Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Oranj / Birthplace of the Ice Elementals

Northern Finland
I've been trying to squeeze in some D&D before the move north. I have three unreported sessions in our whitebox campaign I'm hoping to make write-ups of in the near future - primarily for the sake of the players.

Because of my upcoming move it's likely that last week's session will be the finale for this campaign. The party ultimately found an astrographer in a stalled underworld rent-ship who was able to draw a map to the Dendriton tube. They also found a flying box allowing them to traverse Wiggin's Rent without the costly aid of micro dragons.

I've been using a new character class - Syndaens - which are "modular" fungus / humanoid hybrids that I've been using as NPCs for quite some time. Players can absorb mycelial hyphae into their characters to gain new abilities, and possibly lose old ones. I was frankly inspired by the different regional humanoids in A Voyage to Arcturus which were able to modulate head growths on the protagonist as he traveled from land to land.

Thinking about new settings and scenarios... Inspired by the move to upstate NY I'd like to realize an adventure in the ice. Snow trolls, wayward ice elementals, unsetting suns, icebergs floating in the sea and in the sky, canopies of fleshy ice plants, underground moss gardens, ice breathing potions. What does it feel like for an ice elemental to melt? I heard that in one region near Smithon's Boundary free-living ice elementals have an irresistible desire to feed on warmth. They hunger to dissolve into steam, to transform into gas and to float on the wind.

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Cyclopeatron Moving to NY

The blog's been quiet because there's been a lot of real life action going on for me. As some of you know I'm a professor at a certain research university in Irvine, CA (i.e. the southern stretches of the Los Angeles megasprawl). It turns out I've been offered a somewhat more attractive position at a certain research university in Ithaca, NY. It looks like I'm moving to New York this summer. I've spent most of my life in Southern California and I'll miss all my pals that are still sticking around the L.A. area and haven't yet moved to Portland or whatever, but I have to admit there's a lot I won't miss about L.A.

With the move the summer I'll be unusually busy so the blog posting will continue to be sporadic at best until I get settled in the northern marches. In the meantime if any of you know of old school-style roleplayers in the Ithaca area please email me through this blog and let me know! You can scan my blog to see what flavor of gaming I like.

See you all again in the Fall.

Like, later socal...





Mordor, my old home...

I shall adopt this frozen waste as my new homeland. Care you to game with me?




Friday, February 24, 2012

My Favorite Centaur

Possibly the best rap video ever. Tyler, The Creator as a centaur. Also dig the metroid crotch transmogrification ray.

Monday, January 30, 2012

The Greatest Dicebag in the World

One of the greatest x-mas gifts of my life. Look what my wife knitted up!

No ambiguity about who owns these dice. I am he, and he is me. BOB!

Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn!


My heavy rollahs...


She spins like Lolth. Lovely work, yes?

Saturday, January 28, 2012

Official Dungeons and Dragons Frisbee by TSR (c. 1984)

Back in 1984 one of the advantages of upgrading to "Advanced" Dungeons and Dragons was the expanded range of missile weapons...

Métal Français

Super weird black space "metal". I cannot turn my eyes away! C'est magnifique, no?




Friday, January 27, 2012

Criswell: WotC to Reprint 2e


The Amazing Criswell says: I predict that in the year 2013 fans of Dungeons & Dragons will take an incredible journey back in time! Advanced Dungeons and Dragons Second Edition will rise from the dead! However you MAY BE SURPRISED because this well-loved modular zombie may GO BY ANOTHER NAME! In my mind's eye I see THE NUMBER FIVE!

Rejoice, friends, because in this not-so-distant future I see gamers around the world joining hands as they march through the GATES OF FUN led by their RESURRECTED LORD! I see..

There will be "an underlying foundation or core game, which is D&D distilled to its essence"!

"If you like a tactical game with lots of maps, miniatures, attacks of opportunity and the like, you can use modules to have that game"!

You can "build your own castle"!



"have followers"!



"mix with royalty"!


You can have "extensive skills and ways to customize your character"!


You can have a game that is "tactical"!


...or "epic / high-level"!


Yes, friends, the future will soon be the past!


[Criswell thanks E. Foley, Monte Cook, Mike Mearls, and Jeremy Crawford for their help (in quotes) visualizing these future events!]