End-of-Week Elmore (1/31/14)

This week, Larry serves up some halfling cheesecake! Hope your gaming is plentiful and fulfilling, dear readers! Until we meet again, happy roleplaying, ya'll!

Question: how early have you introduced kids to roleplaying?

Hello all. So, the question of the day is: how early have you introduced kids to roleplaying? I ask because I've started talking more and more to my kids, ages five and seven, about the hobby. They've been asking about it more as they've gotten older: "Dad, what do you do when you go to 'game night'? What game are you playing?"

 

So, I've been considering an attempt to sit down with them with one of the Basic D&D sets, probably Mentzer's Red Box rules. I've thought about trying to explain the game to them, help them create some characters, and maybe run a short session or two. I'm expecting to do a lot of hand-holding throughout the process, given their ages.

 

I believe the Basic D&D sets are recommended for ages 10 and up. But I think I can at least make an attempt to show them the rudiments of the game. What do you think? If you've tried to roleplay with kids younger than the recommended age for the RPG, please let me know your experiences. Thanks!

End-of-Week Elmore (1/24/14)

"HEY, DO YOU MIND?! I'M TAKING A BATH HERE!"

Here comes the D&D 40th Anniversary Blog Hop Challenge!

 

Blog writing challenge haters, prepare to hate! Starting February 1st, the d20 Dark Ages blog is hosting what blog owner Stelios V. Perdios has dubbed the D&D 40th Anniversary Blog Hop Challenge! I'm in! How about you? Er, if you're a blog writing challenge hater, then don't answer that... As for everyone else, hope you join in!

End-of-Week Elmore (1/17/14)

"It's my duty to give a wish to that booty!"

 

Heh heh, you naughty naughty genie! While the hero's back is turned, you're putting the moves on his lady-friend! Well, she seems happy to see you, though. Is she doing a belly dance for you? Hips don't lie, my lamp-bound friend!

The Ulfberht: The Masterwork Viking Sword

 

So, for her Christmas present, I got the wife Netflix. Actually, I got the wife a Bluray player with WiFi AND Netflix. I'm a nice husband.

 

Anyway, I of course will benefit from the purchase because, you know, I live with her ;-)

 

Last night I decided to see if the History Channel's Vikings series was available. No dice. Boo!

 

However, my search for the word "vikings" yielded an unexpected result: a Nova special that discusses a rare type of Viking-era sword called the "Ulfberht." This type of sword is renowned for it's very un-Medieval level of craftsmanship, in that the steel that was used for the Ulfberht swords was very free of impurities. So whereas most Viking-era swords would break due to the poor steel, the Ulfberht was infinitely stronger and more flexible.

 

About the name: it's speculated that the name "Ulfberht" might be the name of a smith who created the first such sword.

 

This whole thing made me think of the "masterwork" version of weapons you find in D&D, which invariably cost more and, sometimes, might even grant a bonus to hit due to their quality. I also found it fascinating to think that, according to one comment in the Nova special, a sword that could bend and not break would have seemed magical to the majority of people in that age. Pretty cool.

 

The other cool thing is that the steel the Viking smiths used to make the Ulfberht was probably from the Middle East. That means they made the trek the entire way by river to get the good steel. Even more coolness right there.

 

You can watch the whole Nova special online here. I suggest you take a look!

End-of-Week Elmore (1/10/14)

The illo above makes me think about everybody's favorite series featuring immortal dimension-hopping royalty: the Amber books by Roger Zelazny!

 

And by extension, it makes me think about the successor to the Amber Diceless RPG throne, Lords of Gossamer & Shadow!

 

I'm going to make it a point to delve into the Lords of Gossamer & Shadow rulebook and start doing a read-through, and will start posting about the game here on the old blog. Stay tuned!