On Fourth of July weekend, I’ll be heading across the mighty Hudson River
to the hinterlands of Northern New Jersey for DEXCON, specifically to take
part in OSWARP (Old School Wargames and Role-Playing) mini-convention. It will
be playtests galore as I bring the first two parts of The Four Phantasmagorias DCC RPG adventure series to the table, and
the second playtest of my upcoming METAMORPHOSIS ALPHA adventure. Event
registration is now live, so if you’re in the tri-state area and looking for
some Old-School gaming (and are free Fourth of July weekend), consider coming
on down.
In addition to my own humble presence with DCC RPG and MA, old-school games
such as D6 Star Wars, classic Traveller, Swords & Wizardry, Stars Without
Number, OD&D, AD&D, Adventures Dark & Deep, Call of Cthulhu, and
Champions are on tap, as are a bevy of new school games and classic wargames. I’m
still hashing out the details of my weekend, but I’ll certainly be around for
Thursday, Friday, and part of Saturday.
Here’s the scoop on what I’m running:
R0235:
Dungeon Crawl Classics; "The First Phantasmagoria" presented by
Michael Curtis. An OLD SCHOOL Game - Part of the OSWARP Mini-Convention at
DEXCON 17! Strange symbols appear on you flesh and the most learned minds in
the realm cannot fathom why. Perhaps those eldritch priests who serve the Great
Dreaming God, Cthulhu, can help decipher them. What could possibly go wrong
there? "The First Phantasmagoria" is the beginning adventure in a
multi-part adventure saga from Goodman Games.Thursday, 8:00PM - 12:00AM; One Round; All Materials Provided. Beginners Welcome; Fun,
All Ages.
R0269:
METAMORPHOSIS ALPHA (1976); "Level of the Lost" presented by Michael
Curtis. An OLD SCHOOL Game - Part of the OSWARP Mini-Convention at DEXCON 17! A
formerly sealed section of the Warden has been opened and rumor has it that one
of the fable command rings awaits beyond the entrance. Does your band of
explorers have what it takes to overcome the hazards of the Level of the Lost
and emerge with this potent artifact? This adventure is highly dangerous, but
highly fun!Friday, 2:00PM - 6:00PM; One Round; All Materials Provided. Beginners Welcome; Fun,
All Ages.
R0288:
Dungeon Crawl Classics; "The Second Phantasmagoria" presented by
Michael Curtis. An OLD SCHOOL Game - Part of the OSWARP Mini-Convention at
DEXCON 17! Venture back to the Drowse to enter the Forest of Childish Delights.
Inside lies another part of your quest for the Four Phantasmagorias. But things
(and people) turn weird once they cross the verge of the woods, so be forewarned.
This may make overcoming the eclectic collection of enemies birthed from
bloodstained fairy tales a tad difficult to overcome. "The Second
Phantasmagoria" is the second adventure in a multi-part adventure saga
from Goodman Games.Friday, 8:00PM - 12:00AM; One Round; All Materials Provided. Beginners Welcome; Fun,
All Ages.
Hope to see some familiar
faces (I know I will just looking at the folks who are running games) and to
meet new gamers. Feel free to bring stuff for me to deface if you want my
scrawl on something. Depending on my final schedule, I may actually play something
this time around, too.
There is a Kickstarter currently
underway for my forthcoming DCC RPG adventure DCC
#83 The Chained Coffin. Why is Goodman Games conducting a Kickstarter
rather than simply publishing the adventure as they’ve done eighty-two times
before? Good question.
It began with a little puzzle lock
idea I included in the original manuscript. An ancient and long-sealed door
bears a combination lock puzzle that needs bypassing in order to get through
the mighty valve. My initial plan was to have the puzzle illustrated in three
pictures that could be printed out or photocopied, and then the judge would
assemble the wheel by hand to give to the players to monkey with. Joseph
Goodman thought we could go one better and inquired with the printers whether
it was possible to create such an item and have it included with the adventure.
