Another Month of Meeples (September 2026)

Check out the latest issue of Meeple Monthly for more fun stuff, plus a host of random things I'm not listing under my imaginary store.  

ViscountEric's Want List

Wizkids

D&D Heroclix: Giant Space Hamster 

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

Adam's Apple Games

Gnomeville .......................................................... $49.00

Arc Dream Publishing

Delta Green: Wolves ........................................ $24.99

Mantic Entertainment
Terrain Crate: Holiday Advent Gift Calendar ... $40.00

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

25th Century Games

Moonlight: The Land of the Wolves ................... $14.99

Faust vs Mephisto ............................................... $19.99

Rheinlander ......................................................... $49.99

Adams Media 

Facts of the Fellowship ...................................... $17.00

The Dungeonmeister NPC Generator Deck ...... $20.00

Alderac Entertainment Group

Cascadia: Alpine Lakes ...................................... $49.99

Alley Cat Games

Spaghettin ...................................... $14.99

Arcane Wonders

Dogfight: 1917 ............................. $44.99

The Army Painter

Speedpaint Marker: Most Wanted Set .............. $127.42

Atomic Mass Games

Marvel Crisis Protocol: Cosmic Motherlode Terrain Pack ............. $89.99

Marvel Crisis Protocol: Uncanny Telepaths & Telekinetics ........... $64.99

Marvel Crisis Protocol: Winter Guard ............................................ $64.99

Marvel Crisis Protocol: Hard to Hit ............................................... $64.99

Star Wars Legion: Jedi Council ........................................ $59.99

Star Wars Legion: Mandalorian Leader & Hunter ........... $39.99

Star Wars Legion: Agents of the Empire .......................... $39.99

Bandai 

Gundam Assemble: Starter Set 1

Gundam Assemble: Deluxe Set 1

Gundam Assemble: Expansion Pack 1

Gundam Assemble: Expansion Pack 2

Gundam Assemble: Paint Pack 1

Not a fan of the games without prices, but a game where you build your Gundam models, then actually play with them.  I'm intrigued.

Beadle and Grimm's 

Star Trek: DS9: Holosuite Homicide Murder Mystery Game .... $40.00

Star Trek: Lower Decks: Chaos Protocol Escape Room Game .. $60.00

Black Armada Games

Advent of Adventure .................................................. $20.00

Advent of Abomination .............................................. $20.00

Blue Orange Games

King of Tokyo Duel 2 - Tokyo Bay ............................ $24.99

Board&Dice

Thessaloniki ................................. $60.00

Burning Wheel

Torchbearer 2e: Middarmark ......... $40.00

Catalyst Game Labs

Shadowrun: Controlled Chaos Miniatures ................. $34.99

Shadowrun: Corporate Threats Miniatures ................ $34.99

Shadowrun:  Savage Threats Miniatures ...................  $34.99

Shadowrun: Sprawl Runners Miniatures ................... $34.99

Battletech: Battlemat: Fire & Ice 04: Caldera Lake ........... $39.99

Cubicle 7 Entertainment LTD

Warhammer: The Old World RPG - Starter Set .......... $39.99

Warhammer: The Old World RPG - GM Screen ........ $29.99

Druid City Games

Sky 5 ......................................... $14.99

Dyce Games

Romantasy ................................ $19.99

Evil Genius Games

Everyday Heroes Adventures: The Final Hero ........... $19.99

Evil Hat Productions

Designers & Dragons: Origins Boxed Set ................. $200.00

Facade Games

Roma XLI ................................. $24.99

Fanroll by MDG

D&D Advent Calendar: Red Robes & Winter Woes ...... $64.99

7-Die Set: Christmas Dice Set ........................................ $19.99

Marvel Multiverse: 12 Days of Doom Dice Advent Calendar .... $44.99

Fight in a Box

Barkane ...................................... $15.00

Floodgate Games, LLC 

Flintlock! ................................... $38.95

Free League Publishing

D&D 5e: Lord of the Rings Loremaster Screen .............. $29.99

The One Ring: Loremaster's Screen & Compendium ....  $29.99

Twilight Sword RPG - Core Rulebook ........................... $49.99

Twilight Sword RPG - Starter Set ..................................  $39.99

Twilight Sword RPG - Lands of Radia ........................... $39.99

Twilight Sword RPG - Card Chest .................................. $29.99

Gallant Knight Games

Tiny Cyberpunk: Corporate Edition ............................... $45.00

Small rant about using "Tiny".  For something that I feel should be compact, low-key, and possibly minimalist, why to all the "Tiny" labelled products seem overblown, slowly getting expansive, and expensive to boot.    Tiny Cyberpunk in my head brings up an expanded version of TWERPS CyberD.U.D.E.S, not a $45 book.

Goodman Games

DCC: Adventure #68 - People of the Pit HC .................. $19.99

DCC: Adventure #112 - Mother of Monsters ................. $10.99

DCC: Tomb of Adventure Vol 8 - Dying Earth .............. $59.99

Kids Table Board Gaming 

River Market ............................. $29.00

Konami Digital Enterainment 

Yu-Gi-Oh!  Beyond the Brave Boosters

Loke Battlemats

The Dastardly Deck ................... $19.99

Looney Labs

Star Trek: Lower Decks Fluxx ... $25.00

Mantic Entertainment Ltd.

Bar Room Brawl: Advent Calendar Game ................. $45.00

Deep Space Pest Control Advent Calendar Game. .... $45.00

Worms: Advent Calendar Game ................................ $45.00

Walking Dead: Advent Calendar Game ..................... $45.00

Marvel 

Marvel Mutliverse: Spider-Man Midtown Mayhem  ..... $14.99

Modiphius Entertainment

Star Trek Adventures: Captain's Log Solo RPG: 2026 Edition ........... $48.00

Mongoose Publishing

Traveller: Vehicle Catalogue ...................................... $44.99

The Mystery Agency 

Mystery Agency: The Robber's Grave ...................... $24.99

Osprey Publishing

American Civil War: Siege Tactics ............................. $21.00

Baku 1918 ................................................................... $25.00

Case Green ................................................................. $35.00

Javelins in the Half-Light ........................................... $35.00

Lexington-Class Aircraft Carriers 1927-1946 ............ $20.00

Murmansk 1941 .......................................................... $25.00

Soviet Rifleman vs German Infantryman ................... $23.00

A Billion Suns 2nd Edition ......................................... $35.00

Midnight Heroes ......................................................... $35.00

Signs and Wonders, a Wargame .................................. $35.00

Paizo 

Pathfinder RPG: Adventure: The Dead God's Hand ..................... $49.99

Pathfinder RPG: Flip-Mat: The Dead God's Hand Multi-Pack ..... $29.99

Pathfinder RPG: Flip-Mat: Haunted Library ................................ $19.99

