Blue Monday

I wasn't planning on making a post today, but when I find something on the interwebs that I think is amazing, I tend just jot it down in here and share it with everyone.

Blue Maps Monday

Tim Hartin has been making his Old School Blue Maps available every Monday since 2022.

What is an Old School Blue Map

Old School D&D modules were famous for their gatefold covers and the ubiquitous blue maps which were found inside.  Fun Fact! this is a well known anti-copy technique using a particular shade of blue called "non-photo blue".  It is also widely used by traditional illustrators to make their initial sketches as the blue will not be picked up in any subsequent scanning or photography stage.

Back in November 2011 I wrote about the various free software options you could use (at the time) to make maps at the "Dungeon" scale maps and included a fun little level editor Tiled 

Sadly the tileset I created is lost to the mists of time, but I will rebuild it and make it better than ever...

Mwahahaha

Back on the Horse

Well tonight sees me writing my first blog entry since July 2016 and a lot of water has passed under the life bridge.  A new job in the private sector was kicking my arse for a while but I now seem to have it all under control (foolish words?).

A return to DMing

In recent weeks I have also returned to DMing after a long hiatus.

When the opportunity arose (a nice way of saying that a game collapsed and I stepped into the breach) I have to say I was filled with doubt.  Could I still do it?, would I be able to juggle the balls of work/life balance to give time to prep? would I be able to physically last for a 3 hour session after a hectic day at work?

Technically not a horse, but this is how I felt about DMing after an 1,800 day detox

  Well I did manage to survive and I can't believe how much I enjoyed it.  Sure it was not my finest hour and I was a little rusty, but I made it through to the other side and I think my players really enjoyed it.

Most likely the two go hand in hand, without the catalyst of an ongoing campaign I did not have the creative juices flowing through my mind in order to create content and to share those ideas with you the RPG community.

Old Skool Shits and Giggles

The scenario I ran was an epilogue to the NSFW module Liberation of the Demon Slayer by +Venger Satanis, and Bryan Winter's decidedly Old Skool scenario Baron Mikrut's Tomb from Pulp Dungeons #5: Uninvited Guests published by Corsair Publishing back in 1997.  The latter posed a few problems when it came to monster stats because it was one of those systemless scenario which used to get published back in the day by Independent Publishers who didn't want to sign up to OGL or pay system royalties.

by Gary Gygax (it must be old skool)

They always require a bit more DM effort than "Official Modules" but they often have a much bigger payback in terms of not suffering from the usual tropes or baggage which come with trying to fit into an established milleu.   

I'll do a proper synopsis on My Campaign Blog but suffice to say the PCs handled the nuclear winter, mutated wildlife, a demon invasion and a dungeon crawl with aplomb.  Thanks to all those who took part it was a lot of fun.  

So my mind is made up and I will now start to...

Plan My Next Game

The question is where do I set my next game.  The library is fully stocked with plenty of dungeon magazines and some old skool scenarios and I have 3 months to put something together to astound and amaze.  Will I be proactive? Will I labour furiously to craft a campaign so cunning that it will be the talk of my game group for years?

Probably not, but I'm going to do it anyway.    

Monster Mini Box - Level One

DMG - Appendix C
Random Monster Encounters

I was originally going to post this on Thursday but the sad news of Ray Harryhausen's death (at the age of 92) has spurred me to post early.  Everyone who roleplays today owes a great debt to his pioneering work bringing some of movies greatest monsters to the silver screen.  For those abut to roll, we salute you.

My recent DIY Gelatinous Cube post got me thinking "how much moolah would it take to put together a monster minis collection for each level of Random Monster Encounter (as per Appendix C of the Dungeon Masters Guide)? 

For those who just want to slobber over pictures of old school minis I've put a pinterest board together showing all the options.

Giant Ant - (Qty 1-4)

• Otherworld Miniatures has their DV6a pack of 3 worker ants (£9) or the slightly bigger DV6b Two Soldier Ants (£9)
• Bugs n Bees are a toy company but they make an entirely passable set of plastic Giant Ants in a big pack of 72 for only $5.99

Badger - (Qty 1-4)

• Dark Sword have a fierce looking pair of Epic Honey Badgers ($12.99)
• Reaper Miniatures do the Angry Badger ($2.43) and Badger: Familiar ($4.93)

Dark Sword - Epic Honey Badgers

Fire Beetle - (Qty 1-4)

• Otherworld Miniatures has their DV4a Fire Beetles as a 3 pack (£9) or a 15 pack swarm (£37.50)
• Reaper Miniatures do a metal 2 pack of Fire Beetles ($7.99) which they've recast in their Bone Material so should be available soon at a much lower price.

