Bomber Inspiration

Artist renderings based on the Kalinin K-7 bomber that was not successful.  That third one shows it outfitted with several cannons! Would make an interesting post-apocalyptic relic, a flying "dungeon" that got caught in some kind of time warp for D&D, etc.

Inspirational Scene

 

Inspirational scene for Gamma World, any Supers game, even spy games like Top Secret.

Tournament of Dragons

  Finally have the time and motivation to blog again, and I'm going to restart the tournament of dragons, so get your vote in.  So here we go...

Dragon #350

Dragon #14

  This week is Issue #350 versus Issue #14.  Which cover do you prefer?  Vote in the sidebar poll!

Tournament of Dragons Catch-Up

So, real life intrudes and delays the Tournament of Dragons.  Here's the winners from Tuesday to Friday.

Tuesday

Dragon #222

Wednesday

Dragon #144

Thursday

Dragon #75

Friday

Dragon #25

Since this has been an off week for blogging, anyways, I'll post the next series next week instead of trying to play catch-up today.

Monday Tournament Of Dragons

Last week's winner is Issue #84.  Looks like the half-orc were-tiger got no love in the voting.

Today'scontest is between Issue #199 and Issue #72.  Is the "catfish" dragon your favorite, or the black dragon with the impossibly long tail?

Vote in the sidebar poll Monday Tournament of Dragons.

Friday Tournament Of Dragons

Last week's winner is Issue#331.  I guess being over-prepared paid off!

This week is a really tough one.  Issue #48 versus Issue #25.  Anyone know who's the artist of #25, It didn't say in my digital copy, but I'm not sure there's not some missing pages.

Dragon #48 by Phil Foglio

Dragon #25

Vote in the sidebar poll Friday Tournament of Dragons.

Thursday Tournament Of Dragons

Last week's winner is Isue #164.  Zombie ninjas, baby!

This week is Issue #75 versus Issue #211.  Summer vacation, D&D style takes on the zombie guard.  Can the zombies make it two for two?

Dragon #75 by Jack Crane

Dragon #211 by Brom

Vote in the sidebar poll Thursday Tournament of Dragons.

Wednesday Tournament Of Dragons

The winner from last Wednesday is Issue #235.

This week is Issue #144 versus Issue #189.  Too bad that #189's is only part of Peter Clarke's painting, as it really is much more impressive in totality.

Dragon #144 by Daniel R. Horne

Dragon #189 by Peter Clark

Vote in the sidebar poll Wednesday Tournament of Dragons.

Coloring The Dungeon

  So I had this weird dream two nights ago.  The internet was one huge dungeon, and each room was a different website.  I was in Grognardia when James M. realized that we were being spied upon by Illithids in the ceiling (yeah, made no sense to me either).  James decided to abandon "Grognardia Red", as he called it, for "Grognardia Blue", another room that looked the same, except for the colors.  In Grognardia Red, everything was either a shade of red, or black, and in Grognardia Blue everything was, of course,  either blue or black.

  The colors were not garish or bright, instead being very muted and subtle, and even though each room was furnished exactly the same, the color difference really affected the mood and tone.  This started me thinking of color in dungeons.  Usually shades of grey or brown, I thought of how my players would react to a room like Grognardia Red, and I think they'd be freaking out.  They'd just "know" there would have to be a reason everything was red, even if there wasn't. 

  I may have to try this out next session on a random dungeon room. 

Old School Renaissance Acronym Glossary & Dictionary

Another addition to the OSRAGD, TPK.  How in the hell did I miss that one?

TPK - Total Party Kill, where all the adventurers die in one encounter.  Usually the result of inexperienced players, incautious players, or just plain bad luck and bad dice rolls.

Suggestions are always welcome, as new acronyms are always popping up!

Tuesday Tournament of Dragons

The winner from last Tuesday is Issue #228.

It's been twenty contests so far, which brings us to the second round of eliminations for the first group.  This means Issue #14 is taking on Issue #222.

