S - Series Reprints

As with the A-series I assume most of you already know about this, but if not here's the full  WotC article.

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Dungeons of Dread

S-Series

Wizards RPG Team

Dungeons of Dread is a hardcover collection of four classic, stand-alone Advanced Dungeons & Dragons adventure modules -- S1: Tomb of Horrors, S2: White Plume Mountain, S3: Expedition to the Barrier Peaks, and S4: The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth -- complete with original black-and-white interior art.
S1: Tomb of Horrors: In the far reaches of the world, under a lost and lonely hill, lies the sinister Tomb of Horrors. This labyrinthine crypt is filled with terrible traps, strange and ferocious monsters, rich and magical treasures, and somewhere within rest the evil Demi-Lich.
S2: White Plume Mountain: It has always been a subject of superstitious awe to the neighboring villagers. People still travel many miles to gaze upon this natural wonder, though few will approach it closely, as it is reputed to be the haunt of various demons and devils. The occasional disappearance of those who stray too close to the Plume reinforces this belief. Now, the former owners of Wave, Whelm and Blackrazor are outfitting a group of intrepid heroes to take up the challenge of recovering these magical weapons from White Plume Mountain.
S3: Expedition to the Barrier Peaks: From the preface by Gary Gygax: "This module was begun early in 1976 when TSR was contemplating publication of a science fantasy role playing game. Jim Ward had already shown us some rough notes on Metamorphosis Alpha I thought it would be a splendid idea to introduce Jim’s game at Origins II, and introduce the concept to D&DO players by means of the tournament scenario. I laid out the tournament from old “Greyhawk Castle” campaign material involving a spaceship, and Rob Kuntz helped me to populate the ruined vessel."
S4: The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth: In the Yatil Mountains south of Perrenland there is rumored to be a magical hoard of unsurpassed value, a treasure of such fame that scores of adventurers have perished in search of it. Find the perilous Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth and you may gain the hidden wealth of the long-dead arch-mage—if you live!

Item Details
Release Date: March 19, 2013
Format: Hardcover
Price: $39.95
ISBN: 978-0-7869-6461-1

A-Series Reprint

I assume most people know about this already, but if not here's the full  WotC article.

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Against the Slave Lords  - A-Series

Against the Slave Lords is a hardcover collection of four classic Advanced Dungeons & Dragons adventure modules that form a series -- A1: Slave Pits of the Undercity, A2: Secret of the Slavers Stockade, A3: Assault on the Aerie of the Slave Lords, and A4: In the Dungeons of the Slave Lords -- complete with original black-and-white interior art.
Added to the collection is an all-new fifth adventure -- A0: Danger at Darkshelf Quarry -- that you can use to kick off an AD&D campaign that pits a group of adventurers against the evil Slave Lords! Module A0, designed for levels 1-3, sets the stage for events that unfold throughout the remainder of the "A" series.
A1: Slave Pits of the Undercity: It is time to put a stop to the marauders! For years the coastal towns have been burned and looted by the forces of evil. You and your fellow adventurers have been recruited to root out and destroy the source of these raids—as hundreds of good men and women have been taken by the slavers and have never been seen or heard from again!
A2: Secret of the Slavers Stockade: The battle against the slavers continues! You and your fellow adventurers have defeated the slavers of Highport, but you have learned of the existence of another slaver stronghold, and you have decided to continue the attack. But beware! Only the most fearless of adventurers could challenge the slavers on their own ground, and live to tell of it!
A3: Assault on the Aerie of the Slave Lords: Into the Drachengrab Mountains! Hot on the trail of the marauding slavers, you and your fellow adventurers plunge deep into hostile Hills. Spurred on by your past success, you now seek the heart of the slaver conspiracy. But hurry! You must move quickly before the slavers recover from your previous forays and attack!
A4: In the Dungeons of the Slave Lords: Trapped in the dungeons of the Slave Lords! The hardy adventurers must find a way out, with only their wits and courage to help them. But can they do it before everything is destroyed by the dreaded Earth Dragon?

Item Details
Release Date: June 18, 2013
Format: Hardcover
Price: $39.95
ISBN: 978-0-7869-6462-8

WotC A-Series Art Contest

This is something that caught my eye over at Wizards;

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As you know, we'll be releasing a premium collection of the AD&D A-series adventures (Against the Slave Lords) but don’t want to go at it alone. We know D&D adventures are unique to the individuals playing them and can become that much more of a visceral play experience when they’re accompanied by compelling illustrations. That’s where you come in.
Using the AD&D A-series adventures (A1 – Slave Pits of the Undercity, A2 – Secret of the Slavers Stockade, A3 - Assault on the Aerie of the Slave Lords, A4 - In the Dungeons of the Slave Lords,) as your inspiration, we are asking you to:

• Create an homage to an existing piece of art from the cover or interior of the original A-series adventures. Take the same content and give your own take on the image;



• OR pick any character, villain, monster or place described in any of the A-series adventures and give your take on them.

