FreeRPGDay(s)?

Rainy days and Mondays always bring me down....

It's summertime, so that means at least one day of my weekend is dedicated to going down to my Mom's and taking care of the yard, plus running number of errands that she might roll a d20 for right before I show up.  She's 77 now, and it was a hard 77 years, so I'm happy she's still moving from room-to-room, much less heading to Wal-Mart for prescriptions she could just get through the mail for free.

But this past weekend was just a drenching rain most of the day,  so I scratched yard work and called to check on the errands.  

None.  Zip. Zilch.  

As I was already moseying down that way, I diverted my trip to make some stops for #FreeRPGDay.

First stop was JAF Comics, between Bethlehem and Nazareth.  I was very happy that the gaming rooms were in full use, even if it was card games.   Even if the RPG section didn't grow, the board and card games were more robust, and they had a good selection of FreeRPG stuff.  

To balance things out, and not take everything from JAF, I drove down PA-191 into the city of Bethlehem and The Portal.  There were three separate RPG sessions running in their game room, and even an official Battletech Missions game finishing up.   I did make my only purchase there: a pair of black metal Mepacon d20s.  

Sunday, I had plans on staying local, heading over to Sword in the Stone Games, and joining a game or two.

And then my Mother called. 

Out of milk, out of toilet paper, out of all of her prescriptions, and the grass was looking a little shaggy.   I did make a stop there before I ran down there again, picking up a few random books that they had plenty of off.  Sword in the Stone had two different CCG events going on, and still had five tables of RPGs going on. 

The good news is, my Mother has food, a clean yard, and is fully medicated. 

Really, the big steals of the events seem to be the Indie RPG Anthology, printed by 9th Level Games, and the FreeRPG Day special for Dungeons & Kittens. 

(Gamma World) Not a Test #123 - Who Are You Calling a Lizard Licker?

Our heroes, the De Facto Explorers, have decided to embark on an epic quest to reach Lathar's long-lost father.  They have stopped in Fair-Town, for municipal meetings, bread-encrusted sausages, and random encounters with your first litter's breeding partner.... Squiggles has been recovered, however not only is Ubenda, his breeding partner,  dead, but her body is missing!

==============================================================

Lathar Bracken: A pure-strain human from River Bend.  He's got the muscle, the face, and a mount for most encounters.  Lathar's trusty beast of burden, No Name, travels wherever he does.   Looking for trouble in all the right places. The two-time champion of the Fair-Town Queen's Joust.  Recently married to the now-pregnant Thunnelda Haycock.   Just received a letter from his long-lost father, and has convinced the others to accompany him to the Wildlands.

Sneaky Pete: A mutated weasel scout.  Pete's telepathy and night vision take a backseat when he whips out his electrical powers.   Apparently addicted to his newly uncovered yellow powder found at "The Pool House"

Sonny Helianthus: an over 10' tall sentient sunflower artifact examiner with four arms, and trusted Restorationist ties. Knowledgeable,  but not a good one with device repairs or upgrades.   Sonny may have recently detonated an atomic device in the petrified woods... although no one else knows. 

Slitheran Wurmtail (aka Squiggles): a mutated earthworm scout, in impromptu power armor, looking for trouble in all the wrong places,  and finding it often.   He  has been subject to genetic testing and developed super-human strength, a more human body, and a thick coat of shaggy white hair.  Recently attacked and kidnapped then left for dead by an unknown group, looking for revenge 

and two new additions....

Poppy and Speedy: Two of Squiggles' offspring from his first... litter(?) They're now teenagers in worm years, old enough to grab diminutive muskets and help their Manchi and his friends on this epic quest. 

===============================================================

Squiggles wanted revenge on those who kidnapped him and murdered his friend (and mating partner), Ubenda.   He had dug his own worm burrow along the north wall of Fair-Town, used Sonny's invention "Curry in a Hurry" as a trap and waited for malfeasance and ne'er do wells to fall upon him.  

