David A. Trampier and David C. Sutherland III Memorial Art Contest

One Page Dungeon Contest 2012

Alex Schröder asked that I pass along the One Page Dungeon Contest (which began in 2009 and has continued every year since) has begun again. The rules and particulars of the contest can be found via the link above. The deadline for submissions is April 30, 2012, with the winners announced on June 1.

One Page Dungeon Contest 2011

Alex Schroeder passed on word to me that there's another One Page Dungeon Contest this year, whose deadline is April 1st. Previous years' contests produced a number of very interesting entries (which you can download here and here), so I have little doubt that this year will be any less successful.

If you'd like to participate, full details are available on this page. Good luck!

One-Page Dungeon Contest

Alex Schröder is organizing the 2010 One-Page Dungeon Contest and asked me to pass along the word to those who might not be aware of it. Here are the details:

• Submission deadline is March 1, 0:00 GMT. You have all of February to work on your submission.
• Submitting a dungeon to the contest releases it under the Creative Common Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 license with credit to the contest participant.
• The submission must have a name, an author, a map, a key, a link to the license, and no game stats.
• A link to your blog, wandering monsters, random events, adventure background or introduction, and descriptions of tricks or traps are all optional.
• One entry per participant. Participants may revise/replace their entries up until the end of contest, with the last revision counting as their official entry.
• Submission must be mailed in PDF, Open Office, or Microsoft Word format to Alex Schröder at kensanata@gmail.com (feel free to publish and links this email address without mangling it).
  
• Link for the contest main page including the list of prizes: http://campaignwiki.org/wiki/DungeonMaps/One_Page_Dungeon_Contest_2010

Dungeon Design Contest

Robertson Games is hosting a Design a Dungeon Room Contest.

Entry Requirements

• One dungeon room entry per participant.
• Each dungeon room submitted must include at minimum: a name and a description of the room.
• Dungeon rooms may optionally be submitted with a small map showing the room’s layout and contents.
• Your room can be any size and shape up to a maximum of 60′ x 60′.
• The room must have at least one doorway leading out of the room along one of the exterior walls.
• Your dungeon room should be compatible with one of the following games: Original Dungeons & Dragons, Basic Dungeons & Dragons, Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, Labyrinth Lord, OSRIC, or Swords & Wizardry.
• A room can contain new creatures, items, or NPCs with special spells, skills or abilities, but all material supporting your entry must fit on a single letter sized sheet of paper at no less than 10pt size.

All entries are due by Midnight EST on January 31st, 2010.

Entries should be submitted via email to stuart@robertsongames.com

All dungeon room entires must be emailed in one of the following formats: PDF, Word or Open Office

All entries to the Design A Dungeon Room Contest are submitted under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.5 Canada License.

Details on the contest's judges and prizes is available here.

Erol Otus Art Challenge

Fight On! magazine is again sponsoring a contest in conjunction with Otherworld Miniatures. This time it's an art contest, judged by legendary D&D illustrator Erol Otus. Full details on the contest and its rules can be found here.

Times like this make me wish I had even an ounce of artistic ability.

Grognard's Challenge #5: The Adze of Wepwawet

Thanks to everyone who sent in their entries for the final of the five Grognard's Challenges. As always, I received a number of excellent submissions, many of which could easily have been the winner. This time, though, I selected an entry by Aaron Somerville, because it nicely combined a mythological feel with an old school mechanical sensibility. It's Egyptian in origin too, which never hurts in winning me over.

This antique instrument appears as a smooth copper adze affixed to a bone haft (learned inspection reveals this to be the foreleg of a bovine). Despite its brittle appearance, this implement cannot be broken. It is too light, however, to make an effective weapon. If this instrument is used to pry open the lips of a reasonably intact, undecayed corpse (works on the freshly dead and the mummified; others at Referee's discretion) then the corpse will visibly breathe and be able to speak. The corpse will possess this power until the next sunset unless destroyed. The dead person will be friendly to the user of the Adze unless mistreated and will answer questions to the best of its ability, though it has no knowledge of mortal affairs after its death unless the Referee decides otherwise. Again at the Referee's discretion, beings destined for particularly transcendent or mysterious afterlives may not be affected by this item. The Adze may be used but once per day, recharging at sunset.