Dragon #14 by Steve Oliff

Dragon #222 b y Hung Mac

 Vote in the sidebar poll Tuesday Tournament of Dragons.

Monday Tournament Of Dragons

Last Monday's winner is Issue #188.  Apparently no one liked the werewolf, since it received zero votes.

This week it's Issue #93 versus Issue #84.  That were-tigress is so ugly I'm inclined to think she's a half-orc!

Dragon #93 by Jeff Busch

Dragon #84 "Ian Dinwood's Martian Moment" by Dean Morrissey

Vote in the sidebar poll Monday Tournament of Dragons.  Winner declared next Monday.

Mystery Dice

  I recently won some old dice on an eBay auction, and in the group were these three d8s.

 

  They are about 1.5 times the size of a regular Gamescience or Chessex d8, with the yellow one numbered 1-8, the orange going from 2-9, and the blue is 10-17!  Anyone know where these dice are from? 

Everything But The Kitchen Sink

  As John said in the comments...

I hope the plunderer on #331 has a companion to assist him when he falls on his back and can't get back on his feet. :)

In case you really, really want to play that guy, here's some minis made just for you!

 

 

OK, so everything plus the kitchen sink!

Friday Tournament Of Dragons

Last Friday's winner is Issue #100!  No surprise, really, as it is one of the most unique Dragon covers produced.

This week Issue #259 takes on Issue #331.  There seems to be a "sweet spot" in Dragon covers, a period where the artwork was just superb, and unfortunately both these pieces are past that point.  While they're OK, they just don't have the impact that a lot of the earlier covers do.  I wonder if people who started playing D&D later feel any different about these magazine covers?

Dragon #259, "the Campaign" by Stephen Daniele

Dragon #331 by Steve Prescott

 Vote in the sidebar poll Friday Tournament of Dragons.  Winner declared next Friday.

Thursday Tournament Of Dragons

Last Thursday's winner is Issue #63, and here I thought Larry Elmore's piece was a shoe-in!

This week's contest is Issue #164 versus Issue #22.  I'm not sure what they were thinking for Issue #22, having a drawing, miniatures, and a photograph all on the cover, but Issue #164 has zombie ninjas!  Life needs more ninjas in it!

Dragon #164 by Jim Holloway

Dragon #22

Vote in the sidebar poll marked Thursday Tournament of Dragons.  Winner declared next Thursday.

Wednesday Tournament Of Dragons

Showing that black and white can be just as evocative as color, Wednesday's winner is Issue # 184.

Today's matchuo is Issue #235 versus Issue #321.  Issue #235 is somewhat historical, being the first 100% digital inage used for a Dragon Magazine cover.  Too bad it's not a great picture.  Issue #321 is rather confusing to me.  I can't tell just what's happening.  Are they fighting or dancing? 

Dragon #235

Dragon #321 by Arnie Swekel

Vote in the poll marked Wednesday Tournament of Dragons.  Winner declared next Wednesday.

Destroying The Adventurers, But In A Fair And Balanced Way

  So I'm cruising Google for the best definition of Rule Zero I can find, when I come across this on TVTropes.com.

This, however, is completely the opposite of Gary Gygax's intended idea of a DM. In Gygax's mind, the DM is effectively a wrathful god, bent on destroying the adventurers, but in a fair and balanced way. In a Gygaxian-style game, a Player Kill would happen about once every other session, and a Total Party Kill perhaps once every five. The TV character is more akin to modern D&D, in which PK's are rare and woeful events.

Now where in the hell did that come from?

Tuesday Tournament of Dragons

Last Tuesday winner is Issue #96.

This week it's Issue #228 versus Issue #220.Not sure I'd be wanting to go full speed through the forest on a horse, with only a torch for light, while wearing a helmet that restricts your vision as much as Issue #220's does.