That was the plan, and Sneaky Pete was holed up in a nearby meat attic watching the hole to the burrow.  But when a shot rang out, apparently from inside the tunnel, Pete descended down the building's downspout, shot a weak mental link with Squiggles inside, and stood there dumbstruck.  

The images reaching the weasels mind were contorted, showing a blurry, darkened images and a green dragon-lizard?    The rest of the group were on the outskirts of his telepathic powers, so he sent a weak message to them, before nearing the burrow entrance.  

A smaller figure was emerging out of the entrance.  

"Uncle Pete?"

It was Speedy, one of Sqiggles' children

"Speedy, why the hell are you here? "

"I was looking for my Fair-Dragon, Mango!  He went into the burrow.  I didn't realize my Manchi had a new lair. Are we going to live here?  He seems so confused.  He's holding onto to Mango until I found help.  You're help!"

Pete sent the young worm back to the Inn, with specific orders to stay with their sibling, Posey.  He peeked his head inside calling for Squiggles.  He was taken aback seeing the large, white, furry worm, staring deep into the eyes of a small green gecko-like lizard he was holding in hands.  The worm's tongue was occasionally coming out of his mouth and licking the lizard.  The small lizard was returning the favor. 

Give Mango some sugar...

Pete stepped back out of the hole, and decided to fetch Sunny for overnight guard duty, while the weasel tried to comprehend all of it. 

Squiggle woke up the following morning with a handful of Mango.  His appendages were still a little numb, his mind clearer, his tongue swollen.   The "Curry in a Hurry" trap was still in place.  He had no clue how he came upon the lizard.  

He crawled out of the burrow, finding the majestic Sonny the Sunflower doing a poor job of keeping a low profile with his 10 feet stature.

"I guess I couldn't stay up all night... but I feel funny.  There's something weird with this new burrow."

"If you give me a sample of your dirt, I'll take a look at it."

"Sure... did my kids come by?  I'm holding one of their lizards...."

"No, Pete and I traded watching you... I could have missed them."

Squiggles got him a dirt sample and they headed back to the Wrong Celery.  The worm placed the green lizard under a glass to keep it from running away. 

"This is the second time, I've had some real bender, and lost track of time... THIS WEEK!  I need a soil latte to clear my head.  We need to get to the bottom of this. "

Two soil lattes later, the duo returned to the Triple Comfort Inn, to meet with the rest of the crew.  The rest of the group is eating breakfast, Squiggles' children, Speedy and Poppy, navigating eating the humanoid creation known as ... waffles.

Squiggles embraced his children and told them to run along.

"Go with Lathar and find those corn dogs you love..."

Pete had many questions, including leaving soon... and his admission that everyone now knows what the weasel saw Squiggles licking Mango the lizard with a deranged look on his face. 

"There's no way I was doing that."

"Do you remember anything from last night?"

"....no."

"Your kids were around, I thought you were attacked, and I found you in the burrow, kissing the green lizard."

"Wait, what was I doing?"

"It looked like you two were hitting it off..."

"That's not possible.  We're obviously dealing with some powerful forces..."

"I'd rather not talk about it, to each his own..."

Sonny suggested one more visit to the White Hand, to see if they can ascertain what he was affected by and if it could be cured.

They reached the Driftwood Inn, to find most of the White Hand gone.  Only Marla was still in town, taking care of loose ends.  

Her medkit was able to ascertain what was affecting the worm, and cured him.  They pushed her for details, and she was forced to pull out a rat-teared  journal to determine Squiggles was affected by spores of a "Flower of Ruth".  

"It might be more of a mushroom of some sort.  I don't usually deal with this, but from what I've been told, things can be very subtle.   The formal name I have in my notebook is the Mnemonic Flower of Ruth-Lynn.  The slang is 'Forget-Me-Dust'. "

Marla admitted that they hadn't done a full medical work-up on Squiggles when he and Ubenda were discovered outside the gates, "But it is possible that you've were affected back then, many days ago... or just recently.  I don't know specifics."

They returned to Squiggles' burrow, the search for fungus, but at least recover the "Curry in a Hurry" and the other spend the night.  Nothing strange occurs overnight. 

