That is very, very nice work.
Search Posts
That is a really awesome-looking map. Kudos to Tim and thanks to Joshua for taking the time to show it and talk about it.
Get better soon, Josh. Looking forward to your hilarious posts and announcements when you are back on the scene.
Thanks for taking the time to tackle the project and for posting the blog link.
I check for blog updates every day. I think you do a great job of communicating general company info and product news/support. Thanks!
Dragon #63 is my favorite of all time. It’s the issue that set the benchmark for how I have judged all Dragons. The Dragons of the 3E (especially Paizo) years did a great job of meeting the standards of this kind of issue. What’s so great about #63? It was a cohesive issue, populated by a lot of wilderness-based articles. The barbarian class was introduced in this issue (by Gary Gygax), followed by the bandit NPC class, and then a big article on evil humanoid society and gods (kobolds, goblins, hobgoblins, and gnolls, by Roger Moore). The cover showed a great bandit encounter in the forest. These articles (especially the humanoids) added a greater depth to my games. I believe a lot of the material found its way into the 1st Ed Unearthed Arcana. The issue also contained an excellent advice piece, “Plan Before You Play,” by Ed Greenwood. I had never really considered world-building/region-building before and now I had another way of adding spice to the campaigns. Dragon #63 also introduced devas (by Gary Gygax) to the game, and it contained the adventure “Chagmat.” I still recall the cool picture (black and white) of Akron Oheeyo, the old adventurer who was ready to give the PCs some info and maybe some help. Rounding out the issue: Greyhawk world events, convention news, a review of computer gaming, Top Secret game support, alternate rules for Charisma, and a how-to article on photographing miniatures. Also, where would Dragon be without a good dose of comedy? Phil & Dixie and Wormy are right there. This issue packed a lot of quintessential elements of the D&D game between its covers: iconic fantasy character types (barbarians, bandits), iconic monsters (evil humanoids), the campaign world at large, and even an adventure. Some of the best recent examples of this kind of super issue: #309 (War/Githyanki Incursion), #322 (Shadow), #334 (Medieval Mediterranean flavor), and #346 (Good v. Darkness/Eurasian flavor). I could really name a lot more from the last two years. If I was introduced to the game during the Paizo years, I think #346 would be the benchmark to judge the other Dragons.
The Faceless One, from AOW “Three Faces of Evil" has got to be one of the creepiest villains. The nutty grimlock cult leader (can't remember his name) and Theldrick the Hextorite followed closely as effective enemy leaders from the same adventure. Balabar Smenk from AOW "Whispering Cairn" made a good small time boss enemy. I liked his penchant for manipulation and intimidation. Filge was pretty bizarre, only surpassed by the Faceless One. Tongue Eater, the werebaboon from SCAP “Flood Season.” Kazmojen, the half-troll/half-dwarf slaver from SCAP’s “Life’s Bazaar.”