Congratulations to Aaron and to the winners of the other contests. If Aaron could send me his mailing address, I'll get his copy of Gods, Demigods & Heroes sent off to him this weekend, along with the other prizes that I've neglected to send as well. My apologies to everyone who's been so patient with my laxity in schlepping these books to the post office.

There may be other contests in the future, once I have some interesting prizes to offer, but, for the moment, this is the end of the Grognard's Challenges. I hope everyone enjoyed participating as much as I enjoyed reading the entries.

Grognard's Challenge #4: The Crib of the Sleeper

My apologies for the delay in posting the winning entry to Challenge #4. I had several entries I liked a great deal and could easily have chosen any one of them. In the end, I settled on Michael Curtis's "The Crib of the Sleeper," because it was extremely evocative -- lots of little hooks and unanswered questions -- and its general tone fit with the kind of pulp fantasy I like (it even uses the term "Men"). In addition, I'm a sucker for evil artifacts and have been ever since I first read the descriptions of the Hand and Eye of Vecna in my AD&D Dungeon Masters Guide back in 1980.

Description: The Crib of the Sleeper appears as a reliquary measuring 2' wide x 1' tall x 1 ½ ' deep. It is constructed of the darkest mahogany and bound with gold and brass. It bears lapis lazuli, carnelian, onyx, chrysoberyl and ruby gems as ornamentation. The Crib is warm to the touch and seems to pulse and hum if held for more than a few moments.

History: Much of the history of the Crib remains obscured by the shadows of time and secrecy. The little that is known has been pieced together by sages, priests and madmen.

It is said that during the Years of the Rotted Moon, a cult of devil idolaters arose in the cities to the South. Their hunger for wealth, power and prestige led them to bend their knees to one of the Dukes of Hell, offering grim sacrifices in return for his aid. Those who have witnessed the powers of the Crib believe that it was unto Mammon that these idolaters gave tribute, although Baal and Belial have also been connected to the Crib's origins, albeit in hushed whispers.

Regardless of their patron's identity, he was pleased with their devotion. In return, a dark messiah was promised. A child born of human and devil who would lead the cult to the assumption of their desired position of power in the lands of Men.

So it came to pass that on the night of the first new moon of winter, the cult gathered to bear witness to the birth of their infernal master's progeny. Amongst screams and blood and the clash of steel, something was given entrance into this world. But something went wrong.

The sages debate what exactly occurred on that night. Some argue that the child was stillborn, arresting the promised campaign before it could even begin. Others adhere to the belief that the child survived its birth, but had not yet come fully to term. In either case, what was born that night was placed within a reliquary and secreted away by the cult.

In the following years, a schism arose between factions within the cult. Crumbling from within, it was not long before the secrecy of the cult's activities was breached. Alerted to this threat, the paladins of Law were marshaled and put the cultists to the sword, the pyre and the noose.

Amidst the chaos, the cult's heresiarch and the Crib of the Sleeper escaped.

During the years that followed, rumors of the Crib's reemergence have appeared. For a short time it was said to lie within the treasury vaults of Eastern merchant-prince, only to be stolen by two rogues during the Feast of St. Amencia. One of those thieves was found the following night; his massive frame emaciated as from hunger, his mouth sewn shut by green silk thread and his eye sockets filled with flax seeds. The fate of his partner is unknown. Others have whispered that the Crib is now in the possession of the Snakes That Walk as Men, who dwell in the southern jungles. Still other rumor-mongers speak of torch-lit rites that are practiced on a certain rocky strand abutting the western sea.