Manes Demon - (Qty 1-4)

• Fractured Realities - Not heard of this company before, but they make a 6 pack of some really useable small mane demons ($10.99)
• Centre Stage Miniatures are also an outfit new to me but they are another crowdfunding success story - their 28mm Demons & Devils Kickstarter reached its funding level within 7 hours!! - which contained some nice manes demons (price TBC)

Mega Miniatures Dwarves
(Bob Olley)

Dwarf -  (Qty 4-14)

The DMG is not too specific about what types of Dwarves so I'm guessing it's a war party of some variety.  I have plenty of dwarves but if I didn't I would look no further than:

• Mega Miniatures (via Hurlbat Games Ebay Store) have the old school Metal Magic Fantasy Dwarves range (24 minis) sculpted by master dwarfsmith Bob Olley (£15)

Ear Seeker - (Qty 1)

This creature is too small to be represented by a miniature.

Elf - (Qty 3-11) 

Again the DMG lets us down without going into any detail, so this will probably be a war party again, but why would you encounter a war party of elves in a dungeon, there's still gotta be some logic to it.  You could just assemble a group from player character miniatures, but it is nice to have a group all wearing the same sort of armour and having the same style.

• Mirliton SG have some nicely generic and lightly armoured 5 packs of Wood Elf Archers, Swordsmen and Spearmen (€8.16 per pack) or if you want Evil or Dark Elves they have their 5 packs of Shadow Elves with swords and shields (€8.16)

Mirliton SG - Wood Elf Swordsmen

• Kallistra have some 8 packs of similarly generic looking Wood Elf Swordsmen and Archers (£9.50)

Gnome - (Qty 5-15)

Help me out DMG!! what are these gnomes of which you speak.  I'm going for some sort of war party (if gnomes even have those).

• Stonehaven Miniatures succsessfully Kickstarted an anime looking Gnomish Adventurers set which has stretched quite a ways expanding the range.  Sadly their webstore doesn't seem to include these new minis yet (If I can help throw some webskills at the problem, let me know guys!!) but you can still take advantage of the Kickstarter pricing. 
• Reaper Miniatures do some nice gnome character figures, but I particularly like their nasty looking 06201: Bloodstone Gnome Pulgers 9 pack - but pricey ($39.99)

Goblin - (Qty 6-15)

At last we hit a proper dungeon bash monster, as so many companies do goblins it would be futile to list them all but I like:

• Mirlton SG do their GO002 Goblins with Mixed Weapons 5 pack and GO005 Goblin Archers (which look like Nick Lund's old Chronicle/Grenadier range) for a reasonable €8.16 each.
• Reaper Miniatures have their 4 pack of Pathfinder Goblin Warriors ($10.99), if you like the smaller gremlin style, I know I do.

Halfling - (Qty 9-16)

I'm beginning to hate you DMG.  Seriously why would Halflings be a wandering monster have we just wandered into their village?... in a dungeon!!

• Mirliton have their very useable HM001 Halfmen with Swords 10 pack or HM002 Halfmen with Bows 9 pack (€9.16 each)

Hobgoblin - (Qty 2-8)

• Otherworld Miniatures do some nice oriental looking Hobgoblins available as the 18 miniature BS3 Hobgoblin War Party (£55) or in 3 pack blisters; HG1, HG2, HG3, HG4 and HG6 - 2 Hobgoblin Guards (£7.50)
  

Otherworld Miniatures Hobgoblin Warriors

Humans

Random encounters with humans can be one of 4 different sub types

Bandits - (Qty 5-15)

Mega Miniatures - Thieves Guild
Sculpted by Joseph Ochman

• Mega Miniatures have their Metal Magic Thieves Guild range sculpted by Joseph Ochman. A Bargain at £15 via Hurlbat Games ebay store .

