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Proud Keoland is the oldest of the human nations of the Flanaess. Though diminished from its greatest glory, its rulers never bowed to lords of the Aerdi in the Great Kingdom. Its warriors have been successful in the main in protecting the land from invaders, though they have been powerless against the folly of its kings.

Keoland's origins are in the migrations following the war between Ancient Suel and Baklunish. Suloise refugees, harried by the humanoid warbands and reavers of their own people, fled across the Crystalmists and settled in the fertile basin formed by Sheldomar and Javan Rivers. The Flannae population of the region was small, owing to the depredations of the humanoids and a plague brought by earlier waves of Suloise fleeing war and destruction. The remnant Flannae and scattered demihumans were pushed to the fringes by the newcomers who sought to create a unified Suel kingdom but were thwarted by conflict with others and their own fractiousness.

In another century, Oeridian Keogha tribes swept into the region, scattering the encircling humanoid tribes. The Oeridians came in friendship to the Suloise and demihumans alike, but they brooked no disagreement with their intention to share the land between the rivers, and they expanded rapidly, soon claiming hegemony over all the human settlements, as they began to intermingle with the Suel peoples.

Eventually a monarchy was declared with the old Suloise town of Niole Dra as its capital. Over time, it would come to dominate the entire basin. This was not accomplished solely through conquest, however. Keoish kings shrewdly made allies of the demihuman lands Ulek and Celene.

The people came to embrace Nomism in the main (though pockets of folk religion still exist). In fact, it is possible the belief system may have coalesced here with the blending of Suel and Oeridian beliefs. Saint Cuthbert is the patron deity of Keoland, and the land's churches are adherent to Velunan doctrines and traditions.

Periodically over the centuries, Keoish kings have succumbed to dreams of empire. Such ambitions have tended to fare poorly beyond the two rivers. Indeed, Keoish entanglements elsewhere allowed the Sea Princes to gain a foothold to the South and lost the kingdom control of the Yeomanry. 

Though Keoland is currently at peace with its neighbors, it may be that it is being weakened by enemies from within. The ancient and entrenched noble houses game and scheme to see their house ascend the throne. Humanoid bands and human renegades lurk within the Dreadwood and the expansive [as in bigger than Ireland!] Hool Marsh. The coastal marshes rely on a brisk smuggling trade and secretly deal with the piratical Sea Princes.

Keoland's real world inspirations are perhaps not as distinct as many of the eras in the Aerdian East. The Mediterranean climate suggested by Anne Meyer's maps brought to mind for me the Iberian Peninsula. That might make the Keoish Oeridians the Vandals/Visigoths. On the other hand, it's position on the map, and its use of light cavalry reminiscent of the turcopoles are reminiscent of Byzantine Empire.

Welcome to Day 17 of #RPGaDay2026. As I explained in my Day 0 post, I’ll be creating NPCs based on the day’s prompts and the week and day modifiers presented in the infographic below.  Check out that post for further details.

Today’s combination: Intensity (Prompt) + Instinct (Weekly Modifier) + Fair of Face (Weekly Modifier) + Superhero (Genre)

Here is today’s NPC.

Orothos (Fantasy Name Generator used for the name: Superhero name generator)

When a hero needs to know whether a person is telling the truth, they call upon an old ally in the city: Orothos. He appears as an older man wearing a worn-out white blazer and a painted porcelain mask of a fair-faced young man, holding court in his private room at the Ruby Club.

Some say he was once a celebrated hero; others insist he is a retired criminal. No one is quite sure, but Orothos is known for his wit and uncanny powers of observation. The intensity of his words disarms the most hardened individuals, and his instincts rarely fail. He never tortures or physically harms those he interrogates. Instead, through conversation and sheer will, he sifts through the lies to uncover the truth.

Orothos’ abilities are indeed unnatural. He can peer into the souls of those he speaks with to determine their sincerity. However, every time he uses this power, the person wearing the mask ages preternaturally. This is because Orothos is not the man, but the mask itself—the ceramic vessel for the spirit of a former hero.

He wants to escape his porcelain prison but has not deciphered how to do so in all his years of captivity. He uses his investigative powers to maintain contact with the city’s hero community, hoping someone might eventually help him find a way out. Until then, he changes host bodies whenever his current wearer grows too old to continue.

Thanks for reading; I am looking forward to your RPG a Day 2026 post, comments, and conversation. If you want further information about #RPGaDay2026, be sure to check out Autocratik’s blog.

A Spanish version of this post is available at the Desde la Fosa Facebook page.

See you all tomorrow!

Last year, at the suggestion of a friend, I hunted up a copy of the RPG Legendary Lives (Second Edition, 1993) by Joe Williams and Kathleen Williams. Published by Marquee Press, which I believe was the Williams' imprint.

This is a hell of a book. I mean... it's of a time. It's a wonderful example of desktop publishing and early 90s RPG design. It has many, many flaws. It has difficult material that, for that time, felt perfectly OK... just fantasy stuff. But in 2026 having a "gypsy" as a race template is quite problematic at best. But all that being said, it's a hell of a book and I'd like to talk about it a little.

"In Legendary Lives™, you'll play a hero in a fantastic realm of epic adventure." says the back cover. It boasts 26 races, an open-ended magic system, and emphasis on fast action and storytelling. It also boasts that it is the first game to have player-facing dice rolls. But they don't call it that, they call it "semi-diceless", meaning that the GM doesn't roll anything. An innovation, it seems. I'm unaware of earlier games that had this baked into the rules.