What is agreed upon is that whatever sleeps within the Crib must one day awaken, and if the powers of the Crib are any indication, the Sleeper will awaken hungry…

Game Details: Whoever possesses the Crib of the Sleeper gains several powers. They may cause darkness 15'radius 3 times/day, gain the benefits of a ring of protection +2 while physically holding or touching the Crib, and are immune to any sort of fear during their ownership of the Crib. In addition, they may cast suggestion up to twice a day and, with their bare hands, causes serious wounds on a successful attack. The major power of the Crib, however allows the possessor to bring forth the assistance of the Nine Hells itself. The Crib's owner may once a day summon either 1 bone devil (25% chance) or 1-2 bearded devils (75% chance) with a 70% chance of success. Drawing on this power awakens the hunger of the Crib, causing any creatures friendly to the possessor, but excluding the possessor himself, within 20' to take 5d4 points of damage as their life force is drawn from them.

In addition to the powers granted by the Crib, ownership has its side-effects. The possessor of the Crib serves as a conduit between the physical world and the Sleeper itself. The Sleeper gains nourishment threw the owner of the Crib, causing him an intense hunger and thirst. The owner must eat and drink six times the normal daily amount to sustain both himself and That Which Sleeps. Failure to obtain the required nourishment results in 5d4 points of damage as the Crib siphons of the life force of the owner.

Also, the Crib of the Sleeper requires further nourishment in the form of the blood and the souls of living sentient beings. Before each new moon, 45 HD worth of such creatures must be sacrificed to appease the hunger of the Sleeper Within. Failure to do so brings about dire repercussions for both the owner and those around him. If the Crib does not get the required sacrifices, it draws the life energy of its owner, perhaps slaying him in the process. The Crib draws (45 – total number of HD already fed to the relic) levels or HD from the possessor. For example, if 32 HD of creatures had already been slain to appease the crib, the owner would lose 13 levels of experience or HD. If this number is equal to or greater than the owner's total number of levels or HD, he is slain and is unable to be resurrected by any means. Should this total still not reach the required 45 HD, the Crib will begin siphoning of energy from the next closest living sentient creature, continuing outwards until the full 45 HD has been accumulated. This effect has no distance limit, ending only when the Crib has been satiated.

The above powers are suggestions for use requiring no additional work on the part of the DM. For DMs wishing to customize the Crib of the Sleeper for their own campaigns, the suggested number and type are listed below in accordance with the template described in the 1^st edition AD&D Dungeon Masters Guide:

3 x I ____ ____ ____

2 x II ____ ____

1 x III ____

1 x IV ____

1 x V ____

1 x VI ____

Congratulations to Michael Curtis, who is now a two-time winner of the Grognard's Challenges -- a great accomplishment! Since, laggard that I am, I have not yet sent out the prizes for the most recent contests, I'll be doing so this coming weekend. Michael can expect two OD&D books being sent his way and I still owe Ed Moretti his prize as well for his winning entry as well. Thanks to everyone for their patience.

Thanks too to everyone who's been submitting these great ideas to me. I wish I had enough OD&D books to give everyone copies and it pains me to have to choose one entry over another sometimes, especially as it did in this case, where there were several really excellent ones.

CONTEST: Grognard's Challenge #5

With the fourth Grognard's Challenge now completed -- the winner will be announced later today -- it's time to turn to Challenge #4. For this contest, the prize is the volume pictured to the left: Supplement IV of Dungeons & Dragons (1974), Gods, Demigods & Heroes

The fifth and final Grognard's Challenge is simple: create, describe, and provide game stats (if necessary) for a single new monster, spell, magic item, artifact, or deity/hero from either a real world mythology or a pulp fantasy story or novel. Unlike Challenge #1, there is no word limit on this challenge, so feel free to make it as long as you feel necessary. Game stats should be for either OD&D or AD&D (or compatible retro-clones/simulacra).

Entries will be judged on the basis of creativity, brevity (there may be no word limit, but concision is rewarded), and old school feel, the last of which is an entirely subjective metric based solely on my own peculiar preferences, most of which regular readers of the blog should know by now. The whole point of this and subsequent contests is to foster an appreciation for old school traditions and philosophies, so bear that in mind. Think pulp fantasy and the early days of the hobby and you'll be on the right track. No one is barred from entering, including friends and colleagues. I will post the winning entry here and explain why I selected it over its competitors, meaning that even were my wife to submit an entry -- not that she will -- it still has to withstand my rather exacting standards. Winners receive a copy of Gods, Demigods & Heroes (in nearly mint condition) and retain ownership of their creation, which they may then do with as they please (I recommend submitting it to Fight On! or another old school product).

