foster1941
Warlock
Duke of California, Earl of Los Angeles, Knight Bachelor
Posts: 475
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Post by foster1941 on Apr 4, 2017 13:17:35 GMT -5
I started a blog for cleaned-up versions of some of the stuff I've posted here and at other forum sites, with hopes of reaching a bigger/different audience and maybe sparking some more interest in Gary-flavored AD&D than all the other stuff we've been seeing for the past few years, but the response so far has been wildly underwhelming - almost no comments, almost no page-views - so if things don't turn around within the next day or two I think I'm going to pull the plug, before it gets even more embarrassing. I mean, I always suspected people didn't care about what I had to say, but now I have tangible proof!
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Post by geneweigel on Apr 4, 2017 14:35:37 GMT -5
Its not that people don't care its that the forum format is so much more interactive. My page views on my blog are through the roof sometimes but it can go for weeks with nothing when I'm slow. I just checked it out it looks good although with the GH stuff people want canon denoted or they freak so I would highlight the things you added to the list of artifacts and then it would be more interesting.
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Post by Zenopus on Apr 4, 2017 22:15:48 GMT -5
I started a blog for cleaned-up versions of some of the stuff I've posted here and at other forum sites, with hopes of reaching a bigger/different audience and maybe sparking some more interest in Gary-flavored AD&D than all the other stuff we've been seeing for the past few years, but the response so far has been wildly underwhelming - almost no comments, almost no page-views - so if things don't turn around within the next day or two I think I'm going to pull the plug, before it gets even more embarrassing. I mean, I always suspected people didn't care about what I had to say, but now I have tangible proof! I always enjoy reading your posts on K&KA, even if I don't comment very often. I check into K&KA almost every day, and I still had no idea you'd started a blog - you didn't make a post about it there, did you? Anyway, now that I know, I've added it to my blogroll where I'll see when you make a new post. Please keep at it longer! Z
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foster1941
Warlock
Duke of California, Earl of Los Angeles, Knight Bachelor
Posts: 475
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Post by foster1941 on Apr 4, 2017 23:22:50 GMT -5
Thanks for the kind words. I added a link to the new blog in my signature but didn't make a public announcement. On the advice of a couple other folks I've decided to leave the blog up and give it a chance to find an audience but to slow down the pace of new posts so that I don't burn through all my good content and get discouraged before people have had a chance to discover it. So just because there won't be any new posts for the next couple days don't think that means I've given up
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Post by Scott on Apr 5, 2017 6:23:17 GMT -5
I didn't mention this before GaryCon, but Tony Rosten and I published a dungeon design newsletter 10 days ago: the Twisting Stair #1 (#2 will be available in time for the North Texas RPG Con at the beginning of June): The first issue's features include: - Combined Hoards as Adventure Hooks: Treasure Maps in the Mega-Dungeon (Part 1 of 2) - New monster - the Sasquatch - New magic item - the Ring of Reflection - An 11"x17" centerfold dungeon map, with 9 pre-generated geomorphs and three blank geos, that can be mixed and matched and placed into the 3 blank geomorph locations built into the map - Wandering Monsters table - An article on the unique design requirements for first levels of dungeons, focused on the need for replayable encounters; details three such centerpiece encounters as examples Allan. Nice. Is there a PDF version?
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Post by grodog on Apr 5, 2017 9:17:50 GMT -5
No, we're doing print-only atm, Scott.
Allan.
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Post by geneweigel on Apr 5, 2017 22:13:02 GMT -5
The new chapter of Secrets of the Greater Trolls is tomorrow on the blog. Its in the can but I don't have time to set it on the page yet. Its a pseudo-quasi-authentic look at North American trolls based on direct tales and some liberty with how they're expressed. These are not you're everyday wendigos.
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Post by geneweigel on Apr 6, 2017 13:41:55 GMT -5
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Post by geneweigel on Apr 8, 2017 12:42:14 GMT -5
Trent, here is a perfect example of the blog at work. I've had massive waves of reading and rereading of my blog since my last post but its hard for people to leave a remark because its not that its scary it just seems intimidating. The only feedback that I received was from someone coming your blog through a link.
My number two traffic is from Germany. What happened France? I was going to do a French related post but the subject matter was going to be the start of a new column and it verges on the wrong attention. Genericizing the column's subject takes away the verve so I'm holding off until I get more variety of subject matter first.
I'm considering a large scale battle series.
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Post by GRWelsh on Apr 9, 2017 10:49:24 GMT -5
Creative and creepy. My favorite part was:
I like the nod to the Wendigo myth and the "punish enemies" angle with the ritual spell, as well.
All these troll variations raise the question: what are trolls? The core D&D troll is inspired by the Poul Anderson rubbery/moldy monster, which I've always thought of as crossing the categories of animal and plant. But more generally is 'troll' just a monster label that can be pasted on any large, humanoid monster?