Berserker - (Qty 3-9)

• Mirliton (an Italian company who seem to have the entire Grenadier range) do a great 5 pack of Barbarian Berserkers (€8.16)
  

Brigands - (Qty 5-15)

•  Mega Miniatures Metal Magic Castle Guard range sculpted by Joseph Ochman.  I'm starting to sound like a stuck record (that's OSR!!) A bargain at £15 via Hurlbat Games ebay store.

Character - (Qty 2-5)

This is actually supposed to be an NPC adventure party.  Clearly dungeoneering is a competitive business, perhaps someone should form a Guild or something.

•  Mega Miniatures Metal Magic Swords for Hire range ($12)

Kobold - (Qty 6-18)

Dragon or dog varieties, I'm not fussy either way.

• Centre Stage Miniatures has a pack of 5 kobolds ($11.95) which they could really do with adding a photo of to their website (painted would be best).  Heck if they sent me a set for free I'd paint them and send them the photos!! (I can paint... sort of) 
• Otherworld Miniatures has their 26 figure BS4 Kobold Tribe Boxed Set (£42.50) or you can buy them in small 5 miniature packs (KB1, KB2 & KB3) for £10 each and the KB4 Command Group for £11.

  

  Otherworld Miniatures - BS4 Kobold Tribe

• Reaper has recast their 3 metal kobolds ($5.99) as a 6 pack of Bones plastic kobolds (£2.30) which you can bolster with their 2 pack Leader and Sorceror ($7.49) and the Kobold King ($4.99)
  

Orc - (Qty 7-12)

Pig-faced orcs only, the GW slack jawed ones need not apply for this job.

• Fractured Realites have 4 different 4 packs of PORCs (each priced at $15.99) but sadly one of these packs has all their porcine features hidden under cow skulls.  Minimum cost $47.97 or £31.06
  
• Otherworld Miniatures sell a 25 strong tribe of orcs (£70), a 9 strong Warband (£27) and a 3 strong group of crossbowmen (£10).  All minis modelled by ace sculptor Kev "Goblin Master" Adams (Get well soon Kev).  Minimum cost £37

Piercer - (Qty 1-3)

No commercially available miniatures, I guess I have to make my own then, this will be a fun project (stay tuned). 

Giant Rat - (Qty 5-20)

• Otherworld Miniatures do their beautiful 5 pack of DV3a Giant Rats (£11) sculpted by Jo Brumby.  A boxed set of 20 is also available for £32.50 saving you some money.
  
  
• Lead Adventure do a 10 pack of really ferocious looking PA26 Giant Rats (€14.95) guaranteed to scare off any meatshields (and some PCs for that matter).
  
  



Nasty looking Giant Rats from Lead Adventure

• Reaper Miniatures have recently recast their metal Giant Rats ($5.99) as a 6 pack of Bones Giant Rats ($3.49) but also do two scary looking Barrow Rats ($8.99) a 4 pack of Dire Rats ($6.99) and their 2 pack Rat Swarm ($5.99) which should meet all your rodent needs.
  

Rot Grub - (Qty 1-3) 

• Scibor do some Rot & Grub resin bases (€7.52) which would fit the bill, but honestly how hard can it be to model some grubs on a base out of modelling clay?
  

Shrieker - (Qty 1-2)

I already have these but I know many out there don't and no dungeon would be complete without fungi.

• Otherworld Miniatures do their wicked 3 pack DM11 Shriekers and Violet Fungi (£11)

  

  Otherworld Miniatures - Shriekers and Violet Fungi

• Centre Stage Miniatures have their Shrieker and Deadly Fungi (£7.25)
• ScotiaGrendel still do their generic resin Fungi (£8) having a patch of fungi appearing as a piece of scenery which is a monster rather than a single miniature has always made more sense to me.  

Skeleton - (Qty 1-4)

I have plenty of skellies, but if I didn't, I would go for:

• Denizen Miniatures have been selling their Legion of the Damned Skeletons (£1 each) for years and I own a few so have a particular fondness for them.  Frankly their website sucks (Chub, I'd love to help you out with this.) but you can see the whole range at the Lost Minis Wiki.  They are true 25mm and slightly smaller in comparison to other manufacturers but they have honest old school charm and realistic action poses.
  