The contest begins immediately and ends at midnight (EST) on September 23, 2008. Submissions may be sent to my email address indicated on the right hand side of this blog. Multiple entries are allowed and encouraged, but each one must be sent in a separate email. Although not strictly necessary, I'd appreciate it if you'd make the subject line of your submission something like "Grognard's Challenge #5" as that'll make it easier to keep the emails straight in my inbox.

Any questions about the contest can be asked either in the comments below or by sending me an email at the address to the right.

Grognard's Challenge #3: Six of One, Half Dozen of Another

I received a lot of excellent submissions for Challenge #3, but one stood out as a clear winner: Michael Curtis's "Six of One, Half Dozen of Another."

A narrow alcove has been carved into the stone here. Standing in this niche is the life-sized statue of a woman, carved from unblemished white stone. The woman is of indeterminate age and dressed only in a loose-fitting sarong that leaves one leg and her bare feet uncovered. Her hair is coiled in dreadlocks, hanging just past her alabaster shoulders. Her eyes are obscured by a thin blindfold and her mouth and chin are set in a resolute manner. Six shapely arms extend from her sides, palms up-turned and cupped as if waiting to receive something.

The statue is carved from fine marble and stands 8' tall including the base and weighs 500 lbs. It depicts a female aspect of the Luck God, which may or may not be recognizable to a cleric encountering it. The statue is imbued with the nature of the goddess, and while it does not radiate magic, any cleric or paladin who approaches the statue will feel a warmth emanating from it that is likely of divine origin.

The statue can bestow weal or woe upon any object that is placed in one of the statue's six hands. The exact form of this luck is random, determined by the whim of the Luck God. When the statue is encountered, roll a d6. On a roll of 1-3, the right three hands bestow luck on an object placed in them. On a 4-6, it is the left which are lucky. Any weapon placed in a lucky hand temporarily becomes a +1 weapon for 24 hours. Any other object placed in a lucky hand becomes a form of a luckstone, providing a +1/+5% bonus to any saving throw, proficiency or ability check, and thieves' skills for 24 hrs. After such time, the object returns to normal.

On the other hand(s), any object placed in an unlucky hand becomes cursed for 24 hours. Weapons act as if they were -1 cursed weapons (including not being able to be discarded or allowing use of another weapon) and any other object is treated as a loadstone (movement reduced to half, attacks per round reduced by 1).

The enchantment is of a divine nature, but does not radiate magic. Weapons that bear a luck boon are considered magical for attempts to hit or damage creatures only affected by magic. Both boons and banes vanish after 24 hours, but the enchantment can be removed prematurely by either a dispel evil/good as appropriate. A remove curse will also negate the effects. A boon or bane is only applied to one item per week. After that, the statue still radiates divine warmth, but grants no further effects.

I liked this entry for a number of reasons. Firstly, it reminded me of the kind of thing I might read about in the reminiscences of players from the original Greyhawk campaign. There are lots of examples of peculiar statues that do random or semi-random things when one interacts with them, so this is in keeping with that tradition. Secondly, the attributes of the statue, as well as its game effects, have a mildly Gygaxian cadence to them: "weal or woe" just tickled my esthetic sense, but there's a slight voluptuary tone to the description of the female form of the statue that also reminded me of other parts of the Gygaxian corpus. Finally, the game effects were simple, straightforward, and equally subject to random chance and player observation. All in all, it had just enough little touches that set it above its competitors, many of which were very good indeed.

So, congratulations to Michael Curtis. He can contact me via the email address to the right and give me his street address, so I can send him his copy of Greyhawk as soon as possible.