Squiggles had stayed at the inn while the other camped out.  His sleep was short, interrupted by some more detailed flashbacks of the dogs who tortured him.  The view of the dog heads had pulled back, revealing spiked collars connected to black armor.  

After a morning and confirming supplies, the group finally decided to leave Fair-Town for KIA Academy.  The weather was still warm, although the leaves of the smallest trees were just starting to fade in color. 

Nearing their anticipated camp around dusk, they encountered a single human shuffling up the road on one good leg, holding a half-filled duffel bag in her arms up against her chest.  She was calling for help, 

"Are you guards? Are you a patrol?  I don't think the White Hand is going to help."

After checking for any sign of ambush, it was Sonny who moved up towards her.   She opened up the end of the duffel bag,  blue light shot out, illuminating the area.

"I found him..."

Sonny stared down into the bag, realizing he was staring at a badly wounded mushroom/toadstool person.  The gills underneath it's cap emanated the blue glow.  

"Hi, how are you?"

The mushroom didn't respond, eyes barely open. It was tough determining the extent of his injuries, but most notable was a 3 x 6 inch chunk that was carved out of his cap.

The woman, Mirella Quince, spoke, "I found him on the road like this... someone has to help him...  I think his name is Trekk."
 

Trekk of the Fifth Veil, during happier times.

Mirella had been travelling on her own from KIA, trading the warmth of the sub-levels for more food in Fair-Town.  The administrators had been drafting more and more, which had created a labor drain amongst the trades. 

The Explorers set up camp there, propping the mushroom up.  Sonny shared some of his rich soil for the mushroom to use, if he could.  

Trekk's blue glow subsided and he finally regained enough consciousness by the fire to speak haltingly. 

• His name was Trekk of the Fifth Veil.
• He came from the Mycelium of Low Echo, a remote village deep within the woods well away from the river. 
• They only trade a few items with a few creatures that are aware of them.  
• It's been days since he left the village since the attack

"There was a howl, and some dogs, and I got away with my life.

Pete: "What happened to your head?"

Trekk looked over to Mirella.  She nodded with approval.

"The first human who found me tried to eat me.   Mirella rescued me. "

Trekk didn't remember much, just the metal dogs, and a voice from somewhere.

"Specimen cluster confirmed. Begin harvest."

"I think they took all the singers... I don't know what happened to the rest."

GM Notes:  We finally left Fair-Town... and we're heading back to Fair-Town.  Shoot me. 

The discussion of the player-use of the Flower of Ruth made me long for an alignment chart, and trying to determine what conversations took place in front of the White Hand medic.  

Next: #124 - 

Another Month of Meeples (July 2026)

Still trying to grok the feel and usefulness of Meeple Monthly, but another issue appear in the portal, so I will whine and lament as I continue a tradition that's over 25 years old

I'll figure out my new system of monthly solicitations eventually, but I'm not going to complain when I click on over to ACD and find out the latest issue of Meeple Monthly is on it.

ViscountEric's Want List

Nothing

ViscountEric's Money-Is-No-Issue Want List

Arc Dream Publishing

Delta Green: Grace Under Pressure ........................... $19.99

Catalyst Game Labs

BattleTech: Core Rulebook ....................................... $49.99

Mr B Games

Ace of Aces: Powerhouse Series ............................... $89.99

Random House

Logical Chess: Move by Move .................................. $24.95

The Imaginary Store List (Infinite Shelf Space Games & Hobbies)

