Tabletop Gaming Feeds

 Here is a random D100 table designed for a post-apocalyptic setting using the SIEGE Engine by Troll Lord Games. This blog entry picks right up from d100 Random Sword & Sorcery Barbarian Hordes For Castles & Crusades rpg CampaignTo keep this perfectly tailored to the system, each entry includes essential mechanical anchors: Hit Dice (HD), Armor Class (AC), Primary Attributes (Needleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11243274667834930867noreply@blogger.com0

There are a lot of opinions about setting in rpgs and how much is the right amount or too much. Consequently, a lot has been written about it by a lot of people, me included. As readers of this blog likely know, I am pro-setting, in the sense that I personally like thinking of and writing about them, but one might also have intuited that I enjoy them as a player or GM. They are a major part of what gets me into a game, a fundamental part of supporting imagining the game world. I realize there are people who like their settings merely implied or at the least as light as possible, and that's their right, but to me that would reduce an rpg to the same sorts of pleasure I might get from a board or arcade game, and that would not have been enough to sustain my longterm interest.

As I have been working on the setting for my new campaign, I've talked with my players for the first time about how I feel about GM creation vs. player creation of setting material. It's not that it was a secret before, but it never game up in an explicit way. My personal observation is that while most players don't want to be given a lot of homework to play a game, they also don't tend to be told impromptu to imagine things for a world. A framework to inspire their character creation tends to be what most of my players are looking for, though how much they intend to flesh things out varies.

Encouraging this sort of engagement, though, means that the world is a bit out of focus until we get into the playing of it. I can have thought of a lot of things, but a lot of details I have in mind stay flexible on until the players get their hands on them. In the end, the worlds winds up being a collaborative process even if it mostly starts in my mind.

Here's an example. In creating Azurth, I clearly called out that despite a number of animal people in the setting, there were no cat people. Now, the fact that I noted that and didn't mention a whole list of other animal people that would never appeared in Azurth was meant to suggest "something's going on here." And it was. 

However, my friend Jim, in creating his bard Kully missed that. Jim did a very flavorful, brief character write-up, nailing the Ozian sort of vibe. The only problem was he mentioned Kully encountering a Cat Man at a pivotal moment.

I could have suggest a change to that detail and in some circumstances, I might have. Here though, because I had already intended something to be going on with that point, I used what Jim came up with. I told him that Kully had had that encounter, which was odd because there aren't supposed to be Cat-folk in Azurth, and so no one believes him. Jim was creating a little mystery in his characters backstory, which wound up tying into a minor mystery of the entire setting. Kully's backstory became setting material supporting a future reveal that at least one player was going to care out.

Not all instances of a player's view of the world and my own having a discrepency turn out so serendipitously, but I think it's worth looking for those opportunities and leaving things just a little fuzzy to facilitate those clarifications.

 In Robert E. Howard’s original stories—specifically "The Tower of the Elephant" and "Rogues in the House"—Conan’s time as a thief in the cities of Zamora and Corinthia features a distinct version of the character. He isn't yet the seasoned general or king; he is a raw, hot-blooded, powerful teenager (around 17–18 years old) navigating the decadent, civilized "Maul" of Arenjun.He lacks the Needleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11243274667834930867noreply@blogger.com0

An Interview with Carbo_Creates, Puerto Rican Artist and Game Designer

Happy Sunday, dear reader! We are back for another interview with a Boricua creator. Today’s subject is someone I’ve had the pleasure of knowing through the active Puerto Rican TTRPG online community. He is a true gaming polymath—designing content, creating art, and even producing gaming-related music. I genuinely hope to sit down and play a game with him someday.

Let’s get right to the interview!

Introduce yourself! Who are you and what do you create?

Hello there! My name is Eddie, also known as Carbo_Creates on social media. I create all sorts of things. I draw (characters, maps, places, etc.), write adventure modules and mini-zines, make dungeon tiles, and create sculptures (in clay and cold porcelain). I also design tattoo pieces.