For characters, you pick a race, generate or assign stats to a healthy list of attributes, make adjustments, pick skills, and roll 1d20 to resolve tasks. Pretty standard stuff for RPG design of the time.

You have a bunch of races like nethermen, foresters, witches, and hillfolk. The term "race" is used loosely here, which I think is kinda nice. Who ever heard of the "race of foresters"? But I think maybe each race is linked to a region of the world, which means race encompasses culture. If this was made in 2026, they might go with heritage instead, which would be a better fit.

There are also a bunch of character types, such as shaman, sorcerer, bard, knight, etc. So you end up with a netherman sorcerer or a nomad spy. 

The magic is nice. There's a list of 16 or so spells that, like Ars Magica, are very broad in application. If you have the Illusion spell, then you can make all sorts of illusions. You describe what you want to accomplish and the referee (they use that dreadful term... oh well, I can just change it to Legendeer) decides how much it would cost. If that cost is more than your current spell points, you can't do it. Spell points are equal to your skill level with the spell. 

The book has a chunky section about religions and cults. A hell of a lot more than you would expect, which is pretty awesome. This kind of stuff is spread out through the game from the races, types, magic, and the setting material itself. So the world is baked right in, but not heavily. It's a game you could play in a generic world or some other setting, with a little trivial effort.

Unfortunately it doesn't appear that the game is available for purchase or download anymore. I got my copy via eBay. But here's the official website and it has links to a bunch of adventures and resources for the game. I think there was a lot of love for it, at least for a time, and at least among a small cadre of gamers.  

I've spoken about my love for Bryan Baugh's work before in this post. But he needs to be officially immortalized in my Artists I Like series.

Baugh hits the dark, campy, Halloween horror vibe like a champion. His Wulf and Batsy comic is delicious. But I already said this in my other post from 2023. But some of the links in that post are now dead, so here's where you should go to find his work: Instagram and Bryan Baugh's Monster Art and Comics.

I have a confession to make, and a public apology to provide. Keiggy’s work was a big motivation behind creating this series of interviews with Puerto Rican creatives. I saw her work, including the Reusable Character Sheet (see below), at Sekaiju Con last January. I had also seen her content at Dungeons & Dragons Puerto Rico and thought, “I’d like to interview her so I can share her work.”  

You can see the picture I took that day below!

Then I started planning, sent interview requests to people, and I thought I had sent one to her.

I never did… Shame! (GOT Style) Despite my oversight, Keiggy was graceful enough to answer my questions. Let me share her responses with you.

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

Hiya, I’m Keiggy! I’ve been creating characters and stories for as long as I can remember! Right now, I mainly design merchandise based on games I like, and I’m also working on a graphic novel.

How would you describe your art or creative endeavor?

I’m extremely drawn (hehe) to the concept of creating in and of itself. More accurately, the idea of bringing my characters and worlds to life motivates me to create, to will things into existence, with my own hands, heart, and mind. I always put an absurd amount of thought into the most minute details of a subject (be it as individual as a character or as broad as a world’s history) until I can feel as though I could exist beside it. I like to think this is noticeable enough in the artwork I put out… and in my wordiness, too.

How did you discover TTRPGs?

I can’t exactly recall when I discovered TTRPGs, but I do have a bit of history with some aspects of them from my earlier internet days. Growing up, I was a huuuge fan of Zelda, The Lord of the Rings movies, and my earliest introduction to turn-based RPGs was Paper Mario 64! Later, I played Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light for the DS. I was enthralled and immediately endeared to the party members, their struggles, and their dynamics.

At the same time, I was extremely active on deviantART back in 2009-2012. During that time, I made friends with someone who introduced me to text-based RP. Back then, it was a back-and-forth of replies to comment threads or dA’s (deviantART) chatrooms, all in simple script style for the most part. From there, I sort of “DM’d” a story for both of us to RP, taking narrative elements and dynamics from the games and stories I liked.

As for TTRPGs themselves, I knew Critical Role was a thing at some point, but… I personally had no interest in it! That said, I loved watching people go crazy about it, and I adored listening to the adventures people were having in their own games. Dialogue-heavy, ever-evolving stories AND game mechanics sounded super enticing, but finding a group to play with took years!

Do you actively play TTRPG? What are you playing?

I do! Though life’s been hectic, we still find time to play at least once a week. We only play D&D, but I’m open to trying different systems! Though I’ve only been playing for about 4?? years, I’ve taken part in 5 ongoing campaigns… one of which I’m DMing!

What do you want to play next?

Daggerheart calls to me, maybe Pathfinder.

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

Currently, I’m working on a couple of things! As far as TTRPGs go—DnD, namely—I’m trying to incorporate practicality and “game-enhancing” elements into the merch I make. Last year, I debuted my Reusable Character Sheets! These combine a few things: double-sided accordion-style bookbinding techniques, a need for compact and accessible design, and something that can be unique to your character, or versatile to any number of PCs. This project has been a labor of love and a whole bunch of effort between me and my partner, and I’m so insanely grateful for the reception they’ve got at local events!  Each one is 100% handmade, and your support helps us work out kinks and perfect the design over time!

As a DM, I’ve gotten a real good taste of game and mechanic design, and I’ve been heavily considering making modules, monsters, magic items, and supplements… This is still just an idea, though. We’ll see where it goes!