I feel sad at the loss of Dragon and Dungeon magazines. Dragon has been part of my life for 25 years – to the month – the first issue I picked up was #61 (May 1982 issue). Even when I went through periods when I didn’t purchase copies consistently, it was always a thrill to see the magazine continuing. Dungeon kept the game alive for me, even more so than Dragon during much of the 90’s. After 3E, the magazines entered a renaissance period that matched the earliest heydays. The Paizo years were fueled by an amazing amount of good ideas, great articles, and fantastic adventures. I’m grateful to all the editors and contributors who made my trips to the local game store and the mailbox a giddy event for the last three decades. My first published freelance work appeared in Dragon and Dungeon. That changed my life. My thanks to all the editors who gave me a chance, encouraged me, and helped me to develop as a writer. I thoroughly enjoyed writing for these great magazines. I mean, how often do you get to write about D&D gaming, history, and mythology (sometimes in the same article)? I look forward to the new (ad)ventures Paizo has in store. Like others on this board, I feel that the magazines were the communal lifeblood of the game. I have no doubt that Paizo will continue to support the game and its players with the same enthusiasm they have demonstrated over the last five years. As for Wizards, I think it may be worth waiting to see what they have to offer in online content (or other arrangements) to support the magazine fanbase. Not a few of those Wizards folks grew up with the game and several of them devoted time as editors and staff members of Dragon and Dungeon. So long Dragon and Dungeon. Paul Leach
Christopher, I like the connection between some maps, although it is not necessary that you always do a series to make me happy. The maps are an inspiration to creating my own adventures, and I've even used one or two as replacements for maps assigned to published adventures. Instead of running a massive dungeon crawl on a one-page map, spreading the encounters over two or three maps is sometimes more satisfying (provides good stopping points, rest areas, etc.). If you do some more above ground settlements or fortifications, some Asian or Middle Eastern flavor might be good. If you do a series influenced by the layout of a medieval city, Constantinople, Kiev, or Palermo all have cosmopolitan backgrounds that make them stand out compared to other large European urban centers. Regardless of what your next projects are, thanks for all the great maps! I look forward to the next Map of Mystery. ~Paul
Lots of good suggestions posted above. I agree that emphasis should be made on making recurring villains feel like a natural part of the campaign, plus they should have some impact on the heroes even if there is no direct confrontation. One thing I have started doing is finding a cool villain from an upcoming Dungeon adventure and working the enemy’s presence into the campaign well before the actual showdown. This gives recurring villain status to one-shot enemies even if they meet their end in their normally scheduled Dungeon adventure appearance. As a bonus, those showdowns may change as a result of any familiarity the heroes and villains may have with each other. I am running a modified FR campaign that currently involves the PCs with some conspiracies aimed at destroying the local duchy/city state. Major foes include the Ebon Triad cultists as presented in SCAP and AOW, who may be puppets/dupes/allies for another level of conspirators. If nothing else, these low-mid level boss villains have been creating tension, even if not engaging in out-and-out repeat slugfests; I have contrived ways in which their involvement in the campaign feels organic. As the campaign progresses, we’ll see who actually survives for rematches. Here are a few of the villains who have achieved recurring villain status: ******POSSIBLE SPOILERS******** Tongue Eater: This guy is the fantastic werebaboon from SCAP “Flood Season.” I really didn’t expect him to survive the battle at the Lucky Monkey. I originally introduced him as a member of a mercenary company that the PCs had joined (it’s how the campaign started). He was nasty and hateful to the PCs, but also served as a drill sergeant mentor to them. Eventually Tongue Eater committed treachery against the mercenary company and the hunt was on. When the Lucky Monkey massacre plot was discovered (and it was revealed that Tongue Eater was going to be a major player in the event), the group was very glad to send him to his just rewards. Pyllrak: This is the durzagon slave trader from SCAP’s “Life’s Bazaar.” This guy was too cool to just have him be an interesting walk-on at a bad moment. The PCs have yet to meet this guy, but through investigations and interrogations, they are learning he is some kind of major player in the Ebon Triad activities. His interests seem to be in moving and watching the pawns. He was one of the masterminds behind the Lucky Monkey massacre (the PCs learned that he tried to recruit Kajmojen and his hobgoblin bodyguards to be the patsies in that operation). The PCs also discovered that he has placed (non-believer) agents amongst the Ebon Triad. Generally speaking, when the campaign plot intersects with the Underdark, Pyllrak seems to be involved as a manipulator. Is