How would you describe your art or creative endeavor?

I would describe my creative endeavor and art style as chaotic and improvised. Sure, I can have a theme or idea in mind, but I let things flow as they go. I might start drawing something, but that inspires another vision or way around it, and I try to explore that too—basically, a chill, go-with-the-flow kinda mindset.

How did you discover TTRPGs?

I started playing and getting involved with TTRPGs in 2017, but I had heard of them way before that. Funny enough, what got me interested again was watching a live play where Matt Mercer game-mastered, and Vin Diesel was a player. I saw it and thought that I’d love to play that game.

(I believe he’s referring to this!)

It’s like making a movie or series episode in collaboration, and I love movies and fantasy shows. After that, I went online and read everything I could find about systems, adventures, modules, bestiaries, etc. I really fell in love with the Numenera setting. It got me through the Hurricane Maria recovery time.

Do you actively play TTRPGs? What are you playing?

Right now, I have a campaign starting soon with a group of players from various Puerto Rico TTRPG Discord servers. It’s a Shadowdark campaign that I will GM for.

What do you want to play next?

I really want to get that Shadowdark campaign going, but I haven’t set an official date for it yet. Beyond that, I would also love to GM Numenera and play one-shots in a variety of different systems.

What projects do you have available right now, and what are you working on next?

Wow, this will be a long answer, so I’ll try my best to keep it short! I have many mini-zines available, from a simple D6 ruleset inspired by EZd6 and other TTRPGs to setting-inspiring zines. I also sell stickers and prints of my art. I’m currently working on turning my first published adventure, The Grand Palace Opera, into single pages so I can send it to print.

I also have a lot of ideas in mind, and some of them are starting to manifest, like a dungeon synth album and many more mini-zines. On the drawing side of things, I’m focusing on doodling every day. I love how it has inspired some of my best work. Also, I do art commissions and will soon be taking clients for tattoos!

Where can people find your work?

My work can be found on my Carbo_Creates itch.io and DriveThruRPG pages. You can also find me on Instagram and Facebook as Carbo_Creates. Most of my work is free in digital form, except for my music and The Grand Palace Opera adventure zine for Shadowdark.

Any closing thoughts? To close, I must thank you for this opportunity to share my story with TTRPGs and my art. To anyone reading this: keep imagining a better world, keep playing and having fun, experience joy in the little things, and explore your creativity as much as possible. Oh, and I guess check out my work!

We will definitely check it out, Eddie! I am really looking forward to seeing your future projects.

On a general note, I am actively looking for other Puerto Rican creatives in the TTRPG space—creating art, writing, or whatever it may be—who would like to share their experiences and their work. Your art does not even have to be directly related to TTRPGs, but I want to continue sharing interviews with Boricua gamer-creatives for this ongoing Sunday series.

I’m also open to interviewing other creators worldwide who want to share their art and experiences or have me review their products. If you’d be interested in a conversation or have some game-related project you’d like me to look at, reach out here via the blog or on my socials! I want this year of celebrating my 40th gaming anniversary to be a time to talk with and get to know other gamers and creators, and to help spread the word about new, interesting projects in our gaming space.

 Here is a custom d100 Encounter Table designed for the subterranean depths beneath a Victorious campaign. It bridges the gap between the historical, soot-stained Victorian Underground (sewers, tube tunnels, catacombs) and the cosmic horror, primeval dangers of the deep Underdark (caverns, forgotten civilizations, and hollow-earth fringes).Use this table when your heroes descend into the Needleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11243274667834930867noreply@blogger.com0

 The Claw is one of the most bizarre, visually striking, and historically significant supervillains of the Golden Age of Comic Books. Created by Jack Cole (who later created Plastic Man), The Claw first appeared in Silver Streak Comics #1 (December 1939) published by Lev Gleason Publications. The blog post picks up right from Using the Belle Apoque, Red Rpg By The Red Room & Needleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11243274667834930867noreply@blogger.com0

