Halloween 2019: OneBookShelf Jack O'Lanterns Freebies

As I alluded to on Wednesday, it's October.  Halloween blogging season. Unlike years past, no lofty promises this year. If I write a Halloween-themed post, cool. If not, oh well. We'll see how many I churn out. What better way to begin my Halloween blogging than listing my haul from OneBookShelf's (DriveThru RPG, DriveThru Comics, DriveThru Fiction, DM's Guild, Storyteller's Vault) Jack O'Lantern Scavenger Hunt where one on browses thru the site clicking on Halloween themed icons in order to score a freebie?

Note for first time blog visitors: I have taken advantage of OBS's Jack O'Lantern freebies for years now. I've racked up quite the haul, which I rarely if ever read or use. As such, no deep dives. I didn't search through every nook and cranny. Four or five items was my stopping point.  Also, only the icon and the order in which I discovered the freebie will be listed.

On with the listing.

DriveThru RPG -

Witch hat:  Castles & Crusades: Night of Spirits. I got to hand it to Troll Lord Games. When they go in on a promotion, they go all in. This Halloween themed module using the Castles & Crusades rules retails for around $8. Reading the boilerplate makes me want to read and possibly run it.

Jack o'lantern: 5E Halloween Mini Dungeon: Horror of Ochre Grove. A D&D 5E module that's apparently Halloween-themed...

2nd jack o lantern: SEERS & Roebuck Dust Buster of Holding - the fantasy equivalent of the old Sears & Roebuck catalogs, which in this instance features one particular item.

3rd jack o'lantern:  Doomtown Reloaded: Print & Play Demo - The description reads like a card game. I hate when they mix categories...

4th jack o'lantern:  Mothership Players Survival Guide - Did you like the Aliens movies with Xenomorphs and Sigourney Weaver? Well, this rpg emulates it!


DriveThru Comics

Witch hat: Kids on Bikes House On Polar Court

Ghost: Unstoppable Origins #1

Jack o'lantern:  God the Dyslexic Dog v1 (apparently I already own a copy...)

Candy: Death Vigil #1

2nd jack o lantern: vs Stranger Stuff Send in the Clowns Special Edition


DriveThru Fiction

Witch hat: Weird Fiction Megapack 25 Stories From Weird Tales. Can't go wrong with a collection of stories from the old Weird Tales magazine/pulp. The mag that brought us Conan!

Jack o' lantern: Outbreak Undead 2nd edition  Intro Manual. Another cross category offering...

2nd Jack o Lantern: Cabaret of the Grotesque

Ghost: Book of Apex vol 1 of Apex Magazine  (already have). I swear this given away every year...

3rd Jack o Lantern Achtung! Cthulhu Fiction The Trellborg Monstrosities. Like H.P. Lovecraft and the Cthulhu Mythos? Well, here's Cthulhu Mythos stories set across the pond in the UK!


DMs Guild

Ghost: Songs of Aedragad

Jack o'lantern: Curse of the Gumdrop Ooze Revised and Expanded

2nd Ghost: Circle of the Feydark 5e

2nd Jack o Lantern: Dread Domain A Cleric Archetype

Since much of my D&D 5E gaming is Adventurers League, I am unlikely to use any of this. Sigh...


Storyteller's Vault

Bat - Death Vigil #1 (repeat of the DriveThru Comics freebie)

Jack o'lantern -  God Dyslexic Dog volume 1 repeat of the DriveThru Comics Freebie

I really dislike how neither of these pertain to White Wolf Intellectual Property. The DM's Guild freebies seemed to be all D&D-related at least.

Ghost: Bygone Bestiary. Want to use fantastic creatures such as dragons in your World of Darkness game? Well, now you can! I've owned a deadtree version since White Wolf's $6.66 sale. I've been meaning to acquire an ebook copy for years so I could part with my physical copy. Mission accomplished!

Bat - Legacy of Lies a  V20 Dark Ages Jumpstart. Vampire Dark Ages is one of my favorite WOD Vampire settings.

Overall, I'd say I was pleased with this year's offerings.

Next time.

Appendix N: Read Lovecraft's "The Statement of Randolph Carter"

Last year and to an extent this year, I resolved to read more. What better way than a book club? I've never participated in book clubs before as I haven't read a book in less than a month in decades. Furthermore, most book selections I feel iffy towards. However, I discovered social media page devoted AD&D 1E Appendix N (the inspirations for Dungeons & Dragons - for Gygax) decided to do a virtual book club. The first month is selection of stories by H.P. Lovecraft.