he a true cultist of some sort? Is he just looking for a way to profit from the fall of a city state? The Fingers of Iuz: This is a great group of adventurer scum from Dungeon #121’s “Fiend’s Embrace.” So far the Fingers have not encountered the party directly, but they appear in the group’s investigations. Their role is not certain at this time (outside of being a group of mercenary ne’er-do-wells), but they are mostly known for harassing the Smenk Gang from AOW. The Fingers came down on the Smenk thugs once they started to broadcast threats towards the PCs and allied organizations (of course, Smenk wanted to draw the PCs’ attention, figuring threats would only get their interest). Roon, the evil gnome bard is working his way into group legend… The Faceless One: This is one of the creepiest freaks ever. Before the PCs actually encounter him in AOW “Three Faces of Evil,” they learn of his involvement in the Lucky Monkey massacre plot. He and his kenku companion arranged for The Farm from AOW “Whispering Cairn” to be a safehouse for the mercenaries hired to assist Tongue Eater. As it turns out, they also arranged for the owlbears to be there to clean up any loose ends of the operation. The group has not grown to hate The Faceless One, but he is obviously a dangerous enemy if he kills his own agents to maintain secrecy. Filge: Another freak from AOW (“Whispering Cairn”). I’ve modified his role somewhat, in that he was actively infiltrating the Ebon Triad. The PCs’ interest in Filge resulted in his demise at the hands of The Faceless One. Filge is now the allip in the Vecna temple in “Three Faces of Evil,” appearing as a warped version of his winged statue. Non-Leader Recurring Villains: The kenku cultists have appeared in bit roles throughout the campaign and although none of them so far have developed individually, as a recurring group of murderers haunting the activities of the main plot line, they have achieved a corporate recurring villain status. The revised kenku of 3E (supported by a great Ecology article plus several Dungeon appearances and a nice miniature) is one of my favorite bad guys now. I’ve also mined some interesting minor players from the D&D Miniatures sets (esp. the Underdark’s drow ninja and the half-fiend ogre) who have suffered defeat at the hands of the PCs, but escaped death. I expect something along the lines of the recurring role of Jaws from the James Bond movies, as long as they have a knack for self-preservation. Finally, I would like to express my thanks to the Dungeon authors of such fabulous foes. The villains are memorable in their own right and in the context of their adventure appearances. They inspired me to expand their roles as much as possible.
F2K – Good material on the scout in the roles of light cav and sniper. My thanks to Mike for tweaking one of my cavalry feats and including it with such a good CA article. I love horse nomads and this one went a good ways towards justifying the sacrifices those kinds of characters have to make to be true light horsemen. Offering a special mount instead of class features that may not be used or are not true to form is a good option. The sniper feature brought some good choices to the table as well. As for the rest of the issue, this is one of my recent favorites. While good articles are necessary, an issue seems better when there are some related themes. Good v. Darkness and Chance/Mystery appeared throughout #346. It seemed to evoke the stoic, practical, and secretive nature of Impiltur. With this one magazine you have an interesting place to play a campaign (regardless of whether or not you use the FR campaign setting), a major religion (could a sun deity be any less universal?), professional advice for contracting cohorts (you’ll need help fighting the evils of the world), and social activities (gambling and fortune telling). The CA articles make a good fit – the Sacred Enforcers, True Name feats, Horse Nomads, and Cataphracts could easily appear in a land embattled by cabals of conjurers and fiends at the edge of the Unapproachable East. To top it off we also get the Ecology of the Rust Monster, a bizarre creature that has been around about as long as D&D. I look forward to more issues like this one – a good mix of geography, the fantastic, and the mundane.
I believe the stats and character summary appear in a Giants of the Earth article in either #61 or #63 (from 1982).
The feat was designed to allow a character to retain normal benefits of using a longspear or pike. The light shield is treated almost like a buckler, but without attack roll penalties. The basis for the feat comes from historical depictions of Macedonian/Successor infantry attacking (pikes lowered) with both hands, yet they appear to be receiving significant coverage from shields. The pikemen shields have two straps (and probably an actual grip, though it could not be used in this style of fighting): one for the forearm and a much wider one for the neck and shoulder, like an arm sling. To recreate the classical pikeman from a gaming perspective, this meant either designing a new shield or shield strap that provided the desired effect, or designing a feat to replicate the skill. I opted for the skill. I don't think an untrained character could gain the same type of benefit from simply having extra support from an shield sling strap. Regards
|