Coming Soon From Dungeon #215

Howdy Greyhawk aficionados. Today I'm going to pass over a review of Wizards' Dungeon #214 and go straight to the teaser ad for next issue cause there will be an interesting Greyhawk adventure in it to coincide with the upcoming reprint of the A-series hardback. Check it out:

The Last Slave Lord

by Robert J. Schwalb

The Slave Lords are dead, yet one survives! Journey to a lost monastery to end the vile threat once and for all. This 1st Edition AD&D™ adventure for characters of levels 6–9 can be run as a standalone scenario or as a sequel to the classic “A” series adventures. It also includes 4th Edition conversion notes.

Yeah you read that right, a new 1st Edition module. Having played the 2nd Edition Slavers, (Already a sequel to the original A series) I'm curious to see how The Last Slave Lord fits into Greyhawk continuity. And most importantly, which Slave Lord is it? Stay tuned.

Update 05/21/2021: Updated link from Wizards to DMsGuild.

Castle Greyhawk: End of Chapter

Welcome back Greyhawk fans! It's been a great story and we've finally arrived at the last page of  our Castle Greyhawk graphic novel. Specially congratulations go out to Scott Casper for writing and directing this first chapter. You can also view this next to last episode HERE, courtesy of Maldin's Greyhawk.

Artist's Commentary: Drawing the whole castle from a distance was quite a blast. I can now proudly claim I've illustrated both the old school Gygaxian castle and the more recent three tower version of Greyhawk Ruins. I'm now looking forward to Scott's next chapter. My only teaser is the next chapter will continue to build upon our protagonist's careers and will introduce a new character or two along the way. Vague enough? Good.

A Couple Greyhawk Articles

There's only been a couple new articles over at Canonfire! this May and both are by the sagacious Rasgon who is known for his scholarly Greyhawk work as well as his outerplanar knowledge at Planewalker. Rasgon's two most recent additions are both religious topics.

The first is serious study of A History of Religion in the Flanaess. Rasgon writes:

"Being a survey of the development of religious traditions and holy texts among the Flan, Oeridian, Suloise, and Baklunish peoples."

Second, is a whimsical narrative myth concerning Ralishaz and the Creator. Rasgon writes:

"This is a near-universal myth found in the stories of countless races and peoples, for all that it is often banned as blasphemous (for example, the penalty for retelling it in the Pale is ten lashings). The identity of the Creator varies depending on the faith of the teller - it has been, in various versions, Lendor, Istus, Rao, Corellon Larethian, Gruumsh, Moradin, Annam, Io, and Pholtus. Sometimes the Creator is nameless, or referred to by a title such as the Nameless One, the Maker, or the First Cause. Many in the Flanaess profess agnosticism on the question of who originally made all things; there are so many conflicting tales on the subject that this often seems the safest path. The identity of Ralishaz never varies, though his appearance often does."

Check these two articles out and more from Rasgon.

Castle Greyhawk: Journeys End?

Hola Greyhawk fans! I'm afraid I got behind (as usual) in promoting the latest page, thirty-four of our long running Castle Greyhawk graphic novel. Follow the link to read bonus material by visionary author Scott Casper. You can also view this next to last episode HERE, courtesy of Maldin's Greyhawk.

Artist's Commentary: The first chapter is near complete, one more page to go. But stay tuned there will be more Castle Greyhawk in the coming months! Our trio returns to the ruined surface seen over a dozen pages ago, but from a different angle. Gotta love architecture and perspective. Scott has given me such a workout on so many aspects of comic art that my style has been evolving along the way. It's been a great time and a clear change of pace from the sequential comic strip art in my old Greyhawk Comic. My goal for chapter two is a more consistent look and feel. Wish us luck!

Comic: Mordenhatin'

Here's a funny comic that was brought to my attention about Mordenkainen and Elminster. I've jabbed at these two in comic form more than once before, so this one from d20monkey brings back good memories. And it also has Bigby to boot!

Thanks to Stone Kobold for finding this.

Greyhawk Maps: Yeomanry

Anna Meyer is at it again with her colorfully descriptive map of the Yeomanry. There's a lot going on in this map and Anna leaves no stone (or tunnel) unturned. You can read about and download this map from her site HERE. Also if you look closely at the fringe of the map to the south you'll spot Melkot, an interesting town and castle of certain repute.

What has me most excited is that her next map will be on the Hold of the Sea Princes which has a lot of source material behind it and has been the primary location for most of my campaigns over the last couple years. If it's researched half as well as the rest of her atlas it should still be epic. Keep up the good work Anna!

Update 05/21/2021: As always, old posts to Anna's site are redirected to the new set-up. She has made bigger and better maps since 2013.

Gencon Registration May 19th

This is as much a reminder for myself as it is promoting the annual pilgrimage to Indy for others. I tend to favor seminars and panels over actual gaming events. Also, is anyone out there going to be attending this year? I'll surely be organizing a get-together this year if so. More on that later. For more info on Gencon event registration check out this news article at Wizards.

Extra: Get in the mood for Gencon and listen to our most recent podcast on the subject at Gamerstable!

Update 05/21/2021: This post is dated, and the link is no longer good. Sorry folks. Looking back from the COVID-era, Gen Con was a blast. It was a rite of geekhood to fight through the sea of humanity at this convention.

D&D Movie: Here We Go Again...

I saw this news item over at the blog Troll Dens. Here is a link to the original article. Apparently Warner Brothers is involved but I'm not sure if that's something to get excited about. Is it too soon for another shot at a D&D feature film or is it high time to ride the wave made by The Hobbit?

Download at Wizards: Dungeons of Dread Illos

One of the most charming things about some of the old school dungeon crawls TSR made was the illustrations that came with them for players to see. These handouts helped the players better visualize places like the Tomb of Horrors. Now available at Wizards is downloads for the art from the "S series" modules. You won't need a D&DI subscription to download these art booklets either. Enjoy!

Update 05/21/2021: Removed broken link. As previously reported, I'm sure you can get this product on DMsGuild. Whether the art is still free on Wizards website is another story.

Comic: Tsojcanth Walkthrough Map

I cannot get enough of these clever, extremely detailed comic homages to the classic dungeon crawl modules of Greyhawk. The latest at Wizards is The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth Walkthrough Map. Check it out and if you're new to these maps you can hit the back button at the end to see the previous installments!

Update 05/21/2021: My links were broken, but Rended Press has a list of ALL the walk-thru maps that Jason Thompson has created.