Weird Adventure Wednesday

This week's weird adventure seed:

On a stormy night you strike up a conversation with a mumbling stargazer in a busy inn.  The stargazer tells you a forgotten tale that 5 weeks travel to the west, across The Mystifying Hills of the Mysterious Warlock was built The Illusory Shrine of Extinction.  It is said that there is hidden The Crimson Tripod of Entanglement.  But beware, for the stargazer cautions you that The Dire Jailer of Mutation guards that place!

Miniatures Monday

This week, we have a couple of malevolent spirits.  I painted these a shading experiment where I base coated the the robes in white then used a light blue ink to fill in the recessed areas.  I was pretty pleased with the results.  The miniatures are from Reaper Miniatures, and are Model number 03298: Spirits.  They are still available for $9.99 from the online store. 

In my high school German class (1986), we listened to this every day for a month.

Miniatures Monday

After a hiatus due to some time away, Miniature Monday returns in all of its sorcerous splendor.  This week we have a staff wielding sorcerer from Reaper Miniatures.  I'm pretty please with how the shading on his robes and beard turned out.  The miniature is 03393 Vistaril Quillscratch and can by purchase from Reaper for $5.99.

Landing approach to Skull Island

Well, St. Lucia actually, but on first sighting it emerging from the clouds, it really did look like somewhere that you might find King Kong hanging about.  This is also the reason that I haven't been posting for a while. :-)

Champions of Zorb

This is seriously demented. Having said that, I would have played with something like this as a kid. ;-)  The little gem is from the ABCs of Death 2, a horror film which although I had no interest in seeing, seems to have at least one redeeming quality.  Thanks to +James MacGeorge for posting a link to this originally.

Off the cuff map

My friends Willie and Laura are moving out of the country, so four of us got together to hang out one more time before they leave,.  Part of that hanging out involved an impromptu basic D&D game.  Above is the map that I whipped up for the Skull Tower of Mygnos, complete with illustrations, some of which were done by the five year old twins of my friend Tim.  I think the owl monster and the skull to the right of the walled tower gardens are my favorites.

R.I.P. Admiral Ackbar

Actor Erik Bauersfeld, who was the voice of Admiral "It's a Trap!" Ackbar has died at the age of 93. :-(

Miniatures Monday

For this week's Miniatures Monday we have an enchanter using mystical gestures to harness arcane forces.  The miniature is from Reaper Miniatures.

Kickstarter: Mystery at Port Greely (Astonishing Swordsmen and Sorcerers of Hyperborea): Only 10 hours to go!

The Kickstarter for Mystery at Port Greely has only 10 hours remaining.  If you're a fan of Astonishing Swordsmen and Sorcerers of Hyperborea (or if you just like Swords and Sorcery), don't miss this opportunity.  For only $20 you can get the print and PDF copies, which I think is a fantastic deal.

Weird Adventure Wednesday

This week's weird adventure idea:

On a cool afternoon you are surprised by an overbearing apprentice hiding in the bushes.  
The apprentice recounts an ancient legend that 5 days journey to the southwest, in the Woeful Mire of Delirium, can be found the Bloody Cesspool of the Spectral Eye.  It is believed that hidden there is the Expanding Magnesium Blade of Misadventure.  But beware, for the apprentice warns you that Bleeding Leviathan of Corpses prowls that site!

If you enjoy Weird Adventure Idea Wednesday, be sure to stop back each week, and check out some of the other free resources in this blog.

Miniatures Monday

After a short hiatus (mostly for drawing barbarians), Miniatures Monday returns with a wandering wizard.  The miniatures is from Reaper Miniatures and is Number: 02491: Lucius Panderwagon.  It retails for $4.99.  I was pleased at how the shading in his beard turned out, and with the silver runes on his robe.

Gortrüd the Goblin Slayer

A female friend of mine recently asked my why I never drew any barbarian ladies.  Honestly, I didn't have a good answer beyond, "I have very limited range with my drawings."  But it did get me thinking that I need to branch out even if just a little bit.  So here is an attempt at a barbarian lady, Gortrüd the Goblin Slayer.  I clearly need to do some more work on this one.  The dead goblin's head is the only part that I'm really happy with.

The Ultimate Grimtooth's Trap Collection has finally arrived! (First Impressions)

I've been excitedly awaiting the arrival of my copy of Grimtooth's Traps from the Goodman Games Kickstarter, and yesterday, it was waiting for me on the porch!  Sadly, the condition of the shipping box did not bode well...

This looks Grim...Get it?  :-)

I could see the contents through the hole in the box, and there looked to be at least some damage to the contents.  My excitement quickly turned to dread.  Thankfully, I had ordered the slipcover edition and upon opening the box discovered that the damage was limited to one corner of the slipcover case.

Not too badly damaged after all.

Not too bad really, but still a bit disappointing.  Of course it's not Goodman Games' fault that the postal service dropped the box out of a tree or something.  :-)  They've shipped me dozens of things of the years that showed up without issue, so I suppose I was overdue for something like this.  The damage is only cosmetic, and probably not worse than what would have happened over years of use.  I do hope though that my leather-bound edition of DCC 4th edition comes wrapped in bubblewrap or something.  :-)
The good news is that the book itself is in great shape and the binding feels fantastic.  I was a bit concerned about such a large book (620 pages), but the binding is solid, it opens nicely, and it lays surprisingly flat for its size.  The pages are heavy and will probably stand up to a lot of flipping, which you will no doubt be doing in order to find the perfect death trap.  Plain and simple, it's a quality book.
For those of you who may not be familiar with Grimtooth, the book is a book of traps.  Mainly death traps.  Nasty, tricky traps, the kind that make you late for dinner...forever.  The book compiles all five of the original Grimtooth's Traps books as well as new material.  If you need a trap for your dungeon, this is a great place to look.

Honestly, this might be the thing that I'm most excited about...

The accompanying Module Grimtooth's Museum of Death,(a module done specifically for Dungeon Crawl Classics) looks to be a fun little romp through the notorious Grimtooth's base of operations.  The module is for first level characters but the introduction amusingly states that:

"This adventure is designed for 20 to 30 Twenty-seventh level characters accompanied by a host of 50 seasoned mercenaries, 200 hirelings, 3 ox-drawn carts loaded with chickens, wooden poles cut to varying lengths, and several siege weapons" 

It's quite a beefy book!

Good stuff.  I'd like to run my gaming group through this as a one-off, and if I do, I'll post about how it goes.  Overall, shipping issues aside, I'm very happy that it has arrived in my hands.  It is a lovely book that compiles all of the previous editions and then some into a single giant tome.  If there is a drawback to it, it might be that it is so large that I would probably get a hernia trying to take it to gaming sessions.  Of course it's really a design tool to be kept hidden from the prying eyes of players lest the surprise be lost, so that's really not a problem.  If you love traps, I would highly recommend picking up a copy when it becomes available for regular sale.

Weird Adventure Idea Wednesday

This week's weird adventure idea:

On a brisk evening you come upon a scarred gladiator near an ancient shrine.  The gladiator recounts to you a tale to you that 25 days journey to the west, beyond The Foreboding Dunes of the Gods can be found The Sanctified Cavern of Blood.  It is reputed that there is hidden The Agate Visor of Purity.  But beware, for the gladiator alerts you that it is said The Dire Mind Wrecker of Fetishes tortures all who go there!

If you enjoy Weird Adventure Idea Wednesday, be sure to stop back each week, and check out some of the other free resources in this blog.