Oh, That’s Right: I Have a Blog

Forgive the dearth of posts here for the last two weeks. As you might imagine, things are very hectic around these parts as I settle into a new life and new job. Despite the distractions, I’m still busy at work on various gaming-related projects and even managed to finish up a short one today. With a few moments to spare before I consider heading off to the Land of Nod (not the blog or fanzine, but the metaphorical place of dreams), I thought I’d bring you all up to speed on things.

I’ve finally managed to unpack and get settled into the new apartment. Unfortunately, without much time between accepting the position and my first day of work, I didn’t have a lot of lead time to find a place to live. The result is that I’m living in a much smaller space than I had hoped. It’s not a studio or what they laughing call an “efficiency apartment” (read: “motel room without the conveniences of an actual motel”), but it is a bit cramped, especially for the archivist and gamer whose library is one of the reasons people usually only help me move once.

The upside is that the place does have its charm. It was originally a large barn built in the 1880s that’s since been renovated and diced up into apartments. I have lots of old exposed wood beams and floors, as well as a pair of stained glass windows that look into the bedroom and what I’m calling the “reading and writing nook.” I can see the Wallkill River and its cataracts from my window and aside from the Mysterious Thing with Heavy Feet that Lives Overhead, my fellow residents are friendly, yet discreet. Being on the second floor, my place also comes delightfully equipped with a Superhero Emergency Escape Hatch, which is a fire exit leading to a shaft containing a ladder running down to the ground floor, located directly off of my bedroom. I’m contemplating starting a life of crime just so I can utilize it when the S.W.A.T. team starts breaking down the front door. When time allows, I’ll post some pictures of my new headquarters and you’re all invited to drop by for a delve into Stonehell the next time you’re in the neighborhood.

Speaking of Stonehell, work continues on the sequel and my determination to finish it and get it out by year’s end remains unabated. My work schedule and the whole process of relocating and unpacking have cut into the time I’d like to be writing the manuscript, but I’ve taken to getting up an hour early to get some design work accomplished before I start my day. I’m currently working on a quadrant on the 7^th level called “The Welchers’ Halls” for reasons that will become apparent once you see what lies to the south of this section.

Those of you who contributed to the “Help Mike Relocate to the Wilderness Where He Belongs” Fund will all receive a special mention when the book comes out, as promised. I’m really dumbfounded by the contributions some of you made and am in awe that you were willing to part with your hard-earned cash to help out some guy who writes about monsters, magic, and other dubious pursuits, one many of you have never even met. Those funds were a real life-saver this week when I was hit with some unexpected bills above and beyond the astronomical cost of renting a Penske truck and filling that beast with gas. The alternator went on my car and I got hit with another $100+ bill for another repair. Without that extra money, I’d be scared spitless regarding how I would survive until my first paycheck clears. So although I’ve already thanked you all in email, let me do so again: “Thank you, thank you, thank you very much!”

With such limited space to live in, I had to leave the majority of my gaming collection in storage back on Long Island, but I’m trying to view that as a feature, not a bug. Aside from the B/X books, Stonehell I, and the Labyrinth Lord rulebook, I just have my 1^st edition (2^nd printing) Call of Cthulhu boxed set and my complete run of Wraith: The Oblivion (which got loaded onto the truck when I wasn’t looking). Call of Cthulhu is really , well “calling” to me right now, and I’m very tempted to make that the next campaign I run once I find my place here and a new gaming group. If I were to do so, I’d take the “Out of the Box” approach, using just the materials provided in the boxed set and pretending nothing else was ever written for the game. That idea really has my head whirling with possibilities.

The other reason that Call of Cthulhu is enticing me is that I’m now living in the real Wildwyck County. The series I’m writing for Fight On! is based on the landscape, history, and my own experiences in Ulster County as an undergraduate. Now that I’m an actual resident of Wildwyck, I’m hoping to tap into the rich history and atmosphere that pervades the country just outside my front door and make that series even better. I’m planning on watching the full moon rise tonight and brainstorm.

I made the initial efforts to locate a gaming group this week, joining a local Meetup group based in the area, but I’m not sure how that’s going to pan out just yet. So again, if you’re one of my readers and want the dubious honor of having me at your table, feel free to contact me at the email listed to the right. Unfortunately, my internet connection is less than efficient, meaning I won’t have the option of participating in FLAILSNAILS games for the foreseeable future, making me even more determined to find a local face-to-face group as understanding and tolerant of my penchant for weirdness as my last one.

