A Deep Dive Conversation With Joe Bloch

 Great interview by Joethelawyer to Joe Bloch (Greyhawk Grognard) from BRW Games!

"Joe's been a core member of the OSR since the early blog days. He's a very successful Indy publisher with his own old school ruleset, and he has published one of the largest mega-dungeons ever written."

Campaign update

Just realized I haven't posted since November! 

After helping Captain Eclan and his crew to capture the drow galleys from teh Temple of Lolth in Erelhei-Cinlu (Y2-Z2/54-57), the rebel flotilla sailed down the Pitchy Flow to a svirfneblin trading post and shanty town (B2/24). There, they unloaded several exiles from the drow city and did business with the deep gnomes (sold some goods and bought lizard mounts). Later, Cpt. Eclan arranged for the party to be sailed to the caverns of a svifneblin stronghold (J2-K2/26-28), where they secured an agreement with the gnomes. In exchange of clearing some nearby caves (L2/31 - Sanctum of the Absent Mage) they provided guides through the Underdark to the dwarven stronghold of Bhun-Farhun, set on the western slopes of the Crystalmist Mts. overseeing the Duchy of Berghof. Away from the interferences of the Underdark, the party contacted Melf via Sending and organized to be brought back to Celene through Countess Tillahi's Mirror of Mental Prowess. 

The party arrives at Celene through a magic mirror

They then spend some days on Tillahi's estate, resting and recovering, repairing their gear, eating decent food, enjoying the sun, and talking about everything that has happened in the nearly two months since they used the same magic mirror to go to the Hill Giants' Steading. Stengar (Cav10) and Teodric (Pal7), the paladin of St. Cuthbert rescued from the Kuo-toas and now in service of Meriven (Clr9), retrieve their mounts left to them by Stengar's henchmen, and take advantage of the opportunity to ride. The unicorn, rescued from the Eilserv's estate, also enjoys prancing around the elven fields, always to return to Meriven. Rivers (TA11) and Qinren (T9) spend their time fraternizing with the local elves. Countess Tillahi takes an interest in Delavda, the half-drow exile also in service of Meriven, and her life in Erelhei-Cinlu, while Kothar (MU10) meets with Melf to talk about arcane matters and seek advice.

The group returns to their fiefdoms, the Moathouse in Hommlet, Twilight Falls and Sobanwych, and make plans for the future. Rivers set off to Dyvers to buy a merchant ship and hire a crew, the beginning of his shipping company like he said. In the ship's figurehead he discovers a secret compartment holding a waterproof scrollcase with a map inside. Kothar handles Áladram, his half-elven apprentice, the task to oversee the building of a library and shrine to Delleb, god of reason, intellect and study, in Twilight Falls. A young curate from Verbobonc, Adso of Mol, travels to Twilight Falls to be in charge of them when they're finished. Meriven seeks the approval of the church of St. Cuthbert in Verbobonc to build an abbey in Sobanwych. Since the liberation of Sobanwych from the Witch Queen (Markessa The Green) and the defeat of the Temple of Elemental Evil, the town and surrounding areas were claimed by Verbobonc and given by the viscount to Stengar as a gift for his role in bringing down both dangers. The Free City of  Dyvers protested but, not wanting to engage militarily with the Viscounty, negotiated a solution and the whole situation was to be decided by a joust. We used the jousting rules from The Axe Lands. 

Stengar defeats the Black Knight of Dyvers

Weeks pass, and Stengar and Meriven make plans to return, as they promised, to Lost Fenrill in the Pomarj to liberate the abandoned town of its strange curse. Also Meriven sets up a place in the Moathouse dungeons as a recall destination. It is made casting a ritual using an artifact taken from the Dark Druids of the Suss forest. The drawback is that there is a slim chance (daily 5%) of summoning a vrock. Kothar helps to secure the place with some spells. At one point Stengar and Kothar receive a letter from his father, Sir Elric, a veteran of the Battle of Emridy Meadows, asking for help to find a fellow dwarf. After retiring from adventuring the dwarf got into the mining business. Recently he got the deed of a silver mine in the Suss forest near the town of Badwall. The dwarf´s family is worried since they haven't received any news for some weeks.

They decide to travel to Dyvers and take Rivers' new ship, Rivers' Bargain, up the Nyr Dyv, down the Selintan River, into the Wooly Bay and the Wild Coast. At the port city of Safeton they secure a route between there and the city of Fax, for the ship to make as they travel to Badwall in search for the missing dwarf. After some days of inquiry they get to the silver mine and the dwarves. Clues lead them deep into the Suss forest to a ruined castle...

