OSR News From The Underdark Gazette – Saturday, July 3, 2010

Joseph Bloch’s Castle of the Mad Archmage is Complete!

On Thursday, Joseph Bloch made available for free download*, the completed Dungeon Module WG13 Castle of the Mad Archmage. Joe first announced this project in a post, from December of 2008. In the wake of the collapse of Troll Lord Games’ planned Castle Zagyg series, Mr. Bloch resolved to create his own version, of the most famous Dungeon in gaming lore:

“My gaming resolution for 2009 is thus. My big gaming project will be to design my own Castle of the Mad Archmage. And I'm going to publish it here, level by level. I don't pretend that I'm going to get through the whole thing, but I will get the core levels done. Hand-drawn maps, the way the Gods intended, and a simple one or two-line description for most rooms. Set pieces will be more fleshed out, but the idea will be to bring back the idea of Spartan design to incite GM flexibility and creativity, and the use of random tables to fill in some of the blank spots.”

Joe got right to work on his project and January of 2009, saw the release of the first installment of his magnum opus.

As new levels were completed, Greyhawk fans downloaded updated version, after updated version, of Zagyg’s Castle. Now, the Core Levels of the Mega-Dungeon are complete and the PDF runs to 184 pages of truly awesome, Old School adventure! Thank you Joseph and Congratulations on this most impressive achievement!

*For those of you who snagged this immediately after its release, Joe has put up another version of the file, as the first one was missing a map.

New Releases

Faster Monkey Games has released Wrack & Rune, a Labyrinth Lord compatible adventure. By Jeff Sparks, with art by Steve Zeiser. $4.50, but for a short time, you can get it for $3.35, as all of their products are 25% off, through the 4th of July. A 16 page PDF:

“It's a typical job: Go get the thing, bring it to the wizard. Of course, you should keep a few details in mind... like the thing is a three-ton statue... probably broken in pieces... and sunk to the bottom of Eel Bight, a dangerous bay haunted by thick fogs, Reef Devils, and a magic island full of kidnapping fairy-folk. Oh, and this wizard is in a hurry, so the reward drops every day. Other than that, no problem!
In true old-school style, WRACK & RUNE pits the players against logistical challenges, resource management, and the ticking clock. Blood may spill, but smarts and creativity will win the day more than brute force.”

Monkey House Games has released version 2.1 of Villains and Vigilantes, by Jeff Dee and Jack Herman. Available in PDF format for 7.50, the file runs to 60 pages. RPGNOW is already listing it as a Popular Silver Pick and it’s #1 on the main page Hot List.

“We are calling this version 2.1 because it is only an incremental step from the 1982 Revised Edition. In this version we fix some tragically ill-placed typos, repair a few problems from the 1982 edition and include just a couple of rules additions.” MONKEY HOUSE GAMES™ co-founder and VILLAINS AND VIGILANTES™ co-designer Jeff Dee said.

When asked about the art, Dee revealed “It features a cover I drew back in 1985 that I had always intended to put on a future edition of Villains and Vigilantes. Apart from that, the art is all new, created specifically for this version. All of it features pre-established characters from the V&V Universe. If you had a favorite character I drew in V&V, you’ll probably see them in here. The art gives you a clearer and deeper look into our world then you have ever seen before.”

“For our company’s first release, we wanted to deliver the same kind of experience players remember from the original game. It is basically still the same make and model, but it has been tuned up, just a little tricked out, and has a smokin’ new paint job.” Co-founder of MONKEY HOUSE GAMES™ and VILLAINS AND VIGILANTES™ co-designer Jack Herman added. “It’s everything you enjoyed about Villains and Vigilantes, only more so.”

“VILLAINS AND VIGILANTES™ 2.1 is on sale now. The release date for the first V&V™ 2.1 adventure INTERCRIME: HOSTILE TAKEOVER™ is July 4, 2010. They will both be sold through RPGnow.com.”

Continuing with the Old School Superhero fest, Games by Scott Casper has released Supplement I: National for their Hideouts & Hoodlums game line. Available from Drivethru RPG for $2.50

“Want to play a mysteryman fighting moon men with a +3 gun? Or a magic-user disintegrating robots? Or a superhero cruising the metropolis in his chick magnet roadster? Oh, the core rulebooks for H&H don't say how? Well, wait no longer! Supplement I of HIDEOUTS & HOODLUMS, the retro-clone superhero game for the Golden Age of Comics is here and will tell you how! 85 pages of "new" material that will remind certain people of a certain supplement to a certain role-playing game!”

