Elder Things Attack!

Exciting News

Not only does the latest issue of Rana Reader talk about the new Frog God Games / Necromancer shared setting The Lost Lands but there is some discussion about Stoneheart Valley...and the PDF is available NOW!!!

So what?  Well, Stoneheart is compilation of  The Wizard's Amulet, The Crucible of Frey, and The Tomb of Abysthor.  And the first campaign I ran after getting back into the game was the first two installments.  Ah, good times...  I'm going to go read it and check back in later.

(the link to the original free PDF appears to be down)

Father's Day & Free RPG Day

Second Annual Father's Day and Free RPG Day Report*

First off, Happy Father's Day to all you real men out there!  You think battling dragons or braving dungeons is challenging?  Be a dad...better than all the XPs and gold out there.

So I am doubly blessed because I was born and raised in Texas (Dallas area to be exact).  Within 200 miles were 4 stores participating in this year's Free RPG Day.  Yes, the number is way down from previous years and yes, 2 of those stores were on opposite sides of that 200 mile radius circle.  However, I managed to make a day of it and hit 2 of them with a car load of friends and family.

To give credit where credit is due, both of these fine establishments were warm and welcoming.  So a sincere thanks goes out to

• Generation X Comics and Games of Bedford, TX
• Stay Collected of Fort Worth, TX

Besides picking up a goody (or two) I spent money at each one because while free stuff is sweet, the real idea is to spread the love.

Finally, I went by the two stores closer to my home.  I knew that they weren't participating but I went in and talked to them about.  One store was...less receptive.  They have a history about being <inappropriate word goes here> so I wasn't expecting much.  The second store though, I was disappointed over.  So I told the guy as much.  I was not belligerent and he was very receptive.  Basically, they have a ton going on so, the guy (who was not the owner) assumed it was just an oops.  He went to explain more stuff about their situation and I ended up buying something pricing to just say "Free RPG Day works" - sometimes even when it doesn't.

So go out and visit your stores, buy a little something and encourage them to participate next year!  You might swing by your favorite publisher and thank them too!

* Here is a link to last year's report

Significant Deaths

Tenkar's Tavern asked if we remember our first character over here.

I chimed in...I don't remember anything about the guy except his death.  My dad bought the Moldvay Basic box at Wal-Mart (believe it or not) and we sat to play.  It took thirty minutes to generate our characters as we were reading the rules for the first time simultaneously.

Then we found our selves in the valley of the Caves of Chaos...without any source of light.  So back to the Keep on the Borderlands for some torches.  Back at the valley we saw some small lizard-like dogs rush into a somewhat hidden opening.  My bother and I bravely followed.

Dad: the goes some distance into the darkness and then at the edge of your torch-light, branches left and right.
Me: I go up to the corner and look around
Dad: Uh...ok, roll a dice...no, the normal one...oh no, you fall into a pit that was hidden on the floor.  Roll that dice again to see how much damage you take in the fall...oh, uh, you die...[he looks at my brother] ok, now you have to roll...and again...and you fall in and die, too...
Me: That was cool...we're going to go outside and play, bye!

That's paraphrased, but it's pretty much how it went down.  15 minutes of glory.

Well, it turns out some celebrity also died in that same accursed pit - Harley Stroh's first PC died right there too!  Makes me feel pretty awesome.