Sunday, October 25, 2026

On the road leading north from Manchester, in eastern Kentucky, to Booneville, twenty miles away, stood, in 1862, a wooden plantation house of a somewhat better quality than most of the dwellings in that region. The house was destroyed by fire in the year following- -probably by some stragglers from the retreating column of General George W. Morgan, when he was driven from Cumberland Gap to the Ohio river by General Kirby Smith. At the time of its destruction, it had for four or five years been vacant. The fields about it were overgrown with brambles, the fences gone, even the few negro quarters, and out-houses generally, fallen partly into ruin by neglect and pillage; for the negroes and poor whites of the vicinity found in the building and fences an abundant supply of fuel, of which they availed themselves without hesitation, openly and by daylight. By daylight alone; after nightfall no human being except passing strangers ever went near the place.

It was known as the "Spook House." That it was tenanted by evil spirits, visible, audible and active, no one in all that region doubted any more than he doubted what he was told of Sundays by the traveling preacher. Its owner's opinion of the matter was unknown; he and his family had disappeared one night and no trace of them had ever been found. They left everything--household goods, clothing, provisions, the horses in the stable, the cows in the field, the negroes in the quarters--all as it stood; nothing was missing-- except a man, a woman, three girls, a boy and a babe! It was not altogether surprising that a plantation where seven human beings could be simultaneously effaced and nobody the wiser should be under some suspicion.

One night in June, 1859, two citizens of Frankfort, Col. J. C. McArdle, a lawyer, and Judge Myron Veigh, of the State Militia, were driving from Booneville to Manchester. Their business was so important that they decided to push on, despite the darkness and the mutterings of an approaching storm, which eventually broke upon them just as they arrived opposite the "Spook House." The lightning was so incessant that they easily found their way through the gateway and into a shed, where they hitched and unharnessed their team. They then went to the house, through the rain, and knocked at all the doors without getting any response. Attributing this to the continuous uproar of the thunder they pushed at one of the doors, which yielded. They entered without further ceremony and closed the door. That instant they were in darkness and silence. Not a gleam of the lightning's unceasing blaze penetrated the windows or crevices; not a whisper of the awful tumult without reached them there. It was as if they had suddenly been stricken blind and deaf, and McArdle afterward said that for a moment he believed himself to have been killed by a stroke of lightning as he crossed the threshold. The rest of this adventure can as well be related in his own words, from the Frankfort Advocate of August 6, 1876:

"When I had somewhat recovered from the dazing effect of the transition from uproar to silence, my first impulse was to reopen the door which I had closed, and from the knob of which I was not conscious of having removed my hand; I felt it distinctly, still in the clasp of my fingers. My notion was to ascertain by stepping again into the storm whether I had been deprived of sight and hearing. I turned the doorknob and pulled open the door. It led into another room!

"This apartment was suffused with a faint greenish light, the source of which I could not determine, making everything distinctly visible, though nothing was sharply defined. Everything, I say, but in truth the only objects within the blank stone walls of that room were human corpses. In number they were perhaps eight or ten--it may well be understood that I did not truly count them. They were of different ages, or rather sizes, from infancy up, and of both sexes. All were prostrate on the floor, excepting one, apparently a young woman, who sat up, her back supported by an angle of the wall. A babe was clasped in the arms of another and older woman. A half- grown lad lay face downward across the legs of a full-bearded man. One or two were nearly naked, and the hand of a young girl held the fragment of a gown which she had torn open at the breast. The bodies were in various stages of decay, all greatly shrunken in face and figure. Some were but little more than skeletons.

"While I stood stupefied with horror by this ghastly spectacle and still holding open the door, by some unaccountable perversity my attention was diverted from the shocking scene and concerned itself with trifles and details. Perhaps my mind, with an instinct of self-preservation, sought relief in matters which would relax its dangerous tension. Among other things, I observed that the door that I was holding open was of heavy iron plates, riveted. Equidistant from one another and from the top and bottom, three strong bolts protruded from the beveled edge. I turned the knob and they were retracted flush with the edge; released it, and they shot out. It was a spring lock. On the inside there was no knob, nor any kind of projection--a smooth surface of iron.

"While noting these things with an interest and attention which it now astonishes me to recall I felt myself thrust aside, and Judge Veigh, whom in the intensity and vicissitudes of my feelings I had altogether forgotten, pushed by me into the room. 'For God's sake,' I cried, 'do not go in there! Let us get out of this dreadful place!'

"He gave no heed to my entreaties, but (as fearless a gentleman as lived in all the South) walked quickly to the center of the room, knelt beside one of the bodies for a closer examination and tenderly raised its blackened and shriveled head in his hands. A strong disagreeable odor came through the doorway, completely overpowering me. My senses reeled; I felt myself falling, and in clutching at the edge of the door for support pushed it shut with a sharp click!

"I remember no more: six weeks later I recovered my reason in a hotel at Manchester, whither I had been taken by strangers the next day. For all these weeks I had suffered from a nervous fever, attended with constant delirium. I had been found lying in the road several miles away from the house; but how I had escaped from it to get there I never knew. On recovery, or as soon as my physicians permitted me to talk, I inquired the fate of Judge Veigh, whom (to quiet me, as I now know) they represented as well and at home.