  
• Steve Barber Models channels Ray Harryhausen with his awesome GMH4 Children of the Dragon's Teeth 6 pack (£7.99)

Steve Barber Models "Children of the Dragon's Teeth" skeletons

Zombie - (Qty 1-3)

I mostly have modern zombie miniatures, so these I actually need.

• Mega Miniatures have the very decrepit Metal Magic Medieval Zombies for $12.
• Mirliton SG have two packs of zombies with hand weapons (UD020, UD021) for €8.16 each

Few...  That was a monster bit of research!! (geddit)  The upshot of which is that it's going to cost a shedload of dosh, between £300 ($470) and £400 ($625) just to stock level 1.  This kind of backs up my love of paper minis, but they just don't have the same weight.  

Mega Miniatures is closing down!!

After 10 years of operation, they have decided to close their doors and will begin selling off their moulds on 1st June 2013.  Hopefully they will be snapped up by another miniature companies and these OSR mini ranges will live on under new ownership.  I'll try to update this post when I find out who has bought which ranges.

3 abreast in a 10' Corridor: Photographic Evidence from J E Holmes

Jeff Rients recent post jogged my memories of playing with old school 25mm minis and this plate from Dr Holmes' book "Fantasy Role Playing Games" seems to support it.  Citadel and their 1 inch plastic bases have a lot to answer for.

From "Fantasy Role Playing Games" by J Eric Holmes MD (p177)

A tense moment.  The cloaked figure of the thief (Ral Partha) crouches listening at the door as
the rest of the party (Ral Partha) led by the Elf mage (Dragon Tooth) guard the corridor intersection.

 

 

Levelling up

In his latest Legends and Lore article Monte Cook posits that:

"levels serve as a means to incentivize people to keep playing the game"

Whilst this may be true for the majority of MMORPGs and those time wasting level machines on facebook, it is not necessarily the case for D&D and other level based RPGs.

Levels are a Challenge Metric

D&D 3e introduced the concept of the Challenge Rating (CR) as a device to scale your encounters / scenario to match the levels of the PCs in your group, and before CR, we used a Monster's Hit Die.  However, the constant used in both systems was the PCs level system.  Successive layers of "Customizeable Elements" such as powers, feats, skills and kits have only added to the complexity of character generation and consequently devalued "Levels" as an effective constant.

Players use this metric during play to judge their own survivability and determine their reactions when faced with obviously superior force strength or capability.  For example a lower level party will often resort to non combat means to overcome an encounter if they suspect that there is a high chance that they won't survive.  Being a hero doesn't always have to mean slaughtering the enemy, particularly if a GM has intentionally used the monsters level to frighten or provoke a non-combat solution.

Storytelling Incentivizes Continued Play

In the same way that the storyline of a soap opera incentivizes millions of people to keep watching, the continuation or completion of a plot in an RPG incentivizes players to keep playing.  Although min-maxing and power-gaming exist as styles of play these are generally regarded in a negative light and are discouraged in favour of more positive storytelling or cooperative styles.

Posturing vs Retrospection

Hands up those who've had (or overheard) a conversation before a game session which goes like this:

"My 5th level fighter will kick your 5th level rogue's ass..."

or after a session:

"Remember when I saved your ass by taking out that orc chief..."

As a DM, I know which one I'd prefer to hear my players use.

Minions: my OSR take on the one hit wonder.

One of the 4e concepts that intrigued me most was the idea of minions, I thought it was very cinematic and was itching to see what it was like from a player perspective.  Earlier this year when I got a chance to play in a demo game I was quite dissapointed, there was no sense of fear or uncertainty about the whole combat and It left me quite unsatisfied.

Geek Ken has some useful advice on how 4e DMs should use minions, particularly in the use of attack waves and Glimm's Workshop introduces the Resolve concept to make minions a little tougher but clearly something is not quite right with the rules for minions as they stand.

In OSR (or retroclones) a monster is generally ranked by its Hit Dice (HD) which in most cases equates to 1d8 of HP.  The DM can simply turn any monster into a 1 hit wonder by reducing the number of HP it has to a value below the minimum damage dealt by the majority of the party.  Even at 1st level this is usually around the 4HP mark and will increase slowly as the party's levels and damage bonuses increase. 

