Monthly Archives: August 2023

Vintage Ads From Dragon Magazine # 74

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Art by James Holloway as I recall.

Last year, when I was just getting settled with this blogging stuff, I wrote a post containing some ads from an old issue of Dragon magazine. For whatever reason, that post has been steadily one of the most popular I have written. At any rate, this week has been super busy at work so I have decided to share some more. This time around we’re going to try issue #74 from June 1983.

For those of you who happen to be younger than myself, the thing to remember here is that this was before the Internet. Unless you happened to be lucky enough to live in close proximity to a gaming store, the pages of Dragon magazine were probably your only source of information regarding other game systems that might exist out there. These ads inspired wonder and opened the door to new possibilities.

The Court of Ardor  

A supplement for Middle-earth Role Playing (MERP), a role-playing game set in J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth. This source book introduced players to a new region of Middle-earth, Ardor, and provided additional adventures, characters, and details for the MERP gaming experience.

I did not own this supplement but I did own the Mirkwood supplement and the MERP boxed set. The game itself was sort of a streamlined version of Rolemaster (which I believe is still available today). Back then it was criticized for the fact that the system didn’t really feel like it captured the feeling of Tolkien’s works. This was not an issue for our neighborhood group of junior high school students.

Produced by Iron Crown Enterprises (I.C.E.), MERP seemed to have a solid budget, as they often graced Dragon with full page ads.

Star Trek the Correspondence Game

Here’s one that may be a bit of a time capsule, as I’m not certain whether younger folks will remember play-by-mail (PBM) games.

Play-by-mail games were a form of gaming before the widespread use of the internet. In these games, players would interact with each other and the game master through written letters sent via postal mail. The game master would update the game world based on the players’ actions and decisions. There were quite a few of these out there, with Silverdawn and Hyborian War being the two that immediately com to mind.  

I digress. This ad was for Star Trek: The Correspondence Game. It was a play-by-mail game that allowed participants to immerse themselves in the Star Trek universe. Players would take on the roles of starship captains, crew members, and other key personnel. The game was played through written correspondence, where players would send orders, reports, and other interactions to the game master via postal mail. Get a load of those $4/move rates. That seems high, even by today’s standard.

Being a poor high-school student, I never played in one of these games. However, I did run my own PBM game for members of the TSR RPGA for a year or so. I met folks through the RPGA directory and ran a campaign for them through the mail. I didn’t charge anyone but rather simply asked for a S.A.S.E. (that’s a self-addressed stamped envelope for the young folks) to be included with each turn.

James Bond 007 Role-Playing In Her Majesty’s Secret Service

By Victory Games. This tabletop RPG transported players into the thrilling and glamorous world of the iconic British secret agent, James Bond. I had this one, along with the Octopussy module. However, the best supplement for the game in my opinion was the Q Manual

The Q Manual expanded the gameplay experience by providing players with the full array of gadgets, vehicles, and equipment straight from the movies. I recall it having great attention to detail and spent more hours flipping through the pages and daydreaming than I ever did actually playing the game.

Bushido

From Fantasy Games Unlimited, “Bushido” transported players to a land where samurai warriors, mystics, and ninja assassins roamed. Drawing inspiration from Japanese history, mythology, and folklore, the game allowed players to immerse themselves in bushido – the way of the warrior.

Note the “Coming Soon: Ninja: Shadows over Nippon”. In 1983, it wasn’t a certainty that even TTRPG gamers knew what a ninja was.

The was another that certainly caught my eye. However, my 13-year-old budget never allowed me to get there. My Fantasy Games Unlimited experience was limited to Villains & Vigilantes, which I still own to this day.

Hârn

Created by N. Robin Crossby Hârn was one of the first 3rd party campaign settings that I was aware of at the time. With a vivid tapestry of interconnected cultures, kingdoms, and landscapes, Hârn offered players an immersive and highly authentic experience.

