(A Link to) Dwarves and Weather

I just saw this post over at 'Roles, Rules, and Rolls', and I think it is fabulous.

I LOVE it when someone thinks things through in a slightly different (but wholly logical (for imaginary stuff, anyway)) way that expands my view of or understanding of something.  And I hope that Roger doesn't mind, because I may steal some of these ideas.

Pretty Insane

I think that this video removes the need to see the movies at all.

Because let's face it: The movies were mostly junk, but watching robots in action is usually a pretty good distractor from the daily grind.

Artistic Inspiration

One of the non-rpg websites that I frequent on a daily basis is io9.com.  There is always something interesting there, and its updated throughout the day (and night).  This week, I am going to link to some articles there that really caught my eye.  Today will be the first in at least four such posts.

This article presents a bunch of fantastic art by ten different artists, many of whom also have deviantart pages.  Plenty of material here for rpg inspiration.

New Blog and Great Post

So I have accepted the fact that I am basically failing as a blogger.  I can't think of the last time that I posted something original or my own.

But that's okay, because I'm using the blog to record things that I don't want to lose.

Today, I came across a blog that is new to me: Elfmaids & Octopi.  I'm really digging reading through it.  The author has a sensibility that is "different" enough to make reading a lot of fun.  Even better for OSR-types is the large number of random tables that inhabit the blog.  Massive tables.  Numerous d100 tables.  Many smaller ones.  It is fantastic.

Here is a post that I REALLY like: Psychonian Citadels.  The top illustration is evocative.  Within seconds of looking at the picture and then scanning down through the many tables beneath it, I realized that a huge citadel (skyscraper, arcology, whatever you want to call it...) would make an incredible megadungeon.

There's really not enough time in the world...

Legacy

I don't have the mental power (or time) right now to post anything significant about this article, but I wanted to link to it, because I feel that the points raised by the author are worth remembering in ANY situation.

He, obviously, was writing about sports, but the same points apply to "which game/edition is the best?" questions and any of the myriad other little issues that we debate endlessly.

Nicely written and something that we would all do well to remember.

Beat me to the Punch!

For a long time, I've wanted to post a Work-in-Progress of a map.  I thought that it would be cool to show how I go about drawing my maps.  Then I thought, "Wouldn't it be cool if I posted a series of maps that showed the evolution of a cave or dungeon?"  NOT a Work-in-Progress but the actual expansion of a cave system, dungeon, or dwarfhold over time?

I think that that would be really cool.  Haven't done it yet, but I'm going to try to do it one of these days.

But back to the Work-in-Progress idea: Because I haven't done it, of course, others have beaten me to the punch.  Slightly annoying, but then again, it was by two mappers out there who I am sure you are all aware of.  And I can't be upset, because I hold both of them in high regard: Matt Jackson and Dyson Logos.  (Of course, I just realized that the link to Dyson is just his Google+ page so if you want to see specifically what I am referring to, look for 29 Jan 2014 and what he posted at 3:35pm.)

I really dig both of those.  A lot.

A long time ago, there were a lot of people posting One Hour Dungeons.  You know-- post a picture on your blog of a dungeon that you drew in one hour or less.  A lot of people did it, and it was a lot of fun to see what people were up to.

Perhaps with matt and dyson leading the way, there could be a new event where people post WIPs of the maps that they are working on.  It would be great if they were animated, like those above, but it would be cool even if they were a series of pictures.

I'll try to see what I can come up with over the next few days.

Anyone else up for it?

D&D (40!) and WoW

It struck me that a few days ago was D&D's supposed-"40th" birthday.  It struck me for a couple of reasons:

1. I've been playing the game for 34 of those years--perhaps 35.  And I know that I've been watching others play it for a year or two longer than that.  [That was the advantage of having older brothers back in the seventies.]

2. Just a few weeks prior to that, I myself turned 40.  I guess the good part about that is that it makes me sound a lot older than I feel.

3. Although I've actively gamed a lot less than many people here in the blogosphere during those 34 years, D&D has still been a HUGE part of my life and my mindset.  It impacts the way I think about many things.  I think that I would be a very different person without it, which leads right to...

4. As has been repeated over and over many, many times, the world would be a drastically different place if it weren't for D&D.  And when I say that, I don't think that I am being hyperbolic in the least.  SO MUCH of D&D has filtered into the popular culture, from themes and ideas, to gaming mechanics.  People who haven't played or who aren't familiar with D&D have NO IDEA how their lives are impacted on a daily basis by this little game that Gary and Dave devised 40 years ago.  It's incredible.

I had been thinking all of this for the past several days and then I saw this: World of Warcraft's First Decade.

To be fair, I have never played World of Warcraft (WoW).  I haven't played a (real) computer game since my freshman year of college.  (Which was a self-defense mechanism to make sure that I actually made it through college.  I could, even now, very easily disappear into a computer game and not escape for years.)

The facts and figures presented by that infographic (love that word) are pretty impressive, pretty amazing.  But what strikes me is that WoW exists only because D&D came before it, only because the people that made it were trying to create a D&D-like world and experience for computers.  I don't want to get into the merits of computer versus tabletop games or anything along those lines, but for those who prefer the computer experience, isn't it good for them that D&D had existed so that their computer fun could spring from it?

