[Guest Post by my friend and game buddy, Steven Clark]

I've spent the past two weeks exploring an old PLATO mainframe that is publicly run, called "cyber1". Not sure if any of you are familiar with these, but these system were created in 1960, and widespread through Universities throughout the 70's. They finally went away sometime in the late 80's.

Why you might be interested in getting a log-in and trying out this system is that some of the earliest D&D games were written for them starting in 1974, up until about 1984. The graphical simplicity hides some pretty complex and deep simulations going on as well; and the way these games approach their subjects is novel in many of the same ways as OD&D is novel compared modern RPG's; the most successful elements have been rehashed and reimagined to death in modern games, but there is some true creativity in this old stuff.

I made a video on PLATO Terminal to pique interest.

The mainframe functions much as a BBS would; the "notes" lesson (program) is used as a bulletin board. It can be access through the internet via a PLATO terminal emulator.

http://www.cyber1.org

Steven Clark

OwlCon Feb 22-24, 2019

Almost every year I drive over to  Rice University in Houston for one of my favorite local area game conventions, Owl Con.  Reasonably priced, easy going, not crowded, but big enough to have interesting stuff.  Very well run by the University's RPG club, after doing it for more than three decades, they got their shit figured out. The campus is nice, plenty of inexpensive parking. Depending on your events, it can be a bit of walking back and forth. 

RPGs old, new and everything in between. Boardgames. A few miniatures. Several companies demoing new games.  Lots of open gaming. I don't remember any huge CCG events/tournaments but I'm sure there is some people doing that.

http://owlcon.com/files/current_flyer.pdf


Games I'm playing in ...

Dragon of Whistmire Swamp

Dungeons & Dragons White Box

Deep in the land of Greyhawk, evil stirs in Whistmire Swamp. Rumors of cults whisper through nearby taverns while villagers go missing. Merchants who challenge roads through the swamp speak of strange magics. And many swear by sightings of dragons in the night sky. Who will delve into the swamp's ire, who will brave the dragons' breath?

Reflections in the Dark Mirror

Dungeons & Dragons Cyclopedia

Something is VERY wrong in Grenton - and only your group can see the change! The townsfolk are acting completely wrong, guards are everywhere, slavery has taken root, war with nearby Hillendale is imminent, and even the gods are not what they were yesterday. You must navigate the almost-familiar city, discover the dark power that has twisted Grenton, and find a way to counter it, before it's too late! A low-level D&D adventure - all you need are dice and your imagination.

The House of Secrets

RuneQuest Fantasy Earth: 1001 Nights

Fleeing for their lives, the characters climb into the mountains to evade their pursuers. There they find a villa, a surprising bit of civilization in the wild mountains. It offers safety, but it is also cloaked in mystery. They might rest there, but can they ever leave?

the dog can't wait to go!

Epic Game of Thrones Board Game Customization

I have a friend. This friend has imagination, a hot glue gun, and way more free time than I do. He spends some of that free time modifying board games. Both by adding extra rules, cards, pieces, etc. And by making 3-D game boards. His latest "large" project has been "A Game of Thrones". The board is huge 7+feet, see last photo of game board folded in half next to creator. My friend says it's 90% complete, only needs some labels and pouring the water stuff modelers use (acrylic?) for the oceans.

I don't know game, and haven't even watched the series (or read books). So, mostly let pictures do the talking.

Length of board looking south.

Ice wall, with snow zombies behind it. The Black Watch?

Scoreboard, playing decks, council table, and throne room

Flash washing out castles and viallages detail

The "rolling game box" and creator Yoseph B.

Maybe it was more impressive in person, but at least for me... Mind Blown!

Short RPG Descriptions

Everything needs to be short. I don't have time for long, I don't have patience, attention span, or memory for long.

Short is excellent.

This collection of 4-5 sentence short descriptions of many, many, many RPGs is excellent. One of Zak's several great ideas.  Linking mostly so I can find it again.

RPG Speedcyclopedia

For fun, entry for my current setting.

Gold and Glory a retro science fantasy fantasy heartbreaker based on Swords and Wizardry. Featuring too many classes, multiple magic systems, and numerous house-rules from OSR blogs and publications. Setting is as gamer ADD as the rules; Sword and Sorcery, and Planet, and Sandal and Lovecraftian, and Post-apocalyptic. Players seek plunder and fame under the broken moon of a fantastic world. Where demons cower from elder, unfathomable things from out of space, beyond the horizon robot worshiping mutant orcmen wield the fire lances of the ancients. Where The Grey "Valkyrie" transport heroes to "Valhalla" in their circular, metal sky-chariots

Austin Board Game Bash

Board Game Bash is a board game convention right here in beautiful Austin, Texas.  It's going on all weekend long from Saturday, August 13th through Sunday, August 14th at the DoubleTree Hotel University (1617 IH-35 North, Austin, TX 78702).

Tickets can be purchased in advance for $20, or at the door for $25.  Note that advance tickets also come with a few extra incentives, including aMYSTERY GRAB BAG.