I wasn’t familiar with Hideouts & Hoodlums, before running across news of this Supplement release. The game is Swords & Wizardry compatible and the initial rule-set is split into three books, each costing $2.00 – Men & Supermen, then Mobsters & Trophies, and lastly Underworld & Metropolis Adventures.

“How long have you been waiting to combine golden age superhero gaming with old school game rules? Wait no longer!

Book I, Men and Supermen, includes all the rules you will need to create your own Fighters, Magic-Users, and Superheroes for exploring the deep-leveled hideouts of the criminal underworld!

HIDEOUTS & HOODLUMS is an approved Swords & Wizardry-compatible rules set, using the Open Game License, created by Scott Casper.”

This definitely, gives me some ideas! Congratulations to everyone, on seeing your projects come to fruition!

Free Downloads

Southerwood Publishing has put up Using Chainmail to Resolve OD&D Combats:

“Notes by various authors selected and edited by the author of Dragons at Dawn into a seemless and convenient reference for using the CHAINMAIL combat systems with original Dungeons and Dragons.” 

grodog put up a link to tasty little Tekumel item, over at the Original D&D Discussion forum.

Visit Tony Dowler at Year of the Dungeon, for his May compilation of Micro-Dungeons.

Jim Pacek from the Carjacked Seraphim blog, has some Polyhedral Dice Adventure Cards, for you to download.

So, what if Traveller had been the first RPG and someone wrote a Fantasy Supplement for the game? A fellow named captainjack, has asked himself this question and answered it! Traveller Book 9: Adventurer is that answer. Download link & info, available in this Dragonsfoot Forum Thread.

Paul Fini, from the Warlock’s Home Brew has made his Swords & Wizardry Campaign Players Book, available for download.

A big thanks guys, for giving us all this Old School Gaming Goodness!

Events & Happenings

Cyclopeatron has the skinny on the SoCal Mini-Con, being held on Saturday, August 14, in Anaheim, CA.

Marcelo Paschoalin from the Dark Fate blog will be running some Old School events, this weekend at RPGcon, in Brazil. Check out the details, here.

Joe Bloch has an update on Dexcon XIII, where he’ll be running Castle of the Mad Archmage! The con takes place in Morristown, NJ, July 7 – 11. See this post, for details.

In Other News

Head over to Lamentations of the Flame Princess and check out the awesome box, for Mr. Raggi’s upcoming Weird Fantasy Role-Playing Game, release.

ze bulette has a review up of Savage Swords of Athanor.

I Hit It With My Axe: Episode 16: Now & Then A Player Will Die.

Bob from Back to the Keep has a review of OD&Dities 14.

ChicagoWiz’ has once again made available his Swords & Wizardry Reference Sheets. Head over to the Black Blade Publishing store, to purchase.

RPGNOW has another old Judges Guild product up! Initial Guidelines Booklet I.

“JG0003 - The first printed descriptions of what would become the City State of the Invincible Overlord. These are scans from Bob Bledsaw's personal in-house reference copy of the "white cover" first print run edition which was only sent to the subscibers at Gen-Con '76. It covers Social Levels, City Encounters, Background Guidelines, Streets, Taverns, Temples, Inns, and Crime & Punishment tables, with two small maps. 16 pages of fantasy gaming history, from Judges Guild's first year, 1976.”

What I’m Pimping This Week

Dungeon Module WG-13 Castle of the Mad Archmage by Joseph Bloch. Available as a Free Download – 184 pages.

“An epic role-playing adventure suitable for use with various role-playing systems, including Advanced
Dungeons and Dragons™, HackMaster™, Castles and Crusades™, Labyrinth Lord™, Swords & Wizardry™,
OSRIC™, etc. Explore the crumbling dungeons beneath the castle of the mad archmage, deal with deadly
traps, fight hungry monsters, and win fabulous treasures!”

In honor of Mr. Bloch’s achievement, I’ll be pimping Castle of the Mad Archmage, all week long.

About The News

Unless otherwise noted, all links to products and files are to the individual authors sites, pertinent posts, or sales pages. I don’t link directly to files, unless that is the only link available. The OSR News is produced as a service to the community and is entirely a non-commercial endeavor on my part. I have received no remuneration for advertising, reviewing or reporting on any of the items appearing herein. Please feel free to send me information on any new releases, events, or other items of interest, which you would like to see mentioned.

As always, the What I’m Pimping This Week section of the OSR News and its accompanying blog widget, feature products which I have purchased (or items which are available for free download) and wish to support. No one has asked me to spotlight their material in this section and I have received no payment of any kind for doing so.