The Blockbuster Movie We've All Been Waiting For!!!

Dungeons & Dragons: The Book of Vile Darkness
On SyFy November 10th

http://www.syfy.com/movies/dungeons_dragons_the_book_of_vile_darkness

A Pleasant Surprise in ICv2's latest Top 5 RPG's Bestsellers List!

From the ICv2 Website:

Top 5 Roleplaying Games – Summer 2012
	Title	Publisher
1	Pathfinder	Paizo Publishing
2	Dungeons & Dragons	Wizards of the Coast
3	Dark Heresy/Rogue Trader/Deathwatch	Fantasy Flight Games
4	Dragon Age	Green Ronin Publishing
5	Dungeon Crawl Classics	Goodman Games

No surprise that Paizo is still holding the #1 spot. WotC, FFG & Green Ronin are to be expected on the list, as well.

But breaking into the fifth position is none other than Goodman Games with the Dungeon Crawl Classics RPG!

With the game already in its second printing and new modules being released every month, DCC is making its presence felt in the RPG world. I'm rather pleased to see an unabashedly old school game, doing so well!

The image on the left, is for the soon to be released alternate cover printing. Goodman is currently taking pre-orders for this one!

As you can see, Hugh of the Red and White Striped 70's pants, has met his end!

And speaking of DCC, if you haven't checked out CRAWL!, you're missing an awesome zine!

Delving Deeper from Brave Halfling and Immersive Ink is now available for free download!

The Delving Deeper free pdf version has been released and is available for download at RPGNOW.

The free version is split into three volumes, each of which features a cover illustration by the awesome Mark Allen!

Delving Deeper is a retro-clone of 0e, designed to hew more closely to the LBB's than previously released OSR RPG's.

While Brave Halfling Publishing initiated Delving Deeper, and will be fulfilling the box set pre-order shipments, support and publishing of the game is now under the aegis of Immersive Ink.

More info and discussion about Delving Deeper can be found at the ODD 74 Forum.

Null

The S&W Kickstarter Ends this Evening

As I write this, the Kickstarter for the new sig stitched HC S&W Complete and Monster Books is at $76,440. It's ending at 6:00 PM EDT today.

76K!

Not bad, for a "Dead" System, from a "Dead" OSR!

10 RPG Books Bandwagon - Zombie Apocalypse Edition

Tough! Real, real tough!

I'll pretty much jettison any Collector considerations. If I'm stuck on a desert island, or in a Zombie-Apocalypse proof underground shelter, I don't think I'll be worrying about my Collection. Just what I want to game with. Hopefully, I'll have someone(s) other than Zombies to play with.

10 RPG books I would fight and dodge Zombies for, to take with me into exile.

1. The AD&D DMG. Gary's Masterpiece! No way I'm leaving that for the Zombies.

2. OSRIC - Black Blade Pub. HC. I can only pick ten, so I'll make a sacrifice and kill two birds with one stone. I'll take OSRIC and leave behind the AD&D PH & MM. It hurts, but it's efficient.

3. World of Greyhawk Folio - Just found a copy on ebay, the cover of which, isn't totally ragged out! It's currently in the hands of the USPS, but for purposes of this list I'll assume that the zombie-virus thingie won't hit the general population for a few more days. Otherwise it's the 83 Boxed Set.

4. Matt Finch's Tome of Adventure Design. Maybe, the most generally useful RPG book I own.

5. DCC RPG. For when I want to shake things up a bit. Also, fantastic art and tons of swipeable content.

6. The Wilderlands of High Fantasy.

7. City State of the Invincible Overlord. These last two because, well, they're fucking awesome! The Zombies shall not have them!

8. Fight On! HC Compendium 1, comprising issues 1-4.

9. Fight On! HC Compendium 2, comprising issues 5-8. These last two give me the most bang for my buck, for awesome gaming and reading material.

10. The First Fantasy Campaign. Fascinating. Historically important. One of my favorites.

Ok. Maybe collecting considerations influenced my list, just a little.

I was going to grab my S&W HC, the printing with the cool, white, metal logo. But, I have to be practical. Zombies and all that. Combined with my own memory and ideas, I can Tailor OSRIC to whatever I want.

D&D Inspiration Cinema: The Warriors - With Bonus Random Table

For those who haven't seen it, here's the set-up for Walter Hill's 1979 cult classic The Warriors.

The leader of the most powerful gang in New York, Cyrus of the Gramercy Riffs, calls a summit and invites most of the gangs operating in the city to attend. Cyrus wants everyone to unite and take on The Man. Cyrus has a lot of Charisma, if not Wisdom and when he intones "Can you dig it?" the majority of the assembled gang-bangers respond enthusiastically.

The Warriors are skeptical. But, they're not the only ones who aren't "Digging it." Luther, leader of the Rogues, decides to shake things up. Why?

"No Reason. I just like doing things like that."

So, being Chaotic Evil, he whips out a handgun and decisively ends the Summit. One of the Warriors sees what went down. The cops show up and in the ensuing chaos, Luther points and shouts, "The Warriors did it!" He then rushes Cleon, the Warriors' leader. Cleon takes him down, but just as Luther intended, other gang dudes join in and Cleon is overwhelmed. Word spreads. The Warriors killed Cyrus!

Far from their own "turf," the Warriors spend the rest of the movie trying to get back to Coney Island. While hundreds of colorfully dressed gang dudes, intent on vengeance, try to kill them all!

Wikipedia tells me that the movie is based on Sol Yurick's 1965 novel of the same name. Which, was based on Anabasis by Xenophon. The Warriors has since spawned two video games, toys and comic books.

So. Place Cyrus in a D&D type setting. Mid or high fantasy, with plenty of adventuring groups and mercenary companies. Maybe add some demonic backing and you've got a potentially campaign changing event.

Following the film more closely, we can set it in a major city and have some asshole like Luther kill the new messiah. Maybe a Disintegrate spell, or Sphere of Annihilation. Of course, the PC's get framed for it and now have hundreds of adventuring type dudes, henchmen and hirelings, chasing them through the city and out for blood!

Bringing us to:

Twelve Reasons the Rival Adventuring Party is Trying to Kill You All!

1. They want to kill you and take your stuff!
2. They do side work for the authorities, who think the PC's have gotten too big for their britches.
3. A PC bedded a Barmaid, who previously caught the eye of some other bad-ass adventurer.
4. "That Dungeon is Ours!"
5. Trying to make a name for themselves.
6. "No Reason. I just like doing things like that."
7. God/Devil/Space Alien told them to do it!
8. Hired by any one of no doubt numerous people, that the PC's have managed to piss off!
9. "Join us or Die!"
10. A PC looked at one of them "the wrong way."
11. Revenge. Possibly a Frame-Up.
12. "Let's you and him fight," orchestrated by a shadowy entity, seeking to remove potential threats.

Now, we'll see if I can manage to turn this into a series.