HOW I HOUSERULE MINIONS OLD SCHOOL STYLE

How the DM assigns this HP reduction is up to them, for me this depends on what type of monster I am stocking the encounter with.  If it's a creature with animal intelligence or lower with no social structure then I'll either randomly roll or just assign every creature the same value say 4HP per HD.  However, if it's a creature with higher than animal intelligence or an animal which has a clear social aspect then I like to use the following system:

• ALPHA - (8HP per HD) - This is the pack leader or alpha, the toughest member of the encountered group and will be the one giving the orders.  There can never be more than one Alpha in a group regardless of its size.
   
  
• BETA - (6HP per HD) - These are the Alpha's bullies, they do what the Alpha tells them to and will bully the norms into doing what the Alpha demands.  Their number depends largely on the size of the group but I like to use the ratio of 1 Beta to every 5 Norms.
  
  
• NORM - (4 HP per HD ) - The rank and file version of the creature who will be goaded into action by the BETA or ALPHA.  In some cases I'll keep the actual value of Norm HP fluid just in case the PCs have excessively bad rolls, after all there's no point in them falling at the first hurdle and getting slaughtered by minions.

TAKING DOWN THE ALPHA

If players have the opportunity to observe a group before engaging they should be able to identify each ALPHA and BETA.  This may have a bearing on their plan of attack, particularly if they have ranged specialists which can target the ALPHA and BETA types and take them out provoking a morale check which may result in the norms fleeing or surrendering and giving the PCs the victory but morale for minions is another thing all together and maybe a subject for a future article.

Old Skool Accessory: Dungeonworks Magnetic Dungeons

Before Bendy Walls... before Dwarven Forge... before Hirst Arts... there was...

Dungeonworks(TM) Magnetic Dungeon!

Released in 1991, the set consisted of a 10" square felt backed metal board with 1" square stone tiles printed on it's face.  The plastic walls and doors had a rectangular recess in the base to house a strip of magnetic plastic, a sort of thick version of that used in magnetic sign boards.

The corners of each wall section were mitred at 45 degrees so you could make convincing corners and but walls together to make corridors.  Door archways were also included in the set, but there were no doors themselves.  As you can see I added some resin cast doors to a few of the walls in my set.

There was one huge problem with the whole set which I found almost immediately during play.  The walls are way too high and the board too small.  In fact my experiences with this set were partly behind my reasons to go with a 1.5" square floorplan scale and 1" hinch walls in my foamcard 3D dungeon, a winning combination in my opinion.

The miniatures end up being crammed into a tiny area and the board can only handle a maximum room size of 50'x50'.  I guess they were expecting you to buy more than one set, but it was too heavy to carry around compared with a box of cardstock floorplans, not to mention the price.

Old Skool Accessory: The Fighting Wheel

It sounds like some really cool martial arts weapon, or a futuristic Armoured Fighting Vehicle...

Nope it's a circular dial which helps you calculate your favourite weapon's Damage, Space Required, #Attacks, THAC0 and AC target number.

Obverse (Front): Battleaxe to Footman's Pick

How the heck do you use it? I hear you cry. 

You find your weapon of choice around the rim (all the weapons are there, some on the front and some on the back) and then dial in your level using the inner wheel. When your level and weapon are aligned your AC bonuses appear in the middle window. Simples...

Reverse (Back): Horsema's Pick to Voulge and Missile Weapons

Castles and Crusades: What do I NEED to buy?

I'm at a nexus.  My mac had an update crisis at the weekend and ate my campaign world.  After a little bit of a cry, I came to the thinking that within this dark cloud lies the silver lining of opportunity.  I've been dissapointed with my experiences of DM'ing my campaign world with D&D 3.5 for a while so I'm off to Dragonmeet 2010 to buy Castles and Crusades.  I know I'll need the Players Handbook and probably Monsters and Treasure but is there anything else out there for C&C that I should definitely buy?  

Old School Accessories: Story Path Cards

This is the first in a series of posts where I dig out all my old school accessories, game aids etc and try to explain how they work in a game session.

