by Hunting_Phoenix

Related Item: RPGG News

Dutys_Fist wrote:

Yes, it's another DCC bundle, but is this the first one which bundles the Dying Earth adventures? I may be in just for those...

No. The you can see the item's mentioned here. It's been in at least four bundles since I started this "column" before this one. Assuming I got the right item.

- August 2024
- June 2025
- January 2026
- March 2026
- now

I don't expect anyone else to know/notice. I'm just a bit frustrated with Goodman and Humble/Fanatical. There's the labor I do to link things in the database, and this is the first time in a long time that I was like "nope." Maybe ever. Then there's the opportunity cost. I'd rather have a shot at another game bundle, versus DCC taking up a spot again, for the third time in six months. I have no doubt that someone is thrilled with this, but it's not me. Which is fine, but I'm also ok choosing not to link 100+ items every two months.

by bxrrr

Only reading this now. Glad things are improving! Are you home yet?

by pdzoch

There is a whole language, culture, and norms that indicate purpose, intent, and meaning behind each graffiti item. While I suspect that it is consider background decoration to a modern or future scene, I wondered how often the deeper understanding of graffiti was used in a game.

The closest I've come is the following of a graffiti tag to find a suspect in a modern sleuth game, but no details abut the specific graffiti was provided other than a verbal note from the GM. It was more like a warmer/colder gauge of tag density to determine how close we were getting to finding our suspect. It seemed like a lost opportunity to use graffiti more creatively.

I haven't played any detective/police roles where graffiti was a clue or sign in a scene. I would imaging that certain dangerous gangs would have a tag and I would reference that tag in situations where those gang members were found. It would be an interesting forshadow of a scene to describe the presence of that gang tag to suggest they might show up any minute.

More interestingly, I could see leverageing the "beef" between to gangs being signified (as a clue) by a gang overwriting another gangs tag, or art, etc. I'm not sure how detailed I would be.

When I ran an Eberon campaign, dragon marked clans might "tag" an area as under their control, but it felt more formal like a clan banner or flag. It just happened to be magical spraypaint.

by Vospire

Vospire previously rolled d2 = 2 ( ) ! I have broken the curse!

by HiveGod

This is... amazing.

Amabel Holland wrote:

From the back of the box:

The reverse of the original box was blank, so I hope you don't mind me filling up the space with some context. In 2016, a few days after we had started Hollandspiele, Mary and I went to an estate sale and came across this box. I had never heard of it before, but I assumed based on the title it might have something to do with the Lankhmar books, or that, based on the repurposed J.R. Skelton illustration, it might have something to do with Beowulf. Both of these were things I was fairly obsessed with at this time, so I gave ten dollars to the daughter of the deceased.

The box had been sealed with heavy strapping tape. When I cut it open, I found it mostly contained the previous owner's personal effects. The core rulebook was missing, as was the "Dictionary of Devils". The only piece of the original game left in the box was the adventure module – but not its dungeon map, or the answer key for its many obtuse puzzles. The game was unplayable.

I went online to try to find PDFs of the missing material, but there were none. No downloads on DriveThruRPG, no entries in databases, no forums, no remembrances on groggy blogs. It was almost like it never existed at all.

But the box was proof it did. And in those personal effects there were a few clues that enabled me to piece together the story of an RPG publisher that existed for a few months in 1979, and the novelist who wrote an adventure module that in all likelihood was played by maybe a dozen people. More than that, I learned about the person who had owned my copy, and had annotated the module book with a puzzle of their own. The box was proof they existed, too.

It occurred to me that all of this was worth preserving, and a few years ago I set about securing the necessary permissions to publish this replica edition. The original publisher, Michael Lord, was still alive – he passed only very recently – and even sent me a copy of the missing materials. I went back and forth on whether or not to include them but ultimately felt I wanted to preserve the experience and existence of this specific copy. W. T. Schauss's partner was quite gracious and helped me put The Vanishing of Serlo's Keep into the wider context of the late author's work and life.

Jennifer Keaton was resistant to the inclusion of the personal effects, but changed her mind when she opened the sealed envelope containing an unsent letter her parent had written to Schauss. With her kind permission, that letter, too, has been reproduced, but she asks that you do not open it.

Best,

Amabel Holland

You can see the project here: Swords Against - Beginner's Box (1979 Replica Edition)

by SeaofStars

Shows up a fair amount in Shadowrun and can provide useful information if one is aware, but it is also a 'language' that evolves and changes quickly, so if you are not in the know, you are likely to miss important nuances.

I had a young rebel (and secret jedi in training) in a Star Wars game whose preferred 'weapon' was electro-painted graffiti. I did get to toss a can of electro-paint at an Imperial Inquisitor who reflex-parried with his light saber and ended up covered in pink glitter paint. Very satisfying.

If I get back to running another urban campaign, I will definitely try to include graffiti as part of the color of the city.

by pdzoch

Karkared wrote:

Let me guess
One of your current characters does graffiti once the barbarian is done smashing?

haha. no.

by GeoffreyB

I get lucky at gaming GeoffreyB previously rolled d2 = 2 times a week.

by energythief

Thank you mystery BBGer for my second star! I'm honoured.

by GeoffreyB

I did graffiti in the game Jet Grind Radio. But not in a roleplaying game.

A new episode has been added to the database: The Glimmercliff Caper - Pt 2 - 2D in a Dumbwaiter

A new episode has been added to the database: Episode #321 - Tome of the Bizarre Vol. 4 #56-58