tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61400430142682685412024-03-14T00:27:31.357-04:00Strange MagicOld School Tabletop GamingStrange Magichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17605854468645723769noreply@blogger.comBlogger150125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6140043014268268541.post-26854709516189639422022-04-26T22:32:00.009-04:002022-04-26T22:46:51.238-04:00Down in the CellarMistress Moorvak hurried about the kitchen with the two coils of rope and a pair of lanterns Ted had asked her to provide the band. The kitchen was full of bubbling pots and inviting fragrances. Ollie lifted pot lids as if he expected to find the missing girl in the potato soup.The plump dwarven woman handed a lantern to Ted. “These are what I can send with you," she said. “Please make haste, Strange Magichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17605854468645723769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6140043014268268541.post-57696203402090317092022-04-25T16:10:00.007-04:002022-04-25T16:19:03.466-04:00Three Hearts and Three LionsI finished reading Three Hearts and Three Lions while recovering from the lurgy this weekend. This 1961 fantasy novel by Poul Anderson, expanded from an earlier 1953 novella, was an influence on later fantasy fiction like Michael Moorcock’s Elric of Melniboné and Gary Gygax’s Dungeons and Dragons. It’s because of its inclusion in Advanced Dungeons & Dragons’ Appendix N: Inspirational and Strange Magichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17605854468645723769noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6140043014268268541.post-28677185818478344142022-04-21T14:14:00.002-04:002022-04-27T12:37:44.254-04:00Gathering the Party for White Box Adventure 1For my next solo adventure I'm playing through Matt Jackson's new White Box Adventure, Issue 1. The adventure said to start with a 1st level character, so I decided to continue using Ted from my last game, but set this a few years later in a new town. I've printed it out, folded it into a pamphlet, and am doing my best to avoid looking ahead and spoiling the adventure as much as possible.The Strange Magichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17605854468645723769noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6140043014268268541.post-38649611608368889342022-04-20T10:15:00.006-04:002022-04-20T11:58:53.176-04:00The Drawn & Quartered InnThe Drawn & Quartered Inn brewed strong dwarven ale, making it popular with local folk and travelers alike. It was owned by Moorvak, a stout woman, barely four feet in height with long braids she kept in a tangled bun on top of her head. The drinks and much of the fare offered at the Inn came from old dwarven family recipes she brought from her homeland in the mountains far to the east. She Strange Magichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17605854468645723769noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6140043014268268541.post-486588587859178542022-04-19T11:53:00.010-04:002022-04-19T14:08:28.326-04:00Changes to B/X and OSE WeaponsWhile playing in my solo OSE game I decided I was going to make some changes to the weapons in the game, which is compatible with both OSE and B/X. The core rules have all weapons doing a d6 damage, which I think works well but it's more fun to get to roll the different polyhedral dice. I think that's one of the places D&D originally introduced power creep with polearms doing a d10, and then Strange Magichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17605854468645723769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6140043014268268541.post-18963808179430290932022-04-18T17:38:00.007-04:002022-04-18T18:26:07.042-04:00Solo adventuring in the Grave of the Green FlameMy 1st level character, Theodor the Fighter, survived the greenwood of Grave of the Green Flame by Pacesetter Games. I didn't explore all the location, but was successful in tracking down the bandits who attacked my character on the highway and retrieved his stolen belongings. What's more, the adventure recommends a 2nd level character and had some very tough combat encounters, so I feel this wasStrange Magichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17605854468645723769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6140043014268268541.post-8179257136934100292022-04-12T22:19:00.005-04:002022-04-18T18:26:30.310-04:00Solo Gaming with OSEI've started a new solo campaign using the Old School Essentials rules where I'm going to play through BX6 Grave of the Green Flame by Pacesetter Games. When I started playing D&D in the 1980s I was already a fan of Choose Your Own Adventures and Fighting Fantasy novels, and enjoyed the short tutorial adventure in the Mentzer Basic D&D rules that used that format. Of course what makes Strange Magichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17605854468645723769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6140043014268268541.post-3300427241493257862021-03-25T13:26:00.016-04:002022-04-18T19:04:08.280-04:00The Scurrilous GardenAfter switching to digital artwork a few years ago, I've started drawing and writing in notebooks and sketchbooks again. Inspired by Christian's Gath Campaign I'm going to post a series of hand written and drawn solo B/X D&D encounters for 1st level characters. The first one was inspired by the movie The Little Hours which I really enjoyed and does something really different with the medievalStrange Magichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17605854468645723769noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6140043014268268541.post-41230630663577690412020-07-04T08:01:00.004-04:002022-04-18T19:09:07.944-04:00Ranger Character Class for B/X D&DRangers are human fighters who patrol the wilderness protecting the civilized lands from the encroachment of evil humanoids. They are skilled in woodcraft, scouting and tracking. When a ranger reaches higher level, they learn to cast spells taken from a subset of both the cleric and magic-user lists.