Pathfinder RPG: Lost Omens: Cheliax Infernal Inheritance ......... $64.99

Pathfinder RPG: Game Night: The Dragon's Crown ..................... $34.99

Starfinder: Flip-Mat: Absalom Starion Multipack ......................... $29.99

Starfinder: Secrets of the Swarm AP ............................................. $49.99

Starfinder: Tech Core ............................................................. $69.99

Pandasaurua

Space Lab ............................................. $24.95

Penguin Random House

Choose Your Own Adventure: Among Us ................ $9.99

Planet of the Apes Solo RPG .................................... $34.99

The Henchperson's Guide to Unionizing .................. $21.00

Level Up For Love .................................................... $20.00

Dragonlance: War Wizard ........................................ $30.00

Pickpocket Games

Lodge: Retail Edition ............................................ $39.99

Lodge: Deluxe Edition .......................................... $69.99

Lodge: Hospitality Edition .................................... $14.99

Rocket Ranchers 2nd Edition ................................ $24.99

Pink Tiger Games

Proof of Life ....................................................$20.00

You Think You Know Christmas .................... $14.00

Play to Z

Pressed ....................................... $20.00

Wee Folk .................................... $20.00

Portal Games

Robo Run ................................... $29.95

Bohemians: Tales from Montmartre ................... $14.95

Ravensburger

Lorcana: Illumineer's Quest: The Great Hunny Rescue

Lorcana: Rapuznel Collection Starter Set 

Renegade Game Studios

Werewolf: The Apocalypse 5th Edition - Tribes of Gaia ........... $50.00

Saga Press

Remonstered!  The Monsters Know What They're Doing .......... $38.00

Scryptid Games

Tales from the Cryptids .................................. $30.00

Severed Book

Sickest Witch: Spell Card Deck ...................... $16.00

Small Party Figurine Set: Skeleton Warriors ... $16.00

Small Party Figurine Set: Crystal Fighters ...... $16.00

Space Penguin Ink

Hellward Unto the Breach ................................ $30.00

Liminal Horror: Hotel Dracula ........................ $20.00

Stillfleet Studio

Danse Macabre: Quickstart ............................. $15.00

Synapses Games

Medium: The Hand of Fate ............................. $24.99

Not Alone 2nd Edition .................................... $29.99

Tuesday Night Games 

Fatherfog: Into the Fog .................................... $10.00

Troll Lord Games

Worlds of Gary Gygax Vol 1- Canting Crew .................................. $29.99

Worlds of Gary Gygax Vol 2-  Essential Facts & Things ............... $29.99

Worlds of Gary Gygax Vol 3-  Living Fantasy ............................... $29.99

Worlds of Gary Gygax Vol 4-  Extraordinary Book of Names ......  $39.99

Worlds of Gary Gygax Vol 5-  Guide to Adventure Writing ........... $29.99

Worlds of Gary Gygax Vol 6-  Nation Builder ................................ $29.99

Worlds of Gary Gygax Vol 7-  Cosmos Builder .............................. $29.99

Tycoon Games

Living Forest, 2nd Edition ............................ $50.00

UVS Games

Riftbound: League of Legends TCG: Radiance Boosters

Wizkids

DC HeroClix: Iconix: Fortress of Solitude Vol 1

DC HeroClix 400: Gotham Knights

D&D HeroClix: Series One Boosters

D&D HeroClix: Series One Map and Terrain Kit

D&D HeroClix: Tavern Trouble Scenario Pack 

D&D HeroClix 400: Adventuring Party 1

D&D HeroClix 400: Red Wizards of Thay

HeroClix: Iconix: GI Joe

HeroClix: Iconix: GI Joe Cobra

Marvel HeroClix 400: Venom

D&D: Icons of the Realms: Aarakocra Flock

D&D: Icons of the Realms: Harpy Flock

D&D: Nolzur's Marvelous Miniatures: Cthulhu

D&D: Replicas of the Realms: Spirit Board

Z-Man Games

KPop Demon Hunters - Battle for the Spotlight ............... $14.99

#RPGaDay2026 - Day 29 - "Labor"

Four weeks down with #RPGaDay and we're in the home stretch with "Labor."

This September will be the 17th anniversary for the blog.  I've been averaging OVER a post per day for over a decade.  It's certainly a labor of love, especially the role-playing stuff.  I normally post my Top 20 posts for the past 12 months at the end of September, and it normally is chock full of painting, convention AARs, game store reviews, and a few quality wargame recap,   Even well promoted #RPGaDay or #CharacterCreationChallenge posts don't scratch the traffic of the other posts. 

Why do I do it?  Because introducing journals to the groups almost 30 years ago helped play.  Adding experience for writing in the core book around 2001 produced some great entries for my Hackmasters games.  

By 2018, I had catalogued much of my AD&D/OSR time, all the ongoing games Cthulhu and Star Wars games.  

The only thing missing from my ongoing World of Georic campaign, was the early, non-journal years (1989-1997).   The campaigns I kindly label the high school, army, and Sabut Tablesmasher storylines.  There's bits and pieces, fleeting memories, and I either don't possess or threw out the material I ran for those guys.  

The solution was to make a fictional character to wade through the aftermath of these supposed adventurers cause, and with that, the Lost Dispatches of Feraso was born.  Thanks to a scribe who wrote above his station, Elsderth Millsbottom and his accumulated group of friends and allies acted as chroniclers, and sometimes damage control for the wake of destruction my high school group.  It was great, because it filled in the story gaps for 30+ years, it helped the mis-matched accumulation of Greyhawk, Forgotten Realms, and Dungeon Magazine adventures all within a few leagues of each other, and they allowed me to map out sections I've barely put together,  

Elsderth Millbottom: scribe, hero, judge, Baron Greyhawk, horrible father, racist witch.

I covered the entirety of high school games, my entire army campaign, and the host of smaller, mini-campaigns I ran for folks.   Eldsderth became a real character by the end of the 100 episodes, gaining titles, losing friends, abandoning his family for selfish reasons, and secretly filling in a ton of plot holes that eased my brain. 