CONTEST: Grognard's Challenge #4

With the third Grognard's Challenge now completed -- the winner will be announced shortly -- it's time to turn to Challenge #4. For this contest, the prize is the volume pictured to the left: Supplement III of Dungeons & Dragons (1974), Eldritch Wizardry

The fourth Grognard's Challenge is somewhat more specific than previous ones: create, describe, and provide game stats (if necessary) for a single new demonic monster (including demon lords), artifact/relic, or psionic item. Unlike Challenge #1, there is no word limit on this challenge, so feel free to make it as long as you feel necessary. Game stats should be for either OD&D or AD&D (or compatible retro-clones/simulacra).

Entries will be judged on the basis of creativity, brevity (there may be no word limit, but concision is rewarded), and old school feel, the last of which is an entirely subjective metric based solely on my own peculiar preferences, most of which regular readers of the blog should know by now. The whole point of this and subsequent contests is to foster an appreciation for old school traditions and philosophies, so bear that in mind. Think pulp fantasy and the early days of the hobby and you'll be on the right track. No one is barred from entering, including friends and colleagues. I will post the winning entry here and explain why I selected it over its competitors, meaning that even were my wife to submit an entry -- not that she will -- it still has to withstand my rather exacting standards. Winners receive a copy of Eldritch Wizardry (in nearly mint condition) and retain ownership of their creation, which they may then do with as they please (I recommend submitting it to Fight On! or another old school product).

The contest begins immediately and ends at midnight (EST) on September 8, 2008. Submissions may be sent to my email address indicated on the right hand side of this blog. Multiple entries are allowed and encouraged, but each one must be sent in a separate email. Although not strictly necessary, I'd appreciate it if you'd make the subject line of your submission something like "Grognard's Challenge #4" as that'll make it easier to keep the emails straight in my inbox.

Any questions about the contest can be asked either in the comments below or by sending me an email at the address to the right.

Grognard's Challenge #2: The Lightning Field

I received far fewer entries for Grognard's Challenge #2 than I did for #1, owing, I think, to the much greater difficulty of coming up with clever tricks or traps to befuddle players, which is why I extended the deadline and expanded the scope of the contest. Nevertheless, I did receive many excellent entries and I thank everyone who made a submission.

Having examined them carefully, though, there was one that stood out in my mind as a clear favorite and that was Ed Moretti's "The Lightning Field." Not only did his entry include a very nice map -- with hexes! -- but the core concept of his trick/trap is one that speaks to many different aspects of my own gaming philosophy. In essence, it's a giant gamble, because there's a healthy dose of randomness involved. There's a chance a character could easily cross the lightning field without every running afoul of its dangers -- but it's only a chance. In addition, the randomness isn't "pure," since the presence of characters wearing metal armor introduces another degree of variability that is also unpredictable.

The Lightning Field reminded me of tricks/traps I used when I was a younger man. For a long time, I had an obsession with giant chessboards and other similar kinds of puzzles involving plotting a course across deadly terrain that followed certain not easily discernible patterns. I think the Lightning Field is unique too because, while it could be transported to a dungeon environment with ease -- bonus points for flexibility -- it is "native" to the wilderness. I'm of the opinion that old school gaming tends to be overly dungeon-focused to its detriment and I appreciate seeing submissions like this, because they're a good reminder that there's a whole world out there in which to adventure in an old school fashion.

So, without further ado, here's the Lightning Field. Congratulations to Ed. I'll be sending him a copy of The Underworld & Wilderness Adventures shortly as his prize.

Description: The Valley of Storms is as shrouded in mystery as it is shrouded in the veil of perpetual storm that gives it its name, for no one has gone into the valley and returned in living memory.  The knowledge of who or what dwells within is beyond the reach of even legend; all that one can be sure of is that some sinister intelligence guards the valley against the curious and the venturesome.

The entrance to the valley is a narrow ravine, 20 yards wide, with sheer walls and floor of polished, smooth, hard, black stone slick from the constant rain.  The ground between these walls is dotted by long metal poles embedded in the black stone floor every three feet for a distance of 100 yards. The purpose of these poles is given much speculation by those who view the valley for the first time. Impalement? Astronomical observatory of some kind? A new spectator does not have long to wait, however, to learn the awful truth of what these poles mean in a land whose atmosphere is a seething boil of constant storm. Each round, a bolt of lightning erupts from the clouds, attracted randomly to one of these metal poles, with lethal results to anyone in the vicinity.