The tale as it's told in Mayura (a city, it should be said, that never chooses truth over a good story) is that an aged, latter-day Wizard-Kings, Mordrey, upon his death split his kingdom among his children. For reasons known only to himself, he bequeathed rulership of his capital to his most unassertive son. While Mordrey had seen fit to place powerful wards upon city so that no one of his blood could rule if they took the city by force, the timid Prince despaired that one or another of his grasping and ambitious siblings would find some indirect means kill him and take the prize. Fearing any day might be his last, he threw himself into pleasures to live life to the fullest. He began spending his inherited fortune on distractions. Entertainers and artists flocked to the city to partake of his largesse.

The prince died young and without an heir, though not at the hands of his siblings but as a result of his sybaritic pursuits. By then, he had inadvertently placed the city on the course it holds to this day, passing through the end of the Age of Magitech, the Demon War, and the darkness that followed, largely unchanged, if not unscathed. 

It is true that, despite popular depictions (often popularized by the troubadours and theater troupes of Mayura, itself), a city of its size and importance must have citizenry beyond artists and performers. Of course, there are craftsmen, merchants, beggars, and servants. But how many artisans are only supporting themselves until the quality of their verse is recognized and rewarded? How many moneylenders or soldiers are perhaps actors researching a role? 

Mayura is still a monarchy technically, though its ruler is not of the line of Mordrey. Instead, a grand, annual, nonlethal fighting tournament held at the Aristeion colosseum used to select who will serve as the ceremonial ruler for the next year and a day. Competitors are drawn from all over Parsulan, and the event is bolstered by matches and demonstrations by the professional gladiators in the arena's training schools. The Mayura citizenry feel that having such a formidable and dynamic public representative helps deter otherwise bellicose neighbors. They also appreciate the coin brought in by the spectators to the competition.

The work of running Mayura is done by an elected council of citizens interested in that sort of drudgery. The actual ruling in the sense of setting a course for the city's future is currently done by an unelected former dancer, the Lady Petalutha. The paramour of a former four-term King, Petalutha has parleyed her celebrity into a position of real power, and no one sense has been willing to brave public disapproval to make her give it up. By all accounts, however, she is a capable leader, bolstering Mayura military, leading to a quelling of the coastal pirates, and pushing for trade deals that have benefited her city. She is not well liked by the old nobility who control the lands around the city-state, however, who would prefer a more tractable head of state.

 Creating a d100 table for barbarian hordes requires a mix of environmental flavor, unique cultural hooks, and immediate mechanical threats suitable for the Castles & Crusades Siege Engine system. This picks right up from Two D100 Random Sword & Sorcery Underdark & Underground Encounters Table For Castles & Crusades CampaignsBelow is a breakdown of 100 barbarian groups, Needleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11243274667834930867noreply@blogger.com0

 In this issue of Red Alerts issue #1 you will find The Abandoned Temple of the Veiled Sun, a one-shot scenario for Savage Swords written by Mark Brooks, who also wrote A Red Vision of an Alternative Retro-Future. Roger Jones contributes The Price of Silver, an adventure for the upcoming western game Blood and Dust and a short story, Brides of Darkness. The Red Room team presents Absolution Needleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11243274667834930867noreply@blogger.com0

 This d100 table is designed for the high-adventure, "siege engine" style of Castles & Crusades, blending classic dungeon crawling with the eerie, atmospheric tension of the deep earth. This blog post continues from Two D100 Sword & Sorcery sewer & dungeon encounter tables For Castles & Crusades CampaignsUnderdark & Underground Encounters (d100)d100EncounterDetails /Needleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11243274667834930867noreply@blogger.com0

 The Crusader Journal #28 marks the significant revival of Troll Lord Games' flagship magazine after a decade-long hiatus. Released in 2025, it serves as both a "journal of intrepid adventure" and a bridge between the classic era of the publication and the modern OSR (Old School Renaissance) scene.