I still keep the sessions for our Gamma World campaign up-to-date, and I do some entries from the campaigns Gazetteer, but the Lost Dispatches is the last true labor of love I'll probably do for the blog.

Alternate Question:  Thing you are most willing to work on for a game

#RPGaDay2026 - Day 23 - "Fortune"

 Day 23 of #RPGaDay and the prompt "Fortune" make me immediately go back to the series of D&D boxed sets.

Perhaps it was the expected rapid levelling, maybe it was just a different economy, but all levels of BECMI D&D seemed to have fat stacks of gold everywhere.  It seemed like there was a lot to save up to, and once you got into Expert, the concept of "Name Level" where it was expected to building strongholds, castles, temples and towers and start ruling.  Noble titles were horribly designed, but structurally, where one could break down realms into handy standardized hexes on a map, it made sense.   (Example: A Viscount needed to rule multiple baronies, with at least barony having a Baron pledged fealty to him... He couldn't upgrade to a Count unless he actually conquered someone else's territory.  Weird but logical - Rule Cyclopedia, page 135)

In that same structure, building your stronghold was better organized that in AD&D.  Perhaps it was just the age, but we designed the castles, calculated the cost, and all that work was reasonable. 

Plus, the concept of having not henchmen, not hirelings, but actually levying troops was completely satisfying. 

Better yet, D&D offered better dominion administration, and a whole ongoing system of dominion check and dominion confidence to keep a Name-Level adventurer on his toes. 

And just an FYI, for those wishing to house me... the anticipated expenditure to keep a Viscount entertained is 150gp per day.  

Alternative Question: An enjoyable moment of good or bad fortune? 

#RPGaDay2026 - Day 22 - "Grit"

Day 22 of #RPGaDay and my old college roommate, Steve continues an extensive influence on my posts, even showing a bit of "Grit" by giving me a story that wasn't even my game!  

In college, I had one game, possibly THE game for the dorms that surrounded the quad.  Saturday nights were for AD&D 2nd Edition, my then 10-year old "World of Georic" campaign.  As games on other nights of the week grew from that, my players now acting as GMs borrowed much of the information I was willing to share and turned it into their own, especially the Prinicipalities (sometimes Kingdom) of Emron. 

My college roommate Steve was in one of the offshoot games, this one run by our dorm neighbor Nate, aka TOWN (The Other White Nate).   With his history of odd characters in campaigns, past, present, and certainly future, it was a shock to the system of all to find out he was playing Benverho.

Benverho was a classic magic-user.  Now, he was a craven, manipulative, and selfish character, but he was the most "normal" character in a group that had weird cast-offs from my game, and a character named Beer-Nut. 

Benverho seemed poised early one to acquire knowledge by using people, and a healthy use of meat shields between him and the bad guys, and to be fair that continued for the length of the campaign, despite certain softenings of his stance. 

But sometime around 2nd level, the party was in an ultimate low-level bind, and Benverho found himself in a keep, face-to-face with a man-at-arms with a crossbow pointed at him.  

Steve: How much does a crossbow do? 

TOWN:  1d4 points of damage.

Steve: I like my odds.

He then proceeded to step forward at the crossbowman with a Shocking Grasp. 

The crossbow bolt whizzed past his AC 9 ear.

The Shocking Grasp killed the guard.

The room was stunned that he did not die, as was all the rage that session.

And despite months of campaign play afterwards, that might have been Benverho's only gritty combat moment.

Produced by Gemini

Alternative Question: An enjoyable moment of grit PCs did or did not tough out

#RPGaDAy2026 - Day 21 - "Charity"

 It's the end of the third week, Day 21 for #RPGaDay, and we're looking at "Charity."

Another suggestion from the Monday night group, "You were really charitable not killing off Ozark on day one..."

Following the accidental death of one of the chosen ones, Echelon.  I waited with baited breath for Steve's replacement character.  He came back with a banger of a Max-Min character (yes the I flipped the term). 

What could go wrong?

• Half-Orc
• Cleric of a Minor but normal deity
• Freaky Old "Venerable"

A healthier version of Ozark... or Yoda's older brother.

Ozark was going to be a 75 year old Half-Orc old-man cleric.   Referencing what I had (no half orcs in 2nd Edition, so half-orcs in 1st Edition cap at 4th level, already two levels  below the group. 

He was the spoiler, slowing down the group, criticizing the food, rapping the amorous bard on the head for loose morals with the ladies.  He hurt his fellow adventurers more for loose morals than damaging monsters.

And the sonuvabitch just wouldn't die... 

He played it so well, everyone hated Ozark so much, that I killed him off in White Plume Mountain and made a dramatic return of a wiser, more enlightened Echelon in the fight with the gargantuan crab.  

Alternative Question: Share an RPG charity past or present that moved you?

#RPGaDay2026 - Day 20 - "Promise"

Day 20 of #RPGaDay and I expected "Promise" to be a fun topic for discussion at our last Monday night game session.

I was horribly wrong, 

Surprise, surprise, my old college roommate Steve once again a steered a concept into ruins, which is exactly what we're talking about today.

Sometime in the late 2000s/early 2010s one of my foci was variants of the reverse dungeon: here you play as the monsters in the dungeon, in the defense of your home against the evil encroaching adventurers

I quickly diverted from the normal staple of dungeon defense and really started to use some other classic material to reverse engineer concepts. 

Being part of the gangs elements in B6: The Veiled Society.

Being the mostly drugged up citizens in B4: The Lost City.

I even managed to run a campaign in the last few years based in Gulluvia, the land labeled in the original B3: Palace of the Silver Princess. 

The only one I plotted out and failed horribly. I was doing the Lost Valley out of B10: Nights Dark Terror.

On a quiet weekend nearly twenty years ago, I ventured down to my friend Scott, and then-wife Kelley's house in Allentown and commandeered the dining room table with our extended group to play a few game.  My goal was to play basic D&D, testing the limits of a meat grinder, testing out rules for the subjugated Traldar and the ruling Hukataan race: simply two different types of people encountering the evil that was seeping throughout the valley.  

We never really got to the hook of the evil... or even play the Hukataan.  The short, squat, bald Traldar picture created some basic biases.

I think the Traldar slaves average Intelligence in the 7-10 range, but the group started with simple names and embraced the rabbit hole whole heartedly.    They played them ridiculously dumb to the point where the replacement characters all had rhyming name: Og, Dog, Hog, Zogg, etc...

I was quietly peeved, but I also need to know my players better and I did let it happen... for hours...