Rules: The pole that the lightning strikes can be determined by obtaining a 1d20 roll representing the X axis and a 1d100 roll representing the Y axis (see Figure 1.0 below). A lightning strike will do 6d8 points of damage to anyone in the hex determined by the roll with the amount of damage decreasing by d8 for each hex a character is standing away from the hex struck (save for half damage).

If the roll determines that lightning will strike within 6 hexes of any character wearing metal armor, there is a 60% chance (-10% per hex distant from the hex rolled) that the lightning will strike that character instead for a full 6d8 points of damage (no save). If more than one character wearing metal armor is in range, roll the percentage for each character. The lightning will strike the character who rolled under the percentage chance with the highest number displayed on the dice. For example, Character 1 in plate mail is 2 hexes away from the hex rolled and thus has a 40% chance of being struck and rolls a 15; character 2 in scale mail is 4 hexes away with a 20% chance of being struck and rolls a 19; and character 3 in chain mail is 1 hex away with a 50% chance and rolls a 70; character 2 will be struck by the lighting. The slick wet stone is slippery so that any character crossing it will be limited to their base movement rate when traversing the field.

I plan on sticking with two week spans for each contest from now on, meaning that Challenge #3 still has another week to go before I announce a winner. Good luck to everyone and many thanks to those who have submitted to the first two challenges.

Grognard's Challenge Update

A couple of quick announcements:

1. Grognard's Challenge #2 now has some excellent entries, thanks to my extending the contest another week. There's still a few more days left, so, if you're thinking about submitting something, you can still do so!

2. Consequently, I'm going to extend the deadline of Grognard's Challenge #3 to midnight (EST) August 24, 2008. I've gotten a couple of entries so far, but I'd love to see more.

Grognard's Challenge #2 Update

Today I should be announcing the winner of the second Grognard's Challenge, but the simple fact is that I received so few entries that I don't feel I've got an adequate number to be able to call any one of them a clear winner. The entries I have received so far are all good ones. However, they number precisely three, whereas Grognard's Challenge #1 resulted in over 50 entries.

Part of that is likely because of the narrower scope of the second contest. Part of it is also, I suspect, because the creation of original tricks and traps in an old school style is difficult to do well. Indeed, I would probably argue -- and I may write an entry on this topic some day soon -- that tricks and traps are one of the greatest casualties of the shift from the old school to the new. Tricks and traps challenge the player as much as they challenge the character, which is why they've been reduced over the years to a series of purely game mechanical obstacles that can be overcome with the right in-game skills and a series of dice rolls.

That aside, I am now formally extending the deadline of Grognard's Challenge #2 to midnight (EST) August 17, 2008, as well as broadening the scope. The broadened challenge is to create, describe, and provide game stats (if necessary) for either a single new trick or trap or a locale for use with a wilderness or dungeon scenario. To clarify: this means you can describe a single room, cavern, or terrain feature that may or may not be inhabited but must have something unique and interesting about it. All the other normal rules for Challenge #2 still apply and I will still judge more favorably those entries that attempt to provide a challenge for players as well as their characters.

Again, this is not a reflection on the quality of three entries I received for Challenge #2, as I could easily have chosen one as the winner. However, part of the purpose of these challenges is to get people thinking about what old school gaming is about and into that spirit themselves, if only for a little while. I haven't yet achieved that with this challenge and would like to give people another week to try and do so.

CONTEST: Grognard's Challenge #3

With the first Grognard's Challenge now completed and news about the second about to be announced, it's time to turn to Challenge #3. For this contest, the prize is the volume pictured to the left: Supplement I to OD&D, Greyhawk.

The third Grognard's Challenge is as much about style as it is about content: create, describe, and provide game stats (if necessary) for a single character, monster, magic item, spell, or location that has a distinct "Gygaxian" feel. There is no word limit on this challenge, as nothing that could truly be called "Gygaxian" is spare with words. Game stats should be for either OD&D or AD&D (or compatible retro-clones/simulacra).