Do you remember my interview with Eliana Falcón-Dvorsky a few weeks ago? She is officially crowdfunding the project we discussed, Arcton: From Ingala to the Wastes, over on BackerKit!

Here is the description of the setting directly from the campaign page:

What is Arcton?

“An uncontested and insurgent undead army laid waste to the frozen nation of Arcton centuries prior. Now, 8 oligarchical Liches oversee their respective regions, sending their Officers to craft their undead labor force out of their own living citizens. These powerful and arrogant entities consume and destroy the land that once held a vast resource of wild and unpredictable magic.

However, the story is not truly about them. Arcton is a vast and distinct nation with various cultures, people, customs, and beliefs that remained isolated from region to region. This is the story of the details, the inhabitants, and the dangerous, but beautiful, land, as complicated and nuanced as it can all be. But most importantly, this story is about you.”

Eliana is an active member of the Puerto Rico TTRPG community and an absolutely amazing creator. The project is already fully funded, which is fantastic! I am proudly a backer, and if this setting interests you, I highly invite you to check it out and support it if you can.

I wish Eliana continued success with this amazing project!

Project link: https://www.backerkit.com/c/projects/cosmographia/arcton-from-ingala-to-the-wastes-books-1-and-supplements

I'm reading DC Comics' output from January 1980 (cover date) to Crisis! This week, I'm looking at comics that were published on May 16, 1985.

Batman #386: This was the subject of the last recorded but to date unreleased episode of The Bronze Age Book Club and an episode I am fond of. Moench and Mandrake set out to create a new major Batman villain, and they are more successful here than Moench's attempt with Nocturna and Night-Slayer at least to the extent that Black Mask continues to appear and has even been in a movie.
We're introduced to Roman Sionis scion of a wealthy family and subject of childhood trauma in parallel to Bruce Wayne. After his company releases a poorly tested cosmetic that has horrible potential side effects, Sionis is ruined and snaps, becoming the masked crime boss Black Mask and contesting with Batman as the head of the False Face Society of Gotham. Black Mask uses his toxic cosmetic to kill his enemies, and Bruce Wayne is his next target.

Jemm, Son of Saturn #12: Potter and Colan/MacLeod bring the series to an end, if not a definitive one. The Red Saturnians storm the one remaining ship of the White Saturnians and Synn, grieving the death of her lover, distractedly agrees to end hostilities, but in no way indicates a willingness to make peace with Jemm. In fact, Jemm's own people are still ambivalent about his actions. He flies to Earth to save Luther from the Kamah, the last belligerent Koolar. His fight with her is sort of perfunctory, but its decisive. Meanwhile, Lincoln and Crazy Eddie find Bouncer still alive in the rubble. They offer him to come with them to find a place to live and he agrees. They reunite with Luther along the way, but not before the boy and his alien friend say their goodbyes. Jemm returns to his people even if they are not yet ready to embrace him.

Amethyst #8: I have this issue, but I didn't remember anything about its contents. Mishkin/Cohn and new artistic team Jurgens/Kesel (though we're told Colon will return to the title he co-created next issue) finish the Fire Jade arc. After her identity is revealed to Princess Emerald, Fire Jade attacks, but Prince Garnet appeals to her, and she hesitates, allowing Amethyst to take out the demonic creature commanding her. Then, what's left of Lady Emerald in Fire Jade, sacrifices herself to stop the grim reaper from taking Citrina. It's doesn't have the old woman, but it does give her enough time to pass on custody of Gemworld to Amethyst before dying.
Meanwhile, Prince Topaz and Lady Sapphire are caught in a storm and seek refuge in an isolated city which is under the leadership of White Opal, brother to evil overlord.