Outside of DnD, I’ve been working on rebooting my former web-only comic series, “Auraria”. Initially released in 2020, this story centers on three young men and their struggle to survive and face a civil war in a pseudo-Victorian world. The first 29 chapters are available to read on Webtoon Canvas. That said, the reboot seeks to rewrite, re-contextualize, and reformat the comic for print and independent publishing! So, while I would appreciate it if people read the original release, note that much of it will be very different in the future!

Where can people get your project?

You can keep up with me on most social media under the same name! My most active account is Instagram @keiggy ! I share my art and announce which events I’ll be attending soon. I also recently opened my online store (keiggy.bigcartel.com), where you can find a selection of my D&D Character Sheets! Custom orders will be available again soon, too!

Any closing thoughts?

TTRPGs are such a uniquely cool way to express creativity, especially when you think you don’t have it in you. It’s so easy to just MAKE and share the fruits of your labor—whether it’s through physically crafting, telling stories, or making busted character builds from scratch—with others, to forge bonds and memories, and celebrate all of that as a community… It’s a genuinely incredible aspect of humanity, and one that should be treasured during rough times. I want to inspire others to think of games this way.

Thank you for allowing me to speak my mind!

Thank you for sharing your thoughts and your creativity.

I’m still looking for Boricua creatives who live on the island or in the diaspora, with ties to TTRPG gaming through their art, the games they play, or their interest. If you are one, or know one you’d like to recommend, please reach out to me here on the blog or through my socials.  

I appreciate you coming by and reading this. See you soon!

 A combined d100 table detailing encounters and salvaged treasures within the subterranean ruins of The Lost Serpent's Temple. Roll 1d100 for an encounter or discovery upon entering a chamber or navigating a forgotten hallway.  This blog post picks right up from OSR Sword & Sorcery Adventure Fodder - d100 Random Serpent People & Treasure Table tailored for the Serpent TowerNeedleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11243274667834930867noreply@blogger.com0

Welcome to Day 16 of #RPGaDay2026. As I explained in my Day 0 post, I’ll be creating NPCs based on the day’s prompts and the week and day modifiers presented in the infographic below.  Check out that post for further details.

Today’s combination: Composure (Prompt) + Associates (Weekly Modifier) + Blessed (Weekly Modifier) + Post-Apocalyptic (Genre)

Here is today’s NPC.

Judge Cinder (Fantasy Name Generator used for the name: Apocalypse/Mutant nickname generator)

In the badlands, law and justice are scarce. But when a person is desperate enough, they might seek out the Congregation of Shadow Flame. This nomadic organization of lawgivers claims to be blessed by the glowing flame of the night. When summoned, they pass judgment upon the accused, bringing a semblance of order to the wilds of the irradiated ruins.

The presiding lawgiver is always known simply as Judge Cinder. Emotionless and perpetually composed, Cinder hands down sentences to transgressors. While many congregations travel the wastes, locals believe there is only one Judge Cinder, miraculously present with each group whenever they are called upon to mediate a dispute. After delivering a verdict, the masked magistrate demands heavy tribute in the form of rations, water, or ancient artifacts.

Unbeknownst to those who seek their rulings, there is no single judge, no holy congregation, and no divine blessing. These groups are a syndicate of con artists and swindlers, exploiting the superstitions of desperate survivors to enrich themselves and expand their influence over local settlements. While outsiders know them as the Congregation of the Shadow Flame, internally these associates call themselves the Guild of the Fog, operating under the direction of a secretive Guild Master.

Only the Guild Master’s inner circle knows the final, darkest truth: the Guild Master is robotic intelligence. Believing itself superior to all living beings, the machine is intent on quietly controlling humanity by weaponizing their own ambitions and superstition

Thanks for reading; I am looking forward to your RPG a Day 2026 post, comments, and conversation. If you want further information about #RPGaDay2026, be sure to check out Autocratik’s blog.

A Spanish version of this post is available at the Desde la Fosa Facebook page.

See you all tomorrow!

Welcome to Day 15 of #RPGaDay2026. As I explained in my Day 0 post, I’ll be creating NPCs based on the day’s prompts and the week and day modifiers presented in the infographic below.  Check out that post for further details.

Today’s combination: Endurance (Prompt) + Associates (Weekly Modifier) + Works Hard (Weekly Modifier) + Western(Genre)

Here is today’s NPC.

Felipe Gartman (Fantasy Name Generator used for the name: Old West name generator)

The son of a German pianist and a Mexican singer who met while performing in a traveling carnival, Felipe Gartman was born on the road. A naturally large boy, he began performing as a strongman in various traveling circuses during his teens. His incredible strength and endurance drew crowds wherever he went.

Over the years, he met many performers who were mistreated or exploited. Remembering his own parents—who had been forced to perform into their old age, unable to support themselves properly- Felipe resolved to make life better for his peers.

Felipe worked hard and saved every penny, eventually founding his own traveling carnival: the Gartman Circus. Though he started as the main attraction, he soon recruited other performers and sideshow acts to join his troupe. He treated everyone with respect and care, ensuring his associates were well remunerated and protected.

Today, the Gartman Circus is always open to performers needing refuge. Their generosity also extends beyond the big top; whether it is a woman fleeing an abusive husband or an innocent man framed for a crime, Felipe’s traveling circus will help them escape their difficult situations and find better lives on the road.

Thanks for reading; I am looking forward to your RPG a Day 2026 post, comments, and conversation. If you want further information about #RPGaDay2026, be sure to check out Autocratik’s blog.

A Spanish version of this post is available at the Desde la Fosa Facebook page.

See you all tomorrow!

