Merry Christmas from Blackmoor!

 

Its this time of year again! I wish all the readers of this blog a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

-Havard 

World of Greyhawk Gazetteer Revised on DMsGuild is Amazing and Free!

This excellent sourcebook was recently released on the DMsGuild from Cannibaal Press. The PDF can be bought for 0 USD or more if you like the book. Also, we just learned that the DMsGuild has promised that they will allow for a Print on Demand version of this book just based on the quality of the product. It is a very professionally presented book that gives a great overview of the setting. 

I came across news of this sourcebook in a discussion over at The Piazza. From what I understand, this book is aimed at new fans who want to learn about Greyhawk, though it is definitely also a very useful reference for older fans. I personally love that both Arn and Blackmoor are used to reference the region so that people who have learned about Arn from the DMG will be able to find their way to the works of Dave Arneson. 

It is also great seeing so many people across the fandom having helped contribute to the book. I am not a hard core Greyhawk fan, but it is always wonderful to see the amazing maps of Anna Meyer along with many familiar names on the list of contributors for art, writing and other aspects. Seeing my good friend David "Big Mac" Shepheard (From The Piazza!) having written a Spelljammer related section for Greyspace was also very nice. 

This is not a sponsored review. The PDF is free from the DM's Guild. My blog has always been and will remain a non-commercial, non profit fan undertaking. I do appreciate feedback and comments though. Have you downloaded this sourcebook yet? If not, I recommend you check it out. And let me know what you think! :)

Click Here to Download the World of Greyhawk Gazetteer Revised

More discussion of this article at The Comeback Inn,

-Havard

Larry Elmore Red Box Cover 3D Rendition at Lucca Games & Comics 2024

 

The Italian Gaming Convention, Lucca Games & Comics has been steadily growing in popularity over the years. During this year's convention, a few weeks ago, a 3D sculpture based on Larry Elmore's Red Box Basic Set cover from the BECMI D&D edition was brought to life. The piece was painted live in front of Lucca attendees by artist Silvia Corso. 

The BECMI edition of D&D, created by Frank Mentzer (editor) and its associated setting, Mystara, is unusually popular in Italy and many other parts of Europe, so it is not surprising that this piece was selected to be presented at the Lucca Convention. 

This piece does not appear to be available for sale, but more details on how to commission work from the artist can be found at the BECMI Italia group on Facebook.

Photos by Elisabetta Giulivi 

-Havard

Fred Funk's OD&D Set

 Fred Funk has been mentioned before on this blog. He was one of Dave Arneson's players where he famously played Frederick, King of the Orcs from the Dungeon of Castle Blackmoor. Fred also created his own setting called Fred's World which is available at The Comeback Inn Forum. 

This photo of Funk's OD&D ruleset was shared on X by Griff Morgan. According to Griff, Fred had erased Gary's name from his set. Perhaps something done in solidarity with Arneson at the time when he and Gary were not getting along so well? According to Morgan, this rulset is currently owned by another of the Blackmoor players, James Lafererrie. Lafferierre was the inspiration for the character Jallapierrie (Jal) who appeared in DA1 The Adventures of Blackmoor. 

Have you used Fred the Orc King or Jallapierrie in any of your Blackmoor adventures?

-Havard

Into the Wild Blue Yonder - Blackmoor Adventure from tFotT and Rob Kuntz

 

Into the Blue Yonder is now available for preoder from tFotT. This adventure was written by Rob Kuntz and was demonstrated at ArneCon last weekend. The adventure is written for characters of levels 10-12 and takes the PCs on a journey through Blackmoor's Realm of the Dead, AKA the Dark Realm. 

Pre-Orders Being Taken: Into The Wild Blue Yonder By Robert Kuntz An Official Blackmoor Setting, Into The Wild Blue Yonder was used as a convention adventure at Arnecon 2. World famous Greyhawk author, Robert Kuntz has created a module to honor his old friend, Dave Arneson. This is a historic adventure as Rob has never before written a module for Blackmoor. Extensively researched in order to evoke the essence of Arneson's Blackmoor campaign, adventurers set out on a quest into the Dark Realm of the unliving to discover the secrets behind a conspiracy that could lead to a great war.

