that everyone who wore a sword in town got the softest bread, the freshest meat, and they got all their blacksmithing for free. I mean, who is going to turn that down?

One night, two drunken pirates in town for the festival tried to break into the guild. They caught Billy off guard and cut his legs. The bodyguards dispatched the pirates and burned them alive in the square, but after that Billy couldn't walk. For a while, Billy had to be carried everywhere, and he hated it, so he had some cart wheels put on a throne and he rolled around his estate. A team of builders built him a brand new house, a palatial mansion on a hill, except there weren't any stairs. Everywhere was ramps, all through the place. If you were called for a conference, he'd come rolling down at you, shaking his cane and screaming. Then you had to push him back up, all through the house. It was exhausting.

that shit don't work here man

Billy Boy had it made, until, the bottom fell out.

Billy's cousin Boyd got caught in a bad situation. They caught him trying to burn the evidence of one of Billy's bigger takes. The clergy, the bishops, everyone demanded that Boyd be put on trial and kicked out of the Imperial Court. To make matters worse, Billy caught Boyd with one of his girlfriends on a long weekend in the Bright Wood. So Boyd had a choice, give up Billy and the Organization and stay in the Court with his mistress, or face a long, hard trial and possible life imprisonment, which of course, would be unthinkable for a venerable halfling facing 130 years of age.

It was Billy who decided to get out of town and he needed some "impartial" persons to escort him and his servant safely. The adventurers had run afoul of the guild and Billy offers them a choice, help him get out of town or be dropped into a pit and be eaten by wolves.

The adventurers disguise Billy as a child and begin their long journey to freedom...

THE EXCITING CLIMAX:

Billy looked down at the massive frost giant's shield that lay in the snow. The howling of wolves and the barking of the dogs got louder, echoing through the icy air.

"What are we waiting for!? Get on!" Billy shouts and the party climb aboard the massive shield.

The grim-faced Chester Madsen stands atop the hill with his dogs. He spits on the snow.

"This ends now Billy!" He shouts. "You can't run forever!"

Billy grins "I'll see you in the seven hells you son of a pig bitch!"

The shield rockets down the mountain like a massive sled, faster and faster it streaks across the snow. The archers fire arrows after the party, but they are too far down the mountain...

...and that's all I got.

Crow Jane

Crow Jane

Crow Jane is the disembodied spirit of an ancient and powerful witch. Her real name has been long forgotten but she is called Crow Jane after her ability to shape shift into a murder of crows. She can also appear as a bent crone in a black cowl or occasionally as a young, raven-haired woman.

Jane acts as a spy and informant for some unknown entity who has granted her eternal life in exchange for her services. She lurks in dark woods, ruins, and fens luring lost travelers to a grisly fate. Jane usually keeps a horde of her victims' remains (especially their rotting hearts) and whatever valuables in the hollow of a tree. She uses these in her vile rituals she preforms to please her master(s).

She can sometimes be pressed for information, especially by handsome men, but is immune to any magical charms. 

She can cast Charm Person, Confusion, Curse, and Polymorph Self/Others as a 10th level magic user.

AC: 10 / 1 (in crow form)

Move: 120' (40') / Flying: 180' (60')

Attacks: variable

HD: 10 (40 hit points)

save as 10th level magic user

In human form, Jane will attack with her gnarled hands to try and choke her foes (1d6), and she also attacks with a long staff. She looks frail but is very strong (1d8). Jane also carries a long dagger which she uses to slit the throats of those unwise to turn their backs on her. (1d6) She can also backstab as a 10th level thief.

If Jane suffers more than 10 points of damage in any number of rounds, she will transform herself into crows and leave the melee.

What's This All About Then?

First we played D&D because, everyone played D&D. It was the earliest of 80s then. We had to sneak into my friend's older brother's bedroom to get the dice. Like ninjas we had to move over that shag carpet. So I had drawn the short straw, and I was sneaking over that thick shag pile and slipped into my friend Dave's older brother's room. Dave had two older brothers. The oldest had centerfolds on his walls and a surfboard. The middle brother had samurai swords, blacklight posters, Rush albums, and more D&D shit that you ever saw outside of a King Normans or a Happy Hobby.

