From the New York Times Op-Ed article:

Science fiction never imagined Google, but it certainly imagined computers that would advise us what to do. HAL 9000, in “2001: A Space Odyssey,” will forever come to mind, his advice, we assume, eminently reliable — before his malfunction. But HAL was a discrete entity, a genie in a bottle, something we imagined owning or being assigned. Google is a distributed entity, a two-way membrane, a game-changing tool on the order of the equally handy flint hand ax, with which we chop our way through the very densest thickets of information. Google is all of those things, and a very large and powerful corporation to boot. – William Gibson, 2010

He certainly has an interesting take on Google as an organization and how it intersects with everyday life.

I think not.

I’m getting old. I just cannot read through an electronic document containing a rule system and garner an understanding of it. My brain must be hard wired. I need a book in my hand I can read and then flip back and forth to re-read a section. All very possible with soft copy rule systems and I have no issue with them.

I want the physical book in front of me. Worse yet, I am not happy with a bunch of printed pages unbound. I truly want the book format, soft or hard cover. Perhaps my psyche was imprinted when only bound texts were available.

I was ecstatic about the rise of the self publishing industry. So much new material was available for fogy’s like me or in electronic format for the people who preferred that mechanism. Somewhere along the line, the self publish industry burned a few bridges. Apparently quite a few. I cannot comment on the situation but when the bulk of the rpg community choose not to utilize those services, I have to believe there is a valid reason.

Is self-publication a dead end? Or are the few players in the industry too onerous to work with currently? I find it a sad state of affairs. I cannot stand reading the pdf’s but there is no alternative for many quality publications. I will not buy them because I won’t read them. Not fully.

Tomb of Horrors is one of my top-10 classic modules. It is brutal. For most, it is nearly impossible to conquer when played under the original rule set. Certainly, it was not typical of the modules common during the late 1970-80′s. Instead of following the purely random path of slaying monsters, Gary chose to make it a thinking man’s game. In fact, he states so in his introduction.

THIS IS A THINKING PERSON’S MODULE, AND IF YOUR GROUP IS A HACK AND SLAY GATHERING, THEY WILL BE UNHAPPY. In the latter case, it is better to skip the whole thing than come out and tell them that there are few monsters. It is this writer’s belief that brainwork is good for all players and they will certainly benefit from playing this module — Gary Gygax, 1978

Gary essentially stated that there are many ways of playing the game and experiencing a variety of them is a good thing. No single approach is the correct one. Rather, a variety of differing approaches is beneficial. I cannot argue with his logic. Kevin has recently been arguing Gary’s case.

Tomb of Horrors is a very short module. Using only 12 pages, Gygax generated more TPK’s than any other book published to date. If you eliminate the cover page and the 2 pages devoted to character selection, he did it in 9. Amazing. Nearly everyone has seen, played, ran or read the module in one version or another. The original is the only one I recommend.

Tomb of Horrors also contains an often overlooked element. The module has an Illustration Booklet in the middle. The booklet has 32 illustrations covering 20 pages. That’s right. The module has twice the number of pages entirely devoted to illustrations than it does to the actual text description. In fact, the module only contains 33 noted locations so the illustration to location ratio is nearly 1:1. Add in inside depiction of the entrance skull and the ratio is truly 1:1. I think Gygax would have enjoyed mixing media and probably would have loved DeadGod’s Ravenloft setup.

If you are one of the few who hasn’t played it, get a group together for a retro 1st Edition campaign. You can then join the vast number of people who love to hate it. Follow his character recommendations at the end of the module. Also, take note of his disclaimer on the intro page:

As Dungeon Master, you may fill in whatever background is needed, and if this a section of a campaign, players cannot have obtained the Legend Information without consulting sages, casting legend lore spell, finding the information in some arcane work, or whatever; all prior to actually locating the the actual locale of the Tom and then getting to it, so that background will have been accomplished. (When this module was used at Origins I, referees were instructed that the the hill had been found in the Vast Swamp, and the party had arrived there in barges). – Gygax, 1978

I’m going to recommend that disclaimer for the most run-on sentence in any supplement I have ever read. Apparently TSR didn’t have editors at that point. Essentially, I think he meant: Toss it at them. No prior knowledge. Make them think.

I wish Wizards of the Coast had never chosen to reprint the module. Sadly, they did so in a bastardized sequel for 4E. Instead of a true reprint, they took the fame and glory of the name and reworked it. Badly, in my opinion. True to their philosophy, they added more monsters to make it “balanced”.

Play the original. Under the rule base of the day. You will be happy you did. If you want to read a funny take on the module, you cannot go wrong with Something Awful.

Now we can commence with the TPK stories.

I’m sorry but this is the most idiotic thing I’ve seen on a game to date:

XXXX says: If anyone here is a doctor, Is tunnel vision a symptom of shock?

Thinking it was in jest, I responded:

If you are looking for medical advice in the [Game Chat]. Buy a casket.

His response:

XXXX says: Hey if I can get a doctors consult for 1 [pointless in game point] that saves me from going into an office and having to pay a co-pay

Seriously? Nearly every hospital has a nurse line to call. How about WebMD? How about starting with Google as a search? Why would you seek medical advice in game if you have an issue?

When it comes to your health, trusting a bunch of idiots within a game is stupid. Very, very stupid. I love getting pointers from my friends online but I don’t call them when my health is on the line. I go see a professional.