It was, but it would take a little doing, and thus the Chained Coffin
Kickstarter campaign was launched.
That was the humble beginning of a
project that is now dreaming big dreams and asking the DCC fans for help
achieving that objective. Joseph and I discussed various stretch goals to help
drive the Kickstarter, and I admitted that I had a lot of stories waiting to be
told in the Shudder Mountains, that fantasy Appalachia analog inspired by the
works of Appendix N author, Manly Wade Wellman. I originally told Joseph that
if the adventure proved popular, I’d like to revisit the setting again in a
sequel. If all goes well, I might not have to wait that long.
It has come to pass that The Chained Coffin may be destined for
greater things that a simple 32 pp. adventure. If the fans desire it, The Chained Coffin could become a
mini-campaign boxed set, one that includes a large 11”x17” regional map, a
gazetteer describing the Shudder Mountains, and, in addition to The Chained Coffin adventure, a pair of
secondary adventures designed to begin play in the region as zero-level PCs and
to encounter later in their adventuring careers.
Needless to say, if this “campaign
in a box” idea becomes a reality and is well-received by the fans, it may begin
a new trend with DCC RPG. People have been clamoring for an official DCC RPG
campaign world (whether a new one or a revised version of Aereth, Goodman’s
original campaign world for the 3E DCC adventures) and this could be the first
of several steps to make that happen.
DCC RPG encourages judges to
abandon the notion that the campaign world needs to be a vast, sprawling
expanse filled with countless cities and diverse ecospheres. Instead, DCC RPG
suggests taking a smaller approach and limiting the campaign to a compact
region, like a duchy, a minor stretch of wilderness, or even a single valley.
The Shudder Mountains are precisely this style of world design: a finite area
filled with enough adventuring ideas, unusual locals, and unique critters to
meet the needs of long-term play.
A series of “campaign boxes” would
allow judges to pick and choose what they want to include in their campaign
worlds, rather than be given the full world treatment common to most
pre-packaged fantasy campaigns. To continue with an Appalachian-themed
metaphor, you’d get the patches to make the quilt rather than the whole
blanket, and could assemble them using only the squares of color that catch
your interest. Not into Egyptian-themed adventuring regions? Then there’s no
need to spend the buy that campaign module (although if I wrote that one, I
hope you would anyway). Love the idea of sword-and-planet type adventures? Pick
up the hypothetical “Perils of the Purple Planet” themed set. And so on down
the line.
This way, the folks who want a
sense of a shared campaign world could have one—if they so desired—while the
maniacal homebrewed campaign designer could pick and choose, utilizing material
from the sets that captured their interest whole cloth or just the portions
they liked. It’s an interesting concept and I believe it would be useful to
game masters of not just DCC RPG, but other fantasy games as well.
As it stands now, The
Chained Coffin Kickstarter needs to meet a goal of $36,000 dollars to make
the boxed set a reality. But even if it fails to hit that mark in the
two-weeks-and-change remaining, there’s still a plethora of goodies already
funded. As of this morning, a $30 pledge entitles you to:
1) DCC RPG #83 The Chained Coffin with a special silver foil cover.
2) A stand-alone spinning wheel
puzzle dial along with five other ways to utilize the device in your campaign
beyond the original door lock.
3) Additional source material
including a patron write-up for “Ol’ Blackcloak,” a powerful entity encountered
in the adventure.
4) A mini-gazetteer of the Shudder
Mountains region.
5) Several pages of added random
encounters in the Shudder Mountains.
6) Two full pages of Doug Kovacs’ illustrated player
handouts.
7) Seven alternate versions of the
Bad Lick Beast, another challenging denizen of the Shudder Mountains.
8) Two more pages of player
handouts.
9) A zero-level adventure complete
with Shudder Mountain regional starting occupations.
10) The Almanac of the Shudder
Mountains (working title) that compiles the additional background material into
a single, digest-sized supplement for ease of reference during play. The
Almanac includes several new monsters waiting to meet the players.