They failed horribly and by the time I drove home, I put the plans on the back-back burner.

The only quote Steve remembered was me calling a bathroom break with the quip, "There's nothing in the rules or background that say you have to play this way...."

I wasn't able to regroup during my bathroom exile, and just embrace the players having fun... I know the last time I moved I found the Traldar character sheets... and promptly recycled them. 

Alternate Question: Have the characters kept or broken more promises?

#RPGaDay2026 - Day 16 - "Composure"

 Day 16 of #RPGaDay2026 is "Composure," something players and characters have in spades when they don't really need it.  

27 years ago.  College.  The group was still young, but we were navigating the storylines in the B1-9 In Search of the Unknown.  They had chosen the jobs to recover a religious artifact from one Elwyn the Ardent.

No one anticipated the dragon. 

Everyone expected to roll up new characters next Saturday, not be saved by some random goddess Thendara and forced to solve some curse in a mysterious land called Haven. 

There were a few fun moment (See Dag from Day 7) but the group was disorganized and confused, even with hints.  

And this is where Rolf Wolfsblood, Barbarian of the Galmar plans, member of the adventuring party since session 1, finally kicked into glory.

The group had ever-so-wisely split up, Velandro the cleric and his group having tough encounter after tough encounter.

The other group, led by Rolf,  found a very un-barbarian sitting room, set for tea.  Annoyed that there had been no sign of the ruby and the group was becoming even more lax and incompetent than usal Rolf went on a rant,   He kicked chairs, chucked a plate, started screaming at his fellow adventurers. When he grabbed a tea cup to gesture drinking tea like some weak "civilized" human, he was shocked to hear the cup talk in Thendara's voice

Three crystal notes
Two Silver Statues
One ruby sword
All will smash the Demon's Eye
And lift the curse.

Rolf was delighted to notice that the other party members heard the voice too.  He wasn't as crazy as Echelon and his stupid wolf, Pathfinder, who he claimed he could talk to.

Ultimately, Rolf's group met up with Velandro, while Velandro's group was in a running swordfight with a red robed humanoid and a racial mix of minions.  The party reunited and the battle continued to move, right into the throne room.  Dozens of statues of Haven's citizenry stood inside, including an obvious Princess Argenta (and Sir Ellis to Velandro).  Sitting on her throne was a ruby that was at least the size of Rolf's gigantic fist.

With the fight going poorly, the barbarian slew hobgoblin in front of him and ran away!  Most were so overwhelmed by the attacking forces that they didn't notice.

Rolf raced to once of the bedrooms.  There had been a harp there.  Harps make notes!  His muscles barely strained as he lifted the instrument off its base and ran back to the battle!   Upon entering the Throne Room, he held it to the floor and played as many combination of notes that he could find. Some arrangement that he played must have work, for the ruby shattered into a thousand pieces, the evil human and his minions fled, and the still-intact statues reverted back to their living forms.

The barbarian had quietly observed, picking up clues, and just when things looked like they would fall apart for could, he saved the day. 

The curse had been lifted.

Pictures of Rolf are rare, but this pic I used for him from the first session of Ballad of the Pigeon God is far better than the AI crap I tried to generate.

Alternative Question: One thing that will cause a character to lose their composure?

#RPGaDay2026 - Day 13 - "Strain"

Day 13 of #RPGaDay and I'm feeling the pressure, perhaps the "Strain?"

If cheesy line about pressure creating diamonds, what does strain create? 

Hemorrhoids.

And I'm the king of being the pain in the ass for my players.

Because I like continuity, I like bringing one-off scenarios, or flavor text back.   Not everything, but just enough to remind the players that the characters' actions have influence in the world, if not outright consequences.  

But as I ponder options to talk about strain with my Monday night gaming group, the winning answer came from the guys who experienced it all happen: "When Echelon and Talis ran a barony..."

Day 8 I talked about Echelon and Steve.    Two strange bedfellows who became the best of friends until each died. The whole barony thing is where it started. 

Spring Semester '99 - College - a few of the players are locals, they'd like to continue the campaign.  I set up a whole wizard from another dimension, trying desperately to go back home.  While the party visited the capital city, Talis wisely set up rooms at a local brothel.   For the last session of the semester, Kannex the Wizards researched too well, transporting him... and everything in the brothel back to his home world of Talislanta.

For the summer, we converted our AD&D 2nd Edition characters to Talislanta and went on a series of missions exploring the realm, but also getting more components and MacGuffins for the return journey home.

I had left Talis, Echelon, and their friend Brutus the Gladiator standing right outside the vanished building. 

What the rest of the summer group didn't realize was that I ran two additional sessions for Echelon and Talis' players.  

They returned to their established base outside of Eding... then they remembered why they left in the first place. 

• The Talislanta wizards, Kannex?  He was trying to help the group stop a wedding to the local lord that had been infiltrated with a race of spider-people doppelgangers.  (Seriously, read Ballad of the Pigeon God... it makes sense, but its weird...).  Let's just say that wildly different magic systems resulted in spell failure and spell explosions often. 

When he wanted to fireball a group of spider people charging the altar... a reasonable response and rolled a max critical success.  

His well-weighed response, causing minimal civilian death or property damage essentially nuked the entire ceremony, guests included. 

The battle turned to healing, hunting down rogue spider-people, and putting out the fire at the Blue Wizard Inn, the only inn in-town. 

The good news was the spider-person bridge was killed.  The bad new was many other guests of high status... including Lord Athelstane himself were killed!  

In the aftermath, the leader of a rival adventuring party, sent a runner to the capital, and essentially declared martial law in the village, taking charge.  

The disaster in the center of town, the deaths of many essential villagers just a few weeks before harvest,  and the ncompetent rule of "Prince William" set the stage for a rough autumn.

• The threat of famine for the winter.
• Tornados and storms threatening what was left of the town.
• The secret BBEG revealing himself to be the brother of the king... and Talis had slept with his daughter. 
• An uprising by some of the surviving peasants.. for all the wrong reason.  They torched the manor house and sent Prince William and his non-so amazing friends scattering.
• Columns of fire descending from the sky (it was a good things, but horrible optics). 

It was Talis and Echelon who kept people fed, purchased extra supplies, rebuilt essential equipment and fought off the various threats to this village.

... And if they didn't do it, they had the benefit of a collection of NPCs that had become their friends help them.  

Winter would be harsh, rations meager, but the village would survive...