STORY PATH CARDS

Designed by Mark Rein Hagen and originally published by Lion Rampant as "Whimsy Cards" before being republished as "Story Path Cards" by White Wolf in 1990. There were 2 decks available: "The Path of Horror" and "The Path of Intrigue", both containing 24 tarot sized cards.

The cards feature a number from 1 to 7 and are played by either players or DM, in sequence starting with #1, a "Theme Card" which sets the overall tone, then 2, 3 and so on until a "Climax Card" is played. Playing cards allows players to influence the direction of the storyline or to gain extra insight into NPC motivations or find out rumours. Players are given cards by the DM either as rewards for good roleplay or heroic actions and can be played at any time, the DM being the final judge of the ultimate effect of any card. The DM can also use the cards to randomly generate an adventure or story path.

Big thanks to +Reuben Beattie and  +Regis Bacquet for providing the text for the missing cards.

THE PATH OF HORROR
SER	PATH #	CARD TITLE	CARD TEXT
1	1	Hint of Madness	Theme Card: The hideous wails of a thousand sorrows rise from the pit, slowly growing into a crescendo of madness.  This Path explores that aspect of reality, or lack of it, which deals with life on the edge.
2	1	Lost Cause	Theme Card:All efforts and ambitions are doomed to failure and defeat.  Ultimately, everything that the characters attempt will fail - they are on a lost cause.  There may be a way out, but only after this streak of misfortune plays itself out
3	1	Sense of Foreboding	Theme Card: The apprehension of danger foreshadows great peril.  Something in the air portends calamity, misfortune and death.  What is going to happen to you, or rather - when is it?  The horror of anticipation should permeate this Path
4	1	Vast Unknown	Theme Card:The universe is broad and contains much within it that is unknown, and ultimately, unknowable.  Mysteries, secrets, hidden terrors, dark horrors, and all that lurks beyond our sight can be a part of this Path
5	2	Eerie Sounds	Describe a strange, nearly unidentifiable sound resounding from the depths of the night - cackling laughter, God-foresaken howling, whispering voices, or a cry in the dark.  "What was that!  Did you hear something?"
6	2	Sickly Stench	Describe a horrible, nauseating smell of unidentifiable origin.  The smell might be of import to someone, a clue to what they are searching for.  "Its stench is like a cross between burning rubber and milk that's been left out for a month."
7	2	Unnatural Silence	Where there was once sound, noise, life, now there is only stark brutal silence.  Inexplicable and sudden, the absence of noise makes the heart grow cold.  The clutch of fear grasps all with this somehow sinister change in events.
8	2	Unnerving Premonitions	Describe to a single character a dark but uncertain vision of what may await them if they persevere in what they are doing.  Make it as sinister, malignant and apocalyptic as you desire - perhaps it really is only a vision.
9	3	Fleeting Glimpse	Through the trees, out od the darkness or from the shadows, the characters catch sight of something horrible or strange that fills their hearts with terror.  Describe in detail what they see, but who or what it really is might not be known for some time.
10	3	Ominous Omen	Introduce an enigmatic omen of peril into the story - a black cat crosses the rod or the characters discouver the moldering corpses of a previous expedition.  Something suggests future evil, but the significance of an omen is always uncertain.
11	3	Strange Apparition	Describe the appearance of a phantom, haunt, spectre, marsh-fire, will-o-wisp or even a delusion.  Something that is conjured out of the fog or supposedly seen in the shadows.  Whether real or hallucination will be discovered soon enough.
12	3	Suspicious Stranger	Introduce a stranger to the story - a cloaked wanderer, a sly guttersnipe, or a brutal bounty hunter.  Someone of a sinister nature that suggests, rightly or wrongly, of future peril - an outsider in your midst.
13	3	Remembered Dream	A relevant dream is recalled by a character. Describe the specifics of a nightmare, daydream or vision in an evocative and compelling manner, in a way that relates to the character's personality. What the character makes of it, however, is up to him. (Missing Card Text Supplied by: Regis Bacquet)
14	4	Hapless Victim	An innocent is harmed, sacrificed, or oppressed.  Perhaps they are hoodwinked, duped, tortured, or brutalized.  Describe the appearances of the situation, but leave the specifics to the GM.
15	4	Open Assault	Climax Card: The anticipation is over and the horror finally emerges in its full splendor - there is no need of dread, for terror will do.  Describe an attack of some sort upon a character or characters by an agent of the horror.
16	4	Something's Missing	Describe the loss of an object, person or animal which might have been important to a character, and explain why it might be missing (it had better make sense).  Whether it's really gone or not, or if the character is just imagining things, is up to the GM.
17	4	Unknown Lurker	Describe to a character the sensation that someone or something is lurking near them, just outside the periphery of their vision.  Identify how evidence of this fiendish prowler was obtained: tracks, sounds or maybe a confrontation.
18	5	Horrifying Discovery	Discoveries are not always heroic, they are often horrific.  Describe a discovery by a character in a way that will appall and frighten the players.  The close presence of such perversity is startling even to the most jaded.
19	5	Sudden Panic	Describe the frenzied emergence of dread and horror in a character or characters, or its residual effects.  It could  be just a false alarm, or they might have seen, heard or sensed something.
20	5	Unforseen Calamity	Climax Card: Because of what was overlooked and misunderstood, a great tragedy occurs, and something of consequence to the characters involved.  What appears to happen is up to you - what actually occurs is up to the GM.
21	6	Abduction	Climax Card: Someone or something is taken away, kidnapped or stolen - or an attempt is made to do so (perhaps just the results of such could be discovered).  Describe what is seen, but leave the results to the GM
22	6	Disfigurement	Something or someone has been marred or had their aesthetic value reduced, creating something of unpleasant and perhaps horrific countenance.  Describe what is seen in as much gruesome detail as you can.
23	6	Misguided Hope	It is hope that leads us onward into the future, and sometimes it is only hope that that keeps us going.  But sometimes hope proves to be misguided.  How was the hope misguided and what is likely to result because of it?
24	7	New Found Escape	Climax Card: Describe a potential way out of the situation, an escape which will take a character or characters out of harm's way.  It must make sense and fit the story, otherwise it's going to be Vetoed out from under you.