I own both an annotated book containing a selection of his fiction as well as a leather-bound containing all his of Lovecraft's fiction. Opening those pages excites me.


My first reading is "The Statement of Randolph Carter". At five pages, it is the shortest of the selections. Baby steps, baby steps.


Suppose you're wondering why I am blogging this. You may be wondering 'You're reading, Matt. Great. Bravo.'


Instead of posting my responses on book club's page, why not blog my thoughts! Also helps me to remember too... ahem...


 What didn't you like about the reading? At five pages, "The Statement of Randolph Carter" is more like a vignette.


What did you like about the reading? Loved the ambience. Learned about technology one simply doesn't know existed until stumbles upon it such as the portable telephone, which is essentially two telephones connected by wire. Thank you annotated book! Envisioned the portable telephone in my mind. The annotated book displayed the patent. Was half right.


As a horror story, the story successfully built up the suspense until the end and - gotcha!


Finally, as I recently became reacquainted with regularly listening to audio dramas, The Statement of Randolph Carter reads very much as a radio drama. If two people could read the story out loud and include sound effects, it's practically the script for a teleplay!


In what ways do you think "The Statement of Randolph Carter" inspired the creation of Dungeons and Dragons? - Randolph Carter is clearly a low level adventurer journeying with a higher level one to a far off, hidden locale.


Both Carter and his mentor carry quite a bit of adventuring gear including some that are not run-of-the-mill objects. Any player of D&D can tell of adventuring gear such ten-foot poles and sun rods. Let's not forget more mundane items such as rope and lanterns. Not a lot of shovels but crowbars are carried by many a PC.


Honestly, D&D  was shares quite a bit with a story spanning a mere five pages!


There's powerful terror lurking below the surface. A terror too powerful one individual no matter how experienced can't defeat. The PCs only hope for survival is running away. Yeah, later editions kind of do away with such difficult challenges. Oh and the terror can communicate with the PCs...


PCs being fluent in more than one language. Tomes containing archaic languages or unrecognizable symbols; and those tomes are either the objects of or initiators of quests.


The authorities aren't friendly to the PCs. They are neutral, indifferent, or hostile toward them.


Splitting the party can be both bad and good depending on where the danger is.


In what ways can you use The Statement of Randolph Carter to inspire your own games? Use more tomes written in a foreign language (as opposed to the common language of the area) using a secret code or mixed with archaic language. Don't often place entrances to secret underground areas under slabs in cemetery or any other ruin.


Unusual mundane items are just as much a part of a table-top role-playing game as magical items. Communication devices are a great way to build tension. Splitting the party is headache as it can foster either meta-gaming or loss of interest.


Using language to develop ambience particularly when the encounter includes sublime or exotic. Reading a story rich in ambience reminds how much a gripping adventure requires it. Until combat occurs anyway...


On to the next Lovecraft story! Haven't decided which though but I have read none of the remaining three before. No use mentioning them until I read them.


Happy Reading!


Next time!

Halloween 2017: All Hallows' Eve

Might as well cut to the chase:


Happy Halloween!


Must confess I didn't do too much Halloween-related today. Not trick-or-treating. Didn't eat any candy. Was going to read the DC House of Horror one-shot after watching tonight's episode of DC's Legends of Tomorrow set during Halloween but after fast-forwarding through the episode (yeah, I know shouldn't do that) I discovered next week's episode is set during the Victorian era and may feature vampires. So I figured I will watch that episode later.


As for the DC comic, I may read it tomorrow. Speaking of comics, while I didn't attend Halloween Comicfest, I did pick up some of the comics when I played Shadowrun Missions yesterday. They are: The Friendly Ghost Casper, Donald Duck's Halloween Scream, Shiver, Ghostbusters: Happy Halloween, and Hellboy and the BPRD 1953 The Witch Tree and Rawhead and Bloody Bones. With any luck, I'll be able to spend a huge chunk of Halloween day 2 (ie All Saints Day) reading comics!