Before I go, I want to remind you all once again that even though my postings may be reduced, my participation in the hobby is not. Some of you lucky bastards have already gotten their hands on Goodman Games’ new Dungeon Crawl Classics RPG and you’ll notice my name in that book’s credits. I did some of the spells for it and there’s one I’m most proud off. A No-Prize goes to the first one to guess which spell that is. Goblinoid Games will be releasing another game I designed using the Action Table System to Labyrinth Lord Society members in the near future and I hope you card-carrying members download it, give it a whirl, and let me know what you think. I charted a course into Bat Country when writing it and I hope that comes through in the final product.

In still other design news, I’m one of the contributing authors to The Secret Fire’s next supplement, Fragment I: The Way of Tree, Shadow & Flame. One of my co-designers on that book is an up-and-coming young lad who I think has a lot of potential, and I’m sure you’ll be hearing the name” Eddie Greenwood” again in the future.

Lastly, a reminder that I’ll be down in Texas for NTRPGCon to run a few DCC games (“Emirikol Must Die!,” a convention variant of my forthcoming Emirikol Was Framed! adventure from Goodman Games, as well as a converted (and possibly perverted) version of my first OSR release, “The Fane of St. Toad.” One of those sessions may have a secret special guest, but I’m not telling who or when. There’s also talk of Tim Kask and I doing a workshop on “Gonzo Gaming” with other guests, but that’s still being hashed out as far as I know. After getting to know and play with Tim at Gary Con, doing a seminar with him would be a great pleasure. One that would only be eclipsed if Dan Proctor and I win this year’s Three Castles Award for Realms of Crawling Chaos.

Oh, one more thing: this year’s Goodman Games’ Free RPG Day release features two adventures and another special treat. Those adventures were written by the most excellent Harley Stroh and I. My home group had a blast playtesting my contribution, even if things didn’t turn out so well for one of the PCs.

OK, I’m done. Off to howl at the moon a bit before bed. Thank you all again for the well-wishes, support (both verbal, financial, and professional), and camaraderie you’ve provided me since I first dipped my toe into both the OSR and the industry. I couldn’t have done it without you.

Greenwood’s Dragon Contributions (Partial List)

Because the Pen & Paper RPG Database entry for Ed Greenwood is incomplete and the search function for the Dragon Magazine Archive isn’t the greatest, I had to do the research for Wednesday’s post the old-fashioned way: re-reading old Dragon magazines. Since there doesn’t appear to be a collected listing of Ed Greenwood’s Dragon articles and contributions available on the web (at least, not one that I found) and I have the information at hand, I thought it might be a nice gesture to list those articles so that later researchers might avoid the painstaking process I endured. Those of you looking to fill any gaps in your Greenwood reading might also find some use for it.

The following list only extends as far as issue #125, as that was the issue that immediately followed the release of the Forgotten Realms boxed set and was at the end of the scope of time covered in Wednesday’s post. Those looking for anything after #125 (September 1987) will have to go it alone. The list is chronological, with article title appearing first, followed by the issue number in parentheses.