 Arduin: Bloody Arduin represents the modern flagship direction for David A. Hargrave’s iconic Arduin multiverse, published under Emperors Choice Games & Miniatures. Designed to supersede the overly dense and complex Arduin Eternal ruleset, Bloody Arduin returns the franchise to its roots: high-lethal, high-gonzo, d20-based fantasy gaming that retains full modularity with classic D&DNeedleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11243274667834930867noreply@blogger.com0

 

Last year, I was working on a blog series doing my own take on the world of Greyhawk. As it goes with these things, my interest petered out after a bit, and I moved on to other things. I'm feeling that Greyhawk jones coming on again, and I think I have at least a few more posts on that topic in me. We'll see, but if so it seemed a good time to revisit where I'd been. 

I summarized collated the posts summarizing what I wanted to do with the project and the first batch of posts here.

I had three posts after that:

The Wild Coast

North Province

South Province

Recently I decided to totally relaunch the Stargazer Games website. For many years I haven’t really had the time to give it a proper overhaul and it using WordPress was a bit of an overkill. The new site is much leaner and makes uses of modern web technologies. It should work well on both desktop and mobile devices.

The main site now features downloads to all the games Stargazer Games has released over the years. There’s also a handy dice roller at the bottom of the site. In addition to the new look I also added a complete web-based and interactive Warrior, Rogue & Mage SRD in English and German language. The SRD page includes all the rules from the SRD including cross references and both a WR&M dice roller as well as a random character generator.

AI disclosure: I used LLMs in the creation of the site and German translation of the SRD. I am aware that many people are opposed to LLMs and might object to the use of LLMs. I share some of the skepticism and I particularly don’t like the fact that powerful individuals and corporations use AI to increase their wealth and power at the detriment of the rest of us – but it’s undeniably a very interesting technology and a very powerful tool. It’s complicated…

Rest assured that the games themselves are 100% human-made.

Welcome to Day 14 of #RPGaDay2026. As I explained in my Day 0 post, I’ll be creating NPCs based on the day’s prompts and the week and day modifiers presented in the infographic below.  Check out that post for further details.

Today’s combination: Regard (Prompt) + Associates (Weekly Modifier) + Loving and Giving (Weekly Modifier) + Science Fiction (Genre)

Here is today’s NPC.

Doryen Craix (Fantasy Name Generator used for the name: Futuristic name generator)

Emissary Craix was born in an isolated pacifist colony whose residents underwent genetic manipulation for generations. While a few developed significant psychic powers, the majority became empaths, able to sense the feelings of others without the ability to alter them or influence their feelings and minds in any way. When the colony rejoined the greater galactic community, these empaths became emissaries of their culture’s message of peace through diversity, collaboration, and respect.

As an empath and emissary, Doryen travels across the known galaxy to share his message. He treats all sentients with the utmost regard, seeking to forge bonds of cooperation with everyone he encounters, regardless of their status or influence.

During his journeys, Doryen freely gives whatever he has to those in need—and what he has in abundance is love. However, his constant exposure to the emotions of others has led to a complication: he has become addicted to the feeling of joy and ecstasy in those around him. He often accompanies people as they explore these positive emotions just so he can vicariously experience the high. This has earned him a reputation as a connoisseur of the joyous and pleasurable, and he is frequently sought out for advice in matters of happiness and romance.

Doryen is aware of his addiction and actively tries to rein in his hedonistic impulses. He works hard to ensure his guidance brings no harm to his “associates”, the term he uses for those he guides along the path of happiness. Even so, his fellow emissaries remain deeply concerned about his well-being, though Doryen has consistently ignored all pleas to return home and take a leave of absence from his responsibilities.

Thanks for reading; I am looking forward to your RPG a Day 2026 post, comments, and conversation. If you want further information about #RPGaDay2026, be sure to check out Autocratik’s blog.

A Spanish version of this post is available at the Desde la Fosa Facebook page.

See you all tomorrow!

 A D100 encounter table tailored for Stars Without Number (SWN). This table incorporates standard SWN concepts such as Virtual Intelligences (VIs), True AIs, bio-engineered Hulls, pretech relics, and chrome-grafted street cybernetics.  D100 Encounter Table: Synthetic & Cybernetic Lifeformsd100Encounter / Needleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11243274667834930867noreply@blogger.com0

I have a hankerin’ to do some solo gaming, but I’m also gearing up for a few weeks of teaching along with directing the play and then eventually the musical, so odds are good that I won’t be able to work on much gaming stuff. We’ll see.

I have flipped through all three of my current games - Army Ants, Hack’D & Slash’D, and Stalwart ‘85, and couldn’t decide which one to play. I started a pros and cons list to see which system to go with, but ultimately decided that I should let the dice determine everything, starting with which game I’m going to play. This is the most consequential D6 roll of the entire thing: 1-2 = Army Ants, 3-4 = Hack’D, 5-6 = Stalwart ‘85. 4. Hack’D it is. Well, I can put all my dice away except for a D12 or two. Makes things simple.

There are 11 pregens in the core rules. I will use one of those. A 12 will mean that I use likelihood dice rules to determine my character… I roll D12 and get 7. I will be playing a jovial dwarf myrmidon. I decide to keep his stats, but to swap out the axe for a hammer. It’s a cosmetic change, but I already think of him as a little Thor (maybe give him a name like ‘Toren’ or ‘Tohr’ to hit the nail right on the head). He is a ‘jovial’ dwarf, so I cannot give him the classic ‘angry last dwarf of a fallen clan background’, since ‘jovial’ does not imply drunken or traumatized - it implies cheerful, friendly, and of good humor. I will use likelihoods to determine why he is adventuring to begin with… 

Searching for a lost relic? Possible. 8. Nope.

