Swords & Stitchery

Its about 2:00 A.M., I've been off line most of the day with work & some of the general necessities of life. As it stands at this moment several of Dark Albion's elements have been re introduced again into my general campaign.  The concept of the kilodungeon has shifted its way back into the consciousness of the OSR with Autarch’s eighth Kickstarter project: The Secrets of the Needleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11243274667834930867noreply@blogger.com0

Sewing machine repair work  pretty much defines my life & its been taking up most of my day today. I've had the thought bubbles about 'Kilodungeons' which seem to clock in at about 200 or more rooms. These dungeons have been brought back to attention by Adventurer, Conqueror, King's latest kickstarter for Secrets of the Nethercity;"An epic "kilodungeon" with 240 location entries spread across Needleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11243274667834930867noreply@blogger.com0

One of the things I've learned to do is to keep dungeon mastering tastes on a short leash. This means basically keeping my 'flip book animated attention' span in check when it comes to dungeon mastering. I own a good chunk of the Dave A. Hargrave rpg books & last night I 'ohhed' & 'ahhed' over certain science fantasy aspects of the books. But its not about me at all its about the players & Needleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11243274667834930867noreply@blogger.com0

Three Crows against the Rising Sun, from the series Three Sheets (Mihira no uchi) Evin watched the birds with the intensity of a starving man. They picked their way across the hard packed ground flying only when necessary.'Are you going to watch those damn birds all day?' 'The duke is paying us to find the dungeon  & we don't have time to watch crows Evin'All that came from Evin was a Needleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11243274667834930867noreply@blogger.com0

Dark Albion's setting centers around its politics but the cracks of Chaos around Europe are nasty & very dangerous by virtue of its cults. The shadow of the Elves of Avalon is dark, dank,& deeply rooted in the creation of the Welsh. But when one begins to blend in H.P. Lovecraft's Dream cycle things get very dangerous & weird. And sure most would mention Clark Ashton Smith because I have Needleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11243274667834930867noreply@blogger.com0

For most people my blog has been a non stop thrill ride of giant robots, science fantasy,etc. The truth is far stranger & a bit more backhanded in some respects.Way back in 2011 & 12 I was running a Carcosa campaign that had real world bits & pieces, Iron Age influences, patterns from Appendix N authors, & more. Basically I borrowed a good deal  from William  Hope Hodgeson, Arthur Machen, & Needleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11243274667834930867noreply@blogger.com0

"Three times Randolph Carter dreamed of the marvelous city, and three times was he snatched away while still he paused on the high terrace above it. All golden and lovely it blazed in the sunset, with walls, temples, colonnades and arched bridges of veined marble, silver-basined fountains of prismatic spray in broad squares and perfumed gardens, and wide streets marching between delicate Needleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11243274667834930867noreply@blogger.com0

"The Anomalous Subsurface Environment is more than just robots and lasers – it's clowns and dinosaurs, too! Levels 2 and 3 of the critically ignored gonzo megadungeon are finally available – with more classes, more tables, and more cruel and unusual ways to die deep beneath the surface of the post-apocalyptic Earth"When it comes to mega dungeons that don't get the press they deserve  ASE1Needleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11243274667834930867noreply@blogger.com0

"Legends tell of a wizard so arrogant that he felt the entire sky was naught but a lens for him to view the stars. So great was the hubris and defiance of this man that the gods smote him with the power of storm and fire. Oh did the wizard laugh at such a pathetic gesture. He did not fear the gods, for he drew his knowledge from something greater. Something darker. The legend of this Needleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11243274667834930867noreply@blogger.com0

"Secrets are revealed when the PC's stumble upon one of the military secrets hidden at the Turck Research Dynamics labs in the wastelands of New Jersey!" Abductor craft from tonight's game using their plasma attack on a poor sailing vessel! In tonight's retro pulp game  of Renegade Heroes, Tyrannical Conquerors, & Wasteland Kings game one of the PC' managed to board & steal a Needleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11243274667834930867noreply@blogger.com0

Last night was another bar night with friends specifically those us still alive & left who were around in the 90's underground gaming scene. The late 90's to early 00's saw the hobby scene change in Connecticut when many established Dungeons & Dragons game campaigns coming  home. The reason was simply, Magic The Gathering had made table space a paying premium for hobby shops. Dungeons Needleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11243274667834930867noreply@blogger.com0

Orcus the name conjures up images of the roiling chaos of the Abyss and within certain esoteric grimoires the secret teachings of the demon lord are revealed. The pen & the promise are given to certain upper strata pf society citizens in modern cities where the name of the demon lord are unknown to the average person. The promise of the right of rulership of the mace & the pleasures of the Needleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11243274667834930867noreply@blogger.com0

So if you were online then you know about the shake up over at the Labyrinth Lord. G+ community. There's new blood that's been infused into the back court of the game & perhaps on a positive side we'll see more action on the Labyrinth Lord front.  With Antonio Bravo now taking over the reigns we'll probably see more new life blood pumped into the OSR beast that is Labyrinth Lord. Way back Needleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11243274667834930867noreply@blogger.com0

There's been a bit of a misnomer about my reputation among certain corners of the OSR. I've been called everything from an 'Old School Renegade' to an 'Old School Resurrectionist' to that 'old fool'. Well, perhaps I'm a bit of all of those things & more. The commentary I'm offering seems to be scoffed at in some corners. So what. I'm here for the OSR readers &  subscribers but more over theNeedleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11243274667834930867noreply@blogger.com0

I haven't put fingers to key board since this morning & work has had me moving from one thing to another. But I've been neglecting the Lion & Dragon rpg for a bit now but I wanted to get into the Welsh Arthurian literature for a bit. Everything I love about Welsh Arthurian literature is here in spades. The other worldly influences are striking as they are weird in their execution. This is a Needleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11243274667834930867noreply@blogger.com0

If you need a recap on the overall plot & high points of one of my favorite Ray Harryhausen films go here. We're going to be diving deep into the background of this classic film & its comic book adaptation Unknown Worlds issue #7 from the 'my comicshop' website.   So last night I watched the classic Conan film from '82 & then moved on to 'The Golden Voyage of Sinbad'. This film has so Needleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11243274667834930867noreply@blogger.com0

"Immediately following the events of Confronting Hastur, the characters wake up in Carcosa and are greeted by a broken man who tells them they only have a day to escape the plane before becoming permanent residents. The way home appears to require them to confront a demon lady and the three demon brothers who constantly vie for her attention and their domains within Carcosa. A land Needleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11243274667834930867noreply@blogger.com0

So over the years I've learned a bit of balance when it comes to using Arduin or any old school material. The dungeon master is part set designer, part referee, guide when it comes to the worlds of our imagination. Dave Hargrave used these ideals in his home campaign with gusto but not abandoned. Over the years of reading about & talking to the various players in Mr. Hargrave's home Needleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11243274667834930867noreply@blogger.com0

Sometimes one stumbles into a blog topic, today I was down at my local Half Priced Books with some friends. I walked over to the rpg section which was quite full of treasures from the old school. Watching two twenty something year old guys mooning at a classic  T1 Temple of Elemental Evil by Gary Gygax with Frank Mentzer. They were intimidated by three things the lethality of the module, the Needleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11243274667834930867noreply@blogger.com0

"In her folds the blood flows bringing life to her children. Man can within the span of a few years gain her knowledge But this queen's favor hides the savor of a few more tears  Tears alone won't bring back the dead who hide within her arms  The Iris Queen has come & the span of blood is undone till the end of time "Children's Nursery Rhyme of The Iris Queen Beware the quiet looking ruins Needleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11243274667834930867noreply@blogger.com0