Dragon #228 by Jim Holloway

Dragon #220 "Only the Light Keeps Them Back" by David Horne

Vote in the sidebar poll marked Tuesday Tournament of Dragons.  Winner declared next Tuesday.

Monday Tournament Of Dragons

After the tie last week, this week the zombie pulled ahead of the guys riding on frogs to be the winner, Issue #211.

This week is Issue #188 versus Issue #213.  #188 is by Larry Elmore, and is part of a series on the four seasons, this being Winter, of course.

Dragon # 188 by Larry Elmore

Dragon #313 by Wayne Reynold

Vote in the sidebar poll marked Monday Tournament of Dragons.   Winner declared next Monday.

Adventures In Rhymargg Session 6, Norgard's Daughter

Roll Call
Auric the Warrior (1st Level Fighter)
Grimslade the Magician (1st Level Magic-User)
Indel the Wiley (1st Level Thief)
Saren the Wise (1st Level Cleric)
Tirra the Quick (1st Level Thief)
Valerius the Brave (1st Level Fighter)
4 Men-at Arms (Mersa<female>, Relric, Unloc, Dorin <dwarf>)
5 Bearers (Partik, Kalus, Thodric, Samloc, and Relstad)

The Story So Far
  As out adventurers approached the doorway behind which the goblins had Norgard's daughter captive, a blood-curdling scream that turned into a howl was heard.  Before the portal could be opened, the cries of dying goblins then silence came next.  Entering the natural cavern, a scene of horror greeted the players.  Two goblins lay eviscerated on the floor, between them was a large creature, covered in coarse hair with a wolf-like head, clothed in the tattered remains of a dress.  Guessing that this was Deliana, Norgard's daughter, transformed into a werewolf, the party hesitated, not sure of what action to take.  The werewolf had no such compulsion, and viciously tore into poor little BP (the goblin bagpipe player the PC's were using as a guide), tearing the poor creature in two.

 Not exactly sure how to use it, Grimslade the magician boldly approached the werewolf with a sprig of wolfsbane, hoping it would have an effect.  It did, and the werewolf morphed into a human female and collapsed on the ground.  She was indeed Norgard's daughter, and had been journeying to Elendom with her grandfather when they were ambushed by the goblins.

  Two days ago she was attacked by a large wolf as it killed the livestock on Norgard's farm.  Fearing that the wolf was more than it appeared, her grandfather decided that Brother Faudron in Elendom was her only chance to avoid lycanthropy.  Now with her father and grandfather dead, poor Deliana did not know what to do.

  After spending the rest of the night holed up in Grokkus' chamber, the party journeyed on to Norgard's farm.  Deliana, after much consoling, decided to join the party after Saren, Tirra, and Mersa convinced her that she could be more than just a poor farmer.  Setting out for the town of Elendom,  the journey was uneventful.

  It was almost sunset when the party arrived in Elendom.  After a well-earned night's rest at the inn, the party was directed to Zundus Dashaver, the town scribe and historian.  There were questions to be answered about the sword the party had found in the ruins of Zenopus' tower, plus the ivory wizard figurine.  Grokkus' short sword also needed investigation, as it was not of goblin origin, and the runes carved into the blade might offer a clue to it's secrets.

  Zundus recognized the long sword from local legends, being forged by the elves long ago to combat Avissar Fire-eye, a long dead wizard who despoiled the lands around Elendom.  It's abilities are not known, but there elvish script on the blade that only shows up after the sword has been immersed in flame.  Zundus translated the text, Maegnas Aen Ester Lhach Dae, Dagnir In Nar Im,  "Flame Shadow is my name, for I am the fire's bane".

More to come...

Friday Tournament of Dragons

Last Friday's winner is Issue #72.

This week is Issue #33 versus Issue #100.  It's a painting against a paper sculpture, very interesting!

Dragon #33, "Dragon's Lair" by John Barnes

Dragon #100 by Dennis Kauth

Vote in the sidebar poll marked Friday Tournament of Dragons.  Winner declared next Friday.