Came upon a map? Possible. 7. Nope. Hmmm. Those were my big two.

Looking for a lost family member? 3. Yep. 

Okay. I roll those same two likelihoods, and get a 2: the map. So, his uncle had a map to a hidden treasure, and went off in search of it, never returning. 

I look up some Norwegian names and like Torvin. That’s not bad. It’s a little close to Thorin from the Hobbit, so maybe I’ll look in another direction. I’ve used the names Hewn and Cairn before for dwarves. I like Cairn the most, so I stick with that. I also change around his gear a little bit, setting him up to be a little more defensive. Between his shield and his higher than normal Hits, he should be pretty durable for solo play...

Cairn Torvinson of Clan Thunderforge, Jovial Dwarf Myrmidon 1

Armor 2; Hits 12; Move 60’; Hammer (3) and Shield (2)

Might 4; Mind 1; Reflex 1

Brawler; Fortitude; Two Weapons; Warrior

Leather Armor 1; Shield; Hammer 2

He attacks at +2 with melee weapons, and deals +1 damage. He attacks with both hammer and shield each round.

I’ve decided to set him in Daggerford (the town I have used as the launching point into the Halls of Moridis), and I’ve finally decided where Daggerford goes on the official map: it’s in hex O6, on the southern bank of the river. That puts it about 10 miles south of the Ruins of Trasik, and puts the Halls of Moridis just into the Blight Mountains to the west. I think that I’ll have Cairn explore the Ruins of Trasik, looking for clues of his uncle’s whereabouts, and seeking treasures he can find. I’ve never even written up a short description of the Ruins of Trasik, so I’ll be interested to see what’s there!

Setup

He last knew that his uncle Toren (younger brother to Torvin) had set off in search of treasures. He had a map to a hidden vault in the Ruins of Trasik, near the village of Daggerford. The adventure opens as he arrives in Daggerford with 3 gp in his pocket, his payment for serving as a guard on the caravan’s journey from Fort Mistledawn. 

 Here is a d100 random contraband table tailored for the gritty, low-magic, and illicit underbelly of a Castles & Crusades campaign. This picks right up on the blog from OSR Sword & Sorcery Adventure Fodder - d100 Random Serpent People & Treasure Table tailored for the Serpent Tower fully compatible with Castles & Crusades (and most classic OSR systems)In classic Sword &Needleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11243274667834930867noreply@blogger.com0

Welcome to Day 13 of #RPGaDay2026. As I explained in my Day 0 post, I’ll be creating NPCs based on the day’s prompts and the week and day modifiers presented in the infographic below.  Check out that post for further details.

Today’s combination: Strain (Prompt) + Associates (Weekly Modifier) + Far to Go (Weekly Modifier) + Pulp (Genre)

Here is today’s NPC.

Jacques “Jackie” Poincaré (Fantasy Name Generator used for the name: French name generator)

Born in Guadeloupe, Jackie moved to New York seeking a better life. However, his mixed heritage, heavy accent, and a run-in with the law left him with few options, eventually pushing him into less-than-reputable work as a bartender at a speakeasy. He soon fell in love with a flapper. When his bosses discovered their secret affair, they quickly used the relationship to blackmail her father.

When the girl’s father attempted to bring the blackmailers to justice, the underworld boss had the man and his entire family killed. The tragedy put a dangerous strain on Jackie’s standing with his employers. To survive, he assured them the woman was merely a fling, that she meant nothing to him, and that his true loyalty remained with the organization.

The grief and guilt nearly broke Jackie, yet he refused to let the mob win. He became more determined than ever to find justice for the woman he loved. Knowing he was just an immigrant with a criminal record and no real power in the big city, he devised a different plan.

He decided to become an informant for the gumshoes and mystery men trying to clean up the city—the very people actively confronting his bosses. Today, Jackie walks a dangerous tightrope. Having regained the syndicate’s confidence, he keeps a close eye on the criminal elements that pass through his bar, secretly feeding their actions and plans to his new associates. He does whatever he can to ensure the men who murdered his love will eventually pay. One day, he hopes to be free of this heavy burden, but he still has far to go.

Thanks for reading; I am looking forward to your RPG a Day 2026 post, comments, and conversation. If you want further information about #RPGaDay2026, be sure to check out Autocratik’s blog.

A Spanish version of this post is available at the Desde la Fosa Facebook page.

See you all tomorrow!

 First appearing in Atlas Comics' (now Marvel) Journey into Mystery #10 (June/July 1953) in the story "The Assassin of Paris!", the Sensational Mademoiselle is a Belle Époque telepath and mind-reader. Living in Paris around 1900, she worked as a glamorous showgirl, performing stage mind-reading while secretly hiding genuine telepathic abilities. When targeted by the notorious "Assassin of Needleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11243274667834930867noreply@blogger.com0

We you can plainly see, I failed to provide any updates on my July plan to do an Army Ants file card a day... life just happens that way I guess. It's been a busy few weeks, so I thought I'd give an update and then talk a little gaming stuff...

On the health front, things are doing well. I had a scan done last week, and it showed that tumors are stable and slightly improved from my last scan six months ago. Since I had paused treatment in there for a few months, that's about the best I can expect. I have started the next round of treatments, and we're going to be adding in another treatment, so I've got a full calendar of getting needles in my arms lined up for the next several months. I feel good, I'm exercising a lot, and I've lost a little weight, so very positive on that front.

