Iron Crawlers Ready to Mail and Yep, I'm Giving Away a Few Copies

Iron Crawlers is a Swords & Wizardry Continual Light Adventure. You can click the link and grab the PDF for free. Or...if you want a print copy comment below and then send me your address through email (elder(underscore)sensa(at)yahoo(dot)com) or Google+ (Gothridge Manor) cause without your addy I can't send you a damn thing.

It's a starting adventure that puts the party against a not so clever, not so tough gang. If the Iron Crawlers can take advantage of the party. they will. But if the party plays out the situation in the right way, they could gain themselves a group ally. Possibly. I wrote a long post about this last month, if your interested in reading about me stealing office supplies from my mother's work place you can read it here.

Last month Tenkar and crew released a print version of Swords & Wizardry Continual Light. If you click the image it will magically whisk you away to Amazon where you can purchase a copy for only $7. I bought 4 copies, went to Con on the Cob, gave them away and now I have 0. So I gotta reorder! This link is an affiliate link, so I may get a giant kickback if you order from my page.

Seriously, the book is great. Simple, quick, learn the system within 30 minutes depending on how fast you read.

Hey! Have a good gaming week. Roll some dice for me. Don't forget to make an offering of Unosum, the God of 1's, A slice a pizza or beer usually does it,  or you'll become a 'cursed 1' like myself. It is no way to live.

A Peek at the New GM Games HQ

First off, my wife kicks ass. A lot of it. Mine sometimes. +The Happy Whisk did all the mudding and painting on her own. Last week during my vacation we put the floor in. She sewed some cool drapes to help keep out the cold and eyes for creepy neighbors. The shelves are a mishmash for now, but I have ideas on building my own shelving system. Build it right to the wall, but overall I am thrill with the outcome.

New computer, I've recovered most of my files and my printer has agreed to work again after threatening to execute it on the spot 'Office Space' style.

What I hope that happens...

• more productive, write more adventures and get back on track for my Patreon
• more gaming! with my office I can run more games without disrupting the entire house. And I may not be attacked by Bug during the game
• More efficient processing of printing and mailing out stuff
• and the possibility that Issue #9 of The Manor will be out in the near future

That said, thanks to my wonderful wife who wanted me out of the rest of the house so bad she made me this space!

Cons & Renovations

Tomorrow I leave for Con on the Cob. I'm meeting +Chris C. and +Rob Conley there to get some face-to-face gaming going. I've been to this con twice before. The last time was three years ago. That was a blast because the whole group was able to meet there then.

I am sitting in a swirling batch of chaos. About three months ago my computer's hard drive and motherboard died together. All the while Whisk and I were renovating one of room to make me an office.

I have since bought a new computer. It kicks ass, but trying to recover what I lost has been a process. Backing up your stuff is a good thing. I failed to do that. But, it looks like I am on track again.

Like any renovation it sends the rest of the house into chaos. Last night we finished the flooring. Finishing touches still need to be done, but I can start moving in table and equipment in today.

Gotta pack for the con today. I have to decide what I'm taking with me without forgetting what I need to take with me.

I've signed up for a few games. Kept the schedule light, with time between I can recharge and hang out with Chris and Rob. +Chris C. shared our schedule on his blog. This gives us time to get some food, do some shopping and talk to other gamers. I'm excited to get going.

I don't have a game scheduled to run, but I hope to run an adventure at an open time. A few years back I ran an Exoterrorists game that was a blast. This year I plan on running a more traditional fantasy adventure using Swords & Wizardry Light.

If you are going to the convention look me up and maybe we can throw some dice.

...the fool is obvious as a coal pile in a ballroom.

I like to drag my 1st edition, Dungeon Masters Guide (1979) off the shelf and randomly open it (it always opens to the pages 74-75 because those who know, know) and read.

This time I found myself on page 19. I was reading the THIEF ABILITIES. Hide in Shadows has a paragraph double the length of the others. I thought this was weird. I read it and started laughing. Gary G. cracks me up. Here is what I found.

Hide in Shadows: As is stated in PLAYERS HANDBOOK, this is NEVER possible under direct (or even indirect) observation. If the thief insists on trying, allow the attempt and throw the dice, don't bother to read them, as the fool is as obvious as a coal pile in a ballroom.

BAM! You go Gary. The paragraph goes on, but nothing else compares to the above tidbit. I love that he wants the DM to throw the dice, but don't read them. And basically he's calling the player/character a fool. Seems like Gary must have gotten into an argument about this subject right before he wrote it. I don't know about you guys, but I can lose my keys I was carrying and the aren't hiding in the shadows.

Other interesting takes I discovered when reading the descriptions. And I ALWAYS find new stuff in this book even after having it since '79.

Pick Pockets: Failure allows additional attempts. Up to two attempts at picking a pocket can be made during a round.

Picking pockets was one of those skills that rarely was used. It seemed like you always got caught and then there was the inevitable Benny Hill chase scene.

Climbing Walls: Gary goes into some detail about movement rates. He states it is probably the most abused thief function. He doesn't go into detail other than it requires training and practice. I've never been in a game where climbing movement rate has been calculated...well, in a GURPS game a few times.

Amazon is in Talks to Create a Lords of the Rings Series: Whadda Ya Think?

This sounds interesting. Jeff Bezos is apparently leading the charge to bring this home to Amazon. No deal has been done yet.

What brought this about? I'd read early that Amazon pretty much showed their producers and writers of original content, the door. Thanks, but no thanks. Amazon suggested it wants to get away from niche storytelling and find itself a Game of Thrones. Which is great, love me some GoT. But I love series that focus on the minutiae of a sub-culture. I hope they continue with those stories also.

But sometimes when you chase the dragon you get burned.

I say this in part because I think Peter Jackson's movie trilogy did an excellent job. He cut out most of the singing and the poetry, so for that he has my highest respect and thanks. The story has been told at a high quality. I know its been 16 years since the Fellowship of the Ring movie, but it is still fresh in my mind. Does this need to be told again? My opinion is no. Not right now. With the retelling there will be the inevitable comparison not only to the original books, but to Jackon's movies. And some may compare them to the cartoon series.

I like the idea that Amazon is hoping to fill the massive hole that GoT will leave behind when it concludes. Amazon wants to have one of those shows where people have parties when it airs. The show is an event.

Just because I don't think the story needs to be told again, doesn't mean I wouldn't watch it when it came on. Hell yeah I would. But I would prefer a new story. A new series, preferable not Shanara. Oh wait, that was also done. Please never do that one again. There are soooo many good books out there, I would think they could land one of those and create their own next event show.

I would LOVE to see a series done for the Thieves World books. That series would have everything they are looking for. A cast of fantastic characters a mile long. Interesting story plots. And it would be new ground. I think that's what most people want. I know there a ton of fans of LotR that would gobble up another version, but as much as I like a cover band, 99 times out of 100 the original is better.

If you have an opinion of Amazon producing a LotR series please comment. Or if you have a series you'd rather see them produce please add it below. It might be something I haven't heard of and would love to read.