"No one believed a word of my story, and who can wonder? And who can imagine my grief when, arriving at my home in Frankfort two months later, I learned that Judge Veigh had never been heard of since that night? I then regretted bitterly the pride which since the first few days after the recovery of my reason had forbidden me to repeat my discredited story and insist upon its truth.

"With all that afterward occurred--the examination of the house; the failure to find any room corresponding to that which I have described; the attempt to have me adjudged insane, and my triumph over my accusers--the readers of the Advocate are familiar. After all these years I am still confident that excavations which I have neither the legal right to undertake nor the wealth to make would disclose the secret of the disappearance of my unhappy friend, and possibly of the former occupants and owners of the deserted and now destroyed house. I do not despair of yet bringing about such a search, and it is a source of deep grief to me that it has been delayed by the undeserved hostility and unwise incredulity of the family and friends of the late Judge Veigh."

Colonel McArdle died in Frankfort on the thirteenth day of December, in the year 1879.

Monday, October 19, 2026

Movie- exorcist 2

I’m not so sure about this one. Beginning is getting on my nerves. The pompous and/or flippant almost mafia style of speech. I mean George C. Scott is always likable but… the others not so much.

Then you get this goofy heaven dream. The Jesus statue eyes are … not respectful but also not creepy. Just goofy.

I guess it will get better. Maybe they want contrasts so the actual creepy parts are more so. The first priest killing was very intense and scary.

I am 30 minutes into it. Let’s see hiw the rest goes.

UPDATE - oh it gets better! Halfway through now So he sees the dead priest in that cell. What the hell is going on? And

UPDATE - the skinny nurse that proclaims “i’m a bitch” after George C. Scott says “very kind of you” is weirdly entertaining.

Crazy man Brad Dourif from Dune and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s nest is pretty good in this. Over the top crazy works.

Ceiling crawl!!!

Quote “ Well, there I was so awfully dead in that electric chair. I didn't like it. Would you? It's upsetting. There was still so much killing to do, and there I was, in the void, without a body. But then along came - well - my friend. You know. One of them. Those others over there. The cruel ones... the Master. He thought my work should continue.”

Oh, the lightning floor to hell was some crazy special effects. Freeeaky.

The End.

Btw, Pazuzu is a good demon(?) according to the British History Museum guy. He claims Pazuzu was ugly to scare away the evil demon that would ruin(?) childbirths. Says they used his … icon or token or something in a window… if i recall correctly.

Sunday, October 18, 2026

Books to read, novels

We are all Legends by Darrel Schweitzer, 1981.

And maybe his Mask of the Sorcerer.

Amulet; Telamon of stone

https://www.thearchaeologist.org/blog/reviving-history-the-resurrection-of-the-atlas-statue-to-guard-sicilys-temple-of-zeus

Giant stone telamon.

……vocabulary to use in a campaign game

Scapegrace
Obsequious
Exalted
Giant stone telamon

…..

AMULET - From m-w.com

a small cross made of goat bone was worn in the Middle Ages as an amulet to ward off evil

Some believed that phallic icons served as protective amulets against infertility and evil spirits, thus leading to their incorporation in performances, art, and architecture.— Encyclopedia Britannica, 9 Oct. 2026 Additional discoveries include scarabs inscribed with the names of kings and deities, together with amulets for protection, fertility, and strength, reflecting the political and religious structures of the time.— Anne Doran, ARTnews.com, 18 Sep. 2026

Saturday, October 17, 2026

Movie - El Cid, medieval

El Cid 1961

Charlton Heston.

Medieval Spain. Castles. Knights in armor. Hoods. The costumes seem about half right. Armor is pretty good but might have fake chainmail (it doesn’t flow or hang feom ppl like it should).

Time 2:06:06, the studded leather might have helped influence D&D (as some say it isn’t historical). The fur shouldered cape is much like the Nights Watch in Game of Thrones.

LotR movie influences- Time 2:51:09 and much earlier the siege engines, the masked/veiled faces with dark around their eyes . The middle Eastern vibe of the evil men helping Sauron.

I get the impression that Game of Thrones owes much to this movie. The backstabbing and hinted ince5t stuff. Factions. Maybe all history has such.

El Cid being the ultra noble guy no matter what the others do. Eventually exhiled, then returned to grace, etc. It is like Jon Snow.

Dnd names

Hate-field

Hetchfield

Blackpool

Greyrun

Greatriver

Haxt

…

Similar surnames: Corkery, Corkran, Morken, Corgan, Dormer, Coffeen, Colen, Burkeen, Cobern, Coren

Ideas from beCmi and Vietnam war

Viet war, wow, the snake traps in tunnels, the Rattan plant (wait a minute vines) with mega spikes, elephant grass hiding death large and small… https://www.newsbreak.com/war-history-online-1745274/3958900142501-the-natural-and-hidden-dangers-lurking-in-the-vietnam-jungle-that-targeted-american-soldiers

Here is Rob Robvoski Turner’s https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xubdVMdMkYk

Friday, October 16, 2026

Ideas from Liminal Spaces review

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ADjnuKqS09I&t=1144s

Commenter says -

The evil things that plague the Night Land

(The sky is always dark, black pyramid, cycoplean monstrosities)

The Country When Comes the Great Laughter

The Thing that Turns the Doorways in the Night

The Thing That Nods

The Spinning Tree

The Black Mounds

The Slayers

The Silent Ones

AND they say “Voice in the Night” was basis for Japan movie Matango (mushroom ppl).