The caverns of Nol-Daer

BECMI D&D cover 3D sculpture at Lucca Games & Comics 2024

A wonderful 3D sculpture of Larry Elmore's famous art piece for the cover of the BECMI D&D edition appeared this November atLucca Comics & Games 2024 (Italy) and it was painted live for the audience by artist Silvia Corso.

More pictures of this wonderful rendering can be found in the D&D BECMI Italia page on Facebook.

Campaign update

After the characters managed to disrupt a ritual in the (Hidden) Shrine of the Elder Elemental God from D4 City of Spiders, the power balance in Erelhei-Cinlu was severely altered. As House Eilservs and its allies were exposed as followers of the EEG, the other houses along with the Fane of Lolth, swiftly moved to punish the heretics.  

The characters were in part also responsible of the failure of the Eilservs' plans with the giants in the surface. After dealing with the problems in the Vault, Eclavdra would certainly seek vengeance, directly or through proxies, for all these setbacks.

Taking advantage of this schism, the dissidents of the Vault decided to push forward their plans. Through their leader, Nilonim, they came in contact with the party, helping them leaving the Vault. They managed to do this disguised as slaves in a drow merchant caravan. 

In return, the rebel leader asked them for their support in one of two important missions to the cause: 1) rescue Teregim, Nilonim's second in command and recently captured, from the dungeons of the Fane of Lolth before the priestesses have the chance to torture and question him, or 2) help Captain Eclan and his crew (Area B2/24 Encyclopaedia Subterranica) hijack the two galleys from the Fane's wharf cavern (Area 20 D3 Vault of the Drow). 

"Captain Eclan has been in contact with Nilonim and together they plan an uprising in Erelhei-Cinlu. In the chaos of the uprising, they hope to lead a mass escape of slaves and other disaffected inhabitants of the Vault by way of boats and barges on the Pitchy Flow."

Encyclopaedi Subterranica p.99

Virtual Greyhawk Con 5

 

Another Virtual Greyhawk Con has passed where I had the chance to play in a couple of games on Saturday and on Sunday attend "Ask the Experts" seminar.

The first game was Shield Land Patrol run by Anna B. Meyer who was testing an early build of her Hawk Tales FRPG ruleset.

"Join a Shield Lands Patrol to guard the Needfest (CY 599) celebrations. Guard the frontier of the liberated lands against Iuzian machinations." 

We managed to avoid some undead scouts and a murder of strange crows and ravens that could change into other awful things, ambush a stray broken wagon guarded by goblins and trolls, to finally infiltrate the Iuzian camp. There we found not only goblins, orcs, and mercenary men from the North, but also Iuzian clerics and their bone-claw guards led by Vedvenek, a flock of dretches and their skull-masked shepherd, and Glushnag the Mighty (hobgoblin Bar15) with his hobgoblin army. 

There was a brutal and bloody end to it. You can watch the stream of the game here on Anna's Twitch channel.

The second game was Zavod written by Carlos A. Lising for OSRIC. 

"A terrible theft has occurred at the famous Menagerie in the Free City! Daring bandits have managed to steal into the zoo of the fantastic and spirit away a mated pair of prized Rust Monsters. Will your group of heroes be able to locate the valuable monsters and return them safely?"

Since we were only two players, each of us was managing 4 characters, two rangers and two druids. We managed to avoid most of the dangers, even an enraged owlbear that we stopped with an Entangle spell and talked it down with a Speak With Animals and some rations, and got to the final scenario where we faced the responsible for the missing creatures and its fearsome bodyguards.  

One of my rangers fell in the final combat but was saved by the druids and the final boss was in the end subdued with a Charm Person or Mammal spell that allowed us to get to the rust monsters, take them back to the City of Greyhawk and get the reward. Fun time.

On Sunday the closing "Ask the Experts" seminar hosted by Jay "Lord Gosumba" Scott and Anna B. Meyer with legend Roger E. Moore, Denis "Maldin" Tetreault, Allan T. Grohe "Grodog", Joseph "GreyhawGrognard" Bloch, and Carlos A. Lising as guests. Greyhawk Achievement Awards were given to three very deserving persons: Roger Moore, Anna Meyer and Carlos Lising. Congratulations! It was a very emotive moment.

You can watch the stream of the seminar here on Lord Gosumba's Twitch channel.