Good ol Delleb and Fharlanghn humor. I love writing the alliterative dialogue. I get out a thesaurus and write down all the words with the same root then start playing with them. It's like a game to see how many I can use.
Ah the hilarity of Gods in Space. I only wish one of the Cultists had used that pun instead.
Crazy fun stuff. Already got a bunch of people who scored only 27/28 D&D references in this comic. And then notable Greyfan, Sam Weiss then countered me by finding a 29th reference that even I didn't spot. Mayaheine's 'Sword' on her tabard and her 'Fist'. Sometimes I'm too clever for even myself!
More comics from my Oerth Journal days. I was running behind on this week's comic. Got some big ones in store, always doing things at the last minute. I thrive under pressure of a deadline though. The rest of the time I guess all I do is sleep. Hm. The Llerg one is one of my faves since it utilizes module and novel titles in the dialogue. I am currently working on another in this vein. The Hungering was a bit of serendipity as I was struggling to come up with a comic to fit that OJ's theme. It is hard to do a weekly strip and then come up with a homerun for OJ at the same time. It's okay to have a lame comic once in a while for the regular run but the OJ has to always be top notch in my opinion.
"Welcome back Greyfans. Many of you may be familiar with the supermodule Queen of the Spiders which compiles seven classic 1st edition modules into one grand quest to save Oerth from the machinations of Lolth and the Drow. Well the cultists have skipped over modules G1-G3 and teleported past modules D1 and D2, then used the power of the Codex to beat D3- The Vault of the Drow easily. Now they go for the record as they try to tackle Q1- Queen of the Demonweb Pits. Lolth is in trouble!
On another topic, AD&D's g.p. weight encumberance system was never one of my favorite things when I was young(must've been the math thing), but now looking back as an adult I see the usefulness of it especially in a game whose primary goal is tracking loot. The 1e DMG says the maximum weight a normal strength person can carry and still move is 1500 g.p. It defines encumberance for items as a combination of weight and bulkiness. Some items thus have no encumbering effect like a helm, material components, thieves tools and one set of clothing. Typical adventuring gear like a backpack however weighs 20 gp. Factoring in other stuff like armor, weapons and whatnot it is easy to see how absurd carrying gold actually becomes. Now anyyone who has ever played D&D or a video game like it knows this, but I bet half of us myself included handwave past these rules and let scrawny wizards carry many many times their body weight in gold around. This is a shame you see because it makes things like blackmailing someone for your "weight in gold" not such a big deal anymore. Speaking of which, the cultists should be at the Fane of Lolth by now...."
Ah finally, a new storyline on G.i.S. Well for now at any rate. I did some heavy research on Giant Space Hamsters, not knowing much about them. Man I was missing out on the fun back in 2e! Another oddity I learned, gnomes have their own language but use dwarven alphabet. Well that's cheating!
The Raven Queen sounds like a cool idea for a new D&D deity, but the more I read on her in Wizards material the more I wish they had just stuck with Wee Jas. Heh heh.
Good ol Gra'zt. I like doing the Graz'zt Show now, because since I got the general format down all I really do is change the text. Lazy yes, but at this point in my 4th year of the comic, any corner cutting I do extends the life of the comic greatly.
I love everything Paizo does but they are starting to pull away from me in a deluge of published material for their new setting. It's almost like Forgotten Realms in ambition but without the extra deluge of novels. Still, top noth stuff and I love to pick on some new deities for a change, even if indirectly.
Finally got my secret Cyndor Project off the ground. It was fun to produce and fun to taunt people with. I have more twisted Greyhawk history to deal with in the future but this was the main one I wanted to do. To quote Hannibal (A-Team not the Elephant rider) "I love it when a plan comes together."
Deuces wild. Man, I've been prolific. Here's a few of my best comics, lovingly drawn and scripted for the Oerth Journal fanzine.
One more issue to go on this story arc, but there will be very little lay over time as the crew will soon have to account for the disappearance of their enemy Phaulkhan as I lined up many many issues ago. It's been a long way to get there, but the Spelljammer fun continues for 'Episode 2'. I am still unsure how i'll bridge Episode 5 and 2 but I'll think of something...???
Link to the comic: www.greyhawkonline.com/wogcomic/title/wo
This unassuming comic was a pleasant surprise for me. I could not find any reference to where Gygax got the word Kanteel from, and many people stepped up to provide me info on the origin. Apparently its a Finnish instrument called a Kantele and is from their mythology.
Rasgon as usual best explains it to me: www.canonfire.com/cfhtml/modules.php
Thanks to everyone for their assistance. I love gettign feedback.
...the powerful wizard said so.
That's right. So often in Greyhawk or any campaign the plot is driven by an archmage sending the PCs on a quest, and so often players will stop in the middle of a session and think to themselves why is my character doing this quest again? The answer is always: Because the powerful wizard said so. Don't question his motives...just go into that death-trap dungeon already!