Also he is an appendix n guy, who also wrote “House on the Borderland”… that’s how we gor the D&D “Keep on the Borderlands” eh? https://appendixnbookclub.com/tag/william-hope-hodgson/

Against the Cult of the Reptile God; Nonplussed - Language

'Reptile God is a fun one, good GM, i like it. We magically put a group of 3 lizard hybrids to sleep when they tracked us underground. Then we charmed the one survivor of those 3, lizard-hybrid-friend gave us info so we could find our captured friend. Upstairs in the bad Inn.

Nonplussed. What a funny word. Two opposite meanings, what's up with that? Here's what Merriam Webster says: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nonplussed

1: unsure about what to say, think, or do : perplexed

2. chiefly US : not bothered, surprised, or impressed by something

Note: The use of nonplussed to mean "unimpressed" is an Americanism that has become increasingly common in recent decades and now appears frequently in published writing. It apparently arose from confusion over the meaning of nonplussed in ambiguous contexts, and it continues to be widely regarded as an error.

One of the things that most vexes language purists … is when the meaning of a word changes over time. For example, it appears that the traditional sense of the word nonplussed, "bewildered and at a loss as to what to think," is slowly giving way to a new (and opposite) sense: "unfazed." Even experienced writers are using the new sense.—Paul McFedries

D&d color and B&W artists, portraits; Jeff Easley, etc.

*Erol Otus has cool stuff i hadnt seen before https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Pp8IYBbNHIw&pp=0gcJCUcMAYcqIYzv and https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=XUX-OezeYHM and esp. AZmountaineer’s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ts2MOOMO4_o
AZmountaineer on artist David Trampier https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYJmOGcJVDk&t=391s
*old novel covers awesome https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=wXeoeuTOB78&t=306s
*Daniel Horne has the giant skel in snow vs lady https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=3r2F7Ddlyck at time 2:37 from Dragon mag 126
* Michael Whelan did dragonriders of pern, Elric https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=sUyNUoipTHs&t=335s
*Douglas Beekman https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=c0xrsc75kUE And time 9:20 portrait for mage.
* Clyde Caldwell https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=onlLu4dafwU

See time 14:45 Dead Easy, is Nola

*Jeff Easley has great 2e stuff https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=wvxbVkFPcEY

Look at these black tips on claws and horns at 1:20 the “Dragon of Flame 1984”.

And this one IS a black dragon cuz it is in a swamp, from the Basic Rules Cyclopedia:

Wednesday, October 14, 2026

Reading , The Eyes of the Overworld by Jack Vance (+ cover art extras)

Btw, related old novel cover to get https://sffremembrance.com/2025/12/24/novella-review-the-dragon-masters-by-jack-vance/

Reading this now.

How to pronounce Cugel? I went with the same as “Cudgel” that is “kud jul” at first because it seemed appropriate since ppl claim the character is dimwitted.

This site says nobody knows and many fans have their own way… some claim Vance says koo-gul (which would NOT follow 1950 American school pronunciation teachings if my mom is anybody to go by— “koo jul” would be the way via 1959s standards) but seems like others disagree there was ever a comcensus - https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/jackvance/viewtopic.php?p=47180#p47180

One thign I’m not surprised at the “ai” in names likely being pronounced as a long “a” like “ay”.

And this passage in The Green Pearl, spoken by Tatzel, is a strong hint at the pronunciation of "Aillas": "Your name is 'Halis' or 'Ailish' or something of the sort." The first guess shot down my original inclination to pronounce it "Eye-las". In retrospect, it has also called into question my pronunciation of Tschai, Vaidro and (I shudder) Nai the Hever.

Ad&d influences

Pg. 9 pickled homunculus

Pg. 9 “libram”… this site says jack vance made it up and d&d further spread the word https://infiniteprobability.wordpress.com/2010/06/15/libram/

UPDATE: This book is pretty fun. Not as "serious and awesome" D&Dness like "Dying Earth", but fun and kind of comical. The latest thing I'm on is when Cugel runs across this mega powerful magic user, who has been studying for hundreds of years on how to coax(?) a strange creature into ... doing something useful. Turns out the [SPOILER] creature is TOTALITY, like everything in the universe. The wizard calls it by that name and in capital letters. Cugel of course accidentally gets into major trouble by eating it, not knowing it was important. A big goofy weird as heck situation.

