Harlan Ellison

Say what you will about the man, his stories were inspired/inspiring. Probably this intro by Asimov from Dangerous Visions best encapsulates some of the salient points about Ellison, besides its kinda funny.

Anniversary of Release

Might be time to re-watch this [yet again].

Caverns of Thracia

Its seems like forever since the last post. Which is kinda true. Haven't had the inclination to post anything for a while now. The FtF game has switched over to Swords & Wizardry and we're currently going through B2 Keep on the Borderlands and have just started The Caverns of Thracia. The Keep has been covered previously in this blog, so we'll look at the Caverns of Thracia instead. Since the group is still in the midst of this adventure I won't post too much but thought to cover some of the basics.
The Caverns of Thracia is considered by many to be a classic old school adventure from none other than Paul/Jennell Jaquays. While this might be true the actual maps in the adventure are somewhat confusing. This has been documented in various places and is not something new that is being pointed out. A good clarification of some of the interconnections of the maps can be found here.

I have the original module from back in the days of the Compleat Strategist in Montclair. While going over the adventure in preparation of running this I found the need to revise/update the maps to have a better grasp of the various interconnected levels/rooms/passages. While I do this as a matter of routine when starting any new adventure this proved to be more than just my passing need to re-do the maps in old school blue in this case. You can see some of the areas explored thus far by the group on the map in blue.

Compare this to the original;

Not that radical of a difference but the DM version has some more detail/info than what's shown in the published version. At least the old/original that I have. From what I'm given to understand the maps have been re-done and are much clearer these days in the newer version for sale. The first level map has been posted in more than a few places, so I'm not really giving anything away here. 

A good level 1 treatment of the map/adventure can be found here if anyone's interested.

Margot Kidder

National Parks in the Style of Tolkien's Middle Earth Maps

Two things that go great together, for me at least, are maps and Tolkien. That seems to be the case for Dan Bell, an English artist who maps his homeland's national parks in an artistic style similar to the one in which Tolkien rendered Middle-Earth.

 visit his site.

 visit his site.

He works from open source maps, adding in such additional details, not always found in most national parks, as forests, Hobbit holes, towers, and castles. He's adapted the national parks of the United Kingdom as well as places like Oxford, London, Yellowstone National Park, and George R.R. Martin’s Westeros.

Just a disclaimer since he sells these maps, I'm not associated with him in any way.

City of Greyhawk [available again]

Granted its 2e, but still  good to be back. 

From the description:

Available now in print on demand formats:
The City of Greyhawk (2e)

From the high towers of its grand universities to the rancid alleys of its darkest slums, the City of Greyhawk awaits you. Center of magic and learning in the Flanaess, Greyhawk is also the home of powerful thieves, mighty warriors, traitorous ambassadors, and honest craftsmen.
They all await you within the pages of this information-packed boxed set.

You get four full-size, full-color maps, each depicting a different aspect of the Greyhawk campaign. Two 96-page books give you a detailed overview of the city and a closer look at its more influential citizens - and its more notorious criminals.

& Magazine #14 - Animal Companions

Download Magazine

This issue features:
Included in this issue include feature articles:
Animal Amalgamations
Animal Companions …
Dogs of the Lakelands

Bonus articles:
Political Treasures in D&D
Ability Checks: Are You Doing It Wrong?
Making the ‘God Call’

and Regular Columns:
Town Maps: Library and Records Hall
Gilderlo Hippogriffs
Who Let The Dogs Out?
A Plethora of Ideas
New Weapons VIII – Siege Weaponry
Brewmaster: Extraordinary Holy Symbols