Still awaiting funding are:
11) $18,000:The Almanac will be expanded to include Magic of the
Shudder Mountains.
12) $20,000:The Almanac will be upgraded to 24 pages of normal letter-sized
pages, and will be expanded to include even more gazetteer material.
13) $25,000:We'll add in another mini-adventure in the Shudder Mountains
that fills the gap between your level 0 characters and the level 5 Chained
Coffin module.
14) $30,000:The Almanac will be expanded with another 8 pages of gazetteer
material further expanding the Shudder Mountain region.
15) $35,000:We'll print an 11"x17" poster map of the Shudder
Mountains region.
16) $36,000:We'll print a full-color box to hold it all! The Shudder
Mountains gazetteer and adventure path will be complete. This two-part box
(i.e., complete with "box and lid," both in color) will hold your
copy of the module, the Almanac, the poster map, and the bonus mini-adventure.
With some room to spare!
I’m immensely proud
of the work I’ve done with the Shudder Mountains. You can hear me gush about
the project a bit on the latest
Spellburn podcast (note that the stretch goal tiers have been reduced in
cost since that episode was recorded—you get an even better deal for your money!).
It’s not every day one gets the play in a world inspired by the evocative works
of Manly Wade Wellman and transform 1950s Appalachia into a fantasy setting. I
summed up the experience and The Chained
Coffin itself in a piece I penned for last year’s Goodman Games Gen Con
program:
One of the great joys of writing DCC RPG adventures comes from the
game’s commitment to remaining true to the classic pulp-era fantasy and
science-fiction stories that inspired fantasy roleplaying, the so-called “Appendix
N” tales. And while “sword & sorcery” yarns comprise the lion’s share of
Appendix N, they are not the only types of stories found within it. The Chained
Coffin derives its inspiration from American folklore, as perceived through the
atmospheric works of Manly Wade Wellman. You’ll find no kobolds and orcs in The
Chained Coffin, but plenty of restless ghosts, shunned witches and conjure-men,
and devils willing to make a deal at midnight, all set against a backdrop of
superstition-filled mountains and secluded hollows where the still air smells
of pine trees. Heady stuff, indeed, and a far cry from your traditional fantasy
RPG fare.
The Chained Coffin stands as my favorite DCC RPG adventure to
date. The opportunity to create and then dwell for a time within a region more
at home in the eons-old Appalachian Mountains than the fantastical landscapes
of Tolkien, Howard, Moorcock, and Leiber was a designer’s dream. Hopefully, my
personal enjoyment will be shared by you, the judge and player. So gather ‘round
the fire, friends, pass the jug this way, and bend an ear to the music of the
mountains. There are both horrors and wonders waiting in the Deep Hollows and,
if you listen close at midnight, you might just hear a tune or two played on a
lonesome fiddle strung with silver strings…
I’m looking forward
to the opportunity to expand on the material I’ve already conjured up.
Hopefully, if share an interest and want to be part of it, we’ll make the boxed
set a reality. Please share this post or the Kickstarter page with similar
like-minded folk if you would. I’d be most appreciative if you help me turn the
Shudder Mountains into a place that spawns a hundred new DCC RPG campaigns. I’ll
sign off now and let you go take
a gander at the Kickstarter and weigh your decision. But before you depart,
allow Leadbelly to put you in the appropriate state of mind:
I've been keeping the masses informed about the progress of the Stonehell Dungeon sequel over on the books' Facebook and Google+ pages, but new milestones have been reached. I thought I'd share that report here, along with a preview of the cover art and links to other associated projects.
Stonehell Two Status Report (5.3.14)
I’m extremely pleased to break the month-long silence with
news that all the last elements of the book are coming together. As predicted,
I didn’t have much to report as the book’s progress relied on other people’s
contributions and wasn’t directly in my hands. It amazing how things move
forward when I’m not the one responsible for pushing the project along. This
report brings us two big pieces of news: the finalization of the sequel’s cover
art and the edited manuscript back in hand.