And so, I am halfway through the book and have mixed feelings. The first book, Dying Earth, was more mind bending and cool. Some of that is here, but Cugel the main character is a cheat and crook. So he is sometimes funny but sometimes a piece of trash… and I don’t enjoy unsavory (including cheating bastards) as a main character. The comedy and the backfiring of his BS tries to balance it out. Was fine for a while but today in a groggy annoyed morning mood, not enjoying it as much.

Tomb of Horrors influence on Dark Souls games

The arch of mist… look at the doorway thing to the left of the gianthead (the green devil head w the shere of annihilation). That misty doorway looks A LOT like the misty doors to boss fights in Dark Souls games. Related or not? The Grognardia site hints at the very end of his article that the misty arch is an unfair deadly thing… interesting.

Oh, I also read that the Jack Vance books influenced the Dark Souls guy. There is a picture with i think the game maker posing with Jack Vance.

Gooflinggoogling , cant find the picture… it was in a youtube i saw recently… i guess it is real. But if found a great website forum discussing Jack Vance h and other good scifi here https://www.sffchronicles.com/threads/567903/

Hey look at the Hildebrandt bros art from 1979 of a big devil head on a wall!!!!!!!! Who was first see video:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=RBDsIFs091Y&t=214s At time 3:33, called GORTA THE WITCH, 1979. Note Tomb of Horros was sold in 1978, so Erol Otus was first to draw or paint it, huh?

Saturday, October 10, 2026

Results so far

Kid beat the fire salamanders and the drow turned Glabrezu demon.

Wednesday, October 7, 2026

Reading Dying Earth more - Jack Vance

Jack Vance's Dying Earth. Good stuff. It's many short stories put together... the first 5 or so are all related. Super entertaining.

[[[Btw, search for “Gaun jack vance”… trying to find art of the white long armed, furred legged monsters… instead found many book covers of Vance, many are excellent.

And I just drew my own Gaun… less ugly drawn than my imagination, heh.

Also, read “Night Lamp”, one of Vance’s best after the first book]]]

I might be on 2nd to last story. First story still favorite.

Update - ok, I have finished it. Very good. Happy to say only one “main character “ was a real bad guy, so it was easy to read and fun. The magic was the best, but there were lots of cool parts like the giant head which might have been an influence on the giant head on Doctor Who circa 2015 or so, and even more likely the giant head w the sphere of annihilation in the dnd module Tomb of Horrors.

I need to come back to this and update it with all the references to D&D spells I keep finding... I know I did a little of this on an older post, but now I have seen more.

The Excellent Prismatic Spray - such an excellent battle in chapter 1. Comes up again in maybe ch. 2.
A weird ring that you can pass over your head to feet and become inviz... the light becomes darker from the inside. Can pick it up and carry it around, then you and "it" are both inviz.
In chapter 4 or 5, there was a Wizard Mouth... placed on a dude's forehead. It spoke with the dude's voice, not the wizard, so... not precisely the same.
An imp (demon) in a jar.
There was the crazy demon or gy thing where they summoned / captured the visage of a goddess, and started shooting spells at her which seemed to harm her a little.
Swapping someone's face with a demon. Weird! I guess you could almost say it's like "alter self", but definitely more like a permanent curse.
Evil lady summoned 3 winged monsters for transportation. They would normally eat you. So cast a sort of charm on them to prevent harming.
Charm/geas/compulsion type spell - a very strong one. But also a loophole, where you can command someone to use their own willpower/decisions and they go back to normal.
Bounce back spell Rune.
A really weird spell, sort of like a reverse gravity/telekinetic grab, but it then would spin the enemy faster and faster until ripped into pieces.

Random:

I love when the Deodand comes to the door and asks rather politely to open up so it can eat someone. So freaky
The brakes. Pg. 115, Guyal on horse through the brakes, eluding the four oasts (weird 8-9 ft. Tall humanoids that are animal minded , like a horse),
Canebrake rattlesnakes is what I think of.

Monsters

. Gaun
Deodand
Monsters

Other notes around d&d influences … to be cleaned up :

Pg 71 origin of blade barrier? Scribd website version of book.

Pg 75, wizard mouth? On his head.

Pg. 102 and several pages before… anti-gravity mentioned. It is in the tower, but he thought it a killing spell at first.

Pg. 105… slime blog tentacles (not a monster but magic helpers with mouth and eyes all over, all over city)… similar to Gibbering Mouthers a little,bit.

Pg. 105, brain controlling residents. Like mindflayer motherbrain.

Pg. 112, the expansible egg, mentioned earlier… it is like the magic Hut spell. Tensors eh

Pg 147, giant face.. on wall and floor… hissing like gas from mouth… tongue into hand snatch ankle. Nostril houses ghost. —- is this the origin of giant face Tomb of Horrors

Sunday, October 4, 2026

Larry Elmore’s famous red box Dragon has one horn

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=DmMt2iDJLuU&t=1745s

Time 28:30. Wow, yep I don’t think I noticed before. Kinda weird. Kind awesome dragon though, but the horn throws me off now that I look at it.

TONS of stuff I never saw, plus oldies, plus new ones: https://larryelmore.com/store/ (warning, a couple of the zoomed in ones are distorted so I think if you buy you get the good version no distortion... example the one near the bottom from the beCmi Companion book B&W knight vs. scary knight monster face with fur, the fur is distorted).

