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Tuesday Magic Item – Kettle Hat

14 April, 2026

Multipurpose headwear.Gollaon and Voddick watched as the Visse took off his hat, rapped it against their fist, it expanded in size and the rim became handles. The Visse poured water into it and hung it over the fire, where they added root vegetables and a portioned squirrel.

“I hope you like stew,” they said.

Gollaon handed over some salt while Voddick produced some wild mushrooms. 

“Much obliged,” said the Visse, stirring the new additions in.

“Handy hat,” commented Voddick.

“Isn’t it just?” said the Visse with a smile. “It has been passed down through generations of my family.”

Kettle Hat

These reinforced cloth hats serve as stylish protection during the march and then become kettles for cooking at the end of the day. Changing it back into a hat both cleans and cools the hat, so it can be immediately worn.

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Ellikae Sugarfoot’s Diary 10 “Commerce, Crawfish, and Carousing” – A D&D Campaign Report

8 April, 2026

Like this but much, much biggerContinuing the diary of Ellikae “Kae” Sugarfoot, soon to be a famous hero and musician (she hopes), with annotations by her younger twin sister, Pippiana (known as Pippa).  [This will serve as my repository for campaign notes and observations and will be, of necessity, incomplete as it is restricted to what the characters know.  I may add clarifying information as needed and feel free to ask questions.]

—–

[This session was mostly bookkeeping and organization for the future]

There was a lot to clean up after that last big battle. We did some quick gathering of portable resources and retreated back to Homlet to lick our wounds and acquire some heavy carts and broad backs to help us clean out the remainder of the -mostly- emptied of danger moat house.

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Tuesday Magic Item – Man-to-Mouse Poison

7 April, 2026

Are you a mouse or a . . .Gollaon and Voddick checked the wounds on their allies and looked to each other. “Clean those thoroughly with vinegar and boiled water<” said Voddick.

“And try not to get hit again in the near future,” said Gollaon with a smile.

Once they were on their own, the pair looked to each other. “Where did those attackers get such poison?” said Voddick.

“They may not even know what it does,” said Gollaon.

“I think it would be detrimental to morale to let them know what it might do.”

“Sadly, I agree with you,” said Voddick with a sad shake of his head.

Man-to-Mouse Poison

Wondrous item (?), uncommon

Wondrous item (poison), rare

This poison is a thick so as to be able to coat a blade and slowly changes color from black to brown to grey and back again.

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Dark Future Ahead 50 – News from the ‘Net of a Cyberpunk bent

6 April, 2026

To shot drones with
As this is the 50th Dark Future Ahead, it makes me reflect on the cyberpunk genre and my engagement with it. To no one’s likely surprise, I came to cyberpunk fiction via gaming. Way back in 1988, the GURPS Roleplayer zine (specifically issue 9) had an article about adapting cyberpunk themes to GURPS along with a bibliography. So, I started reading the books and was hooked. When Cyberpunk (the RPG) and Shadowrun came out, I picked both of them up. Initially, I just played occasional one-off games of Cyberpunk, not coming to Shadowrun until late in the lifecycle of the first edition, but our group loved it, so it became a staple game and a continuing campaign.

I remain a fan of the genre even as it has evolved, changed, and mutated. I still CH and play Shadowrun and occasionally other cyberpunk-adjacent games. The Dark Future Ahead articles and a way to keep informed as to what is happening that can inspire (and occasionally terrify) with visions of future tech and culture.

This episode has no drones! I know, shocking, yes? But it does have some counter-drone tech. Also, lots on shipping and power systems for ships both cruise and transport. Enjoy! Read the rest of this entry »

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March/April Shadowrun Campaign News and a new Seattle Scream (#116)

3 April, 2026

Looking out to the PacificLooks like I missed doing this last month, probably because I was off at a trade show for the first week of March. February and March were fairly productive for Shadowrun games, with the standard live games at the start of the months, one online game, and then I got to play in two online games! One with a new character and one with an older character,

Later this week (on the fourth of April) is our monthly learn-to-play game at Tyche’s Games!  We usually play most every first Saturday and if you are in the area come and join in! New players are very welcome. If you come for a few games, you can join in on the campaign play too.

We have the April issue of the Seattle Scream (#116) with the latest news and events. [The Seattle Scream in unavailable due to technical difficulties. I will have it up shortly.]