Looking back on my body of Ull-work I'm quite proud of all I've managed to develop with scant canon references. Since I started I've written enough to make my own setting-book by now I wager. Let's investigate:
Postfest II: The Altar of Dhawar (Mysterious Place set in Ulsprue Mountains) @1200 words
Ull Gazetteer: Trade Town of Kester, Part 1 (Geography, People, and Trade in Kester) @1300 words
Ull Gazetteer: Trade Town of Kester, Part 2 (Black Market, Pit Fighting and Denizens of Kester) @1700 words
Ull Gazetteer: Ulakand the City of Horses, Part 1 (Geography, People, and Trade in Ulakand) @1400 words
Ull Gazetteer: Ulakand the City of Horses, Part 2 (Rulers, Worship and Customs in Ulakand) @1200 words
Postfest III: Abi Dalzim (High-level evil wizard living near Kester) @1200 words
Postfest III: Bruzharag the Misbegotten (High-level evil ruler of Ull) @1400 words
Postfest IV: Minotaur Mask of the Ulsprues (Magic item of Ull) @800 words
Magic Items of Ull, Part 1 (3 items with Ull lore) @1000 words
Postfest V: The Yellow Cartel (Evil drug trading organization in Ull) @1100 words
Magic Items of Ull, Part 2 (3 more unique items in Ull) @1100 words
Postfest V, Part III: Blink Camprat (Variation of the well known GH critter in Ull) @700 words
Random Encounters in Ull (AD&D style charts for regions within Ull) @400 words
See Ull...and Die! Part 1 (Khanates and Warbands of northern Ull) @1100 words
See Ull...and Die! Part 2 (Kahantes and Warbands of central-southern Ull) @1300 words
Postfest VII: The Dagger of Misfortune (Cursed dagger of Ralishaz found in Ull area) @600 words
Postfest X: The Blind Billy Goat Inn (New article. Only true inn to be found in Kester) @2200 words
The sum of my Canonfire work so far is about 19,700 words
Add to this the articles I've done for Oerth Journal. They are largely repackaged and reedited material from my CF articles but alot new has been added as well:
Oerth Journal 19: Gazetteer of the Flanaess - Ull (New material includes a lengthy history of Ull, the roll of Orakhans, races of Ull, smaller settlements and new NPCs of Ull) @12,000 words
Unpublished Gazetteer of the Flanaess - Ulakand the City of Horses (New material includes brief history of Ulakand, information on the town and the surrounding mesa and a random caravan generator) @8600 words
This brings my finished works to 40,300 words. The 83 Guide had exactly 200 words on Ull and 55 words on the Ulsprues for a total of 255 words. That gives me 158 times as much information. Not bad eh?
p.s. my Ull map is from OJ #19 and was made by Anna Bernemalm and Rick Miller. Gotta love them.
Postfest II: The Altar of Dhawar (Mysterious Place set in Ulsprue Mountains) @1200 words
Ull Gazetteer: Trade Town of Kester, Part 1 (Geography, People, and Trade in Kester) @1300 words
Ull Gazetteer: Trade Town of Kester, Part 2 (Black Market, Pit Fighting and Denizens of Kester) @1700 words
Ull Gazetteer: Ulakand the City of Horses, Part 1 (Geography, People, and Trade in Ulakand) @1400 words
Ull Gazetteer: Ulakand the City of Horses, Part 2 (Rulers, Worship and Customs in Ulakand) @1200 words
Postfest III: Abi Dalzim (High-level evil wizard living near Kester) @1200 words
Postfest III: Bruzharag the Misbegotten (High-level evil ruler of Ull) @1400 words
Postfest IV: Minotaur Mask of the Ulsprues (Magic item of Ull) @800 words
Magic Items of Ull, Part 1 (3 items with Ull lore) @1000 words
Postfest V: The Yellow Cartel (Evil drug trading organization in Ull) @1100 words
Magic Items of Ull, Part 2 (3 more unique items in Ull) @1100 words
Postfest V, Part III: Blink Camprat (Variation of the well known GH critter in Ull) @700 words
Random Encounters in Ull (AD&D style charts for regions within Ull) @400 words
See Ull...and Die! Part 1 (Khanates and Warbands of northern Ull) @1100 words
See Ull...and Die! Part 2 (Kahantes and Warbands of central-southern Ull) @1300 words
Postfest VII: The Dagger of Misfortune (Cursed dagger of Ralishaz found in Ull area) @600 words
Postfest X: The Blind Billy Goat Inn (New article. Only true inn to be found in Kester) @2200 words
The sum of my Canonfire work so far is about 19,700 words
Add to this the articles I've done for Oerth Journal. They are largely repackaged and reedited material from my CF articles but alot new has been added as well:
Oerth Journal 19: Gazetteer of the Flanaess - Ull (New material includes a lengthy history of Ull, the roll of Orakhans, races of Ull, smaller settlements and new NPCs of Ull) @12,000 words
Unpublished Gazetteer of the Flanaess - Ulakand the City of Horses (New material includes brief history of Ulakand, information on the town and the surrounding mesa and a random caravan generator) @8600 words
This brings my finished works to 40,300 words. The 83 Guide had exactly 200 words on Ull and 55 words on the Ulsprues for a total of 255 words. That gives me 158 times as much information. Not bad eh?
p.s. my Ull map is from OJ #19 and was made by Anna Bernemalm and Rick Miller. Gotta love them.