And to make the wild session end on an ominous note, it was uncovered that the Chateau D'Echelon, there base of operations was still under a loan, and that individual, one Mister Nebuchadnezzar Tinpenny, was within rights to call in the entire loan, due to a number of "Act of God" contingencies in the agreement. 

We left our duo nearing the due date on the first day of Yule, and them plotting how to commit enough heinous acts on the moneylender and his well-earned good squad... and I left them hanging all summer until we reconvened on move-in day, Fall Semester, for a wonderful reunion, no one had seen coming.  

Strain: So far, what is the heaviest set of RPG things you have carried to play?

#RPGaDay2026 - Day 8 - "Resolve"

 Day 8 of #RPGaDay and we hit a new prompt, "Resolve."  The alternative prompt is a predictable, "A moment when a character kept or broke their resolve?" 

And my Monday night gaming group throws one out from left field.  

"Remember when Echelon died and Talis' resolve crumbled?"

I did not.

But I have managed to chronicle the entire Ballad of the Pigeon God.

Picture this.  Pennsylvania, 1999.  College, 2nd Edition AD&D.

Talis Makolin and Echelon were the farthest any two could be.

Talis was a lovable rogue of a bard, obviously more lovable with the ladies...

Echelon was some odd man, a priest of some far eastern god of the sea, leading a menagerie of animals with them as the adventuring party travelled, more concerned about his pigeons than his companions. 

Echelon, before the glow-up

When many of their companions simply vanished during a trip to the capital city, they trudged back to their hometown.  They fought famine, villains, and even tornados and foreclosure to keep the village and surrounding countryside together.  

And when the rest of the group finally returned from their multi-dimensional excellent adventure, it was Echelon earning the true honors, becoming the Baron of Eding.  In one of his first acts, he made his friend Talis the first Knight of the Pigeon. 

No one had an explanation for this odd brotherhood, until it was revealed that they were, indeed, (half) brothers. 

Seriously.. if your character backgrounds coincidentally are that close, without player coordination, don't be surprised if the GM takes a part of that and runs with it. 

As the campaign progressed, the King passed away allowing his cousin (the BBEG) to take the crown.  Many in the adventuring party became personna non grata and travelled to escape persecution... and possibly murder.

Echelon and Talis led a group to the south of the kingdom, finding work in the neighboring Principalites of Emron, helping a wizard family keep their rightful ruler on the throne.  

In the midst of a titanic fight between the realm of dream and the real world, Echelon had his brain sucked out my a mind flayer, 

In the midst of this great fight, Talis, the flighty bard who grew to become a hero, lost all resiliency and ran away, abandoned his other friends and fled like a coward.

He even took most of his ill-gotten loot, to write a Dear Norm letter....  quickly chronicling the actions, his cowardice, and his farewell. 

Ultimately, after a series of his own adventures, even getting captured and becoming the personal pet of a cloud giant, when things were most dire, he joined up with the remnants of the group, on an epic quest to acquire the weapons of power to defeat the dark gods coming to destroy the realm.   In an effort to traverse a dangerous trap to acquire the battle-axe Overslayer, Talis slipped off of the treacherous wooden discs, plummeting into the boiling mud below, lost forever.  

The death of Talis was an even lower point towards his renown than that of his cowardice, because:

1) The next PC to attempt to traverse the mud pit, a dwarf name Norm Dingleberry, not only got across with flying colors, but slew the vampire guardian in total darkness, claiming the weapon for his own and getting back safely, to boot.

2) When acquiring the Whelm, Echelon returned from the dead to help put down the giant crab guardian of the weapon!  

By the end of the campaign:

1) Echelon helped defeat the BBEG, the true BBEG (Big Bad Evil GOD), and would ascend into the pantheon of local gods as a secondary god of seas (and definitely pigeons). 

2) Norm was also at that fight, gaining a Duchy, declaring his own independence when the "Happily Ever After" of the kingdom began to crumble, and slowly began to conquer the dominions that had betrayed himself and his friends in those early years. 

3) In subsequent campaigns, there have been rumors and inklings that Talis did leave a number of children to a number of women.  There may of been a sighting or two of Talis signature weapon, "Hummingbird" a Dagger +1, +3 throwing, with a glass orb in the hilt that resembles a tiny lava lamp.

Alternative Question: A moment when a character kept or broke their resolve?

#RPGaDay2026 - Day 5 - The Elden Burden

 Day 5 was the first day of #RPGaDay the stopped me cold.  "Burden"

Picture this: The early 90's, 2nd Edition AD&D is in full speed, splat books firing out.   It is not surprising that min-max elves populated the table.  And too be honest, I'm not a big fan of elves to begin with, and as DM, the deluge of thinly veiled variants of the same thing was getting me pissed off. 

So when I expanded my campaign past high school, I didn't ban elves, I simply made them difficult to play at the table.  

The Elden Burden of Western Talaishia

Queue your Kipling here.  

I'm sure in the ancient times of the Empire, the elves simply signed non-aggression pacts with the barbarian hordes of the east as they overran the First Ferasean Empire.  Hundreds of years later, the elven tribes in the east simply shrank in numbers that hating them was a non-issue. 

A couple hundred years later, the barbarian incursion happens again.  Civilization is ruined, but there is hope.  The mountains of Markovia and Skyforge to difficult to traverse, leaving the wooded Elven Kingdom of Agenmoor as the portal defending the far western empire from total destruction.

For reasons left in the mind of the elven leaders, they simply LET the barbarians through their kingdom, and let a good portion of them return east with nary a trouble. 

So the Elden Burden.  Already a race deteriorating from the inside, now their greatest partner, humankind, hates them with the power of a million wizards.  

After generations of teaching, elves are hated by all people.  Full blown discrimination, slurs involving pointed ears, and heaven forbid if you area half-elf. 

All the min-maxing in the world succumbs to the dark side of human nature. 

We still had our levy of elf characters show up, and most embraced the "hard work and heroism will win them over!"

It doesn't help when your elf, Torm Touchberry, is an ass-grabbing thief, or your virtuous elven cleric, Markuus was simply obnoxious at all times, to all people.  

It's a heavily biased and rewritten history, recalled in episodes #71-80 of the Lost Dispatches of Feraso., but in the village of Eding's darkest hours, the PCs bailed on them, letting the goblins put half of the place to the torch.  The campaign broke down shortly thereafter, but the non-elf PCs stayed away from the Barony.   Torm and Markuus took the burden as members of the adventuring party, and as elves, taking the lashes, the prison time (The local Lord was feeling generous as he needed competent bodies of any sort. Torm's player kept going for awhile, taking the lashes, training with the militia, keeping out of trouble.  