I actually feel good enough that I've accepted some long-term gigs. I've got a 5-week substitute teaching assignment for September and into October teaching English 9 (which I did for a decade, so it's pretty easy), and I'll be directing the play and musical at the high school this year, which I'm excited about. I'm very blessed to have these opportunities, and they make me feel productive and useful. It reminds me of Marge Piercy's poem, To Be of Use... and, of course, of Tennyson's Ulysses. 

On the gaming front, I have a hankering to do some solo gaming that I can pop in and out of for 30 minutes here and there. I have three games that I really love - Hack'D & Slash'D, Army Ants, and Stalwart 85, and all three have strong reasons that I could pick them to play. I've spent a little time in the last few weeks reading through all three, and each game has some nifty things I could do, and places I'd like to expand and explore facets of the game. I'd love to be able to just focus on one for a bit and generate some significant content (maybe even a sourcebook!) through actual play, but I have no idea which game to pick. 

FWIW, here's a drawing I did of a character I made for Hack'D and Slash'D - I was leaning that way earlier this week, but then I got distracted by flipping through Army Ants and Stalwart '85, so now I'm not sure... I'll let you know when I make up my mind (or I'll blog about my thought process)...

At Gen Con, Dungeons & Dragons franchise head Dan Ayoub joined various D&D team members and stars connected with D&D to reveal future plans for the game and franchise. They announced more D&D for everyone, but not all of it’s for you.

D&D Icons

Even though the D&D Icons program looks 40-some years back rather than ahead, it led the announcements. Surely, the presence of Joe Manganiello at the presentation vaulted his program to the top. Joe rates as one of the biggest stars who flaunt a passion for D&D. He serves as chief creative officer of the Icons initiative. The Icons initiative links upcoming, and mostly unspecified, D&D products to creative titans from D&D’s past.

The D&D Icons program starts with four creators :

• Luke Gygax, son of D&D co-creator Gary Gygax and, of his six children, the biggest contributor to their father’s D&D legacy.
• Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman, authors of the Dragonlance Chronicles trilogy of novels, the fiction which introduced D&D’s Dragonlance setting to readers in 1984.
• R.A. Salvatore, creator of Drizzt Do’Urden, the Forgotten Realms setting’s most popular character. He has written more than 40 books set in the Realms.

If you needed to read those descriptions to identify any of the icons, then the program isn’t for you. Icons aims for the demographic of Dan Ayoub and Joe Manganiello, men who grew up reading Drizzt and Dragonlance books between D&D games. Guys in this generation—guys like me—grew up with every bit of popular culture aimed at us, so now, some of our peers feel confused and threatened when other demographics get attention. When Dan says D&D “lost its way,” and later brings these creators to stage, he hopes to excite gamers who feel puzzled because their 80s favorites seem sidelined. When Wizards of the Coast announced the third edition back in 1999, I watched Gary Gygax brought to the stage and I felt thrilled, so I understand the appeal of the icons. Gygax and the icons serve a similar purpose: They soothe long-time fans of D&D by showing them that the game still includes things they loved.

Despite the consulting contract that Gary signed in 1999, he just gave the third-edition team his blessing and wished them success. Perhaps the creators working as icons will have more input on the projects linked to their names, but except for the novels, newer designers will surely do the heavy lifting on the icons projects. That approach may create better releases. While the team that created the third edition stood on Dave and Gary’s shoulders, the new edition brought design innovations that the original creators could not have matched.

Oddly, the Icons project promises a return to settings that have all appeared recently in major D&D releases. Drizzt’s territory of the Icewind Dale rates as one of the most visited locations in fifth-edition products. Melf’s Guide to Greyhawk from Luke Gygax will appear in the wake of the Greyhawk coverage in the 2024 Dungeon Master’s Guide. The Dragonlance setting gained a hardcover release in 2022.

Universes Beyond

The D&D team announced Universes Beyond, a series of crossovers starting with one between World of Warcraft and D&D, and one between Star Wars and D&D.

Universes Beyond comes from the Magic the Gathering game. In 2025, the Final Fantasy set of Magic cards became the game’s highest-selling release, pushing the game’s Lord of the Rings and Avatar: The Last Airbender sets to second and third place. Such crossovers earn record sales by appealing to fans who don’t play Magic. The pairing works because so many collectors find trading cards irresistible even if they opt not to play the game.

Still, when fans of something like Final Fantasy collect the cards, many feel inspired to try playing Magic, and some become hooked. Hasbro CEO Chris Cocks called the crossover sets “probably the most successful new player adoption program that we’ve ever done.” Fat D&D game books lack the same collectable appeal as cards, so Dungeons & Dragons/Star Wars will never bring more than a fraction of the collectors attracted to a fan-favorite property crossed with Magic the Gathering. Still, D&D’s Universes Beyond crossovers aim to bring new players to D&D rather than to simply coax existing players to spend more.

Partnerships with outside studios

For existing fans of D&D, Wizards announced partnerships that will publish official content for Ravenloft, Eberron, and the Forgotten Realms, all written by outside studios.

The partners all boast experience making quality D&D content, and each brings an affinity for their chosen setting. The Ghostfire Gaming setting of Grim Hollow matches the dark horror tone of Ravenloft. Visionary Production & Design already produces Eberron books stewarded by the setting’s creator, Keith Baker. Starting with Hoard of the Dragon Queen in 2014, Kobold Press wrote the first two hardcover adventures released for fifth edition. Both featured the Forgotten Realms.