The setting was known for its attention to historical accuracy and deep world-building. The system-neutral nature of Hârn allowed it to integrate with various role-playing game mechanics. While I never dabbled with it myself, I believe it eventually spun out into its own RPG HârnWorld.

It appears that some of the HârnWorld may still be picked up on DriveThruRPG.

Closing

That’s all for this week. I could use some good vibes if you have any to send. Hoping things at work settle down soon. In the meantime, thanks for stopping by. I appreciate that you took the time to visit. If you have any memories of any of these ads, please share them below. Have a great week!

Have some time to kill? For maps & plot hooks, go here.

For some random tables, go here.

Finally, for a bit about me and some general stuff, this is the spot.

Fineous Fizzlecrank’s Fabulous Alchemy Lab

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I have always had a soft spot for green slime. After receiving the Holmes Basic Edition of Dungeons & Dragons for my birthday in 1979, I would spend hours reading through the monster descriptions. I was already familiar with many of these, from different myths or old movies. However, the green slime always stood out and sparked my imagination.

The green slime has gone through a bit of an evolution over the various versions D&D. While this green substance features heavily in this week’s post, I will leave it to you to tune things in such a way that would best fit your game. As always, I have tried to tried to keep this as system agnostic as possible.

Alchemy Lab w/ Grid & Labels. Created with Campaign Cartographer SS4

What the Party Knows

To kick things off, arrange for your party to get hired to recover an exotic object. In my game, I went with something called the Burundi Apparatus, a device created by a Gowandian scholar. What you use for your game is entirely up to you.

The individual hiring the party recently loaned the apparatus to a gnome alchemist named Fineous Fizzlecrank. The gnome was supposed to have returned the item weeks ago. However, as Fizzlecrank is known to be a bit eccentric and get caught up in his work, the party has been sent out to fetch the overdue device directly. The gnome lives on the outskirts of a small village, about 2 days’ travel from the party’s current location.

Should the party happen to ask around, they may learn the following bits of information about Fizzlecrank:

  • The gnome is filthy rich, having made his money selling potions and elixirs to the wealthy.
  • He lives in a large estate on the outskirts of the village.
  • He has a staff of human servants who wait on him hand and foot.
  • People call him eccentric but he is really quite mad.
  • Some say that he can turn lead into gold.
  • He is absolutely obsessed with green slime.
  • He has not been seen for weeks.

What the Party Doesn’t Know

Fineous Fizzlecrank, the eccentric gnome alchemist, was always known for his unconventional methods and insatiable curiosity. His reputation for pushing boundaries made him both revered and ridiculed among his peers.

Fizzlecrank’s fascination with green slime began innocently enough. He had read ancient texts that hinted at the slime’s potential applications in alchemical concoctions. His early experiments involved extracting and distilling the slime’s essence to create powerful acids for his potions. But as time went on, Fizzlecrank’s obsession grew, and he delved deeper into the mysteries of the substance.

He spent countless nights pouring over his notes, scribbling equations, and muttering to himself. His once-pristine laboratory was soon a mess of vials, flasks, and slime samples. The more he experimented, the wilder his ideas became. He believed that the slime held the key to unlocking extraordinary abilities—immunity to disease, increased longevity, and even the power to transmute materials.

When his staff became fearful for his health, the alchemist dismissed them all, assuring them that he was fine. However, Fizzlecrank’s experiments became increasingly reckless. He began exposing himself to small doses of the slime, believing it would grant him the insights he sought. His skin developed strange patterns and a sickly green hue, while his mind started to unravel. Yet, he pressed on, his obsession blinding him to the dangers he was courting.

One fateful day, driven to a fevered state of delirium, Fizzlecrank ingested a substantial amount of the slime. His transformation was swift and horrifying. His body convulsed, his bones shifted, and his limbs contorted into a gelatinous form. As his consciousness melded with the slime, he gained a rudimentary form of sentience, albeit one warped by his madness.

