A Cat of Tindalos

A Cat of Tindalos

Sunday, June 25, 2017

Tales of Peril

Tales of Peril is now available for general order from Black Blade Publishing; details at https://grodog.blogspot.com/2017/06/how-to-order-tales-of-peril-and-other.html




Tuesday, June 20, 2017

Another version of the Dark Tower Gunslinger...

The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed...

Found another Gunslinger base class posted on the internet for Dungeon World Dark Tower fans. No idea of author or author but kudos.

See what you think...

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7cav44145d9b3c4MTFTQUpVcnc/view?usp=sharing


Sunday, June 18, 2017

Dark Tower Trailer

Gunslinger Playbook

The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed...

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7cav44145d9VUZhQ2FBamI0Mlk/view?usp=sharing

I've been thinking how easy it would be to play a Stephen King inspired Dark Tower game in Dungeon World, now that the new film release approaches and looks promising. The casting at any rate seems excellent and making the film a sequel/reboot opens up a lot of space. The playbook I downloaded from the web long ago and with that and the Dungeon World rule book it could be enough to get you started...







Friday, June 16, 2017

Can't Wait!

The Dark Tower is close, now. The Crimson King awaits. Soon Roland will raise the Horn of Eld. And blow.

Thursday, June 15, 2017

Our Tax Dollars at Work...Hail Hydra!

D&D Creator Gary Gygax's FBI Records Make Him Sound Like a Badass
"He is known to be a member of the Libertarian Party."

C.J. Ciaramella|Jun. 15, 2017 10:20 am

About a year ago I filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for the FBI's files on TSR, Inc., the company that originally published the iconic Dungeons & Dragons role playing game.

I received several dozen pages of records back on Wednesday, including a May 1995 FBI report that contained several paragraphs on Gary Gygax, the game's beloved creator. D&D may have been the summit of nerd culture in the '80s, but the FBI makes Gygax sound hardcore.

An FBI source in the report alleges that Gygax was "eccentric and frightening," carried a weapon, proudly responded to every letter he received from an inmate, and had a Liberian holding company. It concludes: "He is known to be a member of the Libertarian Party."

In short, Gary Gygax wasn't a snitch and fought the power. When Gygax died in 2008, one of his many fans, the San Francisco artist Chicken John Rinaldi, wrote in an email to Reason eulogizing the original dungeon master:

"Gary Gygax saved more lives than penicillin. When I was 10, he was 39. He knew he was writing a book for 10 year olds...but never talked down to us. He was the only adult presence in my life from the time I was 10 to the time I was like 15 that didn't preach, didn't talk down and didn't have any parameters."

C.J. Ciaramella is a criminal justice reporter at Reason.
Follow C.J. Ciaramella on Twitter

Ecclesiastes

Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest. —Ecclesiastes 9:10


Tuesday, June 13, 2017

Tales of Peril has arrived!

From the publisher:

The Tales of Peril first print hardbacks are in stock and available for shipping. The cover price for Tales of Peril is $35 USD. These are the signed and numbered copies of Tales of Peril. Orders for one or more copies of Tales of Peril may be combined with other Black Blade Publishing titles to economize on shipping costs.

We offer two primary shipping options: USPS Priority Mail Flat Rate and USPS Media Mail. We recommend USPS Priority Mail as in our experience orders going by Priority Mail receive far better handling than orders going by Media Mail, resulting in less risk of damage to the order contents.

With USPS Priority Mail Flat Rate, the shipping cost will be $14.00 for domestic US addresses and includes up to $50 of insurance. Delivery should be in 2-3 business days.

With USPS Media Mail, the shipping will be about $4.00 for domestic US addresses. Insurance for the Tales of Peril hardback will be $2.25, making the total for shipping & handling $6.25. Delivery should be in 6 – 12 business days.

International orders are accepted, of course, as we ship books world-wide. But we’ll have to price the international shipping individually, based on your shipping address. For international orders, please send us your shipping address and we will provide a shipping quote.