J.A. D’Andrea, who did the cover of the first Stonehell
book, is providing the cover art for the sequel. I’m always greatly impressed
by J.A.’s work, but his piece for the sequel really struck a chord. He did a magnificent
job of expressing the depths of Stonehell Dungeon and the strange mentality
that accompanies those who tread its halls. I’m proud to feature this one on
the cover, not only because it’s good, but because having J.A.’s work reappear
makes a nice book-end for the Stonehell series. Other pieces of art are also
trickling in, meaning that I’ll soon have all the components needed to push on
to final layout.
I have also received the edited manuscript back from the
outside editor. I’m happy to report that my own three passes over the draft
were not in vain and that the editor found only minor corrections that need to
be implemented. This was a great relief, as my mind always suspects the worse
when I send things off for others to review. However, in this case at least,
the worry was unfounded.
Here’s what remains to be done on the punch list:
1) Implement the minor changes required by the manuscript.
2) Collect the last stray pieces of art.
3) Finalize the layout by adding the art, tweaking the
format, and including the various legalese, index, credits, and “special thanks
to” sections.
4) Compose the cover.
5) Get a printer’s proof made and review it.
6) Make any final changes required by the proof.
7) Publication.
As you can see, there’s still a little work to be done, but
we’re heading into the last mile of the journey. Unfortunately, and you knew
there had to be an “unfortunately” if you’ve been following this project, I’m
running into a time crunch. The success of the Metamorphosis
Alpha Kickstarter left me with a few pressing projects that need completion
ASAP. I need to get these off my plate before I can attend to the sequel. I
also have North Texas RPG Con in a month and
must complete the last adventure that needs writing before I get on the plane
for Dallas (space remains in at least two of my games if you’re interested). I’d
hoped to be able to debut Stonehell 2 at North Texas, but, barring a miracle of
time and effort, I doubt this will occur. Rest assured, I’m eager to complete
Stonehell 2 and bid a fond farewell to the project. I’ll continue to push ahead
when I can and I’ll keep you informed of my progress.
Once again, I thank you for your patience, but know that we’re
almost there. In the meantime, I ask anyone who enjoys my work to check out the
latest Goodman Games’ Kickstarter
for The Chained Coffin, a new adventure penned by me that centers on a hexcrawl
through a “fantasy Appalachia” as inspired by the work of Manly Wade Wellman.
The Chained Coffin is one of my favorite works to date and I think it
demonstrates admirably the goal of DCC RPG going back to the source material of
the hobby and doing new and interesting things with the Appendix N material.
I’m leaving for the still-wintery Midwest on Wednesday,
travelling once again to Lake Geneva, WI to attend Gary Con VI. This year’s convention
looks to be a good one for both myself and Goodman Games.
I’m bringing three new DCC
RPG adventures to playtest: The
Forging of the Ghost Ring, The First Phantasmagoria, and The Second Phantasmagoria. In addition
to these three titles, I’ll be running Not
Another Night on the Town, the follow-up to the “street crawl” adventure I
took on tour with me in 2013. Unfortunately for anyone looking to register at
the con, all the seats for those games are filled, but if you’re going to be at
the Lodge and are looking to experience DCC
RPG, Doug Kovacs will be running various pick-up games during the weekend. One
way or another, if you want to play DCC
RPG, we’ll find a way to make it happen.
On Friday morning, there will be a special seminar in the
bar entitled “What’s New with Goodman Games?” This hour-long event features the
Goodman Games’ crew unveiling our secret plans for 2014 and 2015, including a
first look at forthcoming art and adventures. The event culminates with the
announcement of a “hush hush” project that I’m excited to be part of. A Very Special
Guest will join us to help make that announcement. I can say no more.
To add to my already busy schedule, I’ll be running two
unofficial game sessions over the weekend. Wednesday night is the return of my Completely Unofficial Pre Gary Con Gamma
World Game and Sunday night will see Down
Where the Dead Men Go, a Call of
Cthulhu game set in my Wildwyck County setting featured in Fight On! magazine. If you’re arriving
early or staying late at the Lodge, track me down and I’ll squeeze you in if
there’s room.