“Dragon’s Bestiary: Curst” (#30)
“Dragon’s Bestiary: Crawling Claw” (#32)
“Mapping the Dungeon" - Greenwood listed as a DM in Ontario, Canada (#33)
“For Your Minarian Merriment” (#34)
“From the City of Brass to Dead Orc Pass” (#37)
“Bazaar of the Bizarre: Greenstone Amulet, Mist of Rapture, Laeral’s Storm Armor” (#39)
“Dragon’s Bestiary: Wingless Wonder” (#40)
“Bazaar of the Bizarre: Wand of Ochalor’s Eye, Nidus’ Wand of Endless Repetition” (#40)
“Bazaar of the Bizarre: Arbane’s Sword of Agility, Singing Sword” (#41)
“Dragon’s Bestiary: Tomb Tapper” (#41)
“Dragon’s Bestiary: Lythlyx” (#43)
“Dragon’s Bestiary: Gaund” (#45)
“Bazaar of the Bizarre: Staff of Ethereal Action, Syar’s Silver Sword” (#47)
“The Merry Month of…Mirtul?” (#47)
“Up on a Soapbox: Players don’t need to know all the rules” (#49)
“Dragon’s Bestiary: Rhaumbusun (with Victor Selby) (#52)
“Down-to-earth Divinity” – first mention of “the Forgotten Realms” (#54)
“Dragon’s Bestiary: Stroan” (#54)
“More feather tokens” – credited as Edward J. Greenwood (#54)
“Flat taste didn’t go away” – review of Fiend Folio (#55)
“Dragon’s Bestiary: Dyll” (#55)
“Modern Monsters” (#57)
“Dragon’s Bestiary: Sull, Beguiler” (#58)
“Dragon’s Bestiary: Bleeder” (#59)
“Firearms” (#60)
“Dragon’s Bestiary: Firetail” (#61)
“Pages from the Mages” – first appearance of Elminster (#62)
“The Scribe” (#62)
“Plan before you play” (#63)
“The Assassin’s Run” (#64)
“Law of the Land” (#65)
“Runestones” (#69)
“More Pages from the Mages” (#69)
“The Smith” (#70)
“A second volley” (#70)
“Gems Galore” (#72)
“The Electrum Dragon” (#74)
“Seven Swords” (#74)
“The ecology of the mimic” (#75)
“The Nine Hells: Part 1” (#75)
“The ecology of the beholder” (#76)
“The Nine Hells: Part 2” (#76)
“Curses” (#77)
“Treasures rare and wondrous” (#80)
“The ecology of the basilisk” (#81)
“Rings that do weird things: Jhessail’s Silver Ring, Ring of Lore” (#82)
“The ecology of the stirge” (#83)
“The ecology of the trapper” (#84)
“The ecology of the ixitxachitl” (#85)
“The ecology of the slithering tracker” (#86)
“The ecology of the rust monster” (#88)
“Six very special shields” (#89)
“The enchanting incantatrix” (#90)
“Bats that do more than bite” (#90)
“The ecology of the leucrotta” (#91)
“Nine Hells revisited” (#91)
“Eight devilish questions” (#91)
“Treasure Trove: Censer of Thaumaturgy, Cloak of Guarding, Girdle of Lions, Goblet of Glory, Trumpet of Doom, Demonbane” (#91)
“Pages from the Mages III” (#92)
“The ecology of the ettin” (#92)
“The ecology of the eye of the deep” (#93)
“The ecology of the chimera” (#94)
“Creature Catalogue: Belabra, Bhaergala, Firestar, Flamewing, Orgautha, Xaver” (#94)
“Into the Forgotten Realms” – tournament module reprinted as “Lashan’s Fall” in the FR boxed set (#95)
“The ecology of the cockatrice” (#95)
“The ecology of the gulguthra” - better known as the otyugh (#96)
“The ecology of the gorgon” (#97)
“Pages from the Mages IV” (#97)
“Seventeen new treasures: Catstaff, Hand of Remote Action” (#99)
“Pages from the Mages V” (#100)
“Creature Catalogue III: Burbur, Hamadryad, Orpsu” (#101)
“Nine wands of wonder” (#102)
“The ecology of the ochre jelly” (#104)
“The well-equipped victim” (#105)
“The ecology of the maedar” (#106)
“Open them, if you dare” (#106)
“The ecology of the sea lion” (#107)
“The Cult of the Dragon” (#110)
“All about Elminster” (#110)
“Cloaked in magic” (#112)
“The ecology of the remorhaz” (with Kurt Martin) (#114)
“Airs of Ages Past” (#115)
“The Ecology of the Harpy…Songs of death” (#115)
“Rogue Stones and Gemjumping” (#116)
“By Magic masked” (#117)
“King of the Jungle” (#119)
“The Ecology of the Korred” (#119)
“The Ecology of the Gas Spore” (#120)
“The Ecology of the Rot Grub” (#122)
“Music of the Forgotten Realms” (#123)
“Sailors on the Sea of Air” (#124)
“The Ecology of the Gelatinous Cube” (#124)
“Woodlands of the Realms” (#125)

Before there was Elminster, there was Ed

As we prepare to leave the Realms behind us for good, it’s fitting that we take a look at the man from whose brow the world sprang. Ed Greenwood, a humble library clerk from Ontario, has achieved what many gamers dream of: to take their homebrewed world to places outside their game room and into the world at large. And although this will undoubtedly Ed’s greatest legacy, it certainly isn’t his only contribution to the hobby as a whole.

Like many aspiring game designers, Ed got his start in the pages of Dragon magazine. Issue #30 featured a new monster, “Curst,” designed by Greenwood and appearing in the magazine’s “Dragon's Bestiary” column. Ed has admitted that his sole purpose in sending the monster to Dragon was his hope that, by getting it published by the TSR periodical, it would gain a measure of legitimacy and stop his players from complaining that he was “cheating” by not using monsters from the game books. Two issues later, another of Ed’s creations (one that would become a Forgotten Realms icon), the crawling claw, appeared.

Had Ed continued to limit his contributions to the “Dragon's Bestiary,” we might not know his name today. Although many of these monsters are, at the minimum, workmanlike creations, when was the last time you encountered a “wingless wonder” during a game session? Luckily for all concerned, Ed would prove he had the talent to do more than churn out a monster of the month.