So I had been walking over the carpet in my new Keds, and there I was in the middle brother's room. You know how when you are a kid, everyone slightly older than you looks decades older? Dave's older brother looked like he was 40 years old. He had a thick porno mustache and drove a Camero. On the waterbed was the family cat, a big white bastard bitch who eyed me suspiciously. I was just a few feet away from the dresser where about a million dice were sorted into various mason jars and beer mugs. I felt the cat's eyes on me, so I reached out and gave her a pat.
Well with my new shoes and that thick carpet, I had generated a ton of static electricity and shocked the hell out of that poor cat. It leaped into the air while simultaneously shredding my hand and arm with a frantic windmill attack.

I grabbed the die and tried to hold back my screams of pain. My hand was bloody.
The cat bolted into the den, where the older brother was smoking a Camel while watching an RCA videodisc of Excalibur. I tried to quietly shut the door behind me and get back out to the garage before the older brother appeared.

My friends hailed my safe return and I showed them my hand. I held a cold can of Shasta Cola against it and the game began. Had I been caught, the brother would have put me in a headlock and held that cigarette close enough to my skin until I yelped.

The Tomb of Horrors was nothing compared to that suburban Eichler of real terror that we endured.

My friends moved away and then I moved away, and I became more interested in girls and punk rock and skateboarding to care about D&D anymore. Although, a perpetual loner who spent lunch period in the library, I tore through those Dragonlance books. There was something very different about those novels than anything my friends and I played. There was a glossy sheen upon the overall aesthetic. One that hadn't been there before. When I looked through some of the 2nd Edition stuff when it hit the shelves, it didn't look like D&D at all. The new books felt like, well, they felt like school. They looked and felt like textbooks.

I played Palladium for a while, but that never possessed me to go out, buy graph paper and fresh black pens and pencils and create a vast ruined city that I would have done over and over in my earlier days. There was nothing about it that fired my imagination. It was much more structured than I was used to playing. The rules had a certain cumbersome quality to it. Like when we tried to play the Iron Crown games.

I played some of the White Wolf stuff too, but really, I only played those games to try and meet goth girls who were into gaming.

I don't know what it was, but when D&D 3rd edition came out, I was all over that shit. I spent a couple nights during the week playing with a group that met at a local pizza joint. I'd get off work, drink beer and eat pizza while tearing through the newly renovated Temple of Elemental Evil. I wrote a column about gaming for a local fanzine. When "Living Greyhawk" was launched, I went to hotel conference rooms and game shop back rooms and ran my character Eryon Longshadow through the fucking wringer in the dullsville Theocracy of the Pale. But I showed up, got my little slips of paper that represented my Amulet of the Phostwood and Masterwork Composite Bow, and kept them in a little binder.

But anyway, Eryon died. Killed on a double critical by an Orc battleaxe. Ah well. By this point I wanted to run my own games again. The desire for the "Old Edition Feel" with the new slick d20 rules had become very popular and all the new indie publishers that sprang up inspired me.

I submitted stories to Dragon and Dungeon (which were kindly rejected, but always with the encouragement to send more) and I started working on my first real module. By this stage in my life I had racked up quite a few unfinished novels and short stories that were perfect for scaling into adventures.

Escapism is hard to escape into long enough to create a lasting project. Family, college, work, life, all conspire against such creativity, but perhaps here on this blog I can dole some of my ideas out in bits and pieces.

Currently I am running a Labyrinth Lord campaign with three friends who weren't alive when I got my first D&D basic set. They're used to enormous books of feats and skills that control every aspect of every player's movement. What it's really about, and what has drawn me in, time and time again, is the "collaborative storytelling" aspect of role playing games. Breathing life into the backgrounds of those worlds we create together.

Good day.