Larry Elmore is a damn stellar artist. From Kentucky. The other super good fellow was also from Kentucky and he brough him in... darn it, I know the name and I'm blanking cuz in a hurry.

And this same fellow… born jan 1974, a video game art guy (call of duty)… loved dnd as a kid. His dad made him throw away all, satanic panic. Which lead to him missing them all and him becoming a collector later.

Since the Jennel jaquays interview (and before) been reliving the 1974 od&d into 1989s and allows adnd 1e etc and dragon mags at the table AS they come up on the timeline. Wow, epic. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0MgGJIa573M&t=1122s&pp=0gcJCS0MAYcqIYzv He mentions half of that from about time 17:00 to 18:40.

And check out that TIMELINE of all tsr stuff. I need it.

The Red Box Basic D&D set, 1983. That's the one I knew.

His original draft even had the one horn.

Jennell Jaquays didn’t use roll straight down the line

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=9yS8KuVg-20&t=1050s

She says at 17:00 that they quickly “got over” rolling 3, put it at top, roll 3, put it at next stat. Right, very quickly they used roll 4, pixk best 3, place where you want, so that you could CHOOSE THE CHARACTER you wanted.

TSR and OSR top 20 lists

https://figcat.com/lists/osr-and-old-school-dnd-adventure-modules/#the-list

And https://www.reddit.com/r/osr/comments/12ualp8/i_compiled_a_list_of_the_most_frequently/

The Garden of Ynn sticks out bcuz like th dns cartoon’s Garden of Zinn. Review and author responds here… $3 on drivethru https://tenfootpole.org/ironspike/?p=4134

1e, B/X, OSR , power creep elimination was a goal

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=5DsYWvslEyE&pp=0gcJCS0MAYcqIYzv

Time 7:00 explains well the issues from 1e Unearthed Arcana (Barb was OP, weapon specalization and dbl specialization) and in OD&D they at some point allowed +4 to hi and +6 dmg in a 18:00 fighter… silly bcuz 20% higher chance hit and approx Dbl dmg.

Undead tools & Lich-Dragon from Dragon mag #234

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ugpPReoVTBY

Via Dragon magazine #234 from October, 1996.

Dracolich named Daurgoth - Greenwood wrote. Wants to take over. Breath weapon actually turns ALL corpses into undead!!

Chalk of Barriers - 5000 gp. chalk that can prevent undead, any undead, from crossing the line. Doors, windows… and do a whole room (all walls) vs. strong undead. Weaker undead would explode if forced to cross line. CHARGES PER STICK OF CHALK- 30 charges equalnto 30 ft. of use. Normally het 1d4+1 in a box of chalk. Made from undead skeleton bones, by a necromancer or similar.

Shroud of Sol/Sun - faery queen gave to elves. Absorbs sunlight one day. Open up and yse it for one hour.

Saturday, October 3, 2026

Great B/X BECMI starter module

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=9CSI4ZuCZYc&pp=0gcJCS0MAYcqIYzv

QUEST FOR THE SILVER SWORD

Captcorajus does review. THERE ARE a half dozen more related box modules, in THUNDER RIFT. 1992 era.

Short w lotsa cool magical happenings.

Magic scare then +1 int for MU/wizard and elf, this is B/X Basic style module, eh? .

Ice spider thing freeze (but ur alive) … pcs would have to thaw, correctly guess.

Ice sword

Ice throne

Air pollution removed by area of Plant root

https://m.youtube.com/shorts/UDE2LGfWnDI

It’s all the other things living in the soil near the roots that remove petrol related pollution. So the more they r exposed, the more of the microbes grow that help, the more air flow near roots the better.

Australian researchers.

Friday, October 2, 2026

FF #4 - Starship Traveller

Starship Traveller

Starting Starship Traveller tonight!

Initial thoughts: Very Star Trek influenced... like a ton. Captain, science officer, medical officer, engineering officer, security officer + 2 guards. Beaming down to planets. Etc.

A TON of stats you gotta roll up, for ship and crew. I got near max on ship weapons, but then the LOWEST for ship shields, meaning you die easily. Hell. Avg stats for the crew mostly.

Well, I stumbled around and saw a few interesting things but couldn't find the black hole I wanted... it forced me to try something and wham, dead.

TRY 2 NOW:

The Ganzig reptilian guys ... reminds me of the name Danzig. Maybe someone is a ... dark/punk/goth/metal fan.

Against the Cult of the Reptile God - Shadowdark Campaign 2nd night

Against the Cult of the Reptile God

Playing with a group online. Shadowdark.

First night was fine, bar fight, rolling char.s.

Second night sure was fun! Our DM like me, never got to do the classic 1980s modules in the 80s, but sure wanted to. Now we're doing one and more to follow I do believe.

The DM: He's great at describing scenes and characters... short and sweet, but very evocative. Also easy going, patience for all, and keeps things moving and entertaining. I'm damn lucky I found this group. Now if we can balance out the players so everybody gets equal "turns", we'll be in bang up shape.

