Chainmail 50th Anniversary

 

Chainmail introduced the fantasy genre to wargaming, and gaming has never been the same since.

Castle Amber - Goodman Games Version

If there is anyone out there who has excelled at the nostalgia game beyond wildest expectations it is Goodman Games. They seem to nail the aesthetic just right. That marriage between the amateur press quality of old school RPG's from the 70's and early 80's and modern production values.

It is with great interest I've noticed their Original Adventures Reincarnated line, while resisting purchasing any of them for as long as I could. But the temptation proved to be too great and I recently picked up Castle Amber. And it's a beauty.

Clocking in at 268 pages it is chock full of material from a history of the module, the influences of Clark Ashton Smith, loads of new art and fold-out maps, a perfect clean reproduction of the original module, a 5e conversion, and lots more.

Overall I'll say it is a good purchase and a good deal, and an opportunity to play one of the great old modules using the 5th edition rules.

On a side note at the same time I also picked up the Neon Knights DCC adventure.

Because Black Sabbath is my favorite band and the cover and name were so enticing. It is a little weird that the cover is an homage to Sabbath Bloody Sabbath (Ozzy era) but the title is from a Dio era song. And the adventure seems to have nothing to do with the music, not even a wink and a nod. It makes me want to make a real homage someday. Alas, I have enough plates spinning.

Dean Morrisey - 1951-2021

I heard through the Gurney Journey blog the sad news that Dean Morrissey passed away. He was a creative and talented artist whose works graced the covers of some of the best Dragon magazines. Obit