I rolled up a Ranger as my first character when I bought the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (AD&Strange Magichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17605854468645723769noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6140043014268268541.post-19853309899960089632020-04-27T08:57:00.003-04:002022-04-18T19:09:27.922-04:00Dryad Character Class for B/X D&DDryads are female tree spirts who live in woodlands or dense forest. When young, many leave the forest to travel the world before settling down and living within their tree. While adventuring Dryads look like children, but they are really spirits in human form and more powerful than they at first appear.This is a new character class for the original Basic & Expert (B/X) Dungeons and Dragons game.Strange Magichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17605854468645723769noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6140043014268268541.post-76847992179404280332020-04-22T20:09:00.004-04:002022-04-18T19:08:20.866-04:00B/X Encounter 2: Catch of the DayCatch of the Day is a Basic D&D game encounter designed for starting characters (level 1 recommended) and suitable for a single adventurer beginning their career. Click the image below to download the 2 page PDF.
Strange Magichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17605854468645723769noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6140043014268268541.post-86809602799019951682020-04-20T07:52:00.009-04:002022-04-18T19:07:35.127-04:00B/X Encounter 1: The TeahouseThe Teahouse is a short encounter suitable for new B/X characters just starting out on their adventures. The stakes are lower than some intro encounters and lets you introduce a location starting PCs might return to between adventures to gain some extra hit points.
I was inspired by the series of encounters Christian has been posting over at Destination Unknown and decided to make a short Strange Magichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17605854468645723769noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6140043014268268541.post-4422276074606695532020-04-18T14:00:00.006-04:002022-04-18T19:10:58.743-04:00Monk Character Class for B/X D&DMonks are humans who have spent years in meditation and physical training at remote monasteries. They are skilled in the martial arts and have seemingly magical abilities.
This is a reworked Monk character class for B/X D&D based on the one I released back in 2012, but with more details to make it more fun at the table. It's also presented as a full character class rather than notes to Strange Magichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17605854468645723769noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6140043014268268541.post-73499977258307925652019-06-23T13:59:00.001-04:002022-04-18T18:24:03.976-04:00The Hanging CageThis is a pair of short encounters for use with Basic Dungeons & Dragons although it can be used with other editions and game systems without much extra work. The scenario is designed for a small group or starting characters of 1st level as they travel along the King’s Road towards the great walled city of Drakenghast. These events could take place after the events of The Brigands of King’s Strange Magichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17605854468645723769noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6140043014268268541.post-50176033265323453772019-06-19T23:07:00.001-04:002022-04-18T18:24:14.939-04:00The Brigands of King's RoadThe King’s Road winds through the countryside towards the great walled city of Drakenghast. This was once a busy trade route for merchants carrying silks and spices from the south lands, and the faithful traveling in search of holy shrines. The wide cobble surface was built in ages past and have been worn smooth by countless years of boots, hooves and wagon wheels.
Now that the drums of warStrange Magichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17605854468645723769noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6140043014268268541.post-10436514467650504142019-06-17T23:17:00.036-04:002022-04-27T14:48:54.304-04:00Interview with Fantasy Artist Peter MullenPeter Mullen is a Fantasy Illustrator who's work graces the pages of many of the small press RPG books and magazines that have been published recently. I've been a fan of his art since first seeing the cover for Swords & Wizardry, and always pleased when he publishes something new. I was very pleased when Peter agreed to let me interview him about his work and post it here.
How long have you Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6140043014268268541.post-13010697462628966482017-03-02T10:43:00.004-05:002022-04-27T14:41:20.597-04:00Appendix N - Free AudiobooksHere are links to audiobooks available for the author's listed in Gary Gygax's "Appendix N" from the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons' Dungeon Masters Guide.