The Manor House

Fizzlecrank’s alchemy lab is located in the basement under his opulent manor house. Should you desire, you could certainly map out the full structure and create other encounters. For the purposes of this post, I will limit myself to the alchemy lab itself.

Whether you decide to spend time detailing the manor house or not, you will want to leave some clues to make sure the party suspects something is amiss. My party waited politely at the door. Once they were fairly certain no one would answer, the rogue took care of the lock and the let themselves in.

It was clear from the state of disarray that something was not right. However, seeing a number of valuable objects lying around left the party feeling fairly certain that the manor had not been robbed. Ultimately, the party discovered a diary Fizzlecrank had left in the study. This document clearly documented the alchemist’s descent into madness and made numerous mentions of green slime.

Concerned for the well-being of the gnome and not yet having found the Burundi Apparatus, the party made their way downstairs.

The Alchemist Lab

Entering this massive room, the party will immediately know that they have found the alchemist lab. 11 pillars support the ceiling and the room is lit with a sickly green phosphorescent light that emanates from the top of each.

The room is in a great deal of disarray and the air is filled with a strange, pungent odor. There are 4 cluttered tables on each side of the room, with crates, barrels, bookshelves, and all manner of odd storage beyond.

1-4 Loose Slimes

Areas marked 1-4 show loose minor green slimes that have been roaming the lab since Fizzlecrank’s transformation. When the party first opens the door, slime #1 will begin moving toward area #5, at a pace of 5’ per round. On the second round after the party opens the door, slime #2 will similarly start moving, and so on.

These minor slimes will pay no attention to the party unless attacked or blocked. If so, they will hold their ground and fight back. You will need to adjust accordingly for your game but in my Rules Compendium game I gave these minor slimes a pseudopod melee attack with a reach of 5’, dealing 1-2 hit points of damage. They were unharmed by all attacks, except cold or fire (again adjust as necessary) but only had 1 hp each.

Upon dispatching one of these minor slimes, the pile of ooze starts to quiver in an unstable fashion. At the top of the following round, the minor slime corpse will burst like a bubble, dealing 1 hit point of damage to all adjacent targets. If the bursting slime happens to be adjacent to any of the 8 tables in the room, roll a d4 and the result will be the number of beakers containing other minor slimes that are shattered, releasing more minor slimes into the room.

These extra slimes will only be released once per table and any new slimes will start heading toward area #5 unless hindered by the party.

5 Greater Slime / Fineous Fizzlecrank

A wooden basin 12’ in diameter is inset within the floor here. Inside lies the slumbering form of what remains of Fineous Fizzlecrank. Now a giant amorphous green slime with a vaguely humanoid face, the creature is resting when the party initially enters the room.

If any of the minor slimes reach it or if the party disturbs the basin in any way, it will wake and attack. In addition, any subsequent minor slimes that reach it will have a healing effect on the abomination.

6 Burundi Apparatus

The Burundi Apparatus may be found inside a small crate here.

Wrap-Up

This week was a touch more silly than my usual fare but my group had a lot of fun with this fight. You’ll have a bit of tinkering to do, in deciding on what stats you want to use for the minor and greater slimes. That said, I suspect that most folks reading gaming blogs know the drill and wouldn’t have much trouble putting something together. I’m just trying to toss stuff out there to inspire people.

Do you have any favorite old-standby monsters that you’d enjoy seeing in an encounter? Drop me a line and let me know. Thanks for taking the time to stop by and have a great week!

For more maps & plot hooks, go here.

For some random tables, go here.

Finally, for a bit about me and some general stuff, this is the spot.

The Lost Spellbook of Elthane Darkstalker

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This week’s entry picks up where I left off with The Mine at Mt. Morris. As a refresher, at the end of that tale, the party had recovered the diary of a long-dead necromancer named Elthane Vanator (known as the Darkstalker). In interrogating Foreman Fugue from that adventure, they also learned that a shadowy consortium had been feverishly seeking out the diary.

