Gary Gygax Day 2019

Gary Gygax  (July 27, 1938 – March 4, 2008)

Celebrate Gary Gygax Day 2019! Remember the co-author of the original Dungeons & Dragons game.

Here are some other posts that do just that!

Who Wrote It? Immanuel Kant or Gary Gygax? The was written about a month ago, but is very apropos for Gary's Birthday! Number a paper from 1 to 20 and scroll slowly down the page picking your answers, then scroll the rest of the way to see the answers and how you did.

Roll A D20 Today, Happy Gary Gygax Day 2019

Gary Gygax Day 2019 at Round Table Games

Gary Gygax Day July 27th 

Celebrate Gary Gygax Day with a Dungeons and Dragons Charity Stream

Gary Gygax Day!

Happy Gary Gygax Day!

Happy Gygax Day!

E. Gary Gygax Day

Happy Gary Gygax Day 2019!

I still remember the first time I ever played Dungeons & Dragons (September 12, 1975). A new friend of mine brought the game to college with him and that Friday night about 5 PM we started off with a referee and 12 players (6 women and 6 men) and we played until about 2 AM. I went through 6 characters that night, all fighting-men and had a blast being the "stand in the gap guy" trying to give the others a chance to escape. I was hooked, this was the most fun game I had ever played, since I was a kid and we made our own bows, arrows and spears playing Indians (back in the 1960's) fighting the cowboys, settlers and soldiers. Yeah, we played the Indians as the good guys, they were more fun.

In a month or so, I was refereeing and then I was even more hooked. I found out that I like running the games even more than playing. So a big thanks to Dave Arneson & Gary Gygax the authors of D&D! Some people honor them by playing in Blackmoor or Greyhawk. I honor them by creating and playing in my own worlds and thanking them for their inspiration.

Today we Honor Gary and later in the year we Honor Dave. Neither one of them ever played the original D&D BtB and that is the example I follow. The "rules" are really "guidelines" and you can play for hours without ever glancing at the rule books once you are familiar with them. If you have never tried that, give it a whirl, and play like they did in the early days. Some of us still do and always will.

Update: The Manual of Aurania and The Libram of Aurania

Thought you all would like to know about these updates on this project.

Re-mastered Art

I am pleased to release our first remastered image from the Manual of Aurania - our Kickstarter scheduled for early 2020. This is a significant amount of work to curate the very original publication with all of its stunning original line art and OD&D stats, while recreating the original concept into a fully fleshed out 100 page sourcebook with remastered artwork and modern 5e game system stats. We hereby announce the World of Aurania - a collaborative old school map where you can fill in the gaps by submitting art, writing stories, fleshing out towns, or concepting original monsters. Replete with online editing tools where you can submit your work, get paid, share your creations, and earn points as the world grows.

Here is an example of the original line art by Troy Locker Palmer and remastered illustrations by the inimitable Mario A Barraza. There is so much more to be discovered as we comb through these ancient publications and bring them into the present day. Won't you join us?
Here is an example of the original line art by Troy Locker Palmer and remastered illustrations by the inimitable Mario A Barraza. There is so much more to be discovered as we comb through these ancient publications and bring them into the present day. Won't you join us?

More Re-mastered Art

Happy with the progress on the Libram of Aurania remastering. We will be publishing the original and a remastered sourcebook. Don't miss the Kickstarter in 2020! We promise old school goodness... Here is the never before published table of contents with some fantastic artwork from the seventies! Also super happy to introduce Todd Ulrich to World of Game Design. Thanks to Troy Locker Palmer for the creative mojo in the original and to Darrold Wagnerfor allowing us to bring this project to life. Don't miss the sneak peak in Illusionist Magazine coming in September! 

Dungeons & Dancers: An Epic Belly Dance Adventure!

I was following links and I ran across this Kickstarter and I just had to share it with you. Dungeons & Dancers: An Epic Belly Dance Adventure!

(photo by Gabi QC)

Dungeons & Dancers is a theatrical production that blends the captivating art of belly dance with the immersive storytelling of Dungeons & Dragons. Both dance and tabletop roleplaying have the power to transport us to other worlds filled with magic and exciting new experiences! Dungeons & Dancers is our love letter to the boundless potential for creativity and storytelling that both of these forms of expression provide. 

The story of Dungeons & Dancers follows our party as they search for an ancient artifact known as the Sanguine Amulet. All the danger and delights of an epic fantasy tale await them, but what sets this show apart is the original D&D adventure that inspired it. We wanted to evoke the feeling of sitting around a table with friends and enjoying the epic and ridiculous things that unfold as you play. And what better way to do that then actually play through a campaign? The end result is a story told through dance and dialogue that captures the vitality and magic of a game of D&D.

 and

The premiere of Dungeons & Dancers will take place on August 24, 2019 at the PSI Theater in Durham, NC. This performance celebrates the 5th anniversary of Geektastic–The League of Extraordinary Bellydancers' annual stage-show.  Over the years, Geektastic has become a  must-see show, hosting the top talent in theatrical belly dance and consistently enhancing the theatrical experience. We're thrilled to level up Geektastic once more and bring our audience the best show yet with Dungeons & Dancers!

and

The League of Extraordinary Bellydancers (LXBD) is a North Carolina-based theatrical belly dance troupe. Our signature style combines the exotic art of belly dance with the geek fandoms you know and love. From outdoor festivals to bustling conventions; intimate venues to packed theaters -we’ve delighted audiences with our geeky dancing since 2014! Essentially, we’re a group of incredibly nerdy dancers who can't resist the urge to take our geek passions and fuse them with our passion for dance.

and

Potential Risks:
-You'll fall in love with belly dance and/or D&D and want to spend all your free time doing it.
-We'll keep making creative new shows!
-Our troupe director will finally gain the power to turn herself and her dog into liches and together they will rule all.

 Follow the link and check it out!

James Ward Article At Dragonsfoot

Over on Dragonsfoot Forums, an essay by James Ward (Metamorphosis Alpha and Gamma World) was posted today - James Ward on TSR's Amazing Accounting Department.  

This is a fun read and I believe I have seen the story before, but here it is posted as standalone, check it out, it is a good read and a good window into the way upper management operates in the vast majority of companies and demonstrates the trait of institutional stupidity that is a given in the business world.

Then, horror of horrors, a new head accountant was hired. 

Therein lies the tale! Check it out! 

The Manual of Aurania and its unpublished cousin the Libram of Aurania

 

Great news! Over on Facebook, Jared Daniel Nielsen of World of Game Design states that 

We are pleased to announce that we have completed our latest acquisition of a seminal fan created publication called the Manual of Aurania and its unpublished cousin the Libram of Aurania. This vintage game setting is about as Old School as it gets with vintage line art from Hugh K. Singh and writing by Daniel Wagner and Larry E. Stehle from the hoary days of 1977 when a California gaming group at Aero Hobbies became early adopters of this esoteric thing called Roleplaying games.

The follow-on edition called Libram of Aurania was fully designed and laid out (with a typewriter and cut out illustrations) with a tape binding for forty years just waiting for publication. Well now is the time and we will be launching this to Kickstarter in January 2020 with a vintage collectible reprint of the Manual of Aurania and the Libram of Aurania as well as a fully modernized and remade full color version of both as we kick off our Old School worldbuilding effort next year.

With advanced online worldbuilding tools, you too can contribute to the world of Aurania... coming soon!

The Manual of Aurania and its unpublished cousin the Libram of Aurania

If you are on Facebook, follow the link and post, letting them know you are interested.