Entries will be judged on the basis of creativity, brevity (there may be no word limit, but concision is rewarded), and old school feel, the last of which is an entirely subjective metric based solely on my own peculiar preferences, most of which regular readers of the blog should know by now. Likewise, this particular challenge will be judged strongly on how closely entries imitate the style and spirit of the late Gary Gygax. The whole point of this and subsequent contests is to foster an appreciation for old school traditions and philosophies, so bear that in mind. Think pulp fantasy and the early days of the hobby and you'll be on the right track. No one is barred from entering, including friends and colleagues. I will post the winning entry here and explain why I selected it over its competitors, meaning that even were my wife to submit an entry -- not that she will -- it still has to withstand my rather exacting standards. Winners receive a copy of Supplement I: Greyhawk (12th printing, in nearly mint condition) and retain ownership of their creation, which they may then do with as they please (I recommend submitting it to Fight On! or another old school product).

The contest begins immediately and ends at midnight (EST) on August 17, 2008. Submissions may be sent to my email address indicated on the right hand side of this blog. Multiple entries are allowed and encouraged, but each one must be sent in a separate email. Although not strictly necessary, I'd appreciate it if you'd make the subject line of your submission something like "Grognard's Challenge #3" as that'll make it easier to keep the emails straight in my inbox.

Any questions about the contest can be asked either in the comments below or by sending me an email at the address to the right.

Grognard's Challenge #1: Devil's Eye

Given how tightly-knit the old school community is, I think it was inevitable that the winner of Grognard's Challenge #1 would be someone I knew, either professionally or socially. However, I am nothing if not a man of my word and I said, firstly, that the contest was open to anyone, regardless of their connection to me, and, secondly, that I would judge all contestants by the same standards. I also said that I would explain my reasons for selecting the winner, both as an aid to contestants in future challenges and to talk a bit about old school gaming philosophy as I see it.

I was amazed at how many entries I received for the first challenge and I hope the second one generates as much interest. Almost all of the entries were written for OD&D (or Swords & Wizardry), which I think says a lot about the general readership of this blog. Likewise, most of the entries were for monsters rather than treasures, which I also think is significant. The quality of the entries was very high and it was tough to choose a single winner, particularly since the one that finally won me over was written by Kevin Brennan, an old and dear friend of mine (and best man at my wedding, in the interests of full disclosure). I was in fact probably harsher in judging his submission than I was on most, simply because I wanted to be sure I was fair in my final assessment. Of course, as old schoolers know well, this is the job of a good referee and it's one I took seriously.

Consequently, I have no qualms about saying the magic item he submitted, the devil's eye, was my favorite, for reasons I'll explain. First, here's the item in question:

This monocle reveals fell intent and impure motives, but it is also intended to sow discord and eventually violence among those who rely too much on it. The wearer can tell when any person he sees is lying to him. However, there is a 1% chance that the monocle will cause the wearer to believe that a person is lying when they are in fact telling the truth. This chance increases by 1% each time the monocle is used. If this chance increases over 25%, the effect will persist whether or not the monocle is in use.

There are several reasons why I liked this submission, but chief among them was that it's a useful cursed magic item. The devil's eye struck me as quintessentially pulp fantasy in its inspirations, which I love. It's the kind of item that reminds you that magic isn't something to be trifled with and that every boon it grants might come with a price. More to the point, there's an actual temptation to use this item, because the boon it offers is a good and useful one. It's a screw job that players will seriously consider using rather than just a game mechanic designed to emulate a screw job (like cursed swords). The devil's eye also includes an escalating random element to it, which I love. Randomness is key to old school feel, as is a "gambling" mentality. Being able to play the odds is an important part of player skill and it tickles me to consider how even a player who knows the curse of the item would try and use it in the belief that, because he has only used it a few times previously, the odds favor its working properly this time. Finally, this is an item whose mechanics are simple, require no special rules, and -- most importantly -- generate fun situations. The devil's eye is the kind of magic item that doesn't just sit there and do what it does on your command; sometimes it does what it wants to do and from such things are good adventures made.