Arak Son of Thunder #47: Arak and friends are in a harbor in China and Arak is unsettled by all the dragonboats given the beef he's got with the Serpent. Seemingly confirming his suspicion, a real dragon attacks some ships and Arak dives in to save a woman, but Arak himself is knocked out. He's rescued by his old ally Haakon who is in China possessing as a Byzantine ambassador as part of a scheme. After all that, Valda and Arak get some time alone, but then Mu-Lan attacks, and it isn't the Disney version!

Flash #348: After seeing the footage Frye recorded, the Flash believes Reverse Flash is back. He tells Cecile, who starts an investigation of her own. Meanwhile, Reverse Flash keeps taking down the Rogues, and some in the police force wonder if the Flash is responsible.
While all this is going on, the jury in the Flash's trial deliberates. They are deadlocked until Nathan Newbury steps in. Contrary to my expectations, he actually seems to be trying to help the Flash. He uses a device to show the jury what really happened: that the Flash is Barry Allen and so had a good motive reason to murder use lethal force to stop Reverse Flash. They jury members are all going to vote for acquittal, but then Reverse Flash appears in the strange realm Newberry has taken them to and somehow possesses him. He then uses Newberry's power to make the jury vote unanimously "guilty."

Legion of Super-Heroes #12: Levitz and Lightle/Mahlstedt send Timber Wolf and Karate Kid's Sensei to Lythyl, a planet like a combination of a deadly martial arts tournament and a bondage club, to fulfill a request from their dead friend. Things get bad enough that some other Legionnaires have to come to the rescue, but they managed to rescue a boy named Myg.

Omega Men #29: Klein and McManus/Mitchell continue the Omegans' trying to get out of the Psions' research station. Their benefactor, the mysterious Artin, through robot minions requires them to complete a task on their way out. The Omega Men penetrate the Psion temple of the Four Questions with Kalista projecting an image of the Psion leader Malthus. In the end, the identity of Artin is revealed, and its Primus, only he doesn't look like the Primus we've known.

Red Tornado #2: Busiek and Infantino/McLaughlin continue on from last issue in pretty much the same mode. The Construct gloats while civilians reject Tornado even as it helps them, and Superman shows up to enforce that the JLA meant their prohibition of Tornado's heroics by tearing the android limb from limb. He self-repairs but in the end he's had enough and says he's never going to help humans again. The Construct takes control of electronic devices across the globe. T.O. Morrow figures out the Construct is behind all this and begins formulating a plan to fight back.

Star Trek #16: We get a new writer this issue, L.B. Kellogg, with a same artistic team. This story is less like a TOS episode and more like something we would have gotten in a later series. Sulu, Uhura, and Bryce go on an undercover mission in a capture ship to make contact with a dilithium smuggler on a space station who happens to be an old flame of Uhura's. Meanwhile, Kirk and the Excelsior discover the mining is being done by slave labor. Uhura and Sulu take down her old lover, putting an end to slave trading and illegal mining, and Kirk promises to relocate the aquatic native species whose environment has become untenable.

Superman #410: Bates and Swan/Williamson give us another one of those action-free puzzle stories so common to Superman comics in the era. Superman stops a satellite falling toward Hawaii by kicking it into a volcano, but after Clark Kent writes the story evidence goes forward that it didn't happen, and Clark's fired in disgrace after (as Superman) he's forced deny being the source of the story to keep Earth's trust in Superman. It's all a hoax contrived by Lex Luthor in a plot to take down Superman, but how it plays out we'll have to see next issue.

 The Book of Valkyries, published by Night Owl Workshop (authored and illustrated by Thomas Denmark), is a 108-page supplement designed for the Original Fantasy RPG and compatible with a wide range of OSR systems.Released in late March 2026, it serves as a companion to Denmark’s previous work, Norse Beasties, providing deep lore and mechanical integration for the demigoddesses of the Norse Needleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11243274667834930867noreply@blogger.com0

 Adapting Secrets of the Nethercity—a sprawling, "classic-style" underworld crawl—to Adventurer Conqueror King System II (ACKS II) is a match made in gaming heaven. Both share a love for high-lethality exploration and meticulous underworld ecology.Since Secrets of the Nethercity was designed for a similar OSR chassis, the conversion is less about rewriting the book and more about mapping theNeedleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11243274667834930867noreply@blogger.com0

Faceless Howl is an adventure from Kabuki Kaiser for the rules lite, dark Sword & Sorcery system Many Sought Adventure, but is easily useable with any D&Dish system with a bit of work and a lot of other systems as well given it isn't a rules heavy adventure.  I received a review copy of the pdf. I don't do a lot of reviews here, but previous publications from Kaiser have received praise from quarters I trust so I wanted to check it out.