I updated Sparrow, part of the supporting cast in my campaign, to bring her up to the current time and as WordPress has destroyed the formatting on her original post.

Image from PublicDomainPictures.net and is in the Public Domain.

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No Fooling, it is April as we leave March

31 March, 2026

Flowers and beautyAs long-time readers know, April is named after the Roman month Aprilis.  However, it is hazy where the Roman name came from.  One theory is that it refers to the opening (aperire) of buds and flowers as Spring arrives or, possibly, in some unclear way to the goddess Venus, for whom April is a sacred month, or perhaps something else entirely.  It remains a historical mystery and one unlikely to be resolved.

April begins with its usual day of foolishness with sleight of hand (and word). clever tricks and (hopefully) artful misdirections.  Such things are not my forte, so just expect a usual day from me.

Unfortunately, I am skipping the Blogging from A to Z Challenge this year. It has just been a weird year and I fear I lack the mental bandwidth which makes me a bit sad. Therefore, I lack a central theme for this so if there is anything or anyone you would like to see, let me know, and I will try to fit it in.

March 2026, was a little thin due to a variety of reasons, but saw the following posts here: Read the rest of this entry »

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Tuesday Magic Item – Foolproof Glasses

31 March, 2026

Seeing the truth?Gollaon and Voddick watched the entertainment, enjoying the illusions and sleight of hand.

“I am always impressed that skillful use of manipulation can look like magic,” said Voddick.

“I agree, it is quite wonderful.”

“The judge does not seem to be enjoying it though,”  Voddick nodded to the person he was referring too.

“Some people forget that illusions can just be entertainment.”

Foolproof Glasses

These items are finely made eyeglasses. While they do not make the wearer proof against fools, they do make it much harder to trick the wearer either through magical or skillful means. Supposedly first made for a judge who was tricked by an illusory piece of evidence.

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Tuesday Magic Item – Messenger’s Shoes

24 March, 2026

Symbol of the Messengers of HollistGollaon and Voddick watched the messengers heading hither and yon. “Well, they are very hardworking,” said Voddick.

“But to what end?” inquired Gollaon. “Endless bureaucratic makework?”

“Perhaps,” said Voddick. “But we just need to find the right office so we can convert these promises of pay into actual money.”

“Hopefully, we will not have to run around as much as these people,” Gollaon said, swerving to avoid yet another messenger.

Messenger’s Shoes

These items of magic footwear come in a variety of types depending on the place they were made and for whom. Some are sandals, others boots, some are for riding, but most are for walking (or running). They may be distinctive, a unique design or particular color, or practical, depending on the needs and desires of those they were made for.

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Ellikae Sugarfoot’s Diary 9 “The one that got away” – A D&D Campaign Report

18 March, 2026

The brigands, surprisingly disciplinedContinuing the diary of Ellikae “Kae” Sugarfoot, soon to be a famous hero and musician (she hopes), with annotations by her younger twin sister, Pippiana (known as Pippa).  [This will serve as my repository for campaign notes and observations and will be, of necessity, incomplete as it is restricted to what the characters know.  I may add clarifying information as needed and feel free to ask questions.]

—–

[Picking up direct from last game with panting gnolls and captured bugbears.] Pippa encouraged Hellor to rally the gnolls and lead them on an offensive against the bandits. Unfortunately, his rousing speech does not inspire them as much as we had hoped.

Probably the difficulty of inspiring anyone with the goblic language.

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Tuesday Magic Item – Staff of Venomous Serpent Dispatching

17 March, 2026

It will have to do.The man carried on with his story about how the venom of the snake not only poisoned bodies but spirits as well, twisting those exposed to the toxins in ways both visible and invisible.

Gollaon and Voddick watched and listened.

He gives an outlandish theory credibility by his commitment,” said Voddick.

“Hopefully, it will not lead his followers into trouble,” said Gollaon. “While I suspect he has protection from the venom of snakes, I fear those who follow him will not.”

Staff of Venomous Serpent Dispatching

The origin of this staff, or perhaps staves, is unknown, but probably it was made by a religious sect involved in a conflict with another religious sect. It is a fine staff intricately carved with natural enemies of snakes, such as hawks and mongooses.

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