DMing the Return to the Tower of Zenopus at NTRPGCon

Allan Grohe's pictures of me DMing the Return to the Tower of Zenopus at North Texas on the 9th. With Jonathan Perkel Carl Heyl Chris Holmes Noah Green Keith Sloan

Stuff I was able to get signed at #ntrpgcon by former TSR folks, inorder of signing ---

Stuff I was able to get signed at #ntrpgcon by former TSR folks, in order of signing ---

Players Handbook --- my original copy (!) - signed by the Great Druid himself, Dennis Sustare, next to the Druid entry. He created the original class for OD&D.

Return to the Keep on the Borderlands signed by John Rateliff, the author, on the title page. I told him of two of my favorite additions, the Bee-Man and the Shy Tower.

D&D Expert Rulebook double-signed by Steve Marsh, near his co-editor credit, and by Erol Otus, who left his famous "EO" tag by his art on the cover.

World of Greyhawk Glossography signed by Darlene on the title page. I picked this because part of her beautiful map is shown on the cover, but she relayed that she had also done the graphic design and layout. She stared at it for a few seconds, remembering her work. I also bought a signed copy of her 1982 game The Battle for the Mid-Realm.

Hope to take pics of these when I get some more time!

Back home after a game-filled #ntrpgcon.

Back home after a game-filled #ntrpgcon. I shared many games here as I played them, but didn't have time for my last event --- Saturday night's Return to the Tower of Zenopus. A big thank you to my players for a fantastic game! Going around the table from my left we had an enthusiatic Henry Grohe (Sunna), Allan Grohe (Maximillian the Centaur), Jonathan Perkel (Boinger), Carl Heyl (Bardan the Dwarf), Courtney Heyl (Hortensa the Amazon), Chris Holmes (Olaf & Haldor), Jimm Johnson (Sir Geoffrey), Keith Sloan (Murray the M-U) and Noah Green (Zereth). #brazenheadofzenopus

Chris Holmes Running D&D in Pellucidar.

Now at #ntrpgcon --- Chris Holmes is running D&D in Pellucidar. We are playing the characters from Mahars of Pellucidar. I'm Zed the Mahar who has befriended the humans. Miniatues sculpted by Chris.

Now at #ntrpgcon --- playing a B/X adventure run by Steve Marsh,co-editor of the original Expert rulebook.

Now at #ntrpgcon --- playing a B/X adventure run by Steve Marsh, co-editor of the original Expert rulebook. The scenario is "99 Barrels of Beer..." We've been hired to safely transport a shipment of beer.

Update: The photo linked below in the comments is no longer at that location since G+ shut down, so I've added the photo above.

Now at #ntrpgcon --- Bunnies & Burrows with the original author, Dennis Sustare, who also created the Druid class...

Now at #ntrpgcon --- Bunnies & Burrows with the original author, Dennis Sustare, who also created the Druid class for OD&D. He has a new version of B&B to be kick-started in the fall.

Happening right now at #ntrpgcon --- our party fighting kobolds in aHolmes game run by Carl Heyl using only 70s...

Now at #ntrpgcon --- our party fighting kobolds in a Holmes game run by Carl Heyl using only 70s resources. Dungeon walls are painted dominoes.

Part of the Black Blade booth at NT RPG Con, with Tales of Peril andthe Fantastic Exciting Imaginative zines at...

Part of the Black Blade booth at NT RPG Con, with Tales of Peril and the Fantastic Exciting Imaginative zines at the front. Allan Grohe Jon Hershberger Jon Wilson #ntrpgcon

Adding Maximillian the Centaur to the bullpen of pre-gens for the Return to the Tower of Zenopus game at #ntrpgcon

Adding Maximillian the Centaur to the bullpen of pre-gens for the Return to the Tower of Zenopus game at #ntrpgcon . Line-up so far - Boinger, Zereth, Murray, Hortensa, Geoffrey, Ambrose, Bardan, Olaf, Maximillian. I was going to have Haldor also, essentially identical to Olaf, but Ajax might be more interesting. Other possibilities I'm considering are Sunna the barmaid (perhaps as a thief?) and Serjeant Lemnos of the Amazons. #brazenheadofzenopus

The Swordof Rhiannon by Leigh Brackett

After a few false starts, this week I finished the fantastic The Sword of Rhiannon by Leigh Brackett (an Appendix N author). I highly recommend it to everyone here. It's in the Sword & Planet genre (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sword_and_planet), but is close to being straight fantasy due to a plot twist I won't reveal. It's set on a pre-Space Age conception of Mars - influenced by Burroughs, but she owns her version. Thanks to Chris Holmes for giving me a copy of the Ace Double with this story at #ntrpgcon a few years ago. This was the first Brackett I've read, but I also have a copy of her best short stories so I'll continue with that.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sword_of_Rhiannon
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sword_of_Rhiannon

I switched my #ntrpgcon game - which had no sign-ups yet - to Saturday evening at 7 PM so I could play in Chris...

I switched my #ntrpgcon game - which had no sign-ups yet - to Saturday evening at 7 PM so I could play in Chris Holmes' just scheduled D&D in Pellucidar game in the afternoon.

