A New Year's On The Way...

The numbers are in and I'm pleased to say that I've lost 31.35 lbs. in 2017 and exercised 122 times. I started in Jan of 2016 and am now down a total of 68 lbs. Several more years of this to go before I hit my target weight, but it now seems like an inevitability, rather than something that requires difficult and constant striving. Here's hope to all who make a New Year's Resolution to lose weight and get healthier succeed! It sure isn't easy.

On a professional note, I'm working through Arden Vul editing and my excitement with the project continues unabated. I've an Advanced Adventures manuscript or two that I should also be editing and one that I'm writing, both of which will see more attention next month. And long-term, I'm still slowly (oh so slowly) chugging away on Sorcery and Super Science! 2 using the ICONS system.

But now, back to editing, and the music of choice is the wonderful Diablo I soundtrack, released a little more than 20 years ago. (FRESH MEAT!!!!) :-)

The Halls of Arden Vul

I'm sure not everyone knows that I've been working on a mega-dungeon for the past 6 or so years. It's called the Hall of Arden Vul, authored by Richard Barton with cartography by Andreas Claren. I've done the 1st pass edit, and am about to start the second pass edit. The manuscript is more than 800,000 words. Yes, that's right, the current PDF of it is 1,200 pages. It is truly magnificent, and IMO, nothing like it has ever come before or will come again. A monumental work. Here's the table of contents at the moment... (sans the new items - more than 300, and new monsters - more than 140).

Overview and Timeline p. 1
Exterior: the Long Falls and the Long Stair p. 5
The Ruined City of Arden Vul p. 11
The Pyramid of Thoth p. 39
The Tower of Scrutiny p. 45
Halls of Arden Vul - the Dungeon Levels
Level 1: the Basement p. 50
Level 2: the Howling Caves and the Well of Light p. 57
Level 3: the Halls of Thoth (3-1 to 3-70) p. 94
Level 4: the Forum of Set p. 193
Level 5: the Obsidian Gates, the Midnight Road, and the Sanctum p. 278
Level 6: the Troll Lifts and the Arena p. 350
Level 7: the Court of the Troll Thegn p. 431
Level 8: The Nether Reaches p. 506
Level 9: The Floor of the Great Chasm p. 575
Level 10: The Ziggurat of Kauket p. 641
Sub-Level 1: the Tombs of Light p. 669
Sub-Level 2: the Hall of Shrines p. 676
Sub-Level 3: Lesser Baboon Caves p. 691
Sub-Level 4: the Goblin Warrens p. 702
Sub-Level 5: the Lizardman caves p. 732
Sub-Level 6: the Drowned Canyon p. 749
Sub-Level 7: the Flooded Vaults p. 794
Sub-Level 8: the Caves Behind the Falls p. 809
Sub-Level 9: the Kaliyani Pits p. 816
Sub-Level 10: the Domain of the Sun-Scarred Knights p. 845
Sub-Level 11: the Tomb of Isadora p. 870
Sub-Level 12: the Workshops of Kerbog Khan p. 881
Sub-Level 13: the Lost Chambers of Arden p. 895
Sub-Level 14: the Chamber of the Beacon p. 918
Sub-Level 15: the Druid’s Retreat p. 925

And here's one of Andreas's maps. It's for Level 4. AV is just beautiful. A true beast of a dungeon.

Merry Ho Ho!

Nothing says Merry Christmas more than 2 and a half pages of stat block editing! I've hit that part of The Halls of Arden Vul and now my friends at Devo are helping me though the important, but rather mind-numbing, part of putting out a megadungeon.

The Bee Gees and the Post-Apocalypse

I wrote much of Sorcery & Super Science! to the dulcet tunes of the Bee Gees, so now when I hear them I think of crazy post-apoc madness. Which, come to think of it, isn't really that different than the late 70's. :-)

Bundle of Holding Worldbuilder's Toolkit +5

I'm happy to say that I am once again involved in a Bundle of Holding project! This one is the fifth iteration of the Worldbuilder's kit and includes the third edition of our ever-popular A Magical Medieval Society: Western Europe. It also includes Be a Better Campaign Master, Book One: Building the World, and Sly Flourish's Fantastic Locations.

But IMO, the coolest thing is that there's an actual Palladium product included: The 1999 print edition of their wonderful Compendium of Weapons, Armour, & Castles. This is the first time that book as ever been available in electronic form. It's available if you pay enough to get the bonus products, which also include Alderac's Ultimate Toolbox and the Kobold Guide to Plots & Campaigns.

This one's chock-a-block full of good stuff, so take a look! The charity of choice for this bundle is Heifer International, a charity that Suzi and I contribute to yearly, so I'm glad to be putting a little extra in for them this year.

Sunday Un-Seriousness

Advanced Adventures #38: White Dragon Run II now available

The continuation of AA#13: White Dragon Run is now up for sale at rpgnow.com and at Lulu. It contains all of the village information of the original module as well as four new adventure locations in the Skathernes: The Sane Hermit, The Rainbow In The Dark, the rare and unusual Ambulatory Tower, and the deadly Temple of the Snake God.