But the time my next campaign started, ten years cannonically after the last one, Torm was a sergeant in the militia, finally earning some respect, but full of the racial hostility towards the elves in the new group.  

Torm Touchberry, the Early Years...

Once the new elves won Torm over, their acceptance was quicker, although they went with the "keep you nose clean, stay humble" track

My Hackmaster games were placed 70-80 in the future, and the racism of the people was tapered a bit, with more elven heroes, but also the recent fall of Agenmoor to the shadow elves...

And nobody came to help them.

When I moved that the next Hackmaster campaign to Eastern Talaishia, the rampant racism was never there. Those larger groups were either far removed from human contact, or simply shrank well prior to the second barbarian incursion.  

Of course, there are tons of elf refugees from the fall of the kingdom, and their strange dialects, differeing culutres and drain on resources might un-surface some old hostilities amongst the peasantry. 

Alternate Question: What burden is a character willing to carry until the end?

(Kickstarter) Idols of the Neon Dark: A D&D 5e K-Pop Adventure and Setting

There's not much that's been tickling my fancy on Kickstarter recently.  This doesn't hit many of my buttons either, but Idols of the Neon Dark: A D&D 5e K-Pop Adventure and Setting does that the tropes of something recently popular and puts them in an easily digestible form of Dungeons and Dragons.

...and let's be honest, the music you can play in the background is pretty addictive. 

Dungeons & Defense?

I know I saved this two months ago, but I finally got the chance to watch Dungeons and Defense posted on the Kansas City Chiefs Youtube page.   

Nerds... jocks... nerd/jocks, it doesn't matter, it's all too familiar.  Fabulously familiar. 

(Georic Gazetteer) The Giants of Cos Mora

(Author's Notes: I began writing my gazetteer service to help dispel rumors and legends of the nations on the continent of Talaishia.  My greatest correspondence hasn't been in regard to any nation on (or below) the continent. The greatest intrigue are the kingdoms and lands far from our shores.  

My appendix entry of Hy Braseal has been my favorite entry of all folks, and more requests within that part of the world have been requested.  

So, despite my better judgement, I've accumulated fact and myth for the lands far south of Hy Braseal, below the impenetrable jungle, the high plains and hills perfect for high races:  The Giants of Cos Mora. 

One final and important disclaimer: Almost all of the information accumulated has ben derived from the same limited Hibernian explorers who visited Hy Braseal and Amazonia.  The Hibernians are famous for their drinking, their short stature (that could easily influence any claims), and the fact that their "explorers" were foolhardy raiders, rather than scholarly explorers.  The most outrageous and fantastical claims are listed as such.

Cos Mora

Pantheon:  Orddu’r Craidd 

Ruled By:  The Assembly of Six Colossi, various regional chieftains 

Capital: Q’ari P’illay ("City of Light")

Other Cities: Muru Lluk,  T’raqwayn,  Sari Runku.  Aserthera, Sekhimnos

Language:  Various Giant-Kin languages.  Even the smaller races speak the language right-heighted.

Flag/Emblem:  A silver spiral-mountain pierced by a thunderbolt, on a field of twilight blue is a decoration in a number of cultures

Coinage:   Mostly barter, Ore-weighted stone marks (never used by lesser races; mostly ceremonial)
Important Personas: Deep-Mother (Elder of Stone), Hail-wrath Tempest-Seer, Marn, General of the Canyon Hosts, Qwarfan the Molten Herald, Mayu Warmi Ayllin of Llinquwasi

Alliances:  None, sometimes with each other

Hostilities:  None

Open Warfare/Skirmishing:  Seasonal border clashes between Stone-Ice tribes and the Emberblood Forges.

Intrigues:  Titan politics run on prophecy, grudges, and geological omens.

Demi-Humans:  • Coka Wyrd Ogres (6%)
• Frost-Chisel Dwarves (5%)
• Frog-folk (3%)
Magickal Devices:  The Thunder-Seared Tablets, Ember-Forge Braziers, Stone-Memory Looms, Canyon Javelins of Lightning, Reed-Bound Chalices of the River Sibills, The Obsidian Heart of Pelondar

Thumbnail Sketch
The Titanland of Cos Mora dominates an entire southern continent below Vargaard. Far below Hy Braseal and Amazonia are vast plains, adamantine mountains, glacial fjords, and jungled river basins ruled not by men, but by at least sixfold civilizations of giants whose cultures vary as widely as their terrain.

Where lesser realms speak of kings or councils, the Cos Mora speak cyclical skyfire the elves haven't even notated, and the slow bargaining of beings who live long enough to watch mountains rise.

For thousands of years the giant tribes have shaped the continent’s geography through war, artistry, and divine pact-making. The storms of the mountains to the west and the ocean to the east are their loyal neighbors.   The rivers of Urqa run according to ancient treaties between stone and water.

Explorers from distant Senzar, Chi’in, and the Fortunate Isles agree on only a few facts:

• The land is impossibly fertile, shaped by ancient magic.
• The giants maintain loose boundaries; trespassers rarely return unobserved.
• Their temples predate known history.
• Each region houses a different giant-kind, each evolved to mastery of their domain.
• Lesser races survive only through shrewd alliances, mobility, or by living where giants find little interest.
• The Orddu’r Craidd pantheon blends sky-mothers, mountain-spirits, and storm-sisters—no two tribes interpret the myths the same way.

The giants of Cos Mora rarely attack outsiders unless provoked.
But when they do, they move with the inevitability of avalanches and rockslides.


Pampa Qhuri
Dominant Giantkind: Prairie Titans
Landscape: Endless rolling plains, windscoured steppes, monumental herds
Government: A triad of Shepherd-Matriarchs
Lesser Races: Halfling wind-riders, gnome grass-witches
Notable Sites:
• The Whispering Prairie-Stones
• The Aurochs-Spiral, a giant livestock city
• The Wind-Root Sanctuaries
Notes:
The Pampagor control weather patterns with slow ritual dances. Their strict fire-laws are enforced brutally.

Cos Mora South - Stone Giants 
Dominant Giantkind: Stone-Ice Giants
Landscape: Glacial shores, basalt cliffs, cobalt fjords
Government: The Neverending Council 
Lesser Races: Sealfolk, frost dwarves, wandering elven whalers
Notable Sites:
• The Frozen Reliquary
• Mount Ceirios, the Singing Glacier
• The Tidelocked Monoliths
Notes: Believed to be the oldest giant race; their burial grounds double as geomantic fortresses.