The link to my game is the same: https://tabletop.events/conventions/ntrpgcon-2018/schedule/393 (I now have one two sign-up(s), so two one pre-purchase, 3 general admission tix left)

Chris' game is here : https://tabletop.events/conventions/ntrpgcon-2018/schedule/401 (2 sign-ups inc myself; 2 pre-purchase tix left, 4 general admission).

(NT allows early registration for half of the seats in each game, for $5 each. The remaining seats are available in general registration on April 15th - actually April 14th right at midnight CST).

So there are three different Zenopus games scheduled for #ntrpgcon now!

So there are three different Zenopus games scheduled for #ntrpgcon now!

As announced previously, Steven Muchow is running his "Ruined Tower of Zenopus - 40 years later" on Friday evening, using the Black Hack system:
https://tabletop.events/conventions/ntrpgcon-2018/schedule/393

Bill Barsh of Pacesetter games is running three sessions of a "What Depths Zenopus" tournament for AD&D 1E, on Wed evening, Thursday afternoon and Friday morning. It sounds like this is a fleshed out version of the original dungeon. https://tabletop.events/conventions/ntrpgcon-2018/schedule/375
(Wed listing, click on game title to find other listings)

Since all of the above are Wed-Fri, and the con is short on games for Sat, I submitted my "Return to the Tower of Zenopus" Holmes+OD&D scenario for Saturday afternoon, and it's now listed:
https://tabletop.events/conventions/ntrpgcon-2018/schedule/393
#brazenheadofzenopus

Plus we have Carl Heyl (member here) running a "Discos and Dragons: Holmes Basic using 70s resources" session on Friday afternoon:
https://tabletop.events/conventions/ntrpgcon-2018/schedule/319

A good showing for the 40th anniversary year of Holmes Basic!

So now I'm signed up for #ntrpgcon in June.

So now I'm signed up for #ntrpgcon in June. Airfare purchased, room reserved. I'll be there Thur afternoon until Sunday noon or so. I know Chris Holmes Allan Grohe Jon Hershberger Steven Muchow and Nathan Jennings are signed up. Anyone else?

Tales of Peril is in print at #ntrpgcon !

Tales of Peril is in print at #ntrpgcon !

Originally shared by Allan Grohe

Tales of Peril: The Complete Boinger and Zereth Stories of John Eric Holmes has arrived! :D

Big news! #ntrpgcon

Big news! #ntrpgcon

Originally shared by Allan Grohe

I forgot to mention it earlier today---Black Blade Publishing's Tales of Peril: The Complete Boinger and Zereth Stories of John Eric Holmes went to press this morning! :D

If everything goes according to plan at the printer, it will debut at the North Texas RPG Con in three weeks!

Tales of Peril is almost here! #ntrpgcon

Tales of Peril is almost here! #ntrpgcon

Originally shared by Allan Grohe

A picture of the signatures sheet for the first edition printing of Tales of Peril: The Complete Boinger and Zereth Stories of John Eric Holmes, before we mailed the sheets off to the printer last month (which is why they're in plastic).

Chris Holmes, Zach H, and Allan Grohe signed the sheets at the 2016 North Texas RPG Con. The book is in layout now, and is Black Blade Publishing's first foray into fiction. It will premiere at the NTX RPG Con in June 2017.

More details soon!

Some notes on #ntrpgcon ---

Some notes on #ntrpgcon ---
http://zenopusarchives.blogspot.com/2016/07/ntrpg-2016-con-report.html

My introduction to #ntrpgcon --- Chris Kutalik's Eld game.

My introduction to #ntrpgcon --- Chris Kutalik's Eld game. IIRC, this was during the break. My blurry hand reaches for coffee in the lower right corner, Chris Holmes is in the center, talking to the DM. I initially played a Wereshark Thief, who perished when impaled simultaneously by 5 or 6 Eld. And then I played Zereth!

Originally shared by Jason Hobbs

Chris Kutalik​'s Hill Canton's Isle of the Elf. Billy Longino​ is mapping as Jason Sholtis​ robotronically scans everything.

The #ntrpgcon Live Streams are up for today.

The #ntrpgcon Live Streams are up for today. I believe Camera 1 is in the Centreport Room where the Holmes Panel will be on Sat.

Per Doug Rhea on Facebook:
"Streams are up. Info below.
Camera 1 URL: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/ntrpgcon - Special Events
Camera 2 URL: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/ntrpgcon2 - Special Guest Games
Camera 3 URL: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/ntrpgcon3 - Random Games
Camera 4 URL: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/ntrpgcon-camera4 - Doug’s Random Stream
Camera 5 URL: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/ntrpgcon5 - Con Overview
Please SHARE these links on your favorite forums so as many people know where to catch a glimpse of one of the most awesome Old School RPG cons out there!!!"
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/ntrpgcon

Chris K. has some fun pre-gens for the Misty Isles of Eld gametomorrow! #wereshark #ntrpgcon

Chris K. has some fun pre-gens for the Misty Isles of Eld game tomorrow! #wereshark #ntrpgcon

Originally shared by Chris Kutalik

With my con-friend Chris Holmes as a player in my North Texas RPG "Misty Isles of the Eld" game along with some other Blue Box fans, I decided to play to the audience with the pregens: the famous Zereth and Boinger, a wereshark, lawful warbear (close enough), samurai, etc.