Being generally averse to shadowy consortiums as a whole, my players decided to not only guard the diary themselves but also go about collecting any other artifacts the necromancer left behind. The object in question for this week happens to be one of the Darkstalker’s spellbooks.

As always, change the MacGuffin as necessary for your game. This is merely presented as something to help spark ideas you your game.

Island map w/grid. Created with Campaign Cartographer SS4 Dungeons of Schley.

The Circle of Cairns

The party has traveled for days, to the northernmost reaches of Archia, to a place where the notorious necromancer Elthane Darkstalker is said to have left one of his spellbooks. Over 100 years ago, this border region was hotly contested with the neighboring country of Caledos. The locals believe this forest to be haunted to this day.

Bushwhacking nearly 8 hours from the nearest settlement, the party has arrived at a small lake. A rickety old wooden bridge leads to a small island. While the bridge will be able to safely support the party across, you should play up the fact that it is old and not in great shape.

Crossing the bridge, the party will discover a ring of nine stone cairns circling a roughly hewn altar. Each of the cairns stands roughly 10’ tall, though the one to the southwest appears to have been toppled long ago. The altar itself stands 5’ high and is roughly 5’ in diameter. Atop the altar sits the spell book of Elthane Darkstalker. While it has clearly been exposed to the elements for all these years, it shows no signs of wear.

As soon as the first party members sets foot within the circle defined by the cairns, a pulse of purple light will flash from the spell book, as a wave of energy shoots out. This will immediately be followed by a low humming sound that will begin to emanate from the cairns. Depending on the game system you are using, you may wish to allow your players to make a saving throw, to avoid experiencing a mild wave of nausea. There will be no mechanical effects to a failed save. This is merely to drive home the fact that they are interacting with something that is very evil. Obviously, any character with any latent abilities to detect evil will be aware that this is a vile location.

Island zoom.

Unbeknownst to the party, the pulse of energy serves another purpose. Fanning out past the small lake, it reaches the woods beyond. In this haunted forest, lie the skeletal remains of ancient combatants. As the pulse washes over them, these old warriors animate and are drawn to protect the spell book.

There are a total of 48 skeletons affected by the pulse. Wearing antique armor from both Archia & Caledos, they are each armed with either a short sword or a spear. These ancient skeletons are brittle and will be considered to only have 1 HP each, in addition they only move at a rate of 15’ per round. Obviously, you may decide to adjust this as you see fit, to ratchet things up for your game.

Ancient Archian soldier awaiting reanimation. Artwork © 2015 Dean Spencer, used with permission. All rights reserved.

Unless the party happened to leave a sentry to watch the bridge, the humming sound from the cairns will be enough to mask the sound of the skeletons moving about in the forest. Arriving at the bridge, the skeletons will be forced to proceed 2 by 2. At this point the sounds of the creaking bridge will be enough to allow the party a chance to perceive the approach of the undead band.

How this encounter plays out will largely depend on when the party becomes aware of the skeletons. If a number of skeletons make it to the island undetected, while more follow behind them, this could become a tricky encounter. If the party is able to engage the undead while they are bottlenecked on the bridge, the party has a good chance of holding their own, at least long enough for them to figure out another plan.

When I ran this for my group, it was never my intention for the party to fight all 48 skeletons. However, you must take into consideration that your players won’t know everything that you know. Seeing a seemingly endless stream of undead marching toward them may be very intimidating. I always enjoy seeing how things like this will play out.

Aside from engaging with all of the skeletons, there are a number of other ways to wrap up this encounter. Toppling over another of the cairns will instantly cause any remaining skeletons to fall over in a pile of bones.

The bridge itself is old and fragile. A concentrated effort from the party will succeed in destroying the bridge. In the event of a bridge collapse. Any remaining skeletons will not enter the water. Instead, they will stand motionless at the shore. After 12 hours they will fall and become unanimated.