Submissions will be judged by:

• Adherence to these guidelines (50%)
• Originality (25%)
• Creativity (25%)



• Sure, style is important, but creative, evocative expressions are also important to us, whether that means photorealistic artwork, old school line-art, or even clever cartoons.



• Most importantly, have fun.

Contest begins on January 14, 2013 and closes at midnight on February 10, 2013.
All artwork must be created as a B&W image. You can use any medium or software, but the submitted image must be a jpg saved at the highest quality possible, at least 4” on its shortest side, and no larger than 17” on its longest side.
Judging will be done by our illusive panel of judges:

• Jon Schindehette, Senior Creative Director
• Chris Perkins, D&D Senior Producer
• Mike Mearls, Senior Manager, D&D R&D
• Chris Lindsay, Associate Brand Manager
• And you!

Yep, you get a voice in this too. We’ll post the submissions, and the public votes will be combined with the votes of the other judges to choose the winners.
Winning entries will be published in Against the Slave Lords, releasing in June 2013.
We’re not just looking for art from professional artists. We’re looking for anything that meets the guidelines. No skills at drawing? That’s okay. Just make it original, creative and fun.

How to Enter

To enter the A-Series Art Contest, simply head over to our official Facebook page!
See official rules for more details.

Bags of Holding - visual reference

  As the saying goes a picture is worth ...

This image is from Ross' Roleplaying Resources blog where he created the above graphic to better illustrate the more common magical solutions to a party's encumbrance problems. Definitely puts it into a better perspective, for me anyway.

Star Wars Trilogy as Maps

Caught this from  Justin Page.

Aside from being a big Star Wars fan - original trilogy, these are just way cool maps of the films.
I thought I'd share them, also since I lose a lot of bookmarks every so often, this should hopefully remedy that.



Philadelphia artist and teacher Andrew DeGraff illustrated a great series of maps that each represent a film from the original Star Wars trilogy: A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. They were created for his upcoming gallery show with artist Bennett Slater opening on Saturday, January 5th at Gallery 1988 in Los Angeles.

Each character is represented as a colored line, and follows their progress through the entire film. The alternating colored lines represent characters traveling together who have a special bond, sometimes for only a short time. I’m also doing all three of the first Indiana Jones movies.

images via  /Film, GeekTyrant, Nerd Approved

Hex Mapping and Scale

 The Hydra's Grotto In Praise of the 6 Mile Hex caught my attention today.

Aside from this pretty graphic he made a very reasonable argument for its use. He's not the only one expounding on the merits of wilderness hexes. A while back Chgowiz was talking about wilderness hexes(sorry that link is now dead). As well as Bat in the Attic who's been playing with hexes too here and here(and Chgowiz got Stirgessuck thinking a bit).

I used to be a big fan of the 5 mile hex as published by Judges Guild. Since I'm using Darlene's Greyhawk map and  that scale is 10 leagues (or 30 miles) per hex. Up 'till now the 5 mile hex has worked out very well, but then again so does 6 mile hexes. Sooo, after reviewing all of that info I might just be revisiting the smaller blow up hexes that I've been using and see about rescaling them from 5 miles to 6 miles.

Stan Lee Birthday: The Comic Genius Turns 90

Check the full article here

Posted: 12/28/2012 5:17 am EST  |  Updated: 12/28/2012 12:39 pm EST

Today is the birthday of comic genius and wily television personality, Stanley Lieber, better known as Stan Lee. The Marvel writer and editor behind works such as "The Amazing Spiderman" and "The Incredible Hulk" is turning 90 years old this Friday, December 28.
A young Stanley Lieber began his comic career at Timely Comics in 1939 in New York. His initial duties included proofreading, erasing pencil marks and filling inkwells, but two years after this drudgery he enjoyed his first text-filler job in a 1941 issue of "Captain American Comics," writing under the pseudonym Stan Lee.
His first real career break arrived at 19 years old, when Timely editor Joe Simon and his creative partner Jack Kirby left the company. Lee was subsequently given the post of interim editor, but it was his talent for writing and imagining epic heroes that earned him the permanent position of editor-in-chief, a seat he would occupy until 1972 when he was made publisher of Timely's later evolution, Marvel Comics.
Lee's truly creative era began in the late 1950s, however, when DC Comics spurred a trend in superhero stories, courtesy of characters like the Flash and the Justice League of America. Lee was given the task of creating a team of heroes similar to JLA for Marvel, the result of which was the Fantastic Four. Working mostly with Kirby as well as with Bill Everett and Steve Ditko, Lee went on to devise personalities like the Hulk, Iron Man, Thor, the X-Men, Daredevil, Doctor Strange and, of course, the Amazing Spider-Man.

In his later career, Lee dabbled in work for DC Comics, refashioning heroes like Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern and Flash for a series called, "Just Imagine..." His most recent endeavor is a new YouTube channel, aptly named "Stan Lee's World of Heroes."
I'd like to wish Mr. Lee a very happy 90th birthday.