THE PATH OF INTRIGUE
SER	PATH #	CARD TITLE	CARD TEXT
1	1	Animosity	Theme Card: Hostility is prevalent and open, and hate affects everything in this Path, tainting and corrupting even the player characters.  This ill will may be openly expressed or harboured secretly in the heart, waiting to reupt at a later time.
2	1	Betrayal	Theme Card: All is deception and treachery.  You can trust nothing and no one.  This Path explores the double-crosses, faithlessness, and betrayals of a story of intrigue.  All cards played in this Path should relate to this theme of betrayal.
3	1	Things are Not as They Seem	Theme Card:What seems to be one thing is actually another.  What was once certain is now unknown.  This Path explores the confusion and mutability of what is thought to be known - the reality behind the veil of "truth."
4	1	Vengence	Theme Card: The sweet fulfillment of righteous revenge is a driving force.  It directs, mutates and consumes all that it touches.  The effects of someone's avenging nature must touch every card that is played along this Path.
5	2	Lasting Impression	An impression is made or an old one is reborn.  Perhaps the emotional effects of a forgotten experience reawakens within the character's mind, which may be of some import to the current situation.  Perhaps something occurs which will never be forgotten.
6	2	Meaningful Glance	The observation of a meaningful glance between two characters might illuminate the mysteries and secrets of the intrigues that are involved.  What really is seen and what it signifies are determined by the GM.
7	2	Mysterious Stranger	Introduce the appearance of a new and strange character into the story.  This individual forbodes an uncertain and mysterious future.  This card also allows you to describe in more detail anyone the GM has mentioned in passing.
8	2	Overheard Conversation	Relate to a character or characters a conversation overheard, making sure to describe how they happen to be within hearing distance.  You should only describe the situation and let the GM relate the details of the conversation.
9	2	Taint of Corruption	The stench is everywhere and unavoidable, whether it be political, social or animal.  It corrupts everything it touches, and always leaves its residue behind.  Describe what type of corruption it is and what type of mark it leaves behind.
10	3	Convincing Argument	A character is convinced, either enthusiastically or reluctantly, of the validity of another point of view.  They are swayed by the words and logic of another's argument.  Whether they are pretending, confused, or truly convinced is up to the GM.
11	3	Hidden Weapon	Describe how a weapon of some sort is being carried secretly by a character, giving another character a chance to spot it.  This could be a physical tool of destruction, or something less substantial, more subtle, nd far more dangerous.
12	3	Veiled Threat	A threat is made, though not in direct terms, for a degree of subtly is employed.  While the magnitude of the threat may not be fully understood and the characters are unsure of what was said, the overall meaning is quite clear, "… or else."
13	3	Ulterior Motive	Describe the covert intentions of a character, motives that a character may have besides those already known. This ulterior motive may have been discovered by a character, or it could be something shared by the players (at least at first). (Missing Card Text Supplied by: Reuben Beattie)
14	4	Double Cross	Climax Card: After a deal or understanding has been reached, a betrayal is made which could drive a character into ruin.  Describe the moment when the character first realizes something is amiss, but leave the details up to the GM.
15	4	Malicious Intent	A character does not mean well for those who oppose him, and concocts an evil plan.  The full nature of the enemy's design and what may later befall his enemies is likely to be unknown.
16	4	Secret Message	A message or a letter was either seen being passed along, or was somehow intercepted.  Describe the details behind the observation or the interception.  The GM will determine the contents of the message, if it can be understood at all.
17	4	False Accusations	An attempt is made to bring suspicion upon a character, through gossip, innuendo, or open accusation. Describe the details behind the accusation, but if it will substantially alter the plot, you'd better speak with the GM first. (Missing Card Text Supplied by: Reuben Beattie)
18	5	Impasse	A deadlock is reached from which there seems to be no escape.  Opinions and positions are entrenched and no one's giving an inch.  It does not seem as if the dispute can be amicably settled and a more extreme stage of conflict might soon be reached.
19	5	Mistaken Identity	Someone or something is taken for something else.  Embarrassment and even injury may result because of it.  Describe how the blunder was made, and the GM will decide how it will be concluded.
20	5	Uncovered Weakness	Climax Card: A situation may reverse itself as a weakness in the opponents' defenses is uncovered.  Secrets are revealed, new information surfaces, or the missing scale on a dragon is spotted.  Victory may soon be possible.
21	6	Inopportune Arrival	They arrived just in time - just in time, that is, to screw things up.  Something or someone just arrived to the chagrin or disadvantage of someone.  Unwelcome relatives, hated rivals, or perhaps the police.
22	6	Startling Discovery	Climax Card: What has been found is a surprise to all, giving great insight into what is being investigated or pursued.  Though not all may be made clear, much is revealed by the discovery (as described by GM).
23	6	Unwelcome Visitor	Someone or something appears in the scene that does not belong, yet is not necessarily an enemy or a danger.  They may complicate matters with their presence, but could actually be of some value later on.
24	7	Unexplained Aid	Climax Card: The cavalry comes to the rescue, bringing unanticipated help.  The rescue, however, may not be without its price.  Describe the aid as it is first perceived but leave the details to the GM.