The adventure involves "malign entities of pure oblivion" known as the Faceless who are devourers of information and have been drawn to an ancient repository. Not only is this bad for said repository, but it's also bad for the townsfolk of the neighboring of Bec de Corbin ("Raven's Beak") who have their identities and knowledge eaten by the Faceless, turning them (eventually) into Howlers. Complicating matters (if they were already complicated enough) are the Ragshadows, who are subterranean evil, fairy-tale-ish goblin sort of creatures who opportunistically operate alongside the Faceless to steal physical physical valuables.

That's the set up. The adventure is broken into two parts not counting getting the PCs involved: the village and figuring out what's going on, then a crawl through the repository. There's a clock to ensure the situation escalates. The presentation is fairly terse with prose that is informal, generally evocative and occasionally staccato delivery.

It's style and the overall graphic design place it in the tradition of things like Mörk Borg and the sort of NSR/OSR stuff you find on itch. Like those sorts of publications, it values brevity but supplies you with random tables and other necessary tools, and atmosphere, but expects the GM to bring it to life. Beyond aesthetic, this isn't standard, D&D fantasy either, so people looking for that find not find it's weird, horror sort of approach to their taste. 

For me, though, Faceless Howl, is the sort of adventure I tend to look for when I don't have any other particular thing in mind. It isn't particularly combat heavy, and its atmosphere and bit of mystery is the sort of thing that intrigues my players. Its brevity would make it easier to reskin to make it fit whatever setting I'm running at the moment.

If that sort of stuff sounds appealing to you, you should check it out. It's available on drivethu.

I’ve written about the first TTRPG books I ever got at a garage sale a couple of times here on the blog over the years. I think it’s worth recapping the event for those who have not read about it—specifically because it relates to the topic of today’s post, which is (not so cleverly) revealed in my take on the classic Bee Gees’ lyrics in the title: Thieves’ World.

The Garage Sale Loot

In the summer of 1987, about a year after I had begun playing TTRPGs with my neighbors, I went to my Uncle Chechin’s house on the other side of the island for a few days. When I came back, my friends had brand new (to us!) D&D books. I remember them having a few modules from the Slavelords (A-Series) and Giant (G-Series), and I was immediately curious. They told me that a neighbor was having a garage sale, so I rushed right over to his apartment.

When I got there, he dismally told me my friends had already gotten most of the “good stuff” and that all he had left were the more expensive items. I was unfazed and told him I had money my grandfather had given me!

Before I go on, some context: while we had been playing D&D for months, I had recently purchased the AD&D Players Handbook (PHB) and Dungeon Masters Guide (DMG) and was in the process of reading them to “level up” our gaming experience to the advanced rules.

The neighbor pulled out a large piece of luggage, unlocked it, and showed me what he had left. Imagine my surprise when I saw the Monster Manual and Deities & Demigods. As I’ve mentioned recently, both featured the original covers, and the Deities & Demigods included the Cthulhu Mythos (which was famously removed from later editions). Furthermore, the owner had photocopied the “Saturday Morning Monsters” article from Dragon Magazine #48 and glued it to the end sheets. This was an extra cool find, and I had no idea at the time!

He asked for $10 per book, which had been too much for my friends. If memory serves, I had paid $15 for the PHB and $18 for the DMG, so $10 seemed very reasonable. Knowing what I know now, I think that was the original cover price for those books when he got them, so he was selling them used for what he paid—but that didn’t stop me! I had a very generous grandfather, so I handed him twenty dollars and walked out with two new AD&D books.