Congratulations to Kevin. He's got his copy of Monsters & Treasure and I hope he enjoys it. I also hope that I get as many super entries for Challenge #2 as I got for this one. There are lots of great old school ideas out there, it seems, and I want to see more of them!

CONTEST: Grognard's Challenge #2

With the first Grognard's Challenge now completed -- the winner will be announced shortly -- it's time to turn to Challenge #2. For this contest, the prize is volume pictured to the left: Volume 3 of Dungeons & Dragons (1974), The Underworld & Wilderness Adventures.

The second Grognard's Challenge is fairly straightforward: create, describe, and provide game stats (if necessary) for a single new trick or trap for use in a dungeon or wilderness scenario. Unlike Challenge #1, there is no word limit on this challenge, so feel free to make it as long as you feel necessary. Game stats should be for either OD&D or AD&D (or compatible retro-clones/simulacra).

Entries will be judged on the basis of creativity, brevity (there may be no word limit, but concision is rewarded), and old school feel, the last of which is an entirely subjective metric based solely on my own peculiar preferences, most of which regular readers of the blog should know by now. The whole point of this and subsequent contests is to foster an appreciation for old school traditions and philosophies, so bear that in mind. Think pulp fantasy and the early days of the hobby and you'll be on the right track. No one is barred from entering, including friends and colleagues. I will post the winning entry here and explain why I selected it over its competitors, meaning that even were my wife to submit an entry -- not that she will -- it still has to withstand my rather exacting standards. Winners receive a copy of The Underworld & Wilderness Adventures (in nearly mint condition) and retain ownership of their creation, which they may then do with as they please (I recommend submitting it to Fight On! or another old school product).

The contest begins immediately and ends at midnight (EST) on August 10, 2008. Submissions may be sent to my email address indicated on the right hand side of this blog. Multiple entries are allowed and encouraged, but each one must be sent in a separate email. Although not strictly necessary, I'd appreciate it if you'd make the subject line of your submission something like "Grognard's Challenge #2" as that'll make it easier to keep the emails straight in my inbox.

Any questions about the contest can be asked either in the comments below or by sending me an email at the address to the right.

Contest: Grognard's Challenge #1

I announced earlier that I'd be giving away a few extra copies of OD&D volumes and supplements I'd recently acquired as the prizes in contests I'd run through this blog. Today I'm announcing the first in a series of five contests, the prize for which is the attractive volume pictured to the left: Volume 2 of Dungeons & Dragons (1974), Monsters & Treasure.

The first Grognard's Challenge is a simple but fitting one: create, describe, and provide game stats for either a single new monster or a single new magic item in 100 words or less. Game stats should be for either OD&D or AD&D (or compatible retro-clones/simulacra).

Entries will be judged on the basis of creativity, brevity (shorter better), and old school feel, the last of which is an entirely subjective metric based solely on my own peculiar preferences, most of which regular readers of the blog should know by now. The whole point of this and subsequent contests is to foster an appreciation for old school traditions and philosophies, so bear that in mind. Think pulp fantasy and the early days of the hobby and you'll be on the right track. No one is barred from entering, including friends and colleagues. I will post the winning entry here and explain why I selected it over its competitors, meaning that even were my wife to submit an entry -- not that she will -- it still has to withstand my rather exacting standards. Winners receive a copy of isMonsters & Treasure (in nearly mint condition) and retain ownership of their creation, which they may then do with as they please (I recommend submitting it to Fight On! or another old school product).

The contest begins immediately and ends at midnight (EST) on August 2, 2008. Submissions may be sent to my email address indicated on the right hand side of this blog. Multiple entries are allowed and encouraged, but each one must be sent in a separate email. Although not strictly necessary, I'd appreciate it if you'd make the subject line of your submission something like "Grognard's Challenge #1" as that'll make it easier to keep the emails straight in my inbox.

Any questions about the contest can be asked either in the comments below or by sending me an email at the address to the right.

Good luck!