I have already finished the setting defining Battle of Emridy Meadows. But the exhausting work in research and the daunting issue of whether accompanying maps are needed has stalled further development by me. For the time being here is my short list of battles I'd like to undertake. Greyhawk canon has TONS of them so I'm being selective so as not to discourage myself, indeed I hope making a list here will inspire myself to start up this series again soon. Any reccomendations would be appreciated.
- Almorian Campaign
- Baklunish-Suloise War
- Padyr, Fields of
- Battle of a Fortnights Length
- Battle Beneath The Waves
- Battle of a Thousand Banners
- Battle of Opicm River
- Blackwater Bend, Battle of
- Crockport, Battle of
- Critwall Bridge, Battle of
- Hateful Wars
- Plain of Spears
- Loftwood, Battle of
- Small War
- Steelbone Meadows
- Battle of the Shamblefield (Caldni Virs Charge)
- Gahrus Folly
- Westkeep, Siege of
- Battle of Jetsom Island
April 9th, 2008: Last month was the one year anniversary of Gary Gygax's passing, and now sadly we mourn the passing of Dungeons & Dragons' co-creator: Dave Arneson.
grognardia.blogspot.com/2009/04/sadly-th
I am glad I got to meet Dave Arneson at Gencon a few years ago, when even then he seemed to be in poor health. There are no words I can form that can adequatedly express what Arneson meant to this hobby. So instead, I will quote the immortal Gygax from his forward to Dave's iconic work, Supplement II, Blackmoor
-mortellan
"Dave Arneson ... Is there really such a creature? Yes, Gentle Readers, there is, and shudder when the name is spoken. Although he is a man of many talents who has authored many historic rules sets and games, Dave is also the innovator of the "dungeon adventure" concept, creator of ghastly monsters, and inscrutable dungeonmaster par excellence. He devises complex combat systems, inexplicable dungeon and wilderness areas, and traps of the most subtle fiendishness. Herein you will get a taste of these, but he never reveals all. This writer always looks forward with great anticipation to an adventure in the "Blackmoor" campaign, for despite the fact that I co-authored the original work with Dave, and have spent hundreds of hours creating and playing DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, it is always a fresh challenge to enter his "world". I can not reccomend him more highly than simply saying that I would rather play in his campaign than any other - that other dungeonmasters who emulate Dave Arneson will indeed improve their games. While eagerly anticipating yet more material from dread "Blackmoor Castle", the following pages should satisfy your immediate craving for new ideas. Those of you totally committed to the fantasy adventure game may expect additional supplements from time to time; and isn't that dark shape crouched over the desk of blackened oak laughing fiendishly as glowing runes flow from his quill, remarkably similar to Arneson's?"
E. Gary Gygax
TSR Games Editor
Lake Geneva, Wisconsin
1 September 1975
"To die will be an awfully big adventure."
-Aristotle
As of April 1st I have done 217 issues on my way to a goal of 300. These are the comic projects / storylines I am most interested in doing for the next 83 issues:
- Cultists of Tharizdun. They have the Codex of the Infinite Planes and are currently in the Vault of the Drow. Much disaster will follow them for a while. I still wish to look into covering lesser details of Tharizdun modules.
- Gods in Space. The crew of the Greytrek are almost done dealing with their evil selves. I still have to tie in this current storyline with my original GiS strip that was based on Khan and the two that were based on Empire Strikes Back. Plenty of material to cover on this alone.
- World of Golarion. I like the Pathfinder setting crossover, using the GH deities as players and Golarion as their homebrew world. My material/knowledge is scarce on this subject however so its on a period basis only. Need to get Kord or Norebo involved.
- Delleb and Fharlanghn. I've neglected their educational misadventures lately. I have a couple alliterative speeches I want to use but no GH topic for them to cover yet.
- Graz'zt Show. Still waiting for Wizards to put out another pseudo-GH article for him to cover. Or a clever Top 10 List to write. Still have the 'variety show' idea in the back of my brain.
- Gencon Special. Have only started writing on it. Will be huge if done all at once. Need to reserach more on GH Creation Myths.
- The Cyndor Project. Very close to starting on this one. Love the idea and the potential for covering Flanaess topics. Need more punchlines saved up longterm.
- Needfest Special. Have no concrete ideas yet. Cebrion will likely drum one up for me. :P
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