Kuyu Qhapaq: The Vinfael Emberbloods

Dominant Giantkind: Fire Giants
Landscape: Calderas, obsidian ridges, fumarole fields
Government: The Furnace Senate
Lesser Races: Fire-resistant dwarves,
Notable Sites:
• The Shatterforge Arches
• The Ember Crucible beneath Aconcagua
• The March of Broken Glass
Notes:
They are master smiths; their weapons are traded only under oath-binding rituals.

Qulla Suyu): The Airaith Tempestborn
Dominant Giantkind: Mountain, Frost, and  Storm Giants
Landscape: Thunder-split canyons, high desert mesas, salt flats
Government: The Lightning Oracle of Three Voices
Lesser Races: Aarakocra cliff-monks
Notable Sites:
• The Valle del Ryswrath (Valley of Red Thunder)
• Sky-Cairns of the Wayfarers
• The Salt Crystal Mirror
Notes:
They interpret lightning the way other cultures interpret scripture.

Urqa: The  Mire-Shapers
Dominant Giantkind: River Giants
Landscape: Wetlands, river forests, rune-woven waterways
Government: The Confluence Throne
Lesser Races: Amphibian folk
Notable Sites:
• The Temple of the Triple Current
• The Reed-Lantern Delta
• The Tide-Changer Beacons
Notes:
The most peaceful giants, but their flooding magic can swallow entire villages. 

Chaku Mayu: The Thornshroud Wardens
Dominant Giantkind: Hill Giants
Landscape: Dense forests, thorn labyrinths, humid twilight canopies
Government: The Verdant Matrons
Lesser Races: Jaguar-folk, sentient insects, vine "kobolds"
Notable Sites:
• The Green Labyrinth of Arahura
• The Root-Nexus where vines whisper
• The Canopy Thrones
Notes:
They wage a secret war against a hive of aberrant mind-eating plants.

GEOGRAPHY OF NOTE

The Rift of the Stone Mothers - A canyon said to be the wound left when the first giants crawled from the earth. Ongoing earthquakes are considered “the Mothers turning in their sleep.”

The Aurochs-Spiral of the Pampa - A city-sized spiral of earthworks used to herd the titan-cattle referred to as Aurochs.

The Temples of Urqa - Temples anchored alongside the river.  Priests offer water-prophecy.

The March of Broken Glass - A nearly impossible region to cross, volcanic activity, sulfur deposits, constantly changing landscape. 

The Salt-Sky Cairns - Skyward stone stacks perched on canyon rims.  Each Cairn marks a lightning prophecy

The Mirror-Delta - Water surfaces that reflect not the current moment but potential futures.  An unnerving experience, but one of the top draws for philosophers and bards.

Aroglith the Walking Mountain - A slow-moving colossus rumored to be a forgotten titan.Watching it move is like seeing a mountain breathe.  

Mentions of the Country in the Blog: None

GM Notes: The author of the Gazetteer wasn't being facetious, the "Appendix" entry on Hy Braseal and Amazonia netted the best debut for the Gazetteer, and thanks, and thanks to Episode #677 of Ken and Robin Talk About Stuff, and the Cos Mora was conceived.    Just enough bad Hibernian and pseudo-Incan to be wrong but interesting...

🧙‍♂️(Georic Gazetteer) The Fallen Kingdom of Agenmoor

The Fallen Kingdom of Agenmoor

Pantheon:  Drow 

Ruled By: The Drow
Capital: Riafelton

Other Cities:  High tree (now devastated)

Language: Elvish (wood, high, Drow)

Flag/Emblem:  A blackened, gnarled tree, with blood-red roots, on a field of dark purple

Coinage: Ancient Agemoor currency, no longer overvalued outside of the forest.
Important Personas: Bhionn the Sorceress, Keleron, Slavelord of the Minions

Alliances:  Netherdeep

Hostilities:  Netherdeep, Grunge Elves, Markovia, Mercadia

Open Warfare/Skirmishing:  Netherdeep, Grunge Elves, 

Intrigues: Shadow Elf High Priestesses from below still investigating why the land has not fully corrupted. 

Demi-Humans:  Shadow Elf/Drow (65%), Humanoid (10%), Corrupted Fairy (10%), Elf (15%) 

Magickal Devices:  The Eclipsing Heart, the Web of Ten Thousand Lies, The Wailing Crown of Riafellton

Thumbnail Sketch:  

The once-great elven kingdom of Agenmoor is no longer the land they remember. Corruption and shadows have twisted the trees, and a war rages between the Drow overlords andthe desperate elven resistance.

The once glorious forests now form a twisted canopy, darkening the land below.  Strange mists and unnatural silence cloak the depths of the woods. The Drow/Shadow Elves rule unchallenged, but corruption is not absolute. 

In 1133, the Drow Army of the NetherDeep invaded and corrupted Agenmoor, overthrowing the once-great Elven Kingdom and driving thousands of elves into exile. The once-majestic emerald canopy was reshaped into a twisted labyrinth of blackened vines, gnarled roots, and shadow-choked undergrowth. The Drow have since turned the land into an extension of their subterranean empire, poisoning the heart of the forest with dark magic.

The Great High Tree of Riafellton, once the towering heart of elven magic and governance, now stands half-dead, its bark blackened, oozing with dark ichor. Legends whisper that the last surviving essence of the old forest still lingers deep within, waiting for the right soul to rekindle it.

The Drow, however, have not achieved complete victory. By 1136, their expansion faltered, and the edges of the corrupted forest began to recede as much as a mile back. Though the Drow maintain control, their influence is no longer absolute, as the land itself seems to be resisting their dominion.

The Elven Kingdom of Agenmoor in Exile

Ruled by: The Twilight Cabal

Capital: Most of the Cabal bases operations in Draloite in Crosedes

Language: High Elvish

Flag/Emblem: A leafless tree of silver, on a field of blue.

Coinage: Ancient Agemoor currency, no longer overvalued outside of the forest.

Important Personas: Ashe and Binklen Winnebago

Allied with: Mercadia

Hostilities: uneasiness w/ Skyforge

Intrigues: The Winnebagos trying to ally with the Grunge Elves

Magic Items Recovered: Everflame of Aelindor, Skybough Shard, Moonveil Tapestry, Blades of Dawn and Dusk

Thumbnail Sketch:

The Twilight Cabal are a secret society of exiled elven scholars and priests working in the shadows, trying to restore the land’s balance. They are scattered and disorganized, but they know that if the High Tree’s last essence can be reignited, Agenmoor can be reclaimed.