Terms and Conditions
·         Payment to Black Blade Publishing LLC may be made by PayPal (send payment to: tacojohndm@yahoo.com), by major credit card (we’ll have to arrange to get your credit card information – please to not email that to us), or by personal check or money order (orders will be held for up to two weeks to insure personal checks clear the bank).
·         We can also send you a PayPal invoice if that is more convenient for you. Invoices are due and payable at your convenience. 
·         Shipping for larger orders will be by FedEx or UPS ground service, which are both slower than USPS Priority Mail. Delivery by FedEx or UPS ground should be within 5-7 business days from the date of shipping. 
·         Order turnaround runs 24-48 hours from the date orders and payments are received, holidays and weekends excepted.
·         Once your order ships, you will receive an email confirmation of shipping, an estimated date of delivery, and a USPS tracking number.
·         Please retain all shipping materials if there are any problems with your order, in case an insurance claim needs to be filed with the USPS, FedEx, or UPS. 
·         Also, if returning part or all of your order, please pack the return shipment to protect the items being returned. 
·         Your satisfaction is guaranteed. Period.


Tales of Peril: The Complete Boinger and Zereth Stories of John Eric Holmes

Published by Black Blade Publishing
Printed in the USA

334 pages 
Signed and Numbered Limited Edition Hardcover with Dustjacket
200 copies signed by Chris Holmes, Zach Howard, Allan Grohe
46 signed, non-numbered copies (comp and contributor copies, spares for losses in the mail, etc.)

ISBN 978-0-9842870-7-9
BP5000
$35

Contents

Table of Contents
List of Illustrations and Artwork
Introduction by Allan T. Grohe Jr.

FICTION

Preface to The Maze of Peril by Chris Holmes
The Maze of Peril 
Entrances
Dark Water
Green Cloak
Centaurs and Clerics
Theft and Pursuit
An Unusual Ride
The Second Descent
Battles in the Dark
Visible and Invisible
Breakout
Resolutions

Alarums & Excursions Campaign Materials
“Warrior for Hire”
“Were-Shark”
“The Adventure of the Giant Chameleon” by John Eric Holmes and Chris Holmes
“Adventure of the Lost City, Part One” 
“Adventure of the Lost City, Part Two”

Dragon Magazine Stories

Preface to “Trollshead”
“Trollshead”

Preface to “The Sorcerer's Jewel”
“The Sorcerer's Jewel”
Preface to “In the Bag”
“In the Bag”

Unpublished Short Story
Preface to “Witch Doctor”
“Witch Doctor”

NON-FICTION

“Confessions of a Dungeon Master”
“Boinger & Zereth Player Character Summaries and Character Card Scans” by Chris Holmes
“My Time as Murray” by Eric M. Frasier
“The Writings of Dr. J. Eric Holmes” by Zach Howard
“Annotated Bibliography for J. Eric Holmes, 1930-2010” by Zach Howard
“Afterword” by Chris Holmes
Contributor Biographies
Published by Black Blade Publishing
Printed in the USA

334 pages 
Signed and Numbered Limited Edition Hardcover with Dustjacket
200 copies signed by Chris Holmes, Zach Howard, Allan Grohe
46 signed, non-numbered copies (comp and contributor copies, spares for losses in the mail, etc.)

ISBN 978-0-9842870-7-9
BP5000
$35

Contents

Table of Contents
List of Illustrations and Artwork
Introduction by Allan T. Grohe Jr.

FICTION

Preface to The Maze of Peril by Chris Holmes
The Maze of Peril 
Entrances
Dark Water
Green Cloak
Centaurs and Clerics
Theft and Pursuit
An Unusual Ride
The Second Descent
Battles in the Dark
Visible and Invisible
Breakout
Resolutions

Alarums & Excursions Campaign Materials
“Warrior for Hire”
“Were-Shark”
“The Adventure of the Giant Chameleon” by John Eric Holmes and Chris Holmes
“Adventure of the Lost City, Part One” 
“Adventure of the Lost City, Part Two”

Dragon Magazine Stories

Preface to “Trollshead”
“Trollshead”

Preface to “The Sorcerer's Jewel”
“The Sorcerer's Jewel”
Preface to “In the Bag”
“In the Bag”

Unpublished Short Story
Preface to “Witch Doctor”
“Witch Doctor”

NON-FICTION

“Confessions of a Dungeon Master”
“Boinger & Zereth Player Character Summaries and Character Card Scans” by Chris Holmes
“My Time as Murray” by Eric M. Frasier
“The Writings of Dr. J. Eric Holmes” by Zach Howard
“Annotated Bibliography for J. Eric Holmes, 1930-2010” by Zach Howard
“Afterword” by Chris Holmes
Contributor Biographies