What I did do was take advantage of One Book Shelf's Halloween sales and bundles. Discovered that the Barovia modules for Adventurers League (AL04) were cheaper via the bundle (@ 40% off) and thus the better option. While I was at it, I picked up the Mummy: the Curse (nWOD) bundle and a Monster comics bundle (has the Doctor Mirage trade from Valiant). Then I realized I could pick up the core book and all five supplements for Palladium Book's Dead Reign much cheaper than normal. For those unfamiliar with Dead Reign, it is Palladium Book's post-zombie apocalypse setting. While I already own a copy of the core book, I don't have easy access to it and watching The Walking Dead puts me in a zombie apocalypse mood. Don't know if I would ever run it though.


Then I check out some Halloween-related links:


The pumpkin genome has been sequenced.


Here's a quick history of pumpkins. Fun fact: Europeans had never seen them before coming to North America.


The pumpkin produces a compound that is a natural disinfectant!


I must confess I haven't seen the newest version of the movie IT. Here's how Stephen King's work such IT parallel the Cthhulhu Mythos.


Viking zombies and the means of dispatching them can be read about here.


Now, I think I am going to watch some Halloween movies!


Next time.

Halloween '16: Ash, Cthulhu and Friday the 13th Share a Cover

I don't always buy a comic based on the cover, but when I do it has both Ash from the Evil Dead series and Cthulhu framed in Friday the 13th homage cover. Okay, maybe not Ash exactly. More like some chick holding the Necronomicon by the cabin from the Evil Dead movies. Meanwhile, a figure resembling Cthulhu lurks behind the cabin. All this framed by the outline of a person much like the movie posters from the first three Friday the 13th movies. Friday the 13 has an especially strong appeal for me at the moment because I just recently picked the entire set of the television series, which has absolutely nothing to do with Jason Vorhees. But, I digress.


Back on topic, the cover, and subject of today's Halloween-themed entry, belongs to the very first issue of Evil Dead 2: Dark Ones Rising #1. So yeah, an actual comic book review. So I'm pumped.




Spoilers




Writer: Frank Hannah
Pencilers: Oscar Bazaldua and Raul Valdes
Inker: Carlos Eduardo
Colorist: Chris Summers


Art: The art does an excellent job telling the story, while maintaining a high level of detail. A couple panels are rather murky such that I couldn't tell what the Cthulhu-resembling creature was doing. Thought presenting the creature via silhouette was neat touch as we don't actually get a full on look at it.


Story: First, it seems this story takes place in such a world where either Army of Darkness never occurred or is independent of it. Annie makes a comment about creating Ash, which is rather puzzling until reading the sneak peak in which Ash talks about being cloned from a hand. So second, this isn't independent story where all you've only needed to have watched the Evil Dead movies. A couple stories took place prior to this one. That said, the first issue is fairly accessible. Could be the Friday the 13th homage cover; but it reminds me of the days of horror franchises such as Friday the 13th or Nightmare on Elm Street where while it's a sequel to previous story one doesn't necessarily need familiarity with that story. Like 80's and 90's horror movies, the story really focuses around a heroine, Annie. Annie decides to make peace with her past by burning physical object representing that past such as the dagger and the book, Ex-Mortis (standing in for the Necronomicon). Then, like the heroines from those horror franchises she's pulled back into the fray when she pulls Ash out of the mud. Ash warns of the Dark Ones coming. Alas, the dagger and book were burned. Suffice it to say, one such Dark One, resembling Cthulhu, appears by crawling out of sinkhole that swallowed a town. In true Halloween spirit, the Dark One merges(?) with either the skeletons or souls of a nearby cemetery. Meanwhile, Ash and Annie flee for help hoping that it is just one...


Overall: Horror comics even moreso than movies rely upon mood and ambience with the reader being in the proper frame of mind. In this case, I'd have to say the combination of the cover and a sense of nostalgia for 80's and 90's horror led to me being enthralled with the story. Halloween being a day away probably helps too. If my FLCGS carries a copy of the next issue, I'll pick up the next issue. Rating: 3 out of 5 stars.


Happy Halloween Eve!

Star Trek 50th Anniversary Part One?

On September 9th, 1966, the very first episode of Star Trek was broadcast. Last Friday marks the 50th anniversary of the phenomenon. Originally, I meant to blog about the milestone last weekend but the best laid plans of mice and men... This is what I hope is my first installment celebrating 50 years of starship Enterprise and the Federation. I say hope because I still haven't finished my Dark Horse Comics celebration... In any case, I'll kick it off commenting on several links discussing the celebration or things related to Trek.