Sorry folks, posting your last message of “I’m having a heart attack” on FaceBook will likely end up in you being dead. Talk about it after the fact.

I feel stupid even having to post this. Yet people have some strange belief that social media posts will save them. I understand medical treatment is expensive in the US but it is better than being dead.

Sadly, perhaps by posting it as an rpg will save a life.

With our Fall 2010 Convergence on the horizon and my general thoughts about gaming ambience, I’ve got a few questions.

• What is the best location/environment you have role-played in?
• The worst one?
• Which is the most familiar to you and your groups? What features make it a comfortable place to play?
• And finally, if you could pick a place to play, where and why? Would you take your group with you for a role-playing game event there if you had the means?

The best location I’ve played in to-date was the Mount Evans Field Station during our Spring 2010 Convergence. Getting into the location at the time as a pain but it was remote and beautiful. A large fireplace in the center room we could kick back around or toss up an actual table if needed. No distractions. None. Phones didn’t work. It was just our group gaming at will unless people needed to venture out to make contact.

Worst location is hard to pinpoint for me. I hate being cramped and crammed around a small table. I’d have to say Chris T.’s session at his tiny table during the college years with his 114 rules about behaviour in his domicile has to rate up there. Certainly it was not horrific but it didn’t inspire me to stay on top of the game.

Most familiar. Hands down, it is an object not a location. The Alley Table takes the cake. Randall and I found it in the alley. It was perfect when we saw it. Someone dinged it up before we got back to moving it into his living room. I believe the table lived through three different moves. It had ‘artwork’ on it around the dings and dents. We played around that table for hundreds of hours.

At the top of my wish list would be to actually play in a castle. Not a modern recreation but an actual historical site. It will likely never happen but I’d load up the entire crew for that trip.

What are your thoughts?

Strangely enough, Kevin posted his rant about the changing face of D&D today. My thoughts of late have been about the modern, mixed media available for the modern gamer. Not the games themselves but the utilities available. Personally, I consider technology a tool to be used when appropriate. I have never truly used a computer as an aid but many people have in a variety of ways — PDFs, dice rollers, mapping devices, etc.

I do not find a computer a necessary tool but the climate of computation has changed. More computational power is available on my phone than was available on my desk when I began gaming. Even more important is that a generation of gamers are now playing with that power as the norm, not the exception. Rob Conley over at Bat in the Attic listed a number of open software utilities available. Most of them I have used or use daily but not for gaming. A number the comments by his readers confirmed that gamers in general use many applications for game preparation.

How many of you are using electronic devices at the table? And for what reasons? If you do, are you using network-centric resources or standalone applications? For example, if you not able to access the Internet, would that hinder you? Does the aid require internet access? If so, could you game without it present?

I think the majority of people like the physical feel of the dice in our hands. I’d also wager we are more paper oriented when at the table than many others. The physical book to me is far more useful than a PDF on screen. I could be wrong.

Someone speculated the end of the DM screen as an entity. I failed to read the post when I saw the it (if you know the link, please add it to the comments) but I think it as a utility is dead. While I have used one in the past, I did so mostly for quick reference not for hiding dice rolls. When I’m game mastering, if I feel the need to fudge a roll, I choose just not to roll the dice. I make a decision and move on. My belief is the DM screen’s functionality is encapsulated elsewhere along with much more functionality in an electronic format. Yet, I would not choose a phone or computer over the screen.

With a blood red moon they rose, Crossing heaven, hell and lands below,
To do a calling from the past, As long as life shalt last.

With a vengeance dolst they cry, “Upon your swords you shall die.
For our service must be met, To the master you know not yet.”

Heralds hark and knights doth ride, Upon this earth thou shalt not hide.
Nobles pray upon the wind, Paying penance for their sins.

Frantic prayers the priests do hear, Happenstance, no Lord is near.
Disturbing dreams fill the night, Adding further to their plight.

With the morning, no light doth shine, Eerie shadows drench the lines.
Atop the hill a rider sits, Sending demons to their midst.

Upon his mount the rider speaks, ‘To our foes and chaos wreak.”
The knights in rank hear the call, Sending terror through them all.

With a cry the knights doth charge, Toward the foe twice as large.
With a crash, the host doth meet, The enemy in this final feat.

At the rear, the king doth sob, ‘Lord, Help us to repel this horde.’
Within moments blood is spilled, Coating grass across the field.

Through the day no sun comes clear. Blood hast spilt, the end is near.
Evening comes in darkness black, Bodies lie in ranks of stacks.

The rider looks across the land, Unholy sight, no knight doth stand.
Upon the air a stench doth rise, Feel the pain as one god dies.

Sir Dylan’s basic cuirass is complete. I have pictures coming from his Mom but failed to take my camera along for the final fitting. Considering it was a balmy 98° Fahrenheit, Dylan wasn’t very interested in donning hot leather. He was focused on getting back outside to the sprinkler.

The fit is okay. To wide on his frame but it will fit over a winter coat when he ventures out on Halloween to do battle with the local ghosts and goblins. I was overzealous when it came to room for growth. I should have stuck closer to the pattern and done a few more test fits before finishing.

I’m pleased with the setup. It came out pretty well given I hadn’t touched leather in 10 plus years. Some of my techniques are still raw and need practice.