It's Dave's World

A place for my interests, hobbies and periodic artistic flurishes to intermingle...

[itsdavesworld]

Here’s my review of a classic 80′s-era D&D artifact: the Dungeons & Dragons Computer Labyrinth Game.

[itsdavesworld]

A legend reborn! I'm hoping to segue my players into this beast after we're done with Lost Mine of Phandelver.

[itsdavesworld]

Seeing a new Acquisitions Incorporated live D&D game post to the innerwebz is always a welcome sight!

[samdraws]

Party commission for @yourlocaleggs, featuring the second-greatest adventuring party on the plane! From left to right: Charmaine, Naiya, Hydrocat, Hops, Magnor, Peanut, and Braemar.

Contact me if you’re interested in getting your own group portrait!

@catatoms @dee-enn-dee

[dee-enn-dee]

It’s us! We’re cuter than normal :)

[itsdavesworld]

Braemar (far right) tries to puzzle out how he got involved with all of these oddballs!

An awesome illustration by the uber-talented Sam Hall!

[itsdavesworld]

Given that 60 Minutes was the gold standard for television journalism back then, this incredibly-alarmist, myopic and one-sided report gave a lot of legitimacy to the growing wave of “Satanic Panic” sweeping across the nation back in 1985.

Looking back on it now, it’s hard to think of Dungeons & Dragons as psychological nitroglycerine but because of alarmist, poorly-researched bullshit like this I was grilled incessantly by my parents who thought the game might be a bad influence.

Thankfully, as time has proved, the polar opposite is true.

[dee-enn-dee]

[itsdavesworld]

Since his introduction way back in the fall of 2014, my very first fifth edition character, Braemar “Bugslayer” Barrellhouse,has since gone on to some pretty legendary exploits in the ranks of our workplace D&D group.

You can follow his misadventures and that of his compatriots right hur.  

P.S. this delightful sketch of Braemar comes courtesy of the equally-delightful Kat Adams.

[itsdavesworld]

A year and a half in the making! Here's my review of the Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition Players Handbook. 

[itsdavesworld]

This is one of my all-time favorite D&D documentaries. Even though I can’t relate to the over-the-top role-playing style of the participants, the doc does a fine job capturing the creative, inspirational, and sometimes eerie, qualities of the game. 

[itsdavesworld]

Cool l’il mini doc about one of my favorite-est games of all time. Born from Satanic panic and experiencing a well-deserved modern Renaissance, D&D’s ability to spark imaginative development, problem solving, leadership, and social skills is even more relevant now.

[itsdavesworld]

Recap of my last D&D session:

So, while two of my PC’s went off on a side-quest, four more of them decided to respond to a “Help Wanted” sign posted all over town.

Pretty soon they found themselves locked up and fighting for their lives in an earwig-infested basement! During the chaos, Rincewind the mage (R.I.P. Terry Pratchett) attempted a kamikake-style dive attack from the top of the steps.

Needless to say he rolled a “1″, landed awkwardly in a woodpile and sprained the bejesus out of his ankle. Whoopsie! 

Eventually our heroes managed to rally, secure the room and locate the source of the infestation: a large crack in the stone foundation of the bakery.

Which begs the question: “What lies beyond?”    

[itsdavesworld]

Here it is: the very first blog post I ever wrote about Dungeons & Dragons. 

Fair warning: it’s little more than an intense nerd apologist screed. A passionate, well-intentioned intense nerd apologist screed, but a screed nonetheless.  

[itsdavesworld]

Man, seventies-era D&D ads were seriously weird. But in a good way.

This was released way before the Mentzer Red Box era started marketing the game primarily to kids. Back then D&D players were typically university students and war-gaming adults.

[itsdavesworld]

Introduced in Volume One of my book and soon to be a major character in the sequel, the lich-king Noctournis was a recurring villain that plagued my PC's in various forms throughout the years.  

Yes, he might be "Violent", "Cruel", "Sadistic" and "Fanatical" but he was also a pretty snappy dresser who loved kittens.

[itsdavesworld]

Gargoyle encounter! Only the party's tank had a magical weapon but mercifully the cleric enchanted another one and eventually yon beast was felled!

[itsdavesworld]

One of my favorite olde skool D&D images from one of my favorite artists: David A. Trampier A.K.A. DAT.  His heavily-detailed, darkly-weird art style literally defined the mystique of the game for me. Sadly he passed away on March 24, 2014.

The story of his departure from the spotlight is a pretty brutal commentary about how we use up and then discard our iconic artists. It's a serious societal failing that we really need to address. 

http://www.tor.com/blogs/2014/03/david-a-trampier-obituary

[itsdavesworld]

I knew I was feeling wistful for a reason today. :(

* Raises a glass of mead in tribute *

Ernest Gary Gygax (July 27, 1938 – March 4, 2008)

[oldschoolfrp]

Take care of your equipment and it will take care of you.  (Jeff Easley from the Mentzer red box basic D&D Players Manual, TSR, 1983.)

[itsdavesworld]

Sage advice...