Anderson, Poul. THREE HEARTS AND THREE LIONS; THE HIGH CRUSADE; THE BROKEN SWORD
Bellairs, John. THE FACE IN THE FROST
Brackett, Leigh
Brown, Fredric
Burroughs, Edgar Rice
Derleth, August
Dunsany, Lord
Farmer, P. Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6140043014268268541.post-79970750790205627572015-02-17T12:38:00.002-05:002019-06-09T20:41:22.894-04:00B/X Style 5e DwarvesThis past weekend I read the excellent D&D 5 Basic: Dwarf that Gavin Norman put together. He took the still somewhat complex character creation process involved in building a Dwarf character for 5th edition Dungeons & Dragons and simplified it to make it more in line with what you would find in Basic D&D. This "Race as Class" version is a lot faster to work with, while stillUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6140043014268268541.post-55538127666026959882015-02-09T11:57:00.004-05:002019-06-09T23:05:52.412-04:00Strange Magic Old School Roleplaying
The Strange Magic Old School Roleplaying game is now available!
An ultralight old school roleplaying game in Pocketmod format, with rules to convert from other games. Create an Adventurer, Cleric, Fighter, Magician, Dwarf, Elf or Halfling and run adventures with magic, challenges, and deadly encounters. This is the smallest old school gamebook on the market, and you can print, fold, and Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6140043014268268541.post-85822478512540113622015-01-23T09:27:00.003-05:002019-06-10T00:02:50.430-04:00Mysteries & Monsters T-ShirtFantasy adventuring with those meddling kids and their dog. An old school cartoon mashup of the Mystery Incorporated gang from Scooby Doo, and the kids from the 1980s Dungeons & Dragons cartoon show. Velma as Presto the Magic-User, Shaggy as Eric the Cavalier, Scooby as Bobby the Barbarian, Freddy as Hank the Ranger, and Daphne as Sheila the Thief. Perfect for fans of spooky investigations inUnknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6140043014268268541.post-79917003446364360642015-01-21T11:21:00.001-05:002019-06-09T20:46:40.686-04:00Game Prop for Tracking TorchlightThis morning there was a discussion on Google+ about how to make timekeeping in D&D easier, while not ignoring it so that things like a character's supply of torches remains relevant. Roger had the idea that you could recruit a player to do this, in the same way some groups assign a caller, and a mapper.
I thought to take this a step further and make keeping track of time something the Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6140043014268268541.post-9036158631022349402015-01-19T14:10:00.001-05:002019-06-09T22:30:43.167-04:00Monster CardsAfter looking at using icons for stat blocks last week, I decided to see how they'd work with another idea I've done some experimenting with in the past: CCG style cards for monsters.
This is the Scarecrow from the AD&D Fiend Folio, converted for use with B/X D&D (my system of choice). Instead of rolling for wandering monsters you could have a deck of cards that you could draw a new Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6140043014268268541.post-56105359338768187532015-01-16T16:41:00.002-05:002019-06-09T23:16:54.904-04:00Those Damned Murderhobo PCs
Recently I’ve seen a few discussions about Murderhobo players, and thought about ways to bring a bit more balance to the mayhem and encourage players to run characters a bit more in balance with regular people in the game world.
I think it’s important for players to maintain control of their characters, and you don’t want to railroad their behaviour anymore than you do the plot of an adventureUnknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6140043014268268541.post-1392330714468509932015-01-16T10:19:00.003-05:002019-06-09T23:33:54.527-04:00Random Encounters with High Level NPCs
Encounters in published adventures tend to be scaled to the level of the characters the adventure was created for. If it’s an adventure for levels 1-3 you would typically not expect to encounter 10th level monsters, as there is a very real possibility they will quickly overwhelm foolhardy adventures and end up killing the party (and possibly the campaign). This can work well for adventures setUnknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6140043014268268541.post-41291982539735315912015-01-14T11:19:00.003-05:002022-04-18T19:21:26.496-04:00Streamlined Monster EntriesOne of the things I like the best about B/X D&D is that the amount of information I need to filter through while prepping and running games is lower than in some other RPGs. While the added level of detail is often fun as a player, I find as a GM I like things a bit more streamlined.
In general I think the inline stat blocks for monsters in B/X has been one of the best ways to present monsterUnknownnoreply@blogger.com