1985 Games

Yanari: The Witches Market ......................................... $39.99

25th Century Games

Orbita .......................................................... $15.00

Phantom of the Opera ................................. $15.00

Pultizer ........................................................ $60.00

Six of VIII ................................................... $14.99

Alderac Entertainment Group

Into the Machine .......................................... $49.99

Space Base: Genesis .................................... $29.99

Tiny Towns: Architects ............................... $29.99

Archon Studio

D&D Pre-Painted: Underdark Terrain Set ... $139.00

D&D Pre-Painted: Carnage Tract ............... $79.00

D&D Pre-Painted: Chambers of Agony ...... $79.00

D&D Pre-Painted: Combat Arena ............... $79.00

D&D Pre-Painted: Maw of the Abyss ......... $79.00

Dungeons & Lasers: Iron Crown Monarchs .... $25.00

Dungeons & Lasers: Dwarven Train Set ......... $49.00

The Army Painter

Speedpaint Marker: Metallics Set .............. $63.71

Speedpaint Marker: Mega Set .................... $356.40

Warpaints Combat Se7ens Black Relic Armour Army Paint Set ... $30.03

Warpaints Combat Se7ens Purple Xeons Flesh Army Paint Set .... $30.03

Warpaints Combat Se7ens Field Gear Green Army Paint Set ....... $30.00

Atomic Mass Games

Marvel Crisis Protocol: Operation: Zero Tolerance ...................... $44.99

Beadle & Grimm's 

D&D Dungeon Master's Guide: Premium Map Collection... $160.00

Bezier Games

Warp 99 ..................................................... $14.95

Board&Dice

Tilanxia: Silk Road ................................... $30.00

Catalyst Game Labs 

BattleTech: Starter Box ............................. $29.99

BattleTech: Core Box ................................ $69.99

Critical Kit

Terra Fantasia ............................................ $25.00

Triple-O ..................................................... $20.00

Fox Curio's Floating Bookshop................. $38,00

DedBoi ...................................................... $20.00

Folk Hero .................................................. $38.00

Davinci Editrice

Raindrops .................................................. $29.99

Dead Alive Games

Kittens in Space ........................................ $16.99

Dranda Games

Crispy Critters ........................................... $20.00

Dyce Games

First to Worst: After Dark ......................... $24.99

Exploding Kittens 

9 Lives ....................................................... $ 9.99

Boba Blast ................................................. $19.99

Exploding Kittens Rage Mode .................. $19.99

Horrible Therapist: Holiday Edition ......... $14.99

I Suck at Drawing ..................................... $19.99

Match My Freak ....................................... $24.99

Sell Me a Sasquatch ................................. $19.99

We're a little early, but I'm seeing a full multi-copy display of all of these games for the holidays. 

Evil Genius Games

Everyday Heroes Adventure: Bridge to Nowhere .............. $19.99

Fanroll by MDG

D&D Mists of Ravenloft Halloween Advent Calendar ...... $59.99

D&D Mists of Ravenloft Barovian Bats Inclusion 7-Die Set ..... $24.99

D&D Mists of Ravenloft Folding Dice Tray ............................... $24.99

D&D Mists of Ravenloft d20 Single Oversized Liquid Core...... $24.99

D&D Mists of Ravenloft  Dice Tower ........................................ $24.99

Free League Publishing

Dragonbane: Arkand: City of Waves and Flames ....................... $44.99

Dragonbane: Book of Magic ....................................................... $39.99

Dragonbane: Friends & Foes Standee Set ................................... $24.99

Games Workshop 

White Dwarf - August 2026 ............................... $13.00

I long for the days where Wargames Illustrated was the expensive mag at $5, then $6, $7, and so on.... Having looked at some issues todays while I was at the FLGS I have no clue why the magazine is worth that much. 

Konami Digital Entertainment

Yu-Gi-Oh!   Legendary ARC-V Decks

Lazarus Rising Games

OverPower CCG: Skybound Starter Decks.