The Second Trip

But as I left, I knew there were two other things left in that luggage. So, the next morning, I convinced my grandfather and came back with $15 for the other two items.

One was a book from the Superworld boxed set—just the character creation book. By itself, it wasn’t enough to play the game. I was a fan of the Wild Cards shared-universe anthology; I had read one or two books by then, and I had heard somewhere they were based on the author’s TTRPG Superworld campaign, so I was really interested. Alas, I was never able to play it since I never got the original Superworld box.

However, the other item I got was part of another shared-universe anthology: Chaosium’s 1981 Thieves’ World boxed set!

Discovering Sanctuary

I had never read the Thieves’ World anthology, so I had no context for what this was. The neighbor who sold it to me simply said it was the setting for a series of books, so that was all I had to go by.

However, Walter Velez’s cover was so evocative that I had to open the box and delve in. I’ll admit there was a lot I did not understand. I was 14 years old, and my reading comprehension was still developing, but I absolutely loved what I did understand.

I loved the cover of the Player’s Guide to Sanctuary. To me, it looked exactly like a GM looming over his creation!

The discussion of the city, the details, the glossary! If the AD&D books felt textbook-like, this felt like a living, breathing, lived-in world. As an adult, I understand there was a lot of implied world-building in the early D&D books, but to my teenage mind, this was the opposite extreme—it was explicit and detailed. Come to think of it, this was perhaps the first fully fleshed-out campaign setting I ever encountered. There was the “Known World” section in the D&D Blue Box Expert Rulebook, but this was something else entirely.

The Maps and the Multiverse

I loved the maps! I had actually forgotten this was also labeled as the “Known World” on the map at the end of the Player’s Guide to Sanctuary.

The maps in the Game Master’s Guide to Sanctuary were even better. I look back at the cut-aways on pages 33 and 34, the maps of buildings starting on page 37, and the details of city sections on pages 63 and 64, and I realize just how much these maps inspired my own map-making at the time and in the years to come. To say nothing of the incredible full-page Hellhound knight illustration on page 9!

The Personalities of Sanctuary book was like a mysterious compilation of other games. I knew what D&D and AD&D were, but I had no idea about other systems. I pored over the stats, trying to figure out what these other games must be like.

The art throughout the books was sparse but evocative, creating a unified feel and a deep sense of wonder for Sanctuary. Concepts like “The Maze” heavily influenced my concept of fantasy slums, and the “Vulgar Unicorn” inspired many of my tavern names in the same vein.

Looking Back

The maps were my favorite part, hands down. Early on, I would frequently use the map of Sanctuary in my games without necessarily using the setting itself.

I still have the books and the maps, and taking them out to peruse before writing this was a delightful trip down memory lane. There were so many incredible details I had forgotten.

Sadly, I got rid of the actual box years ago. To save space, I threw out many of the boxes for my classic boxed sets. I really wish I had kept them.

Two more things before I go.

If you’ve read the wonderful Designers & Dragons by Shannon Appelcline, you might already know this, but just in case you don’t: the inclusion of the Melnibonéan and Cthulhu Mythos in the original Deities & Demigods is actually what made it possible for Thieves’ World to include stats for D&D and AD&D!

Here is a quote from Appelcline detailing this exchange from this RPG.net column:

“Chaosium (1980). Jim Ward characterizes what TSR received from Chaosium as a “C&D”. Knowing most of the principals at Chaosium, I find it unlikely that anyone wrote anything that antagonistic or legalistic. In any case, at the time Chaosium held contracts giving them gaming rights to Michael Moorcock’s Eternal Champion novels and H.P. Lovecraft’s mythos stories. But TSR published deities for both of those fictional settings in Deities & Demigods (1980), and Chaosium complained. The end result was that Chaosium granted rights to the usage based on a thank-you in the credits (but the Blumes quickly decided to remove the mythos entirely because they didn’t want to mention another roleplaying publisher) and that Chaosium got rights to use D&D stats in Thieves’ World (1981), which would be one of the last major licensed uses of the D&D game under TSR.”