He contributed an article on Divine Right, the new TSR board/war game, entitled “For Your Minarian Merriment” (issue #34) and followed that up with an article on magical gates in D&D (“From the City of Brass to Dead Orc Pass”) in issue #37. He continued to submit new magical items for the regular feature, “Bazaar of the Bizarre,” and some of the names associated with these pieces of magic would become very familiar years later when their creators appeared in the Forgotten Realms boxed set and source books.

Ed’s steady contributions of solid design pieces landed him a spot on the Dragon masthead starting with issue #45 (listed with Roger E. Moore as Contributing Editor). It would be soon after this that the first tendrils of the Forgotten Realms began to work their way through Ed’s articles. “The Merry Month of…Mirtul?” saw print in issue #47 and mentioned Ed’s unnamed campaign world, but it wouldn’t be until “Down-to-earth Divinity” (issue #54) that the public would see the words “Forgotten Realms” in print. These articles would be the beginning of Ed’s use of the Forgotten Realms as a framing device for Dragon articles – a device he would use to great effect for years to come.

Not everything Greenwood submitted to Dragon contained veiled references to his home campaign. Those who only known Ed in conjunction with the Realms sorely need to acquaint themselves with his landmark articles “The Nine Hells” parts 1 and 2, “Plan before you play” (a solid article on world-building from the top down, rather than from the dungeon out), and his “Up on a Soapbox” piece, “Players don’t need to know all the rules,” about introducing new players to the game. His contributions regarding gunpowder and adventuring in the 20th century (“Firearms,” “A Second Volley,” and “Modern Monsters”) are both indicative of the once-common tendency to mix technology and magic in D&D, as well as a unique take on the topic from someone whose become associated with the “high magic” world of the Realms.

“The Nine Hells: Part 1” appeared in issue #75 along with another of Ed’s articles. This other article, “The Ecology of the Mimic,” began Greenwood’s long-running stint as Dragon magazine’s monster ecologist. In later issues, Ed ran the gamut from basilisks to ixitxachitl, making logical sense out of fantastical creatures. Unfortunately, despite some entertaining fiction used to couch the monstrous information, for many gamers (myself included) the ecologies were more curse than blessing. The ecologies may not have solely contributed to the trend away from the “wild and woolly days of the dungeon,” when no explanation for funky monsters was required, but it certainly fueled the movement towards realism in fantastical worlds.

Although the Realms had been mentioned obliquely and in passing before, one article firmly cemented the associated of Greenwood’s name with the world he created. In issue # 62, the first of Greenwood’s “Pages from the Mages” articles appeared. In my opinion, “Pages” is one of the classic series from Dragon’s heyday. For the first time, magical texts and tomes became more than a lisitng on the treasure tables. Greenwood’s grimoires contained notes on their appearance and history, as well as the obscure spells and magical properties they contained. A fitting topic for someone in the library science field. “Pages” also featured the first appearance of Elminster, Ed’s fantasy alter-ego and Realm’s icon.

A few more non-Realms pieces appeared in the pages of Dragon (“The Scribe,” “The Smith,” “Curses,” “The Electrum Dragon”), but Ed’s framing device/campaign had found an audience despite the limited details that peppered his articles. Before long, all of Greenwood’s articles featured mentions of the Realms, even his ecology pieces. Outside of monster contributions, a retrospective on the Nine Hells articles, and the occasional magical item, the Realms and Greenwood became synonymous. Articles detailing aspects and objects from the Realms were now the norm and this only increased as the release date for the Forgotten Realms boxed set approached. The creation had outstripped its creator in many respects.

Greenwood remains an icon in the hobby, especially in a time when we’re losing so many of them. He stands as an inspiration for many gamers with dreams of sharing their creations with a broader audience. In no uncertain terms, Ed is one of the Tribe: a gamer, a dreamer, and a creator who was talented and lucky enough to make the jump from the game table to the profession. Perhaps unsurprisingly, it is this leap that is responsible for much of the ire directed at him. As a wise man once wrote, “Those who can write, write. Those who can’t, criticize.” Ed proved he had the chops to get himself noticed, much to the chagrin of those who lack the talent and the ability to realize it.

I, myself, have learned a lot from Greenwood – both good things and bad things. While I have no illusions that everything he’s ever created is a masterwork, he remains the designer who has had the most impact on the way I approach world-building and the people who inhabit it. His Realms gave me a wonderful place to play in during a time when I was still learning the craft, and for that I will always be extremely grateful.

Thank you, Ed.