Finally, the party may opt to flee across the water themselves. The water is on average only 6’ deep and 10’ in the deeper blue sections. With the skeletons only focused on getting to the altar, this would be an easy, if ignoble, way to exit. Skeletons on the shore will completely ignore feeling adventurers.

Wrap Up

Assuming the party makes it out with the pollbook, they are now in the possession of two of the notorious necromancer’s most important belongings. What are they goals of this shadowy consortium that are seeking them out. What do you do with such items?

That’s all for this week. Real life work has been a bear lately, so I’ll take any good vibes you can send me. I hope you all have a great week and appreciate you stopping by.

For more maps & plot hooks, go here.

For some random tables, go here.

Finally, for a bit about me and some general stuff, this is the spot.

Island map without grid.
Zoom map without grid.

Morgan Ravenswing – The Imperial Highwayman

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I am excited to share this week’s post. Since starting this endeavor, it has been my goal to share things that would help spark ideas with GMs and ultimately make the process of running their games easier.

This week’s plot hook is one that I stole from my dear friend Mike Capron’s Fantasy Hero campaign, all the way back in 1988. I have used this thread, or some version of it, in pretty much every campaign I have run as an adult. As always, this is system agnostic and could easily be dropped into the TTRPG of your choosing.

Act I

At some point early in my adventuring party’s career, I will have them meet a stranger. This generally occurs as a means to break up a period of overland travel. For instance, the group may literally be headed from their starting town to their first adventure when they cross paths with a lone traveler.

Sometimes this fellow is broken down by the side of the road and requests aid, sometimes he asks to camp with the party for the night, and sometimes he’s simply passing by. It does not matter how the traveler meets the party or how long he spends with them.

He will introduce himself as “Cedric Farnum”. The stranger should seem completely non-threatening and polite. He should appear a bit foppish but have a couple of telltale hints that there is something more to him. Perhaps he has striking eyes, his sword is of fine quality, or his boots are not quite as worn as one would expect for long-distance travel. If asked about any of these things, be sure to have a logical answer prepared for him.

Whatever the means of introduction, and whatever transpires while he is with the party, Cedric will not linger long. Even if he spends a night camping with the group, he will be up early, thank everyone for their hospitality, and head on his merry way.

Act II

The second part of this plot hook will involve waiting for a bit to let things breathe. 2-3 game sessions are generally sufficient. For instance, if your party had been on their way to an adventure when they met Cedric, perhaps wait until the party returns to civilization with their spoils.

Making their way through the bustling city, the party will spy a wanted poster. The poster reads:

WANTED

Dead or Alive

Morgan Ravenswing

The Imperial Highwayman

There is a hefty reward being offered for this individual. However, that is not what catches their eyes. There on the poster is the spitting image of the stranger they knew as “Cedric Farnum”. If you happen to have a player who is religious at taking notes, this reveal is a great way to reward them. In that case, I might just describe the person and let the player take the credit for the recognition.

If the party inquires with any locals about this Morgan Ravenswing fellow, they will receive all sorts of information. The most common tale will be that he and his band of cutthroats are notorious for ambushing travelers on their way to and from the city. Some of the townsfolk see him as a villain while others seem to view him as something of a local folk hero. Build what you want from there and don’t be afraid to ham it up.

Should the party mention to any local authorities that they believe they have met this fellow before, they will be very interested in the details. They will pester the adventurers with all sorts of questions regarding where this took place, as well as how large of a band Ravenswing had with him. Hearing that he was by himself and did nothing to accost the party will leave the officials somewhat uncertain regarding the validity of the claims.

Once again it’s best to sort of let this whole thread go cold. I’ve never had a party want to immediately pack up and search for this highwayman, though I suppose it could happen. Most often the party will move on to their next adventure and largely forget that this ever happened.