Star Trek Discovery Delayed? - The Star Trek franchise deserves to be done right so I'm fine with them giving themselves some extra time to hone the special effects. Although to be fair, I'm neutral about the exact time Discovery airs. Streaming hour long shows, let alone an entire season, simply isn't an option for me. So I hope the newest Trek winds up on DVD at some point. However, based on the fact Daredevil hasn't yet, doesn't leave with much hope... Hmm, what would Roddenberry think? What the hope and all... Okay, bad joke...


Discovery Comic and Novel Tie-ins - Guess, it's official there will be comic book and novel tie-ins for the new show Star Trek Discovery. As if there was ever any doubt. May actually be my first exposure to the characters from the new show. Thought the same about the Peter Capaldi Doctor Who and was wrong about that...


Star Trek Anniversary Trailer - Here's an incredible trailer, which celebrates fifty years of Star Trek with scenes from the various Star Trek movies (Original, Next Gen, and Abrams-verse). Worth seeing.


Star Trek Does Lovecraft - Never really thought of the Best of Both Worlds, simply one of the best TNG stories ever, as Lovecraftian in tone. Part of that may be I had yet to be introduced to the works of HP Lovecraft at the time. The other being that may have seen Best of Both Worlds I and II as reruns and thus the Borg were not unknowns and could be defeated. Then again, I watched a lot, and I do mean a lot, of TNG with a span of years so episode chronology is fuzzy with me. Will say the Lovecraft, and Clive Bark Hellraiser-esque, overtones will certainly lead me to view the story from a different perspective.


A Not So Spectacular Celebration? - Here's a piece elaborating that both CBS and Paramount dropped the ball on celebrating 50 years of Trek. Go on read it. Okay, done? I'm inclined to agree. Other than Star Trek Beyond, which wasn't marketed as an anniversary film, the announcement of Star Trek Discovery, and several celebratory magazine specials (TV Guide, Time, Entertainment Weekly, Star Trek magazine, etc.), one may not have know that 2016 marked Star Treks fiftieth year of existence. I suppose as the article alluded to that just enough was offered to Trek fans (I know longer know the proper fan term, is it Trekkies or Trekkers now?) to give hope.


Hope. The one word that defines Star Trek from all other sci-fi franchises. Hope that more movies will come. Hope that once more a Star Trek show will grace our screens. Hope that more comics, novel, and other tie-in merchandise will continue to satisfy our fandom. Hope that I'll actually get to watch Star Trek Discovery. Finally, hope that this blog entry will not be sole entry celebrating Trek's 50 years.

Cthulhu Mythos and Doctor Who Share a Birthday! (Sort of)

August 20th serves an important distinction for the Cthulhu Mythos and Doctor Who. Sure, neither debuted on this day (well as far as I am aware anyway) but both share a birthday in common.


Thanks to the internet and global capitalism I discovered that both H.P. Lovecraft, the creator of the Cthulhu Mythos, and Slyvestor McCoy (the 7th Doctor) were born on August 20th, give or take several decades. A coincidence that's simply geektastic! As an aside, I found out about Sylvestor McCoy's birthday courtesy of Big Finish, the creator of Doctor Who audios. They are having a sale on ten 7th Doctor audios. Meanwhile, One Book Shelf is having a Cthulhu Mythos sale (20% off) on its Drive Thru Fiction, RPG, and Comics sites. Since I didn't feel like linking the OBS sale (last 12 days), out of fairness (and may not participate in) I won't link to the Big Finish sale (lasts until Monday morning London time - I may participate in this one).


The works of HP Lovecraft have been a part of my life for twenty years. In fact, my next D&D character for Adventurer's League may very well be a Warlock who serves Cthulhu (albeit played more for humor than straight). Meanwhile, I remember as a little kid watching Sylvestor McCoy's regeneration story on PBS and eagerly trying to watch each new 7th Doctor Who story to varying degrees of success as the airing of episodes had become erratic. Don't think I've watched every story from McCoy's time on the show, certainly haven't listened to every audio nor read every book. To be fair, I haven't read every Lovecraft story yet either - although I do own a copy of his complete fiction and an annotated edition of several of his works.


In any case, I had to shine a spotlight on two creative people's birthdays, HP Lovecraft and Sylvestor McCoy, whose body of work has thrilled me.