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Post by geneweigel on Apr 9, 2017 11:47:40 GMT -5
I'm going with everything academic for the troll classification. Folklore studies is my ultimate fall back because the giant class was sourced from Gary's folklore studies. This particular one in contrast to the Asian one is all troll troll because I left out the tangentials for a follow up. The Anderson troll was in full focus when I developed these so I tried to give a ghoul to troll feel with the direct reference to thouls but I also wanted it to seem as if they developed on their own to make them a distinctive type. There is also a nod to DANGEROUS JOUNEYS mention of "Far West" being a America but I didn't use any DJ content partly because there isn't any for this and just to keep it fresh. The development of names were original except for "snu" and "wintiku" those are real.
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Post by GRWelsh on Apr 10, 2017 7:57:40 GMT -5
On October 13, 1979, there was a SUPERFRIENDS episode titled "The Lord of Middle Earth," in which the superfriends were turned into trolls -- but looked a lot like what we think of as hobbits. The only reason I mention this is at the time I don't think there was as clear a delineation. That episode stuck out in my mind, because that previous summer I'd played the DUNGEON! game for the first time, and I was dimly aware of but quickly becoming fascinated with the fantasy genre. No doubt this SUPERFRIENDS episode was influenced by THE HOBBIT in 1977 by Rankin Bass, which I remember watching as well when it first aired. Tolkien was popular but not yet ubiquitous, and D&D was on the rise but its codification of monsters wasn't as widely known yet either. So, in 1979, you could still use 'troll' as a stand-in for a non-evil hobbit/dwarf race with furry feet that lived underground and mined caves for precious metals, and no one would question those sorts of uses. And then I guess you could trace that all the way back to Norse folklore, in which trolls were treated variously (different sizes, levels of intelligence, magic powers, etc.) according to the needs of the tale. And that brings me back to Poul Anderson, who did the same thing, as his troll in THREE HEARTS AND THREE LIONS is not exactly the same as the trolls in THE BROKEN SWORD.
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Post by geneweigel on Apr 10, 2017 9:26:09 GMT -5
The ogres are trolls in CHAINMAIL, and in Gary's own words to me, the names were just used for scaling then they stuck.
The classifications of "giants" and specifically ogres and trolls in various folklore studies (e.g. Basile, Grimm, Lang, Perrault, etc) is all over the place.
For this SOFTGT series, for example, if say Tolkien material was unknown for Moria I would feature a new "greater troll" (mountain troll?) that works directly with the balrog, feature the balrog, the cave trolls, the orcs and possibly undead dwarves and pit things from below if enough room. For the Trollshaws I would have an undescribed "hill troll" and the the type of the three encountered by Bilbo (Stone trolls) then related creatures possibly varieties of orcs and wolves.
Some of my campaign material I had to trim from some of these because they're being used in various modules that I'm doing. The adventures are like mini-monster manuals.
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Post by Scott on Apr 20, 2017 5:52:29 GMT -5
Spring really derails me. All three of my boys play soccer, I coach all three teams, that's seven practices/games a week, my youngest is also on two baseball teams.There is something, or things, going on every night. It's rare I get to sit down for 5 minutes and string a few thoughts together.
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Post by geneweigel on Apr 20, 2017 7:28:10 GMT -5
Heh, I'm trying not to get drafted into some kids' baseball weekend so I know the feeling. Not much of a sports person. I have a brother-in-law who can't even speak anything but sports. Its as if he removed his hippocampus and put a whistle in its place. Its "hi how you doing?" then he goes off and sits in the corner until someone who can talk teams comes in. Some of the hardcore sports people that I know have cooled their "Jets" because of all the partying. So its like, "Gene, what have you been doing all these years of no sports?" Oh, you know... (Looks at PHB cover) SATAN!
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Post by geneweigel on May 2, 2017 12:43:34 GMT -5
Its already Spring and I have no prospects for a game. Bringing back the old campaign was an actual bone of contention last week with the people who I still talk to badgering me about a game. Unfortunately, everyone wants old dregs back to the table and its tough. Its like Pandora's box... KABOOM!!! Its like for them the game is irrelevant but if everyone is there its a different story.
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Post by geneweigel on May 8, 2017 8:36:18 GMT -5
I'm considering using "mediafire" for people to download pdfs does anybody have any opinions?
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Post by GRWelsh on May 8, 2017 13:15:22 GMT -5
I wish I could advise you but honestly I'm pretty ignorant about such things. I save files as PDFs for work all the time, but I don't know anything about public options for storing files online. But since Mediafire is free, I guess it can't hurt to experiment with it.
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Post by GRWelsh on May 8, 2017 13:19:27 GMT -5
Its like for them the game is irrelevant but if everyone is there its a different story. I've occasionally had the same issue with friends showing up on Game Night: "No, we don't want to play, we just dropped in to say 'hi' since we knew everyone was here tonight!" They don't mean any harm, but it derails the game if allowed to go on.
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Post by geneweigel on May 8, 2017 15:20:50 GMT -5
I was hoping this guy I know who lives down the block could get in with my old players but I haven't mentioned the "D" word because somebody mentioned him watching new age sci-fi shows. Steady... wait for it...
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