Shattered Star is Rising

Long time no see...sorry about that. Anyway, my old gaming gang is getting back together and we're going to play! I tried like crazy to push the OSR but after talking it through we settled on Pathfinder.

Then after much deliberating we pretty unanimously voted for starting the Shattered Star campaign.

Man there is a lot to do to get ready. I'll be starting another post to act as the hub for campaign and character prep.

Good times are ahead - I can't wait!!!

Now to go brush up on the Community Use stuff so I'll know what I can and can't upload...

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

A Game I Want to Play

Here is a beautiful quote perfectly describing the game I want to play:

The PC casualties in that campaign were ridiculously high.  Just getting from the beginning to the end of the session with the same PC was an exhilarating victory.  That's why I'm all for save-or-die, level drain, zero level funnels and balanced-dungeons-my-ass.  Not because I'm enjoy forcing players to suffer the same way I did, but because I want them to experience the high of just escaping the session with your life.

from Jeff Rient's blog.

Father's Day & Free RPG Day

So today is Father's Day!!!  Happy Father's Day all you Dad's out there...

Yesterday was Free RPG Day and here is a little picture of what went down at the only local store participating this year (within reasonable driving distance):

I'm not even going to pretend to be all Above All That concerning the edition wars - you play what you want and have a blast - I consider myself firm in the OSR camp but I'm a charter subscriber to everything Paizo publishes (except the maps and minis).  It warms my bitter old shriveled heart to see three different Pathfinder adventures being hosted on the big 8-seater table while the 4e games was on the little 4-seater.

I know, I know, that's not nice.  Sorry.  The 7-8 guys playing Slavers of the Sunken Garden game was noisy and laughing and generally sounded to be having a good time.  The DM was pretty animated and paced around.  The 4 guys playing 4e were more serious and subdued as they listened to their DM talk about damage with the cold descriptor or something.

Oh, well, it was awesome to get out and see everyone role-playing, really.  All the hating aside, I spent most of the morning talking to 10-15 years olds about the power of hanging out with your friends, drinking Dr Pepper, eating Cheetos, and rolling dice.