Castile de Zela (my 2014 1PD Entry)

Here it is --

Thank you to all the folks who gave me ideas!

I think I used them all except one (Sorry Dave!)  I just couldn't figure out how to describe it in such as short format!  (I still want to hear the idea for the future...)

Click here or the picture to download the file.

Making a Tarrahook Bat (Part 1)

So, waaaaay back when, in the Dungeoneer Magazine, there was this cool monster you could use -- the Tarrahook Bat.  Here's a post about it.

So, in issue #8 of the White Dwarf, there were plans to make one --

Here's my attempt to build one myself.

Here's a pic of the wire body --

It might be a little too big, but that's OK.   I mixed up a little bit of epoxy putty to cover the body.  This won't be the final texture or final bit of putty, but it's a start --

More to come later!

Iron GM One Page Dungeon -- A call for inspiration!

I had an idea this morning about my (hopeful) 1PD entry for this year.  Much like the "Iron Chef" doesn't know what ingredients she'll get, I thought it might be fun to ask for a series of random elements that I can try to incorporate into my 1PD entry.

So, here's the plan --

Roll 1d6 using the widget below:

Now, remember your number and go to this Google Form:

Choose the category you determined randomly, give me your idea and then hit "Submit."

Many thanks in advance for your ideas!

If I get enough input (and enough variety,) I may try to make a "One Page Sandbox," a mini setting with an adventure, a home base, some NPCs, etc. Let's see what happens!

I Think I've Found My Next Campaign!

There's even a cool sourcebook over at The Savage Afterworld!

The Mindset of an Idle DM

[DISCLAIMER]

I know that my former players AND my current adventuring companions AND my current DM all read this blog.  Nothing in this post should be construed as criticism or discontent.

It is just a post about the feelings I have when I'm NOT DMing...

[/DISCLAIMER]

DMing is a funny obsession.  :)  There's something primal about creating stuff and there's something fulfilling when that stuff gets used.

When I was younger, I used to make stuff up "for the fun of it," but looking back on it now, I think I know why I suffered from so many false starts and incomplete projects.

There wasn't a purpose for it.  I didn't NEED it for something.  It wasn't for PLAY.

I told my wife one time that I was "addicted to imagination."  It was my way of telling her that my office was always going to be messy, I was likely to have a bunch of junk lying around, and that I'm generally a big nerd.  :)

In truth, that was a sincere and honest assessment of my personality.

I love inventing things.  Making things.  Building things.  Dreaming up things.

I find that I'm at my best, most creative, when I'm inspired by others.  There's a certain give and take that helps facilitate the creative process.  That's why tabletop RPGs are such a passion of mine.

It doesn't take a lot to get me going.  If a player mentions that they think they'd like to play X or wouldn't Y be cool or how about rules for Z or whatever -- I'm off and on a roll.

Case in point, most recently, I've been playing with 2.5D cardboard game tiles.  Here are a few pics --

I made a big set and they are great.  Fun to make.  Useful.  Light.  Cheap....

But sometimes the walls/doorways are in the wrong place.  Here's a pic --

So, one of my fellow players says, "What about double-sided tiles..."  So, I'm off!

The same thing goes for the game.  If someone is giving me some kind of feedback, something to riff off of, I can create all day.

My last campaign had A LOT of that going on.  The players were great.  They tried stuff.  They explored.  They experimented.  It was fun.

I miss it.  (Fellow players and DM, see DISCLAIMER above)  I am having a lot of fun playing Gorsen, Cleric of Lathander.  He's a hoot and my DM is great.  It's just that I don't think I'm a natural "player."

I guess there's something about my personality that drives me to be a DM.  I'm happiest when I have a game going.

I don't think that I'm a control freak or anything; I just think the creative cycle is most fulfilling for me when I have a bigger playground than just one character.