OverPower CCG: Skybound Booster Packs

OverPower CCG: Skybound Power Card Station

OverPower CCG: Skybound Omni-Man Playmat

OverPower CCG: Skybound Michonne Playmat

OverPower CCG: Skybound Invincible Double Sized Playmat

OverPower CCG: Skybound Invincible Learn-to-Play

OverPower CCG Deck Protectors

Negan, Michonne, Omni-Man, Invincible, Atom Eve, Battle Beast

Leder Games

Root: The Homeland Expansion .............................................. $60.00

Root: Homeland Hirelings Pack .............................................. $20.00

Root: Squires and Disciples Deck ............................................ $20.00

Root: Playmat Marsh/Gorge .................................................... $30.00

Loke Battlemats

Deck of Fateship ........................................... $19.99

Lucky Duck Games

Pocket Golf ................................................. $ 9.99

Mantic Entertainment

I'm going to skip over the Kings of War armies to focus on the TerrainCrate Offerings:

TerrainCrate: Fantasy Battlefield Pack ............................... $115.00

TerrainCrate: Jungle Gaming Mat (6'x4') ........................... $ 85.00

TerrainCrate: Highland Hills  ............................................. $ 25.00

TerrainCrate: Village Buildings Pack ................................  $ 60.00

Mariposa Games

Garage Rock: Retail Edition ......................... $49.99

Marvel

Marvel Multiverse RPG: Secret Wars Expansion ............... $49.99

Mongoose Publishing

Traveller: Vehicle Handbook Update 2026  ........................ $49.99

Traveller: The Fifth Frontier War: Brushfires ..................... $49.99

Monte Cook Games

Cypher: Character Rulebook ............................................... $49.99

Cypher: Game Master's Guide ............................................ $49.99

Cypher: Corebook Slipcase Set .......................................... $99.99

Oink Games

Compress ..................................................... $23.99

The Frozen Passage ..................................... $23.00

Osprey Publishing

Donbas 2014-15 .......................................... $25.00

Florence 1944 .............................................. $25.00

New Guinea 1943-44 ................................... $25.00

Tanks in the Caucasus 1942-43.................... $20.00

F4F Wildcat vs A6m2-N "Rufe" .................. $23.00

Royal Mediterranean Fleet 1793-1805 .......  $23.00

US Tank Tactics in World War II ................. $21.00

Soviet Cold Wars Destroyers ...................... $60.00

D'You Hear There! ...................................... $15.00

Roman Army Units in the Eastern Provinces .......$20.00

Pegasus Spielle

Bloom Kingdom ......................................... $14.95

Pelgrane Press

Fear Itself Shattered Veil Edition ................. $44.95

Fear Itself: The Ocean Game ....................... $44.95

Fear Itself & The Esoterrorists: The Book of Unremitting Horror Shattered Veil Edition ... $49.95

Swords of the Serpentine: Pillars Built on Sand ...................... $39.95

Pine Box Entertainment
Doomtown: Weird West Edition Base Set (2nd Printing) ............................. $59.99

7th Sea: City of Five Sails - Blood & Salt Expansion .................................. $39.99

Pendragon: Glory of the Round Table Card Game ....................................... $29.99

Pokemon USA

Pokemon TCG: Mega Evolution 5 - Pitch Black Boostersf

Possum Creek 

Last Train to Bremen ............................. $45.00

Ravensburger North America

Disney Lorcana Set 13: Attack of the Vine - Illumineer's Trove Pack 

Disney Lorcana Set 13: Attack of the Vine - Boosters

Disney Lorcana Set 13: Attack of the Vine - Playmat

Red Raven Games

Six Sojourns ............................................ $45.00

Renegade Game Studios

Vampire: The Masquerade 5th Edition - Courts of the Damned Sourcebook .... $55.00

Slugfest Games 

The Red Dragon Inn 10 ......................... $49.95

Sophisticated Cerberus Games

Lemonade Wars Card Game ................... $29.99

Steve Jackson Games

Munchkin: 2nd Edition .......................... $39.95

Troll Lord Games

Castles & Crusades: Engineering Names ........ $12.99

Castles & Crusades: Engineering Towns ......... $10.99

Tsuburaya Productions

Ultraman Card Game: Converging Bonds Boosters.

Weird Giraffe Games

Surplus of Sloths .................................... $12.99

WizKids

Marvel HeroClix: Hell's Kitchen Heroes 

HeroClix Iconix: Stranger Things: The Upside Down

HeroClix Iconix: Power Rangers

D&D Icons of the Realms: Adventure in Faerun Boosters

Mike Lung Gallery #95 - Tales from an Old GnomeTale #InternationalGnomeWeek

Another year, another June where I misappropriate International Gnome Week for my own nefarious (and non-monetized) needs!  