I’m looking forward to seeing a number of old friends and
meeting new ones. As always, if you’ve got something you want me to deface with
my scrawl, just ask.
At the mercy of Chaos! Abducted by the Court of Chaos, the adventurers face hard choices if they want to return home. The Host of Chaos desires a legendary artifact held by the Scions of Law and need patsies to retrieve it. Faced with an eternity of servitude, the party must sneak into the Plane of Law and steal the Yokeless Egg from under its guardians’ watch. But not all is what it appears when the Court of Chaos is concerned and serving the Host may destroy the party from within. Can they survive the Intrigue At the Court of Chaos? Link
Rules Set: DCC RPG
Writer: Michael Curtis Cover Art and Cartography: Doug Kovacs
A brief interlude: In this week's episode of Spellburn, Harley Stroh and I make return appearances to the podcast to demonstrate the spell duel mechanics in Dungeon Crawl Classics RPG. There's a lot of smack talk and even more laughs as we show why you don't need to be intimidated when adjudicating two (or more!) spell-slingers facing off in wizardly combat. Here's the episode link.
I'm departing for my northerly neighbor of Connecticut tomorrow to attend ConnectiCon as one of the convention's Traditional Gaming Guests of Honor. My official con schedule begins at 8 PM tomorrow night when I kick things off with "Frozen in Time," but I'll be slouching around the convention center for a few hors prior to that. I've several other games scheduled throughout the weekend. Also, on Saturday, I'll be participating on a panel with James Carpio of Chapter 13 Press and Gygax Magazine about Old School Gaming.
There's still available seats in my games, so if you're planning on attending or still thinking about it, please come on down and play. My scheduled events are as follows:
Friday, July 12th @ 8 PM: DCC RPG—“Frozen in Time”
Saturday, July 13th @ 9 AM: DCC RPG—“In the Court of Chaos”
Saturday, July 13th @ 8 PM: Shiverwhen Playtest
Sunday, July 14th @ 9 AM: DCC
RPG—“A Night on the Town”
This week, I'm the first-ever "special guest" on the new DCC RPG-focused podcast, Spellburn. Judges Jeffery, Jim, and Jobe grill me on topics such as my involvement with DCC RPG, the secret Easter Eggs behind certain spell names, the status on Stonehell Dungeon, and why I'd pick Fritz Leiber and Clark Ashton Smith over REH in an Appendix N grudge match. Check out the episode over here.
Despite American Airlines' best efforts, I escaped successfully back to the East Coast. Actually, "escape" is the wrong word for leaving a great time with good folks in Lake Geneva. There were plenty of escapades (Gamma World, a quest, the slaying incapacitating of Tim Kask's Jeep), some of which are destined to become legends in the memories of those who witnessed and/or survived them.
And just when I thought the con couldn't be any better, this arrived for me at the front desk of the hotel:
It should be in stores in 2-3 weeks depending on the distribution chain. As the warning sign at the amusement park says, "You Will Get Wet on this Ride!"
If the gods of travel continue to favor me, at this time tomorrow I'll be nestled in the loving bosom of "The Lodge at Geneva Ridge" for Gary Con V. This is the last stop on this leg of the convention tour and one of the few cons I look forward to with boyish glee. Last year was my first trip to Gary Con and it truly felt like coming home.
I've got a pretty full schedule for the weekend and, if you're in any of the following events, you'll be certain to see me:
Wednesday Night (tentative)
Open and informal game of Gamma World (2nd Edition): somewhere, sometime. Look for the group of players giggling and groaning, and a 2nd edition Gamma World Referee Screen propped up on a table.
Thursday
4 PM--Aliens: The Reactor: I finally fulfill my promise to let Allan Grohe eat a few of my Colonial Marines on his excellent game board. I've never played before, but xenomorphs give me the willies, so I expect to have a terrifyingly good time.