The Twilight Cabal

But beyond that, the cabal's efforts often come in conflict with the Grunge elves, gleefully fighting a guerrilla war against the Drow.

Even beyond that is the growing resistance organized by brothers, Ashe and Binklen Winnebago. Famed adventurers, with ties to the discovery and ascension of Emperor Rurik of Feraso, the siblings are organization a multi-prong attack on the Drow, to challenge not only the Sorceress Bhionn, but the Cabal as well.

Binklen Winnebago

But time is running out. If the balance is not restored, Agenmoor may soon be lost forever to the NetherDeep.

Ashe Winnebago

Mentions in the Blog

Lost Dispatches of Feraso #7  - Infamous adventurer Talanth Blackash could be of Agenmoor, rather than Wyrmnalian elven birth

Lost Dispatches of Feraso #16  - The Ras-Prythax Principality of Fürstentum had a number of elven visitors well befor the invasion, should have some refugees or some resistance. 

Lost Dispatches of Feraso #17  - Reference that the Enstead Bandit Kingdoms in Ras-Prytax were once a rival Elven Kingdom like Agenmoor

Lost Dispatches of Feraso #30 -  Comparing the treacherousness of the "Snow Elves" Ilvablight to Agenmoor

Lost Dispatches of Feraso #72  - A biased description of Ashe Winnebago

Lost Dispatches of Feraso #83  - An early reference to Keleron, before the destruction of Agenmoor.

Ballad of the Pigeon God #0 - Mention of the Agenmoor betrayal.

Ballad of the Pigeon God #39 - An aside regarding Ashe and Binklen Winnebago of the Elvish Winnebago Clan.

Ballad of the Pigeon God #40 - A map referencing the southern tip of Agenmoor

Ballad of the Pigeon God #62 -  Elves in Agenmoor pour across the border, to witness the alleged return of the God-King.

Ballad of the Pigeon God #73 - Ashe and Binklen Winnebago return to Agenmoor.  

Ballad of the Pigeon God #75 - Emporer Rurik gives Agenmoor equal footing in the Feraso Imperial Court, at least until his death.   Ashe and Binklen Winnebago remain in Agenmoor at least until the original Shadow Incursion in 1130.  Rumored to have moved to Ilvablight.

Journey of Mutumbo #12 - Mention of the (possibly lost) Darkspruce Manor in Agenmoor
Burning Trogs Rule! #5 - Cecelia Darkspruce travels through the Drow-tainted lands that no longer resemble the forest kingdom
Burning Trogs Rule! #8 - The final Drow invasion coincides with the Great Comet of 1132, which destroyed parts of Emron.

Burning Trogs Rule! #12 - Any sense of the original elven kingdom is gone by 1133.  Elvish refugees flee to Marakeikos.

Burning Trogs Rule! #15 - Mention of elvish refugees not surviving the journey to Marakeikos, or disappearing once they do arrive.

Burning Trogs Rule! #45 - Agenmoor refugees in Radlebb first report on the Marakeikan Civil War.  Give the Burning Trogs safe passage.

(Kickstarter) Gone Scarin' for 5e from Betta Games

 I will say this, I'd rather pay a dollar every other week for another small installment from Betta Games than some full sized product.  

Betta Games is at it again with another Kickstarter, this time for Gone Scarin'  for 5e

From the Kickstarter:

Our cozy one-shots are designed to help adventurers find low/no-combat ways to enjoy Dungeons and Dragons with an emphasis on interesting mechanics and immersive roleplay!

Various Festive Activities: Rules and charts for Apple Bobbing, Cornhole, Pumpkin Chuckin', Pumpkin Roll, & Pumpkin Carving.

Tricks & Treats: Choose from a variety of food and drink from food stalls at the festival. But, keep an eye out for the local youths, they're out for treats and have methods of enacting revenge upon those who refuse to indulge them.

Maps: Detailed maps of the festival area as well as the House of Horrors.

Awesome Art!

Game Time 2-4hrs: Play time will vary from table to table and will be naturally extended by your number of players.

Reviewing the Lost Dispatches of Feraso

In some reflective time this week, I crunched some numbers, and about 9% are Actual Plays of TTRPGs.  Most are fantasy, but I'd like to think, between my players journals, and session recordings, most of the episodes are accurate and enjoyable.

With last weekend's rain deluge, I was stuck inside the apartment, and while I got a number of things done, I did want to start tackling the backlog of posts I have to finish.   One of those items was the Georic Gazetteer entry for the Kingdom of Ras-Prythax, and I accomplished the exact opposite of what I set out to do. 

Even before I transplanted my campaign into an Earth-centric model, nearly 20 years ago, Ras-Prythax was my Holy Roman Empire with more clout: The large remnant of an ancient empire, power collapsing as its domains get a foothold towards independence.   It is a massive and vast land (furthest points is about 1,000 miles... not in a straight line).  and despite it being the country I started building in the 8th grade, when I finally was cobbling together a map and the gazetteer entry, I realized how many empty spaces were still there. 

It was decided early that I would need to break out the Kingdom into a general entry, as well as three regional entries, covering Eastern, Western, and Central Ras-Prythax.  

So much for clearing another backlog post off my list... now I have three more, and the overview post isn't complete yet.  

There's a bunch I need to develop, so I reviewed everything I had, so I could see where the obvious hole I could fill quickly were.  

Since most of the campaign was set in Ras-Prythax, I focused on re-reading the Lost Dispatches of Feraso, starting with Epiosde 1.   

I spent a good portion of the morning reading all 100 entries.  I wrote these between 2018 and 2020, and after going over them again, I have to say that they are the best writing, storytelling, and logistical storytelling I've ever done.  

I essentially tied the first decade of my fantasy role-playing, into a coherent storytelling device, much of which was never written down, and in many cases largely forgotten.  

For purposes of the gazetteer, I added a few towns, some local color, and most importantly, realized the far eastern Gran Duchy of Vrianios is essentially the Hungary to a real-world Austria-Hungary.  

I don't want to toot my own horn too much, but the way I tied many things together, even if it's just providing a different perspective of events from other Actual Play campaigns.  I am biased, but I do recommended starting with episode 1 linked above and working through the story, plus the recommended side treks.