Imagining D&D

Thanks to James Maliszewski at Grognardia for posing the question: "When you think about Dungeons & Dragons, the cover of what product comes first to mind?"

1e AD&D PHB

GW Blue Book D&D

9th Print 1e AD&D DMG

Well, for me it's gotta be the first edition AD&D PHB, and yet I never owned, played or DM'd this version of AD&D.  This cover is deceptively simple and features no heroic action unlike other covers, yet manages to capture essentially what happens in every dungeon crawl.  The Rogues engage in a little post fight thievery whilst the Fighters argue over which way to go next and the magic user leans on his staff exhausted after blowing the last of his spells on a mid dungeon minion.  You can also buy this iconic statue as a dungeon feature for your own games from Otherworld Miniatures.

The first version of D&D I owned was the 1e Blue Book produced by Games Workshop.  Sadly I was too young to really appreciate it, but it did start me out in this wonderful hobby.  Looking at the artwork, although a beautiful piece of pen and ink, it's not exactly evocative of the game contained within and harks back to the artwork of "The Hobbit" with it's  Beardsleyesque detail.

The version that I most fondly remember having spent hours pouring over almost sucking the content dry was the 9th print version of 1e AD&D DMG.  The artwork is quite powerful, suggesting that great secrets lie within and to get to them you must best the sinister figure standing between the doors.  One of Jeff Easley's finest and subtlest works.