End-of-Week Elmore (8/8/14)

Ahoy, mates! Been sailing the seas of life of late, which (broken record time) has left me with little time (more like NO time) for anything gaming-related. Again, that's a fate of my own design, and I'm not whining about it. Well, maybe a little. Damn my dreams and aspirations for stealing my RPG time!

 

Ahem. Anyway. The family and I will soon be heading off to a nearby mountainous region, where there is also a body of water to sail upon. So the illo above is therefore very pertinent. And pert. Those elven pirate wenches, am I right?

 

Here's to you, fellow gamers! I hope you're sailing on your own high tide of happiness! Until I see the cut of your jib again, may the winds always be in your favor!

End-of-Week...Elmore? (8/1/14)

Welcome to August, fellow gamers! Ah, the Internet. It holds such potential, and such treasures! And yet, our fickle virtual collective consciousness often spits up some deception, does it not?

 

Case in point: on my weekly search for End-of-Week Elmore fodder, I was given the image above as part of my seeking. Hmmm, we see Flint, Tasselhoff, and Tika of Dragonlance fame. Of that there's no doubt. And being Dragonlance, one would think that Elmore, the veritable master of Dragonlance art, would be the creator here.

 

But do not be fooled, folks! Anyone trained in the art of Elmore will see this is not his work! Methinks it be the work of a certain Fred Fields! I have to be honest, Fred is probably my least favorite of the "2nd Edition AD&D era" of artists. Back in those days, I greatly preferred the work of Elmore (obviously), Keith Parkinson, Clyde Caldwell, and Jeff Easley.

Fred Field's spot in last place seems to be a sentiment shared by others, actually.

Not that Mr. Field's work is bad. Indeed, his techniques and talent seem equal to those of the other "Fantastic Five" mentioned above. His work, to me,  just lacked...something...and that something is what the other major artists of that era seemed to have in higher doses...if that makes any sense.

What do you think about the major artists of the 2E AD&D era? Who is your favorite? Whose work is less inspiring to you?

End-of-Week Elmore (7/25/14)

"Ha HA! My green dragon will defeat your...er...what the heck is THAT?! Is that a beak? And check out those feet! I've heard of a bird dog, but this is ridiculous!"

D&D@40: In the News (7/22/14)

 

New Yorker: Dungeons & Dragons Saved my Life

D&D@40: In the News (7/21/14)

 

BoingBoing: Exclusive look at the new D&D Player's Handbook

End-of-Week Elmore (7/18/14)

White dragons have always been interesting to me. They're just, well...you know..not the typical fire breathing dragons, right? I know that seems like an obvious statement. But seriously, they're very counter-intuitive when it comes to the whole dragon mythos...at least to the lay person not steeped in the lore of D&D monster manuals!

Okay, enough musings on that subject. I've just gotten a bevy of rules with D&D DNA, including 13th Age, Dungeon World, and Dungeonteller. And I have to say, Dungeonteller is, so far, my favorite of the three! I'm working on a review of that game, which I hope to publish soon.

Anyway, have a great weekend, folks!

D&D's 40th Birthday: What are we REALLY celebrating?

Okay, maybe this post is just all self-referential musing. But I wonder how many of you out there feel the same way. There's something I want to put out there for your consideration. This might not be a ground-breaking post in terms of its sentiment or subject matter, but bear with me.

I don't care what edition of the game you play. Hell, I don't care if the Medieval fantasy RPG you're playing is even called D&D or not. We're all still playing D&D, folks.

So, I posit this: what we're really celebrating this year is not the 40th anniversary of the brand name of D&D. We're celebrating the spirit of the game, and all of its uncountable varieties and offspring!

Thanks, Azeem!

Morgan Freeman said it best, I think, in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves: "Allah loves wondrous variety!"

Just a note: this sentiment also includes 4th Edition. Speaking of which: congrats on the cancellation of your edition, 4E fans, because you are now a part of the "my favored edition is out of print" clan! Welcome, hail, and well met!

I'm bringing all this up because, well, I bought the new D&D starter set, and downloaded the free Basic rules. And while I think all that 5E stuff is nifty, I have to say that I'm so much more excited about games that don't carry the D&D name, but rather carry the D&D DNA.

Here's the versions of the game that I'm currently drooling over:

• Dungeonteller
• Warriors of the Red Planet
• Dungeon World
• 13th Age

 

I already own Dungeonteller and the Warriors of the Red Planet beta. My copies of Dungeon World and 13th Age are on their way from the great Noble Knight Games.

Of course, I also already own Labyrinth Lord, Swords & Wizardry, Dungeon Crawl Classics RPG, Adventurer Conquerer King, Beyond the Wall, Dragon Age RPG, Crypts & Things, Five Ancient Kingdoms, and other permutations of the "world's oldest RPG" of which you no doubt have heard! And all these "clones" sit cheek-by-jowl on my bookshelves with D&D books from all eras of the game. And it's like looking at a glorious family reunion, with many generations gathered into one place.

I'm so happy that D&D has gone forth and multiplied, incubated in the fertile minds of so many fellow enthusiasts!

So, talk back to me, fellow roleplayers! Tell me how you are celebrating D&D's 40th this year, what version(s) of the game you're celebrating with, and any other reflections you care to share!

Long live Dungeons & Dragons, no matter what skin it wears!