Adding so many setting-specific releases to D&D’s publishing schedule shows a daring change to the D&D’s team’s market strategy—a break from a lesson learned when D&D’s original publisher went to the brink of bankruptcy. In the 90s, TSR released a flood of settings and setting-specific products that split fans’ attention and spending. Fans of a setting tended to skip releases for as many as eight other settings, and so many products failed to recoup costs. Former D&D brand manager Jim Butler said, “TSR had too many product lines chasing too few customers.”

In the decades since, Wizards has avoided dividing customers with a flood of products that compete with each other. When they revisited a campaign setting, they published just a book or two for the setting, and they also avoided scheduling other releases that might battle for attention.

Now, the D&D team sees a customer base large enough for four or more settings to fight for fans’ budgets and time. “Players shouldn’t have to wait decades for D&D to return to a setting. We should be making it easier to adventure in those worlds,” D&D Executive Producer Greg Bilsland said. “The problem is, of course, we only have so many people on the D&D team and supporting all of our settings wasn’t feasible.”

Dark Sun

When I started playing D&D, the demons and occasional nudity in the advanced game flattered me by making me feel mature and by making playing seem like a delicious little rebellion. Now, with a new Dark Sun release scheduled for release as two books with a mature rating, I wonder how the rating will enhance the setting. The animated trailer revels in blood splatters and costumes that could fit in a catalog for fetish wear.

I suspect the D&D team opted for the mature rating for two reasons:

• The Heavy Metal style adds spice and contrasts with the other fifth-edition settings.
• The setting includes elements that now fit uncomfortably in a typical D&D game.

In early D&D, scenes where characters tortured their foes for information and slaughtered their foes’ babies seemed common. Now virtually all D&D games steer clear of such horrors and I welcome the change. The Dark Sun setting includes some of its own horrors that many gamers choose to avoid in a fun pastime. One example stands out. Dark Sun included slavery in the foundation of its world building. Chris S. Sims, one of the designers who worked on the setting for fourth edition, writes, “Slavery in Dark Sun isn’t like it is in the A series [of adventures], where it’s clearly villainy. In Dark Sun, it’s a cultural norm with a (spoiler) horrid, secret reason for keeping it. It can be an evil you fight, but presenting it as a cultural norm, baking it into some mechanics, implies it’s acceptable.”

D&D players enjoy battling evil, and many players see slavers as a good target for heroes. Other players find the subject of slavery too troubling for game sessions that should provide a fun escape. Either outlook is fine. The Dark Sun designers face the challenge of deciding how to accommodate the different perspectives. Perhaps, the mature rating helps.

Greyhawk: Crown of the Witch Queen

Of all the products announced for the coming year, Greyhawk: Crown of the Witch Queen seems like the one for me. Wizards touts the book as a full-length adventure, which suggests that the campaign starts at first level. The last campaign hardcover to start at level 1, Phandelver and Below: The Shattered Obelisk, released three years ago and revisited content from 2014. The upcoming adventure comes from the design team of Will Doyle, Stacey Allan, and Justice Arman. All three have worked on favorite adventures. The prospect of a new full-length campaign to play or run excites me.

I'm reading DC Comics' output from January 1980 (cover date) to the end of Crisis! This week, I read the comics on sale on August 15, 1985.

Batman and the Outsiders #27: I remember seeing this Barr/Davis issue on the spinner rack at the Pac-N-Sac gas station a few blocks from my house. Twelve year-old me found the "We call it WAR STARS! (or we'd get sued!)" cover blurb very clever. Anyway...Continuing from last issue, the U.S. fires missiles at the Star Wars station in defiance of Kobra's extortion, but the missile defense works on the station too, and they are disabled. In a show of glastnost, Gorbachev only pretends to make a deal with Kobra (reasoning rightly that the cult leader will turn on the USSR, too) and instructs his people to contact the U.S. and offer an alliance against the villain.
Meanwhile, our heroes are trying to get to the station to stop Kobra and rescue Halo, but the U.S. government refuses to loan Batman a shuttle. We see a computer screen labelling him "politically incorrect" due to his leaving the JLA and fighting with the Force of July. Harsh! So, the team just has to steal Kobra's own spacecraft and fly it up there. There's a fight in the station and the bad guys are defeated, but Kobra bests Batman in a one-on-one fight and escapes. Batman seems to relish the tough opponent though and looks forward to his next confrontation with the villain.
Halo's beau David decides to take some time to patch things up with his father, so she's free to return to the Outsiders.

Fury of Firestorm Annual #3: Conway and Kayanan/Akin/Garvey rewind to just power Ronnie and Stein left New York. Firestorm notices some fluctuations in his powers. Stein has a theory its due to sunspot activity and the two test it, leading Stein to figure the parameters of their powers. Largely, this seems like a way for Conway to rein in and clarify the limits of what Firestorm can do as we are given Official Handbook level quantifications.
While all this is going on, Frido, a guy in Miami with a drug problem, is having particularly bad time trying to get his fix to deal with his withdrawal. As the sunspot activity increases, Frido is somehow transformed into a being of (I guess) electricity. Still in pain, Frido takes out his frustrations on those who refuse to help him until Firestorm who has heard about this intervenes. He wins the day by short circuiting Frido (or Sparx as Firestorm names him) in the ocean.