The tFotT website offers pre-orders for 30 USD and is expected to be ready for shipping in November 2024. The site has more details:

An AD&D adventure for characters levels 10-12. Special ArneCon 2 Edition -Includes signed certificate from Robert J. Kuntz! (limited to the first 100 copies). Cover may change for the final release. Into the Wild Blue Yonder is a very grounded and straight forward quest related to a story line created by Dave Arneson in his original campaign and as fictionally extended by this author. This should not of itself stop capable DMs from utilizing what is presented here in their own campaign settings. In other cases this adventure is suitable as a one-off type played out over several sessions. It also contains a lot of new source material that can be integrated into any campaign. The adventure is designed for 8 PCs of 10-12th level. DMs can substitute their own PCs for the 8 pre-generated PCs included herein while taking note of the balance in spells and items the latter possess. The action takes place in the Dark Realm (land of the dead) beneath the Goblin Hills in the Egg of Coot. It is quest oriented and centers upon the party retrieving knowledge that will eliminate a brewing revolt in the Duchy of Bulgryn, the latter which could draw adjacent Duchies into a War of the Roses scale conflict. Into the Wild Blue Yonder can either be placed in a land comparable to Oerth or it can be easily adapted to any campaign. It is connected in no small way to the lands comprising Dave Arneson’s Blackmoor & environs. A portion of the information contained herein has been derived from Dave’s Blackmoor campaign for the express purpose of continuing a legendary story line he composed concerning Marfeldt the Barbarian. Just as important was the need to recognize Pete Gaylord’s Wizard of the Wood character; and out of respect for the first wizard of RPGs I was eager to include him in the story’s plot. You’ll discover venerable histories herein which I have adapted for crafting this adventure as part of the legendary saga of Blackmoor, the first fantasy RPG campaign.

The Duchy of Bulgryn is not something mentioned in previous published versions of Blackmoor, but based on reports from the ArneCon presentation, it could be Rob Kuntz version of the Duchy of the Peaks. It is also interesting that the description from the website references Oerth along with other settings where the adventure may be set. Famoust NPCs mentioned in the adventure are The Egg of Coot, Marfeldt the Barbarian and Pete Gaylord's Wizard of the Woods. I am not sure if this means that Pete Gaylord was involved in writing this adventure, but it does seem more like a homage from Kuntz.

This is the first real game product from tFotT since Lost Dungeons of Tonisborg and the first to make explicit use of Blackmoor related locations and characters. 

-Havard

ArneCon 2024 Reports Are Coming In

As mentioned, ArneCon 2024, took place this weekend, from October 4-6. Managed by the creators of the Secrets of Blackmoor documentary (Griff Morgan and Chris Graves), the convention honoring the legacy of D&D Co-Creator Dave Arneson was held at The DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel, in Minneapolis MN. Although I haven't seen any numbers of participants for this year's events, organisers stated early on that the plan was for this to be a small and cozy event. Morgan stated that the convention was a highly successful and my impression is that everyone had a great time. 

It is also nice to see photos of Morgan hanging out with Vic Dorso of DaveCon. It seems that any rivalry that may have existed between the two conventions is now ancient history and Morgan stated that he plans to attend at DaveCon next year. 

I know that some announced guests did end up not showing up and a few events may not have occurred according to the program, but it looks like they had more than enough games and activities to keep the attendees busy. Some of the games were live streamed and can be viewed here. Among the Blackmoor Bunch who were present were Dave Wesely, Ross Maker, Dave Megarry, Bill Hoyt and possibly others. 

In particular, I have to say I found Rob Kuntz adventure particularly interesting, involving legendary Blackmoor characters like Marfeldt and the Wizard of the Woods as well as reference to places like the Duchy of the Peaks and the Realm of the Egg of Coot. 

Did you attend the convention? I would love to hear from you!

More discussion about this article at The Comeback Inn.

-Havard

Photo by: Marianne Wong

ArneCon 2024 This Weekend

 

ArneCon 2024 takes place this Weekend. This convention is organized by Griff Morgan and Chris Graves, often referred to as the Fellowship of the Thing. In this photo we see Dave Wesely. Dave Megarry, Griff Morgan and Rob Kuntz as they prepare for the convention. 

I wish the organizers and guests a wonderful weekend!

Are you going to ArneCon? Let me know about your experiences!

-Havard