Wednesday, September 30, 2026

Convert TSR modules to Shadowdark (old AC to newer ascending AC)

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=08LZ-52WvAU&t=324s

For each hitdice, that’s a +1 to hit.

AC is basically 20 - (the TSR era AC) = modern ascending AC.

So like 0 tsr AC is 20-0=20 new school AC, I think.

Tuesday, September 29, 2026

Ideas - Our Campaign rules vs. 5e dnd vs. any version really

How about, to make higher levels more challenging in 5e, you CANNOT get surrounded? Feels more real. What happens?

Let's codify it for real.

NEW RULE TO TEST:

If you are a melee guy (spellcaster pc requirements should be 4+ guys maybe) and are surrounded by 5 or more bad guys, they can use a group swarm feature to basically mob attack you and wrestle you to the ground.

So you become prone or... maybe incapacitated for a while.
No saving throw or something very strong like that.
No insta-lose, but put in a bad situation if you neglect tactics... like in real life you could not possibly survive when being hit from 5 guys at once. This ain't Shaw Brothers 1978 Kung Fu after all. :P
What's the counter? We need counters, besides just being in the perfect position to begin with.

This strongly encourages positioning with friends to your back.
You have to weight whether you want to flank... heck level 15+ PCs in 5e D&D don't need to flank, their to hit is super good. But the MONSTERS do need to flank. Is this going to prevent the DM from ever getting a flank?
Is it going to be so restrictive that every fight looks like 4 PCs with their backs to each other?

Or will they be encouraged to spread out so they don't get an AoE spell on top of the whole group? Assuming AoE / area attacks is common at that high a level.

OSR module makers, yt and drivethrurpg

https://starryknightpress.com/ seems smaller, I like their cover art a lot.

https://www.darkwizardgames.com seems a little bigger, has a company company vibe, has a yt channel. Definitely going for the DCC feel of things, at least that's what I gather. The yt: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nC14Rz35BI0

And super nice, a TON of freebies for the next 2 days:

🎁 FREE 1E / 5E MODULES & DOWNLOADS (LIMITED TIME): 📝 DOWNLOAD ALL 27 CHARACTER SHEETS FREE HERE: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/browse.p... 🎲 Grab my FREE PDF of 64 1E AD&D Pre-Generated Characters (Tournament Style) here: https://www.darkwizardgames.com/downl... ⚰️ Grab the FREE PDF of my funhouse dungeon Hanging Coffins of the Vampire Queen (FREE through 10/21/2026): https://www.drivethrurpg.com/browse.p... 🪄 101 Magical and Mystical Items 1E (FREE through 10/31/2026) 🔗 https://www.drivethrurpg.com/browse.p... 🧙‍♂️✨ Fantastic Quest of the Whimsical One 1E (Erol Otus Cover) (FREE through 10/31/2026) 🔗 https://www.drivethrurpg.com/browse.p... 🦑🌊 Voyage to the Forbidden Zone 1E / 5E (FREE through 10/31/2026) 🔗 https://www.drivethrurpg.com/browse.p... 🐉👸 Palace of the Dragon's Princess 1E (FREE through 10/31/2026) 🔗 https://www.drivethrurpg.com/browse.p... 🔥 Check out Dark Wizard Games™ modules & releases: https://www.darkwizardgames.com ⭐ See Dark Wizard Games™ TESTIMONIALS from folks that LOVE our modules: https://www.darkwizardgames.com/testi... 📧 Subscribe to the Dark Wizard Games™ Email List for new releases, Kickstarter announcements, FREE stuff & more! (Sign up and you'll also get download links for a few FREE PDFs): https://fa9dd761.sibforms.com/serve/M... 👍 Like our FACEBOOK PAGE: / darkwizardgames 🏘️📸 Old Town Los Gatos historical photos credit / source: San Jose & Santa Clara Valley Orchards / History Facebook Group: / 26643994001968224 ⚠️ DISCLAIMER: Dark Wizard Games™ is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or associated with TSR, Wizards of the Coast, or Hasbro. All product names, trademarks, and registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Any opinions and commentary expressed in this video are my own. This video is presented for commentary, discussion, and entertainment purposes. 🎬 WATCH MARK IN FILM, TV & MUSIC VIDEOS: Mark Taormino is not only a "hack" OSR writer... he's also a hack actor who has nearly 100 IMDB credits working in movies, tv, music videos (Lil Wayne "Krazy," Kesha "My Own Dance," Sabrina Carpenter "Tears" and many more), commercials etc. Here are some clips from a few projects he has been a character in since 1988.

Monday, September 28, 2026

FF - Citadel of Chaos. Cool but hard.

Fighting Fantasy books. #2 is the Citadel of Chaos. Playing now.

You apparently need some items to get past certain parts. I am low on time, so after a few misfires, I'm going to get a walkthrough to get past the stuck parts.