Blue Devil #18: Mishkin/Cohn and Kupperberg/Maygar cheekily present "The Last Parallel World Story!" in this Crisis crossover issue. After the events of COIE #8, Blue Devil finds himself in space with some of the Omega Men. Luckily, they are picked up by a spaceship in the hands of a film crew composed of alternate universe versions of Cassidy and Blue Devil's supporting cast who had been sucked through a black hole into this universe just before theirs was destroyed by anti-matter. This being a somewhat humorous book, the characters take the potential trauma of being the last survivors of their universe and having lost everyone they know completely in stride. However, they soon find they are fading away, going to a Limbo since their universe no longer exists. Both Cassidys have to work to find a way to vibrationally stabilize both the crew and their ship.
The crew decides to go with the Omega Men to Vega via a teleporter as they know their universe's version of Harry Hokum has one. They try to send Blue Devil back to Earth, but he disappears before they can.

Green Lantern #194: Crisis crossovers often reveal that Harbinger had a tougher time than initially depicted assembling the heroes in COIE #1. Engelhart and Staton/Patterson again give us a bit of s scuffle, before Stewart agrees to go with her. This crossover is unusual as it depicts events on the Monitor's station from Stewart's perspective. We also see how the Anti-Monitor strikes a blow at the Guardians so that they can't interfere. A blast through the central Power battery kills many of them.
With everything going on Katma Tui turns to Hal, and the two of them reconcile. Hal seems ready to stop feeling sorry for himself, but feeling in a nostalgic mood, I guess, visits Abin Sur's grave. He finds Guy Gardner out of the nursing room, and misguidedly attempting to dig up a ring and power battery. The two fight, but then a Guardian shows up and gives Gardner exactly what he's looking for, inducting him into the Corps and snubbing Hal.

Infinity, Inc. #20: Another Crisis crossover by the Thomases and McFarlane/Bair, as the Infinitors deal with the weather disruption and natural disaster part of the Crisis. A hospital is threatened by extreme weather and an earthquake, and members of the JSA and the Infinitors must work together to try to save people. In the...well, crisis, a new hero emerges: Previous NEET Rick Tyler decides to follow in his father's footsteps and become a new Hourman, a move that worries both his father and Dr. Mid-Nite. There's another new hero in the making, too. McNider's medical protege, Beth Chapel, is blinded in the disaster and jokes bitterly the only sort of doctor she is fit to be is the next Dr. Midnight. 
Interestingly, a caption in this issue tells us it is "July 1985," which is (as George Olshevsky would have it) a "topical reference" to be ignored, but since this universe is going away anyway, I think it's usual in placing when the "modern day" events of the Crisis are occurring. This timeline goes with that idea. 

New Teen Titans #14: Yet another Crisis crossover from Wolfman and Barreto/Tanghal. Under red skies, Arella searches for her daughter and finds out she was for a time a faith healer in Alabama but has moved on by the time Arella gets there. Meanwhile, Captain Karras convinces Starfire to return to Tamaran, and Nightwing and Jericho choose to accompany her, leaving the others to deal with this whole Crisis thing. At the end of the issue, we find out Blackfire is waiting to greet her sister.
 The Titans that stay on Earth have to deal with Steve Dayton who is dying of cancer. Or at least he was. He may have used his Mento helmet to cure himself, but that seems to have driven him insane. He attacks his butler, then a club of wealthy men that denies him membership, then the Titans when they show up. 

Sgt. Rock #406: We finish Kanigher's and Gonzales's tribute to the 332nd Expeditionary Operations Group. In the end, this story seems to have been largely for didactic purposes, which is a reasonable goal I suppose when we think about the assumed kid audience of comics. We get a lot more on the groups exploits and highlights of important members. Then, sometime later, Rock and Easy meet Captain Dennis again briefly. After that, we return to the frame of the civil rights era where the racist lieutenant turned police officer seems to recognize Dennis among the marchers and silent moves aside. Dennis feels Rock is with them in spirit, with the implication being that (as Kanigher as stated, I believe) Rock did not survive the War. 

Saga of Swamp Thing #42: Continuing the story from last issue, as Swamp Thing and Abby are piecing together what is going on, the past takes a greater hold over the present. The extras performing the ritual have caused the dead to rise from the graveyard and walk the Earth. The dead advance on the plantation house to confront the spirit of the former master of that house, now taken over an actor. Swamp Thing does have a whole lot to do as his plant powers can do little to stop a haunting. He's set on fire and accidentally catches the house ablaze too. That seems to break the spell and bring an end to what was going on, though one actor dies in the fire, and another seems unable to break from the traumatic memory of a man skinned alive. One of the zombies gets away and gets a job at a theater, so again the mystical strangeness of the world is rising.

Warlord #99: I reviewed this issue here.

Who's Who #9: Like last issue, the alphabetical span of this issue seems providential, as we get the Jordan and Stewart Green Lanterns (though no Guy Gardner), the Green Lantern Corps, and the Guardians of the Universe. The current artists, Staton, gets to draw Stewart, but Kane is fittingly given the honor of depicting Hal Jordan, and Bolland gets the two-page Corps spread. Gemworld is also in this issue as are both the Earth-Two and Earth-One Green Arrows, the latter depicted by Mike Grell. The Captain Atom foe, the Ghost, gets an entry and he hasn't even appeared in the DCU yet! We also get war comics characters Gravedigger, who we haven't seen since 1979, and G.I. Robot who we haven't seen since the demise of Weird War Tales in 1983.