Akratic Wizardry

I recently started rereading The Silmarillion. I had last read it over two decades ago. I liked it then but I’m really enjoying it this time! Despite being a huge Tolkien fan, this is the f...

https://akraticwizardry.blogspot.com/2024/03/its-tolkien-reading-day.html

The cunning Darkmasters at Open Ended Games have some nefarious plans for 2024:  Firstly, there's the physical version of Secrets of the Golden Throne, which will come to our backers first, a...

https://akraticwizardry.blogspot.com/2024/03/darkmaster-plans-for-2024.html

TSR legend Jim Ward has passed away .  I have many fond memories of poring over the entries in Deities & Demigods as a young teenager. The overviews of the "AD&D-ified" pantheons helped to g...

https://akraticwizardry.blogspot.com/2024/03/james-m-ward-rip.html

There is a new Player’s Handbook -- er, Player's Guide -- for OSRIC (the “retro-clone” for first edition Advanced Dungeons and Dragons) available. The PDF is available for free here ; ...

https://akraticwizardry.blogspot.com/2024/03/osric-players-guide.html

FROM FORNOST TO RO-MALBORN AND BACK AGAIN Out tale begins in the city of Fornost, capital of the besieged Kingdom of Arthedain, in the year 1964 of the Third Age, on the 15th day of Narbe...

https://akraticwizardry.blogspot.com/2024/02/against-witch-king-chapter-1.html

THE COMPANY OF THE MORNINGSTAR, KORLAX’S HAVEN, AND BLARTH’S HARP FEBRUARY 1000 2AH (Second Age of Humanity): 1ST – 4TH  (A summary of the adventure so far .)   Our protagonis...

https://akraticwizardry.blogspot.com/2024/02/against-court-of-urdor-campaign-part-2.html

Recently someone over at the RPG Pub asked what genres people preferred in their gaming. Reflecting on this question, I realized that over the past twenty-five years or so, almost all of my role...

https://akraticwizardry.blogspot.com/2024/02/my-rpg-foci-fantasy-and-eldritch-horror.html

Almost two decades ago, Troll Lord Games ("TLG") began working with Gary Gygax to produce a version of his legendary “Castle Greyhawk” – renamed (for legal reasons) “Castle Zagyg”...

https://akraticwizardry.blogspot.com/2024/01/will-gygaxs-castle-greyhawk-finally-be.html

ZEPHEUS THE MAGE AND THE PRINCE BERETHIL  Our story begins in the first month of the 1000th year of the Second Age of Humanity…  One eon ago, the Rylandar Imperium – led by the undyi...

https://akraticwizardry.blogspot.com/2024/01/against-court-of-urdor-campaign-part-1.html

I'll be seeing The Two Towers in concert this evening.  > "Witness Peter Jackson's legendary movie adaptation on a big screen, > with a full orchestra performing Howard Shore...

https://akraticwizardry.blogspot.com/2024/01/i-survived-helms-deep.html

  I’m not sure exactly when this milestone was reached, but in recent days this blog passed 1.5 million page visits since I started it in June 2009. I have no idea how “good” that is for...

https://akraticwizardry.blogspot.com/2024/01/15-million.html

  Warning: spoilers about season one of The Rings of Power and rumours about season two below. The first season of The Rings of Power was visually amazing. I have to give the show credit for...

https://akraticwizardry.blogspot.com/2024/01/the-rings-of-power-season-2-rumours.html

It was announced over at the RPG Pub that the legendary adventure designer Jennell Jaquays has passed away. Perhaps I'm somewhat unusual in this respect within the online ‘grognard’ commun...

https://akraticwizardry.blogspot.com/2024/01/jennell-jaquays-rip.html

Over at his Mythlands of Erce blog, Anders H* has a couple of amusing polemical posts defending the honour and goodness of second edition Advanced Dungeons and Dragons (part one concerns the...

https://akraticwizardry.blogspot.com/2023/12/second-edition-advanced-dungeons-and.html

I recently mentioned that a new version of Mythras Imperative was in the works. Well … it’s here! The Design Mechanism’s announcement (at the RPG Pub ): > The new, revised, expanded...

https://akraticwizardry.blogspot.com/2023/12/the-new-mythras-imperative-is-now.html

One reason why I have such affection for Iron Crown Enterprise’s line of Middle-earth campaign and adventure modules, is that I learned how to run genuine “SANDBOX” campaigns (decades be...

https://akraticwizardry.blogspot.com/2023/12/my-original-fantasy-sandbox-ices-middle.html

Several weeks ago, I received the special edition of Swords and Wizardry - Revised Edition. It’s a beautiful book. I love the matte cover! If you like S&W, I recommend obtaining one for yoursel...

https://akraticwizardry.blogspot.com/2023/12/swords-and-wizardry-special-edition.html

The Cursed Lands are not ruled or claimed by any of the political regimes of Urdor. It lies to the southeast of Tantûrak, west of Koronande, and north of Taaliraan.  Once, over a thousand yea...

https://akraticwizardry.blogspot.com/2023/12/the-cursed-lands-world-of-ukrasia.html

I'm thrilled that I now have a framed print of the cover illustration by Erol Otus of the very first Dragon magazine that I ever owned (issue # 55) hanging on my wall: The print is number 99...

https://akraticwizardry.blogspot.com/2023/11/erol-otus-cover-of-dragon-magazine-now.html

PART 10: EYES OF A CATOBLEPAS, WINGS OF AN OWLBEAR 10.1 THE WOOD ELF CAMP (Richfest 2nd – 3rd) Our dauntless adventurers — ERIK (the mountain dwarf fighter from the Lortmils), ALTHAEA (the ...

https://akraticwizardry.blogspot.com/2023/11/eyes-of-catoblepas-wings-of-owlbear.html

Below is an overview of the two player characters in my “Against the Court of Urdor” campaign .  Since there are only two of them, I decided to give them 65 points to distribute among their ...

https://akraticwizardry.blogspot.com/2023/11/against-court-of-urdor-heroes.html

UKRASIA is a campaign setting that I’ve created (and am still creating) for use with one of my Against the Darkmaster (VsD) campaigns.   As I’ve done for some of my other settings and ca...

https://akraticwizardry.blogspot.com/2023/11/the-world-of-ukrasia.html

The Classic Fantasy Imperative variant of Mythras already is offered under the ‘ORC’ license. Soon an expanded version of Mythras Imperative will be offered under the ORC license as well! ...

https://akraticwizardry.blogspot.com/2023/11/mythras-imperative-enters-age-of-orc.html

The great southern island of Urdor is home to many peoples: dwarves, elves, giants, halflings, men, orcs, trolls, and dragonspawn. Below are brief descriptions of a few of the core ‘civilized�...

https://akraticwizardry.blogspot.com/2023/11/the-lands-and-peoples-of-central-urdor.html

For my forthcoming Against the Darkmaster (VsD) campaign, to be set in my world of ‘Ukrasia’ (still a work-in-progress), I’ve decided to adapt an old ICE setting: THE COURT OF ARDOR by Te...

https://akraticwizardry.blogspot.com/2023/10/adapting-court-of-ardor-to-ukrasia.html