More info/art: https://officialfightingfantasy.blogspot.com/2021/03/blast-from-past-citadel-of-chaos.html

Using a medium bit of: https://spikesnlead.co.uk/2024/03/26/citadel-of-chaos-walkthrough/

Interesting analysis (jp): https://note.com/snichnd/n/n94cb09832d87?hl=en

Probably shoulda just used "long but fun path guy" again: http://www.arek.bdmonkeys.net/FF/sols/sol1.html

So during my unhelped run(s)... it is amazing how they try to use common sense or logic to make the choices matter. But also keep you on your toes and not be too obvious ever. Sometimes it is just luck. Examples of logic:

Abruptly sit down with monsters and more or less demand info. If you are polite, they don't trust you. Yep, I thought like an orc and so made it past that part.
Later there are shapeshifter monsters... you have a semi-broken magical gadget that sort of shapeshifts, so they like it.
...

OK I finished it, had some help with several parts. Pretty cool. I'll say I enjoyed the beginning the most, maybe because I chose so well at the start and figured things out. Midway and to the end I was getting my butt stomped.

Near Final thoughts:

The magic was cool, but very much had its own rules. Was as unreliable as any hard choose your own adventure type option, sadly. Sadly? I think that's how these games work, I was just going in thinking it was D&D spells that ... well what was I thinking, saving throws and save or suck [why isn't this called "save AND suck", because if they made their save it's going to suck for you the caster... anyway] is a thing. Then again that is why I always pick magic missile (always hits) and fireball/lightning bolt (does half even on a save... in most games).
When I fought him the first time, I somehow got into a sword fight, and it was kind of boring. Sooooo... even beating him, not satisfying. Watched Spellsinger, read comments... everybody said this fight was so cool. What'd I miss? Well let's see....

FINAL BATTLE REDO:

OK, now this is much cooler. So many scenarios, even dying is fun. A couple of standouts in no particular order:

Gorgon (medusa)
Claw beast
The boss, Dire, uses a spell to turn his pupils white, leans back his head and moans, then his eyes are all silvery. It's a hypnotic gaze spell.
He copies you to fight you.
You throw a fire spell at his feet, he jumps back. Then he mutters a spell, his pupils become fire, he steps into your fire, grabs burning things, hurls it at you as a small fireball type spell.

Roll20[.]net instead of Startplaying?

Wondering if I should just try Roll20.net instead. It has a ton of free games. And when I search up Shadowdark, ALL of the graphics are old school AD&D art, instead of AI-Slop art. These might be my people.

Wait, one fellow uses Shadowdark art and it... umm... has a lot of AI art. Not his fault.

Check out this 1 PC to one GM, play by post... the list of possible systems is endless:

https://app.roll20.net/lfg/listing/414338/pbp-the-great-encyclopedia-of-rpg-systems