White Dragon Run II is an OSRIC(tm) module designed for 6-10 adventurers of levels 2-5.

Return to the little village of White Dragon Run! At the edge of civilization— the place where monsters are a constant threat and adventurers thrive—reputations are made or broken, and deeds are performed only to be set in verse decades after the real story is long lost. On this thin line between country and chaos lies White Dragon Run, the last stop for the civilized before the well-trodden road becomes the weed-infested trail leading to creatures that would rather fight than herd, fish or farm.

Advanced Adventures #37: Under Ruined Onm is now available!

Pleased to say AA#37 is now available for purchase. You can find it at rpgnow at at Lulu. Enjoy!

Nearly seventy five years ago the greatest bard ever known in the dry land of Zanzia disappeared. Anton Deangelo was a hero famous for some of the greatest songs in Zanzian history. His compositions are still sung at taverns and inns all over the land. In verse, countless dragons he slew, dozens of giants he felled, and hundreds of demons he put to the sword! Outside of the world of song, he and his band of adventurers gathered significant riches and looted many dungeons all over the land. Then suddenly…he was gone. 

The last time he was heard from he and his merry band were outfitting an expedition to explore the ruined city of Onm in search of the lost mandolin of Duaree the Mad. The Onm ruins are on the edge of the Blood River and the Dragon Teeth Mountains and no other ruins fabled enough to attract Deangelo are known to be in that area.

Advanced Adventures #38: White Dragon Run II Preview

This follow up to White Dragon Run contains all of the village information of the original module as well as four new adventure locations in the Skathernes: The Sane Hermit, The Rainbow In The Dark, the rare and unusual Ambulatory Tower, and the deadly Temple of the Snake God. It'll probably be out in late November, 2017.

White Dragon Run II is an OSRIC(tm) module designed for 6-10 adventurers of levels 2-5.

Return to the little village of White Dragon Run! At the edge of civilization— the place where monsters are a constant threat and adventurers thrive—reputations are made or broken, and deeds are performed only to be set in verse decades after the real story is long lost. On this thin line between country and chaos lies White Dragon Run, the last stop for the civilized before the well-trodden road becomes the weed-infested trail leading to creatures that would rather fight than herd, fish or farm.

Advanced Adventures #36: Aerie of the Cloud Giant Strategos is now available!

...and #36 is out in the wild. Continue the battle against the giants in their very stronghold: Death Cloud Castle! You can pick it up at rpgnow or at Lulu for only $16. Lulu's currently running a 20% off sale with the coupon code LULU20, so it's a bit cheaper there.

Sunday Un-seriousness

"Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn."

Advanced Adventures #37: Under Ruined Onm

So we've got a cover for AA#37: Under Ruined Omn. The talented Mr. Bradley McDevitt returns to AA covers with Under Ruined Onm! This one should be coming out in the next few months.

Nearly seventy five years ago the greatest bard ever known in the dry land of Zanzia disappeared. Anton Deangelo was a hero famous for some of the greatest songs in Zanzian history. His compositions are still sung at taverns and inns all over the land. In verse, countless dragons he slew, dozens of giants he felled, and hundreds of demons he put to the sword! Outside of the world of song, he and his band of adventurers gathered significant riches and looted many dungeons all over the land. Then suddenly…he was gone. 

The last time he was heard from he and his merry band were outfitting an expedition to explore the ruined city of Onm in search of the lost mandolin of Duaree the Mad. The Onm ruins are on the edge of the Blood River and the Dragon Teeth Mountains and no other ruins fabled enough to attract Deangelo are known to be in that area.

Career Path Character Creation for Starfinder

So now that Starfinder is out and I can pimp the PDF I made for it wherein I gut the entire character generation process to put in an OGL-Traveller-Inspired career path version working off of my World's Apart Fantasy version of OGL-Traveller.. It's not balanced (duh!), but it sure is a hell of a lot of fun! Career Path Character Creation is only $5.

Bingham Art for AA 36

John's done several pieces for the upcoming Aerie of the Cloud Giant Strategos and here's one that perfectly captures the moment. Really like this piece and his style. Those spotted lions are looking mighty fierce! :-)

Advanced Adventure #36: Aerie of the Cloud Giant Strategos Cover Preview

So this is coming out later this month, my alternative follow up to the giants series instead of descent. You can of course use it for any floating cloud castle needs you have...

The hot and smoky badlands of the King of the Fire Giants lies behind the party: his great hall, once a symbol of his power and authority, now only a memorial to his terrible defeat. Within this hold, the party found information leading them onward in their quest to find the fearsome mind behind the recent giant uprising. 

Their journey has been long and tiring, but the end of the task lies ahead. A gigantic spire of a mountain rises into the sky. Around the misty peak, an unusual cloud hangs, as if tethered to the stony expanse itself, and upon this strange cloud a mighty brass-roofed castle stands. Perhaps it is here, among the peaks and the mist, that the source of the giants' evil may be found?