Dungeons & Dragons Little Golden Book

This is not really Halloween related, but I just found out about this book. Two of my favorite things, the D&D cartoon and LGB. You can pre-order it with this Amazon link.

Steel City Con Part 1: Stuff I Bought

I had a great time this past Saturday at Steel City Con! It was my first time at this show and I was really impressed. Lots of wonderful toys, celebrities and cosplayers.

I'm going to review the show in four parts. First up is the stuff I bought.

Carded action figures. The Tick Crusading Chameleon, A-Bomb and She-Dragon.

(I don't know why Blogger won't post these pics the right way. I'm too tired to fix them.) Goofy Grape mug, a little Hulk and two D&D figures.

A bunch of packs of cards.

A bunch of single cards.

And a bacon cheeseburger! :)

Of Dice And Men

 

This book looks really cool. I haven't played D&D in many, many years but I still have all of the old rule books.

Of Dice and Men: The Story of Dungeons & Dragons and The People Who Play It

"Even if you've never played Dungeons & Dragons, you probably know someone who has (whether or not they're willing to admit it). Released in 1974 —decades before video games and the Internet took over the gaming world— Dungeons & Dragons became one of the original nerd subcultures, and is still revered by over thirty million fans today. Now Forbes senior editor David M. Ewalt explores the rich history of the game, revealing the magic that enlivened his youth, and has since re-entered his adult life in a whole new way.

From its roots on the battlefields of ancient Europe, through the hysteria that linked it to satanic rituals and teen suicides, and to its apotheosis as father of the modern video game industry, Of Dice and Men recounts the development of a game played by some of most fascinating people in the world. Chronicling the surprising history of D&D's origins (one largely unknown even to hardcore players) while examining the game's profound impact, Ewalt weaves laser-sharp cultural analysis with his own present-day gaming experiences.

An enticing blend of history, journalism, narrative and memoir, Of Dice and Men sheds light on America's most popular (and widely misunderstood) form of collaborative entertainment."

Of Dice and Men will be published in hardcover, audiobook, and e-book editions on August 20, 2013. Click below to pre-order from Amazon.com.

What Kind of Dungeons and Dragons Character Would You Be?

I saw this over at Electronic Cerebrectomy and thought I'd give it a try --

I Am A: True Neutral Human Bard (5th Level)

Ability Scores:
Strength-12
Dexterity-12
Constitution-12
Intelligence-13
Wisdom-11
Charisma-11



Alignment:
True Neutral A true neutral character does what seems to be a good idea. He doesn't feel strongly one way or the other when it comes to good vs. evil or law vs. chaos. Most true neutral characters exhibit a lack of conviction or bias rather than a commitment to neutrality. Such a character thinks of good as better than evil after all, he would rather have good neighbors and rulers than evil ones. Still, he's not personally committed to upholding good in any abstract or universal way. Some true neutral characters, on the other hand, commit themselves philosophically to neutrality. They see good, evil, law, and chaos as prejudices and dangerous extremes. They advocate the middle way of neutrality as the best, most balanced road in the long run. True neutral is the best alignment you can be because it means you act naturally, without prejudice or compulsion. However, true neutral can be a dangerous alignment because it represents apathy, indifference, and a lack of conviction.

Race:
Humans are the most adaptable of the common races. Short generations and a penchant for migration and conquest have made them physically diverse as well. Humans are often unorthodox in their dress, sporting unusual hairstyles, fanciful clothes, tattoos, and the like.

Class:
Bards often serve as negotiators, messengers, scouts, and spies. They love to accompany heroes (and villains) to witness heroic (or villainous) deeds firsthand, since a bard who can tell a story from personal experience earns renown among his fellows. A bard casts arcane spells without any advance preparation, much like a sorcerer. Bards also share some specialized skills with rogues, and their knowledge of item lore is nearly unmatched. A high Charisma score allows a bard to cast high-level spells.

Find out What Kind of Dungeons and Dragons Character Would You Be?, courtesy of Easydamus (e-mail)

Trivia Newton-John

I won a Trivia Newton-John Award over at  Retrospace. I answered some questions about old school Dungeons & Dragons. I haven't played D&D in about 20 years. I just happened to have all of the manuals packed in a box by my computer.

Dungeons & Dragons Co-Creator Gary Gygax, RIP

I played Dungeons & Dragons for most of the 1980's with my brother and friends. We used to get together on weekends and play for hours. Two of my favorite characters that I created were Brister Firethorn, a dwarf fighter and Spry Brusque, a human thief. I still have my books and dice somewhere. Here's the story from AOL News --

MILWAUKEE (AP) - Gary Gygax, who co-created the fantasy game Dungeons & Dragons and is widely seen as the father of the role-playing games, died Tuesday morning at his home in Lake Geneva. He was 69. He had been suffering from health problems for several years, including an abdominal aneurysm, said his wife, Gail Gygax.

Gygax and Dave Arneson developed Dungeons & Dragons in 1974 using medieval characters and mythical creatures. The game known for its oddly shaped dice became a hit, particularly among teenage boys, and eventually was turned into video games, books and movies.

Gygax always enjoyed hearing from the game's legion of devoted fans, many of whom would stop by the family's home in Lake Geneva, about 55 miles southwest of Milwaukee, his wife said. Despite his declining health, he hosted weekly games of Dungeons & Dragons as recently as January, she said.

"It really meant a lot to him to hear from people from over the years about how he helped them become a doctor, a lawyer, a policeman, what he gave them," Gail Gygax said. "He really enjoyed that."

Dungeons & Dragons players create fictional characters and carry out their adventures with the help of complicated rules. The quintessential geek pastime, it spawned a wealth of copycat games and later inspired a whole genre of computer games that's still growing in popularity.

Born Ernest Gary Gygax, he grew up in Chicago and moved to Lake Geneva at the age of 8. Gygax's father, a Swiss immigrant who played violin in the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, read fantasy books to his only son and hooked him on the genre, Gail Gygax said.

Gygax dropped out of high school but took anthropology classes at the University of Chicago for a while, she said. He was working as an insurance underwriter in the 1960s, when he began playing war-themed board games.

But Gygax wanted to create a game that involved more fantasy. To free up time to work on that, he left the insurance business and became a shoe repairman, she said.

Gygax also was a prolific writer and wrote dozens of fantasy books, including the Greyhawk series of adventure novels.

Gary Sandelin, 32, a Manhattan attorney, said his weekly Dungeons & Dragons game will be a bit sadder on Wednesday night because of Gygax's passing. The beauty of the game is that it's never quite the same, he said.

Funeral arrangements are pending. Besides his wife, Gygax is survived by six children.

For more info check out the following links --

Gary Gygax on Wikipedia
Gary Gygax on IMDb
Dungeons & Dragons on Wikipedia
Dungeons & Dragons Official Home Page on Wizard.com
TSR, Inc. on Wikipedia
D & D Wiki