8 PM--In the Court of Chaos (DCC RPG run by me): A playtest of yet another upcoming Dungeon Crawl Classics adventure I penned. It's a tad different from your standard dungeon fare and I'm eager to see what happens in actual play.
Friday
8 AM--The Curse of the Weaver Queen: I do my best to keep Tim Kask from racking up another TPK for a few hours. I give us a 25% chance of making it out alive. It'd be 50% if it wasn't 8 o'clock in the morning.
2 PM--Return to Ram's Horn Castle (OD&D with Michael Mornard): You can't go to Lake Geneva and not play OD&D, especially with the likes of Mike Mornard. I have no idea what we'll face, but it should be a hell of an experience.
8 PM--Frozen in Time(DCC RPG run by me): One of my new favorites for DCC, I channel my inner Jim Ward on this one. This will be a zero-level funnel, which is always a blast no matter what adventure you're running.
Saturday
10 AM--The Croaking Fane (DCC RPG run by me): A sneak-peak at the forthcoming adventure from Goodman Games. I've run this a couple of times now and have scared the heck out of a few players doing so. Hwah-hah-hah!
4 PM--A Night on the Town(DCC RPG run by me): The adventure that's become my preferred way to end my judging duties at a convention, ANotT throws the PCs on to the street of Oolvanvar and lets them pick their own destination in search of sanctuary on the night the Dead walk the streets. Will they make the same choice the others have or break new ground?
I'll also have my Shiverwhen stuff with me if the opportunity and desire is there for people to playtest my new game. Talk to me if you want to run through "The Perils of the Book Trade" intro adventure.
As always, if you see me, please stop me and say "Hi!" I'm always willing to sign a book or take a few moments to talk about what's coming down the line or gaming in general. Gygax Magazine #1 should be available at the con and I'll gleefully deface your copy if you'd like me to.
To those attending, I'll see you soon. Everyone else have a great weekend!
I'm back from CincyCon and getting caught up on projects and prepping for Gary Con (in just nine days!). While in Ohio, I had the opportunity to sit down alongside Tim Kask and participate in an interview with Grognard Games for their YouTube channel. You can see the results below. WARNING: contains gratuitous self-promotion!
The next stop on my Ill-CONceived Tour of 2013 is CincyCon in Cincinnati, OH, where I'll be running four sessions of DCC RPG, including a sneak-peek at The Croaking Fane, a playtest of an upcoming adventure suitable for 1st level PCs or as a zero-level funnel, and my own rambling street-crawl in the city of Oolvanvar. Lodging for Cincycon 2013 is courtesy of Mr. Tim Kask, who is kind enough to let me hang my hat at his home for the weekend.
I'm looking forward to playing some games, meeting new gamers, and seeing the madcap behind of Marvin the Mage and Gygax Magazine art editor, Jim Wampler again. I should have just enough time to recoup before I climb back on a plane for Gary Con V. Hope to see some of you in my travels!
I'm off this morning to TotalCon in Mansfield, MA, for four days of gaming. I'll be running DCC RPG (including a sneak-preview of The Croaking Fane), Labyrinth Lord, and OD&D. Both of the latter feature trips into/around Stonehell Dungeon. If you're planning on attending, there's still room (as of this writing) in two of my DCC RPG games, "Frozen in Time" and "A Night on the Town." Everything else is booked solid.
Although those five sessions look to be fun, what I'm really anticipating in the first public playtest of a game I've been working on quietly now for sometime: Shiverwhen. Once the Stonehell sequel is complete, Shiverwhen is going to see the majority of my attentions in 2013. I've started a blog to document the development of the game and to promote it. It's just getting rolling, but interested parties are welcome to point their browsers over here.
Next weekend sees me in CincyCon in Cincinnati, OH, and I'll be in Lake Geneva for Gary Con two weekends after that. Hope to see some of you on the con trail in the weeks ahead!
