We had a new player in the group last night and we started to realize how many inside jokes we have accumulated over the years.

One of the player's mentioned I have banned all ten foot poles in existence. They were exaggerating but still made a point of how they were a little salty about not being able to get a ten foot pole.

So, being the unfunny GM I am, I had to explain to the new player that I am not against ten foot poles if you go make one, I just think it is silly that there would be an "adventuring shop" and in the shop they sell ten foot poles. Finely crafted ten foot poles for adventurers! To go into dungeons and poke stuff.

They could also find a carpenter or a wood worker and request one.

I also said I find it highly unlikely a dungeon explorer would drag around an un-collapsible ten foot pole. Doorways, small passages. Plus the annoying effect of accidentally smacking your fellow adventures in the face with a pole as you turn around.

It just starts to lean into things like "there are a whole bunch of adventurers in the world" and "there are a whole bunch of dungeons in the world" and there are specialized shops for it. What else would be in such shops?

A giant "riot shield". A mobile cart filled with burning tar. Leonardo da Vinci's fighting wagon.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonardo%27s_fighting_vehicle

#dnd #rpg #ttrp #osr

Recent discussions got me to thinking back on the Gazeteer series again. Every now and then, I lament the point that Basic D&D was looked down upon in the 80s. Everyone cool was playing Advanced D&D.

But Basic had a lot of stuff going on in it. It tried all kinds of crazy rules, settings. It was a more open canvas.

The Five Shires finally gave halflings their due. Written by Ed Greenwood. Lot of interesting ideas for the setting.

In addition, it provided a way for halfing's to become the protector of the forests. They got a mix of druid and magic-user spells, as well as some completely new spells.

This idea was like prestige classes before 3e ever existed.

Ed Greenwood has hinted in the past that the Five Shires would fit comfortably within the Forgotten Realms, within the halfling kingdom of Luiren.

https://www.dmsguild.com/en/product/16980/gaz8-the-five-shires-basic

#dnd #ttrp #rpg #osr

I added timber posts to the map. I wanted to emphasize that the dungeon started off as a mining operation. At various points, the ceiling is held up by wooden posts and beams.

It might end up just being window dressing, but I have a suspicion that the group is going to try and cause a collapse by destroying a beam at some point in the adventure.

#dnd #ttrp #rpg #osr #maps

One of the players in the group has a degree in architecture and they are always asking me about what are the walls made of, and then what is the door made of.

Then, where are the hinges of the door?

Then, which way does the door swing?

So, in anticipation of that...

I draw a line inside the door that goes from the hinge to the direction the door opens.

Also, the dark lines are walls that are made up of masonry whereas the rest of the cavern is hewn out of stone from digging.

#dnd #ttrp #rpg #osr

I was comparing B1 In Search of the Unknown and B2 The Keep on the Borderlands. Again.

It is a subject I have bludgeoned to death over the years.

In my (controversial?) opinion, B1 is a superior adventure than B2.

But the map is rather strange.

#dnd #ttrp #rpg #osr

We have a new player in the group, starting at level 1, so the group all decided to roll up some level 1 characters and try exploring Dwimmermount again. I suppose one problem is they already cleared out level 1 and if they go down into level 2 then it might be a bit too much for them to handle.

I know I could restock level 1. I should probably do that, but knowing the group they will make a beeline to the stairs to go down into something new. The lure of some unexplored area is just too appealing.

#ttrp #rpg #maps #osr

Tentakel selbermachen

https://blog.derbrumme.de/tentakel-selbermachen/

Im Tabletop-Rollenspiel gibt's ne goldene Regel für Monster: Je mehr Tentakel, desto besser. Alles wird besser mit Tentakeln.

Also machen wir uns heute ein paar davon aus verschiedenen Zweikomponentenknetmassen, und zwar mit einem selbstgebauten Tentakelmaker. Kostet so gut wie nix und ist supereinfach zu bauen.

#TTRP #tabletop #wargaming #dnd #miniatures #Basteln #crafting #diy #tentacles #greenstuff #milliput

#MiskatonicMonday #351: Blackthorne Bridge Club: Opening Bid

A review of the Jazz Age, New York-set sequel for Call of Cthulhu, Seventh Edition, published by Chaosium, Inc.

https://rlyehreviews.blogspot.com/2025/04/miskatonic-monday-351-blackthorne.html

#reviewsfromrlyeh #rpgreview #rpgreviews #rpg #Chaosium #CallOfCthulhu #CoC7
#ttrp #ttrpgs