Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas everyone!

And to those who don't celebrate Christmas, Merry Christmas to you too!

(image courtesy of the Bugbear Bros. https://x.com/BugbearBrothers/status/1871946780482646047/photo/1)

Original D&D Art - Christopher Moeller Painting

 I've had this magnificent painting hanging on my studio wall for years, and have enjoyed studying and admiring it. Christopher Moeller is one of my favorite fantasy illustrators, and he's done a lot of work for various products, but not a lot for D&D. So I jumped at the opportunity to add this to my collection.

I recently renovated my studio (well, it's still a work in progress) and couldn't find the right place to put this. So I figured it was time to let someone else enjoy it. The craftsmanship of the painting is remarkable, Moeller is one of the best. And nowadays with most art being done digitally it is becoming rarer to find original art.

It was commissioned for the D&D Heroes and Shadows book. One of the few gems in the 4th edition era that would have been more popular had it been made for a different edition. Still, it is a remarkable book and an even more remarkable cover.

I've listed it on eBay for the discriminating fantasy art collector, at a fair price. It is very hard to find Moeller originals as collectors snap them up.

Check it out: https://www.ebay.com/itm/286228044317

Update: Sold. Well, that went fast.

Playing D&D with just B2 Keep on the Borderlands

 Back in 1981 when I first heard of D&D, I got a hold of B2 Keep on the Borderlands. I had no other rulebook, and had only heard from the other kids on the school bus talk about playing the game. So with my copy of B2 and a couple of friends we played D&D.

How is this possible? We had no character creation rules or much info about the classes. What we did have were the charts in Keep on the Borderlands which gave rudimentary info. And somehow we had a blast exploring the caves, meeting the inhabitants of the Keep, and playing a very limited version of the game. This is how powerful D&D is, even at a fraction of its capability it is still an amazing experience.

I don't remember what characters we played, or much else about the adventure. But shortly thereafter I got the Moldvay Basic set and was off to the races. That Christmas I got the core AD&D rulebooks (except the Monster Manual, I got the Fiend Folio instead...weird I know) and have been playing ever since.

Gunslinger Core Rulebooks in the Mail

 Gunslinger Role Playing Game books have shipped.

Each person who purchased one, and provided a shipping address, have their copy on the way. So, what was the last little delay? Funny you should ask.

We had one final hurdle to jump. When the books arrived we processed them. Each copy was personalized with a sketch. They were packed and ready to go when we noticed a little detail. The "M" in the strange science gadget "Microset" was clipped on page 87. On closer examination the art was overlapping the text. We reviewed the proof and it was fine, but it seems the clipping mask broke in the final PDF (image on the right). It was a very small detail, but we just couldn't allow it. We had the entire run reprinted, they were fixed and the corrected copies personalized and we repacked them.

Thank you all so much. We've come so far and have arrived at our destination. All books have been shipped and are on their way.

Now that the backer copies are on the way, print copies are available on DriveThruRPG:

https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/435804/gunslinger-roleplaying-game

D&D 5.5, Sort Of

Visited my FLGS the other day and saw that they have the new Player's Handbook. I wasn't really planning on getting it, but I do like supporting the store and honestly the book looked pretty good. So I impulse bought it.

I've barely begun reading it, mostly just thumbed through appreciating the art and layout. Here are my initial thoughts:

It is well laid out.

The art looks good.

It's thick, but feels about right.

It is much better organized.

It is more similar to 5th edition than 3.5 was to 3.0, so it is a stretch to call it a new edition. "5th Edition Remastered" might be a better term.

I'll have more thoughts once I finish reading it and play a few sessions. So far so good.