I’ll be in Stamford, CT in just a few weeks to run some DCC
RPG and OD&D fun. If you’re in the area and looking for an interesting and
enjoyable weekend of gaming, please come on down! I’ll be doing the usual "meet
my fellow gamers, sign some books, and referee some cool games" over the course
of the weekend. Hopefully, I might even get to play a few games, too.
For more information, registration, hotel details, and more,
please visit the convention website. I hope
to see some of you old school (and new school) folks there!
With Hurricane Sandy slowly receding into a bad memory for
many (but by no means all) of us on the East Coast of the U.S., it’s time to
get back to business of writing adventures and meeting deadlines. That is if
the nor’easter that’s now heading our way doesn’t sucker punch us while we’re
stilling recovering. Here’s to hoping that power systems don’t catastrophically
fail again for a week or two.
But before I start the slow climb back to getting merely swamped
with work again rather than drowning in it, a few reports and announcements:
Firstly, the expanded version of The Dungeon Alphabet is now
in stores. I received several copies of both the “original” cover and the
limited edition gold foil to bring to an in-store appearance (more on that in a
moment) and the gold foil cover really impressed me. It’s got a very sinisterly
eldritch quality to it. It almost dares you to open the tome and see what
mysteries await you within. Foes of the “Good Price” faux-sticker will also be pleased
to note that it’s gone from the original cover.
There’s been some grumbling about the expanded version, but
both Goodman Games and I anticipated that. Some people feel that the added
material “punishes” you fine folks who bought the original 48 pp. version of
the book three years ago. And while I understand that argument, what it
unfortunately comes down to is that it’s no longer financially feasible to
print The Dungeon Alphabet and offer it for the original $9.99 cover price
(which was a damned cheap price for a hardcover RPG supplement that features
incredible artwork and a high reusable factor, you must admit). And so the
decision was made to raise the cost and, to compensate for the increase, to add
more material the book. Maybe some of the dissatisfaction comes from it being
referred to as a third printing rather than the expanded Dungeon Alphabet. I
really don’t know; I just write these damned things and do my best to read the
minds of my fellow gamers.
All I can say for certain is that if you enjoyed the
original version of the book and want to see what new art and material we’ve
included in the third printing, please consider picking up the expanded
version. If you think you’re being cheated in some manner because there’s new
stuff in this printing, I can’t change your mind with a few sentences in a blog
post. See what others are saying about the book in the weeks and months ahead
and make a decision once you’ve read the reviews and shop accordingly.
The expanded version is available from Goodman Games’ web store, your finer FLGS, Paizo,
FRP
Games, and other online stores.
Speaking of the Dungeon Alphabet, this past Sunday saw me on
the road to All Things Fun in West
Berlin, NJ to help promote the new version and DCC RPG. Despite apocalyptic
fuel shortages and mass destruction, the trip down and back was uneventful, and
I can’t say enough good things about All Things Fun. The store is clean,
bright, spacious, and has a wide variety of products available from a very
friendly staff. And their name isn’t hype. You’ll find everything from comic
books, board games, miniatures, CCG, RPGs, and t-shirts available in the store.
If you’re a gamer in the southern New Jersey/Philadelphia area, I highly
recommend a trip to All Things Fun to see what they might have to offer you.
As can be expected in the wake of a natural disaster, the
turn-out for my in-store appearance was small, but that didn’t stop those folks
who did come down from having a good time. My players got the opportunity to
playtest a new adventure I’ve written for DCC RPG, being the first living,
breathing players to take a crack at it. Not only did they have fun, but the
scenario seems to be working as intended, which is always nice for a designer
to see. It means the crazy idea I had has legs outside of my own brain and less
rewriting before final submission. A very big and heartfelt thanks to Anthony,
Mike, and Rich for venturing out and climbing the Ghost Ice. Those of you
interested in hearing their impressions of the day should visit the blogs Circle of Dar Janix, Swords of Legend, and Once More Unto the Breach! where
those good gentlemen may have more to say about the game and their experiences.