From sculpting, to painting, to just some whimsical sketches, with or without digital help, Mike's very talented at just about everything.  His picture of Winkiestink, the old gnome telling stories (or giving information) for a drink or some coins is a perfect reminder to support you gnome veterans.   It was easier for them, before the Gnome Wars, where the ill and infirm where simply dropped off by the mole tunnels, or scooped up by some rogue owl.... 

"Tales From an Old Gnome" original art by Mike Lung

 

(Painting) Gnoman Centurion Ronaldus Iavorski #InternationalGnomeWeek

It can't be #InternationalGnomeWeek, if I can't post at least one new gnome painted up!

The problem is, I've done a good job keeping the Gnome pile low, so I experimented with some different colors for this Holy Gnoman Empire Centurion

One of the famed heroes of the Gnoman was Ronadulus Iavorski, the "Vandal Vision" himself.   First gaining recognition for his accuracy in the bow and sling, Iavorski was bribed to join the Legion, and worked his way up to be the Centurion of one of the foulest Legions of all: the Aquilae Amoris Fraterni.  One of the rowdiest units in all of gnome kind, they jeered when they needed to show respect,  punch horses of their enemies, mid-charge, beat-up natives for fun, terrorize herders and rustlers, even turning their trebuchets onto Santa! 

.... and to be honest, I'm a Giants fan.  Painting up a figure Kelly Green just ain't right...

Next:  Shanties and gnomes, maybe the never-ending supply of Star Wars figs.

Project 350:  It's been a month since I tracked the drafts and scheduled posts hiding behind the scenes at the blog.  I'm actually pretty satisfied that I'm at 456 (292 drafts/164 scheduled) up from 452 (289/163) a few weeks ago.  Looking back at last year, we were a little higher, but managed to finish July strong before #RPGaDay always skews the numbers.  

Gnome Wars Nostalgia: 2011 with De Nerdibus #InternationalGnomeWeek

 As the makeshift #InternationalGnomeWeek continues to roll through, there's still a few lingering gnome-related posts, and given our proximity to Historicon, this one is a necessary throwback.  

Flashback to 2011.  Casinos were just getting their foothold in Pennsylvania.  HMGS thought they had the footprint (and volunteer base) to run a convention at the Baltimore Convention Center, then cooler heads finally prevailed, despite some legal shenanigans.  

The abortive attempt at Baltimore forced a quick replacement site for Historicon, and the Valley Forge Convention Center (again pre-casino) was the place to be.  

I believe 2011 was the second (and final pre-casino) use of the hotel.   Byzantine hallways and room should intrigue lovers of history... until you have to lug your stuff from the hotels to the convention center. 

The Gnome Wars crew had a pretty sweet arrangement, just a few massive games on the Miniature Building Authority "Castle" table displayed prominently near the vendor hall.  De Nerdibus covered it succinctly. 

De Nerdibus

It was a sold board, useful for a number of historical periods... and gnomes.  I believe I ran my first  Gnome Wars game on their Middle East board parallel to it. 

The Gnome of Ecstasy #InternationalGnomeWeek

 When gnomes hit the BBC, it's either a crazy old lady in a cottage... or it's drugs.

"Officers in the southern Netherlands have found a garden gnome weighing nearly 2kg (4lb) and made of the drug MDMA.  "Drugs appear in many shapes and sizes, but every now and then we come across special things," Dongemond Police said in a translated social media post.

The gnome was found among suspected narcotics during a large drug search.

"In itself a strange place to keep your garden gnome," the force said. "That's why we decided to test [it] for narcotics".

"The gnome himself was visibly startled," police said, referring to the gnome having its hands covering its mouth....

MDMA - which is an illegal substance in the Netherlands - is a synthetic party drug also known as ecstasy."

That's a double-over redundancy... all gnomes are ecstasy!