A Word (And Language!) Generator

Here's a resource that I have a feeling that I will make extensive use of.

A Word Generator.  I've spent that last (too many) minutes playing around with it, and I'm impressed.  It's definitely a step up from some of the random word generators that I've come across.

But that's not all.

I really, really like the Language Generator that is associated with it.  I haven't had a chance to fully test it out, but I'm looking forward to doing so.  If it functions as advertised, I think that it will prove to be very useful indeed.

Why Publish? That's Why!

The Digital Orc wrote a nice long piece about publishing gaming material.  I really enjoyed his take on it.

He talks about why he publishes (four reasons), he talks about inspiration, he talks about his personal process, and then he wraps with a description of his current projects.

I wish that I was as prolific as he is...

Smaug...

Sometimes I post things to this blog just to make sure that I don't forget them.

This may be a case in point.

I like this essay on the importance of Smaug, dragon of 'The Hobbit'.  I have to admit that I have never approached any of Tolkien's writings from an academic perspective.  I've read most of them; I've enjoyed all that I have read.  But I've never studied them in any substantive way.  Reading the essay, with its many references to books and articles of people who have, makes me think that perhaps I should.

If only life wasn't so busy...

The Great Blog Roll Call

The title says it all.

I don't know who Charles Akins is, but he has done a great service to readers of OSR blogs everywhere.

Check it out.

Monsters are cool...

Especially in the real world.  Which is why I dig this sort of thing.

How cool are some of those?  It's when I come across articles like that, that I think the multitude of strange creatures in D&D (and all the other rpgs) isn't so unrealistic after all.

Of course, my favorite creature in the above article is the giant isopod.  So this is absolutely great.

Enjoy!

Iconic Monsters

I came across this list of memorable D&D monsters over at io9.com.  I like their list from the perspective that this collection of monsters "feels" like D&D to me.

I've been trying to think of any others that I would put in a list of top ten monsters that say "D&D" to me.  I would obviously have to delete some from their list to do that, but I don't have the intellectual capacity for that tonight.

Instead, I'll just offer some other monsters that my mind equates with D&D.

I think that the list would have to include sahuagin.  I just love raider shark-men who climb ashore to plunder unprotected coastal villages.

Crab men--just because.

Ixitxachitl.  Evil rays.  I only used them once in an adventure, but I always thought that they were cool.

Remorhaz.  Giant, many-legged, fire worm.  Yes!

Tiamat.  Initially, I was trying to NOT include unique creatures on the list, but the list at io9 included the tarrasque--and rightfully so.

Looking at my monsters above, with the exception of the crabmen (Fiend Folio), they are all Monster Manual monsters.  I find this strange, because I loved the Monster Manual 2.  For the life of me, I can't think of any monsters from the MM2 that come to mind.

Must be old age...

So how about you?  What monsters say "D&D" to you?

Historical vs Modern Maps of US Cities

This page over at the Smithsonian is fantastic if you love city maps.

But is it 'Fantasy', you ask?  I think that you could stretch them to that.

But if like drawing city maps for your fantasy worlds, I think that you will find value there.  Especially if you are interested in how cities change and grow over time.

Microsoft Paint

When I drew the maps for Locales, Volume 1, I did so entirely on Microsoft Paint.  Long and painful, but, in its own twisted way, actually enjoyable.

Earlier today, I came across this.  I recommend the video: Eight-and-a-half minutes telling the story of an old man who creates art using Microsoft Paint.

Strange Borders in the Real World

Maps.  I like 'em!

And while this has absolutely NOTHING to do with fantasy mapping, I found it extremely interesting.

Commoners

John over at the Land of Nod wrote an interesting little piece about the everyman, aka "the commoner".  His point is that most people aren't heroes, they're just ordinary folk.  He then goes on to give examples of some special abilities that characters in a game might have if they are one.

Nice little mechanical bits that I think make sense and add some flavor to being common.

It hit home with me, because I am working on a project right now that is all about a group of peasants and their attempts to do something extra-ordinary with their lives. 

Photographic Inspiration for Your Game

Subterranean Design.  Build a Dungeon from Me.  Dungeon Inspiration.  All websites that provide ample material to amaze and inspire you.  All three of them are fantastic.

A few days ago, I came across 500px, another photo sharing site.  Lot's of really nice images there.  Then I came across this guy.  Wow.  Flip through the several pages of his gallery.  I guarantee that at least ten of his photos will spark some bit of creativity in your cranium.

Landscapes.  Locations for adventures.  NPCs.  Great stuff.

I want to sit down and write an adventure for at least ten of his photos.

Maptacular!!

You all know that I loves me some maps.  Go to this place and take a look around.  Seriously, you will NOT be disappointed--if you like fantasy maps.

Nice Insights from LHotP

Bighara over at the Geekcave wrote a nice little piece about (yes, of all things) Little House on the Prairie.

He is reading the books with his daughters and provides a few thoughts on how life in pre-industrial times was--as taken from the writings of that series.  I think that his observations are spot on.

Like him, I also read those books with my oldest daughter a few years ago.  Children's books, yes, but I actually really enjoyed them.  I thought that they were fascinating.