Lastly, the first round of the Goodman Games’ Mystery
Map Adventure Design Competition has ended. There were a lot of great
submissions to the contest and one lucky soul is going to walk away with both
$1,000 and a contract to turn their creation into an official DCC RPG adventure
published by Goodman Games. Now, Joseph Goodman, Harley Stroh, Doug Kovacs,
Aldo Ghiozzi, Stefan Poag, Erol Otus, and myself have to pick the crème-de-la-crème
from those entries that made it to the final round. It’s not going to be an
easy task, but I think between the lot of us, we’ll agree on an entry worthy of
joining the DCC RPG canon of adventure modules. Stay tuned for more news as we
reach a final decision.
We’re a resilient bunch here in the Tri-State area. A little
thing like mass destruction never slows us down for long. And gamers in the
Tri-State: fuggedaboutit! We shrug off super-storms like dragon’s breath off a +5 shield of dragon breath shrugging off of.
I’ve been in contact with All Things Fun in West Berlin, NJ
and “Game is On!” for this Sunday, November 4th, 2012. As scheduled,
I’ll be making the drive through post-apocalyptic New York to run DCC RPG,
shake hands, sign books, talk about gaming, and just decompress with my fellow
gamers as Sandy becomes an unpleasant memory. I’ve got copies of the new and
expanded Dungeon Alphabet (both limited edition and regular covers) and Emirikol
Was Framed packed for the trip, along with some neat DCC RPG swag to
give away. The fun starts at 12 PM and will run to at least 4 PM.
Assuming you can cut down that massive oak tree blocking
your driveway by Sunday, come on down and join the fun!
Impressions Game Distribution Services produces a monthly vidcast intended to assist retailers and distributors get the inside scoop on the latest releases, as well as provide ways and information to help move those products to gamers and keep FLGS vibrant.
The most recent vidcast features DCC RPG and DCC #72 Emirikol Was Framed. Join hosts Aldo Ghiozzi and Richard Bliss as they discuss Emirikol, DCC RPG, and Nights Black Agents, the latest game by one of my favorite designers, Kenneth Hite.
Things have settled into place for Anonycon 2012 (December 7-9 in Stamford, CT).
There’s even an official Goodman Games link on the con website detailing the DCC RPG sessions happening
over the weekend. For those of you attending, I’ll be running 4 sessions during
the convention. They are:
Friday, Dec. 7th @ 8PM-12AM: “Emirikol Must
Die!” (DCC RPG) Saturday, Dec. 8th @ 9AM to 1 PM: “Party Like
It’s 1975!” (OD&D plus Greyhawk) Saturday, Dec.8th @ 8PM to 12 AM: “The
Croaking Fane” (DCC RPG) Sunday, Dec. 9th @ 9AM to 1PM: “Frozen in
Time” (DCC RPG)
Arrangements are being made to have DCC RPG products
available and I’ll be giving away some swag during the games to lucky
survivors. As always, if you see me wandering the con, stop me and say “Hi!”,
ask me to deface some books, or chat about all things gaming. I hope to see
some regular readers and fans from the Northeast there in December!
Although it’s been trickling through the distribution chain
for the past week, Goodman Games announced today that DCC #73: Emirikol Was
Framed! has been released. You can pick up a copy at your FLGS, the Goodman Games web store, Paizo,
FRP
Games, and other quality online venues. PDF versions of Goodman Games
releases are typically available a week or so after the print version has hit
stores, so if electric’s your preference, keep checking Drive-Thru RPG or RPG Now in the near future.
Needless to say, I’m very curious about how people are going
to react to the adventure once they get a chance to actually read it. I’m hoping
that will quiet any detractors who’ve dismissed it as a parody adventure, but
time will tell. I’m optimistic that I’ve succeeded in what I set out to do,
which is create an adventure that wouldn’t be out of place in the tales of
Leiber, Howard, and the rest of their ilk. But there’s a lot of emotion baggage
when dealing with an icon like old Emirikol and I know it’s an uphill climb.