Swords and Wizardry (0E)
--- Grimmsgate (Starter Adventure)
--- MCMLXXV (Starter Adventure)
--- Against Tsathogga (Adventure)
--- Tomb of the Iron God (Adventure)
--- The Black Monastery (Adventure)
--- Borderland Provinces (Campaign)
--- Stoneheart Valley (Campaign)
--- Lost City of Barakus (Campaign)
--- Northlands Saga (Campaign)
--- Bard's Gate (Mega City)
--- Forbidden Caverns of Archaia (Megadungeon)
--- Barrowmaze Complete (Megadungeon)
--- Highfell the Drifting Dungeon (Megadungeon)
--- Dwarrowdeep (Megadungeon)
--- Lost Lands: Sword of Air (Huge Campaign)
--- Razor Coast (Huge Campaign)
13th Age
--- Eyes of the Stone Thief (Megadungeon)
Basic Fantasy RPG
Astonishing Swordsmen and Sorcerers of Hyperboria 2nd Edition
Adventurers 1st Edition
Basic Dungeons and Dragons (Cyclopedia)
--- Mystara (Campaign)
--- Wrath of the Immortals (Campaign)
--- Dwimmermount (Megadungeon)
Advanced Dungeons and Dragons (1E)
--- B2: Keep on the Borderlands/Caves of Chaos (Starter Campaign)
--- T1: Village of Hommlet (Starter Adventure)
--- A1/A2/A3/A4: Against the Slave Lords (Campaign)
--- G1/G2/G3: Against the Giants (Campaign)
--- D1/D2/D3/Q1: Descent into the Depths of the Earth (Campaign)
--- C1: Hidden Shrine of Tamoachan (Adventure)
--- C2: Ghost Tower of Inverness (Adventure)
--- I1: Dwellers of the Forbidden City (Adventure)
--- L1: Secret of Bone Hill (Adventure)
--- S1: Tomb of Horrors (Adventure)
--- S2: White Plume Mountain (Adventure)
--- S3: Expedition to the Barrier Peaks (Adventure)
--- S4: Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth (Adventure)
--- T2: Temple of Elemental Evil (Adventure)
--- U1/U2/U3: Saltmarsh Trilogy (Campaign)
--- Dragonlance Modules/Box Sets/Adventures/Quests/Expansions
--- Halls of Arden Vul (Megadungeon)
Adventures Dark and Deep
2nd Edition Dungeons and Dragons (2E)
--- Dark Sun (Setting)
--- Al Qadim (Setting)
--- Planescape (Setting)
--- Spelljammer (Setting)
--- Forgotten Realms (Campaign)
--- Ravenloft (Campaign)
--- Kara Tur (Campaign)
--- Red Steel (Campaign)
--- Hollow World (Campaign)
3.5 Dungeons and Dragons (D20)
--- Castle Whiterock (Megadungeon)
--- Rappan Athuk (Megadungeon)
--- Worlds Largest Dungeon (Megadungeon)
--- Worlds Largest City (Mega City)
--- Ptolus: City by the Spire (Monte Cook)(Mega City/Dungeon/Campaign)
--- Midnight (Setting)
--- Dragonlance (Setting)
--- Eberron (Setting)
--- Dragonmech (Setting)
--- Iron Kingdoms (Setting)
--- Oathbound (Setting)
--- Iron Heroes (Setting)
--- Northern Crown/Nyambe (Settings)
--- Spellslinger (Setting)
--- Wilderlands (Campaign)
--- City State of the Invincible Overlord (Campaign)
--- Shackled City (Campaign)
--- Savage Tide (Campaign)
--- Age of Worms (Campaign)
4th Edition Dungeons and Dragons (4E)
Pathfinder 1st Edition
--- Rise of the Runelords (Adventure Path)
--- Second Darkness (Adventure Path)
--- Emerald Spire (Megadungeon)
--- Grande Temple of Jing (Megadungeon)
--- Rhune: Dawn of Twilight (Setting)
Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition (2014)
--- Lost Mine of Phandelver (Starter Adventure)
--- Mythic Odysseys of Theros (Campaign)
--- Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage (Megadungeon)
--- Candlekeep Mysteries (Campaign)
--- Strixhaven (Campaign)
--- Journeys through the Radiant Citadel (Adventures/Campaign)
--- Castle of the Mad Archmage (Megadungeon)
Pathfinder 2nd Edition
--- Battlezoo: Indigo Isles (Huge Campaign)
In the Labyrinth (Melee/Wizard)
Dangerous Journeys (Gary Gygax)
GURPS 3rd Edition
Old School Essentials
--- Dolmenwood
Palladium Fantasy RPG 1st Edition
Rifts
Runequest 2nd Edition
--- Apple Lane/Rainbow Mounds (Starter Adventure)
--- Borderlands (Campaign)
--- Griffin Mountain (Campaign)
--- Pavis/Big Rubble (Campaign)
--- Trollpak (Campaign)
--- Snakepipe Hollow (Megadungeon)
Runequest Roleplaying in Glorantha
Tekumel: Empire of the Petal Throne
Talislanta
Arduin
--- Caliban (Megadungeon)
--- The Howling Tower (Megadungeon)
--- The Citadel of Thunder (Megadungeon)
--- Death Heart (Megadungeon)
Dragon Warriors
Dungeon Slayers
Barbarians of Lemuria
Crypts and Things Remastered
Fantasy Craft
Odysseys and Overlords
Mazes and Perils Deluxe
White Star
Worlds Without Number
X-Plorers
Colonial Troopers
Warriors of the Red Planet
Harnmaster 3rd Edition
Oldskull Swords and Sorcery
Adventurer Conqueror System II (ACKS)
Shadowdark
One Ring
Lord of the Rings RPG
Level Up 5E Advanced
Anime 5E
The Hero's Journey 2nd Edition
Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 1st Edition
--- Enemy Within (Campaign)
--- Doomstones (Campaign)
--- Castle Drachenfels (Adventure)
--- Death's Dark Shadow (Adventure)
--- Dying of the Light (Campaign)
--- Fear the Worse (Adventure)
--- Marienburg (City Adventure)
--- Middenheim (City Adventure)
--- Peril at Stopover (Adventure)
Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 4th Edition
Warriors and Warlocks (Mutants and Masterminds 2E Fantasy System)
Hero Kids
Shadow Sword Spell
Ancient Odysseys
Mazes and Minotaurs (Homage RPG)
The Black Hack 1st Edition
Castles and Crusades 8th Edition
--- Yggsburgh/Castle Zagyg (Megadungeon)
Star Frontiers
Champions 4th Edition
Crown and Skull RPG
Dungeon Crawl Classics RPG (DCC)
Mutant Crawl Classics RPG (MCC)
Tiny Dungeon 2nd Edition
Esper Genesis
Phantasy Star
Powers and Perils
Dragonbane
Dragonslayer
Tales of the Valiant
Shadow of the Weird Wizard (evolved out of Shadow of the Demon Lord)
Fabula Ultima
Fantasy Age 2nd Edition
Shadowdark
Labyrinth Lord Revised and Expanded
Fateforge
Fast RPG
Daggerheart
Cosmere RPG
Codex Martialis
Mud, Blood, Rats RPG
Advanced Fantasy
Oath Hammer
OSRIC 3.0
Paleolithic
Cohors Cthulu
Star Adventurer
Household
Land of Eem
YS Age of Heroes
OVA
Mouse Guard RPG
Forbidden Lands RPG
Low Fantasy Gaming RPG
Warlock RPG (Inspired by Early British Gaming)
W.O.I.N. (What's Old is New)

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