Over the course of the next adventure or two, it can be fun to drop in little reminders. Perhaps they see more wanted posters or perhaps they stumble upon a band of nobles in their skivvies, who claim to have been robbed by Ravenswing. However you go about it, I find that it’s a fun exercise. It reminds players that other events are happening in your world, outside of whatever they have been up to.

ACT III

Finally, we have arrived at the payoff. There are really only 2 keys to pulling this off. You want to make sure that since the initial meeting, you have brought up Morgan Ravenswing enough that everyone will immediately know who you are talking about. You will also need to have let things go cold enough that the party isn’t expecting to meet a highwayman around every corner. If you manage to nail both of these, you’ll have a memorable encounter on your hands.

As the party is returning from or heading to their next adventure, they cross a small bridge heading to a crossroads. Up ahead, a wagon blocks the road, surrounded by odd planks and debris. A figure stands atop the wagon, waiving frantically to the party.

“Hello. Hello, my friends.” the figure calls, once the party is within earshot.

By the time that they can hear the greeting, you may describe the figure as a tall, slender fellow, dressed in flamboyant, colorful attire. His clothing is a mixture of fine silks, velvets, and lace, adorned with intricate embroidery and shimmering jewels that catch the light with every move he makes.

His hat, adorned with an ostentatious plume of feathers, sits at a jaunty angle atop his head, giving him an air of casual elegance. He is, as surely your party will have guessed, Morgan Ravenswing, the Imperial Highwayman.

Perceptive characters will immediately be aware that they are surrounded. While the exact numbers are hidden within the woods, there are clearly quite a few other people out there. From those that can be seen, it’s clear that they are armed with bows. While they are not directly aiming at the party, they have arrows knocked.

By this stage in their careers, most parties will likely be itching for a fight. Ravenswing will attempt to reassure them that he merely wants to talk. At the same time, sufficiently describing the number of archers in the woods is likely to give even the most trigger-happy party members a moment of pause.

Where you take it from here is up to you but allow me to point out a few different options:

The Highway Robbery

My least favorite option. If the party is too big for their britches or it works best for your story, this could devolve into a fight. Ravenswing & his band will fight the characters if need be. A victorious party will be allowed to head back to town and collect a bounty. Should Morgan Ravenswing and his band win, they’ll not kill the party unless absolutely necessary. Instead, party members will be stripped down to only what is required to maintain their modesty. The highwayman will express his disappointment in the party and leave them, bound, and gagged, for someone else to find.

The Philanthropist

If the party can keep their cool long enough to hear Ravenswing out, things will get interesting. The party will be led deep into the forest, to the band’s secret hideaway.

The highwayman will apologize for the surprise but claim that it was necessary due to not knowing how the party would react. Once everyone is calm, he will explain that he has been following the party’s actions for some time and is reaching out to them for help.

In this scenario, Morgan Ravenswing is essentially a Robin Hood type character. He’s a philanthropist who has wrongly been labeled a criminal. Yes, he may occasionally bend or break some laws. However, he always does it with the best of intentions.

Having some knowledge of the “big bad evil guy” of the campaign, the highwayman and his gang have waylaid the party specifically to provide them with vital information and to lend their support in the future.

This is a very cinematic twist, that often leaves players squirming with excitement. Build on it from there.

The Dread Pirate Roberts

In a shameless riff on The Princess Bride, the highwayman reveals that he is not the only “Morgan Ravenswing” but rather that a number of different people have taken up the mantle over the years. As with the last option, he’s a bit of a philanthropist but for some reason must step down from the role.

Having watched the party for a while now, he believes that one of the party members would be the perfect candidate to take on the persona and continue carrying out good deeds across the empire.

Final Thoughts

I hope that you find something here that inspires you in some way for your game. If so, please drop me a note down below and let me know what you would do. I appreciate you taking the time to stop by.

If you would like to see more of my maps with plot hooks, you may find them here.

That’s all for now. Have a great week and don’t forget to daydream a bit if the week gets you down. We all share an amazing hobby, and those fantastic places can be a great escape! Good gaming.