B is for Bob

. . . .and not just any Bob but Bob Bledsaw!

One of the most heated debates in the OSR is who the true Father of Dungeons and Dragons truly is. Is it Gygax or Arneson? The thing that always disturbs me about this is that Bledsaw gets ignored quite a bit it seems. I realize, of course, that he's not in the running for Father, but (no offense to Rob or Ernie or Luke) I feel he deserves the title  First Son of Role-playing. Why, you ask?

1975, not long after D&D was released, Bledsaw created the Judges Guild. Now, that doesn't seem like a lot today with all the gaming companies out there in the wake of the OGL, but at the time, it was revolutionary. He was a man of vision. Judges Guild received permission from TSR to put out adventures and other supplements for D&D. TSR would not put out an adventure module until 1978! Even then, if reports are to be believed from those in the know, Gary was somewhat bewildered as to why people would want to use prepared adventures rather than create their own.

Another good thing was that JG added some organization to the mess. If one plays 0E today, there is no resource more valuable than JG's Ready Ref Sheets. Some collected charts, sure, but the majority was new material for the Judge to use in making his campaign come to life. And the adventures, maps, and settings! Wilderlands, the City-State, Thracia, Duck Tower! Both Kevin Siembieda and Jennell Jacquays started out with JG as well. Imagine what we would have lost without Bledsaw. Don't get me wrong; I love me some Hommlett and some B2. But JG's adventures are somehow better. Much as I love Gary, part of the creativity was channeled into balance and polish leading to what WOTC and Hasbro have become--souless.

And, as an aside, CSIO is coming back. Please support the Kickstarter here.

Until tomorrow, gentle readers, dream of troublesome strumpets in the City-State!

A is for Aardvarkian

Inspired by the comic hero Cerebus the Aardvark, Aardvarkians were included in the Hackmaster RPG's Hacklopedia. An enterprising Hackmaster DM, Jan Monk, wrote them up as a PC race in Hackjournal #7. Therefore, in the interest of spreading this race for OSR play and also in the spirit of the day, I give you the Swords & Wizardry Complete stats!

Aardvarkians are short, furry humanoids with features similar to that of the common aardvark. They love foraging for insects and gain +2 to hit insects of any kind/size. However, they also have poor eyesight and have -1 to hit targets in ranged combat at medium range and -2 at long range.  They gain +1 to hit with spears and javelins due to its extensive use among their tribes.

Aardvarkians tend to be somewhat misogynistic; however, their lack of contact with other races and poor eyesight means that they have a base 50% chance (-5% per level above 1st) to mistake females as males. They also tend to avoid water because a wet Aardvarkian smells horrid; until he dries out, the Aardvarkian cannot surprise any being or creature with  a sense of smell. They are twice as susceptible to alcohol than humans; this is left to the individual referee to adjudicate.

Another feature of their physiology is their sharp claws. They can attack in melee with these claws for 1-3 points of damage. The more important feature of these claws is their use in burrowing. An unencumbered Aardvarkian can burrow through soft earth at 1/4 of their walking movement rate. In their lands, Aardvarkians use this skill to burrow into the earth and attack trespassers by surprise (3-in-6 chance).

Aardvarkians adjust their stats as follows: -1 Strength, +1 Dexterity, +1 Constitution, +1 Wisdom, -2 Charisma. They can become Fighters (9th), Rangers (6th), or Thieves (12th). If the referee has a Barbarian class, that is an option as well (unlimited advancement). They are not able to multiclass. Aardvarkian thieves make the following adjustments to thieving skills: Hear Sounds +10%, Hide in Shadows +10%, Move Silently +5%, and Open Locks -5%.

2014 A-to-Z Blogging Challenge

Well, here we are again; time for another Challenge. I've done this twice: once in 2011 and again in 2013. And, as much as I've wanted variety, I'm doing fantasy yet again! This year I'm going to focus on Swords and Wizardry Complete by Frog God Games the successors to Necromancer Games.

In last year's challenge, I might have come across as too harsh on the OSR in general and retro-clones in particular. However, as I later posted in "E is for Editions," I don't really have much of a beef with retro-clones but in their marketing and presentation. Besides, how can anyone say something bad about a company that gives their core rules away for free? Definitely not a money grab.

When I get home tonight, I'll post my first blog that, while serious in content, is somewhat of an April Fool's post. E

Until later later, gentle readers, do not confused by today's news stories!