In the early 2000s, Green Ronin published new materials for Thieves’ World using the d20 rules. I own those books as well, but sadly, they no longer hold the license.

One final thought, at one point, I can’t remember if the first time or the second time, I visited my neighbor’s garage sale, I also got the Dungeoneer Compendium of issues 1 to 6. It was in bad shape, so I remember getting it for $1. It was $2.50 brand new. My neighbor fleeced me, really!

 In a Sword & Sorcery setting, a chimera isn't just the classic "lion-goat-snake" triad; it is often a blasphemous union of beasts or a sorcerous mishap. Here is a d100 table designed to generate unique, horrific hybrids for your Castles & Crusades campaign. This blog entry picks right up from Two D100 Sword & Sorcery sewer & dungeon encounter tables For Castles & Needleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11243274667834930867noreply@blogger.com0

Hello again, reader! Welcome back to my continuing series highlighting the art of incredibly talented Puerto Rican creators.

This week I’m talking to Laura, aka Lala Mágica. I’ve known about Laura for a few years. I’ve been following her on social media, seeing her creations. Laura happens to be married to a friend and longtime member of Puerto Rico Role Player (who I hope to interview in the future about his TTRPG content). It is a pleasure to talk to her and learn more about her as an artist and a gamer.

Without further ado, here is the interview.

Introduce yourself! Who are you and what do you create?

My name is Laura, but with my knitting needle, I am Lala Mágica. With a creative spirit in crafting, I like to knit original characters that aren’t easily found. I started with dice bags and then expanded into other accessories, such as keychains and garments.

How would you describe your art or creative endeavor?

Karso the Halfling Barbarian from Juego La Mesa

I would describe my art as 3D printing, but with yarn. Usually, I do what is known as “freehand,” which is knitting without following a pattern. So, creating a plush of your original character is possible for me.

How did you discover TTRPGs?

I discovered tabletop role-playing games through friends in college. I played two sessions of Mage: The Ascension, but I was able to get into the hobby properly after getting married. My husband is a DM, so we share that.

Do you actively play TTRPG? What are you playing?

At the moment, I’m active in two campaigns: one of Paradigm Odyssey: “War is Raw” as a clown “living doll”, the system is being developed by Enyol currently, and one of Daggerheart: Age of Umbra as a fairy Seraph.

What do you want to play next?

What do I want to play next? Honestly, whatever my next session 0 throws at me. I’ll be honest, probably more Paradigm Odyssey.

What projects are available, and what are you working on next?

I’m in the process of a “restock,” since I gave away dragon and dinosaur coasters at the Juego La Mesa event last month. Besides that, I’m also recreating one of the small puppets that came out in the movie “Five Nights at Freddy’s.” On top of that, I’m illustrating the supplements that Enyol is sharing on DriveThruRPG, since drawing is another passion of mine.

Where can people find your creations?

You can find me actively on Instagram as Lala Mágica, and I have a FB page with the same name.

Any closing thoughts?

My hook is “My wand and my yarn is the magic”—whatever you can imagine, I can create.

Thank you, Laura, for your time and for sharing your creations. As a Cthulhu Mythos fan, I must admit I love the Cthulhu dice bag below. It looks terrifyingly adorable.

I started seeing John McKenzie's work on Facebook a while back and was immediately smitten by it. John has the perfect balance of silly cartoonery and grit. It's almost as if Basil Wolverton and Mike Mignola conspired to create a new life form and I truly love it.

My instinct is to say his work begs to be animated. It FEELS animated. But I don't want to suggest it would better if animated... It lives and breathes as is, but it would translate to animation quite easily.

Also sounds like he's making an RPG. Gotta have that for sure.