AD&D 2nd Edition Trivia Game

I didn't know this existed until I put a eBay bid on it.  I won and it arrived a couple days ago.  Early present for me, yay!

Even though 2nd ed is my least played and least favorite edition of all, I'm still pretty stoked.  has some tokens, neat (if you like 2nd ed era art, I do) player cards and oh I don't know 1 box (500?) trivia cards plist into 5 levels.

3rd Level Card

Dragon and Dungeon Magazine Insert

  

More Central Texas Cons

Yikes forgot to mention these two great game conventions last time...

North Texas RPG Con

I learned about this con last year a few days after it was over, suck! Can't believe I forgot about it in my previous Texas Game Convention Post. Thanks to Troll Ate My Homework for reminding me. Registration opens Feb 1st!

North Texas RPG Convention June 3-6th Irving, TX. All old-school, all the time.


AggieCon

The longest-running student organized Sci Fi/Fantasy convention in the country, bam! AggieCon February 5-7 College Station . Pre-registration is done over with. Can still volunteer to run games (and get in free) it seems. I believe the timing and lead time I now have will prevent me from attending. Next year, there's always next year.

Upcomming Central Texas Game Conventions

Owl Con

I've preregistred for OwlCon, Feb 19-21, Rice University in some crappy town east of Austin ;) Looks to be a great con. Should have gone last year but I really don't like riding sport bikes that far (my only transpo at the time).

If you preregister they let you presignup for three games (btw OwlCon's registration/event listing pages/software rocks)

• Swords & Wizardry "Temple of Mercy" DM'd by Herbert Nowell
  

  The remains of the First World are vestiges: magics and creatures of a horrific age." And some of those magics are concentrated in the Temple of Love. Now you and your sword-wielding companions must follow a group of lost archaeologists into ruins older than the first cities. It is a realm of swords and magics far removed from modern man, and known only to you and those like you.

  This and a 2ed game were the only old-schoolish RPG events :(
  

• Burning Wheel "Dogs On The Waterfront" run by Dwight Frohaug

  There is a time to talk, there is a time to demand, and there is a time to kick in the door, shoot out the lights, and take what is yours. This scenario is a riff on the premise of the film Resevoir Dogs. It utilizes modern weapons via a drop-in replacement for Burning Wheel's combat sub-system that is inspired by the final scene in Way Of The Gun.

  I'm pretty sure I wouldn't like running Burning Wheel, might like playing it. But having both Reservoir Dogs and Way of the Gun in the description pretty much sold it. Boohyah baby!
  
  
• Savage Worlds "The Cairn of the Blood God" GM'd by Jason Kemp Austin's own Game Master extrodinare.
  

  The Cairn of the Blood God has remained hidden from the eyes of men for centuries, protecting its many secrets. Now a band of daring adventurers must brave its aberrant defenders in search of the famed ruby known as the Blood God's Eye.

  Jason is a great DM and it will be funtastic to play with him again.

Chimaera Con

I don't think Chimaera Con April 9-11 in San Antonio is my type of geekyness. Seems to be more of sci-fi/anime con with some games rather than a game con. Am I wrong?


Texicon

I ready marked my calendar for Texicon, May 21-23 in Fort Worth. 2010 is their first year. Rick Loomis from Flying Buffalo Inc. is there Guest of Honor. Too early to register for events. I might try to get it together and run an event at this one. Wouldn't be miniatures though which seem to be the bulk of Texicon listed events so far.

The Dangers of Gamerdom

Obsessiveness, Ebay, and collectible card games are a combo with some bad mojo.

Hmmmm, Zante Indian Pizza. Damn, I'm really missing San Francisco right now.

Games can draw you in and blind you to the wider world piling up around you. This is a tiny office in the historic Hobart Building situated in downtown SF which a friend (that's his 'puters and double deckered desk on the left) shared and I lived out of. Slept on the floor half under the desk I'm sitting at. I'm probably playing a computer game, maybe Evercrack.

Man, hard to believe I looked that young once.

Future of Game Tables

Ever since seeing rear projection video table I've dreamed of using them for games. I'm less excited these days having become less excited about tactical miniatures game play in RPGs. They are still geekly awesome. The more rules a game has the more I desire to computerize those rules so I can ignore them and get to playing. So, I still dream...


This one is display only, no feedback of mini position, no touch (well there is the light pen so I guess it's halfway to feedback). On the other hand it's relatively simple to put together. They get mad props for using it for their actual RPG and having fun!

I'm kind of meh on this one. I don't think the UI is very good, the single state and requiring use of activation token looks PITA. Any successful electronic table has to be at least as fast and easy as just using miniatures.

The UI here is much more. I adore radial menus, learned about them long ago from some CS paper but actually used them in ToEE, a totally freakin awesome game. Those menus would be perfect for picking 4ed powers. Interesting use of minis, I thought they would be too small for fiduciary markers. This is comes very close to my vision of ultimate electronic table for tactical minis based RPGs like 3-4ed D&D, miniatures games such as warhammer, and numerous wargames. Too bad it needs darkness to work.

But these days this is probably closer to my ultimate game table!