Thursday, March 31, 2011

Wrap up of Gary Con

Phew, finally I can take a minute and fill you in on all things Gary Con.  We got back and hit the ground running on making books, answering emails, etc. and only now can I start to digest all that happened and put it down in words.

First off, the trip up was great, we held a few contests with some trivia and Michael Garcia and John Wright both won a free PDF.  Things like that always help pass the time on a long drive.  Plus we had good weather, sandwich stuff and a cooler full of Dr Pepper.  Unlike last Con, we arrived in plenty of time.  We got in late Thursday evening, unloaded our personal gear and the books we were selling and then decided it was time to have a beer.  So like any good techno geek, I tweeted about it.  And this is why I love technology and our fans: Within a few minutes of that, we had some folks drinking with us that I had been dying to meet since I started working for TLG.  Scott and Heather Johnson, Charley Phipps, and a few others came by to greet us.

The next day we sat up in the Exhibition Hall and people came by and looked at our books and collections.  One of the bestselling items was Towers of Adventure, which is in part why I have it on sale for 3 hour Thursday.  TLG has had a great relationship with Jim Ward for years and have been lucky enough to publish a bunch of his work.  Being new, I had never had the chance to meet him, though I certainly knew of his work.  He would come by the booth when he wasn't running games and just talk.  What a great guy!  Very nice, gracious, humble and just an all around good person.

I think that was the highlight of this Con for me, meeting new people and people I have talked to for a long time on the forums, on facebook, on twitter, etc.  I got to put faces to names -- Rigon, Bloodymage, Sir Osis, Sajflorida, Treebore, Jaybird, Lord Seskis just to name a few.  And I met countless new people, some great new C&C fans and friends, Sean, Patrick, Brooke, Arrow, Mona, Joe, Doug, Roz, Mark, Jennifer, Tim, Kevin, really too many to relist here but the main theme at this Con was how happy everyone was to be there.  They gamed and gamed and we worked and worked until finally Steve had to get in there and game.  It's hard to keep him from gaming at a Con for too long, despite being busy at the booth.  He ran an afternoon game and someone had to man the booth, so I didn't get to see it.

After that, we closed down the booth because we were getting ready to go have dinner with Bill Cousino and Elise Gygax.  They've been close friends of Steve's ever since her father worked with TLG.  They took us out to a place by the lake and we had a great time.  Thanks guys, the next dinner is on us, I insist!

After dinner we all went back to the lodge for drinks and to talk.  Tim Kask came by with his dice tower, trying to put it together, then some guy named Bryan came over with some very funny stories, then Joe Goodman and Doug Kovacs came by.  It was a great time; then Joe convinced us to go play a game called Nuclear War. We went into the open gaming room and played until the wee hours of the night, sharing beers and listening to Steve and Joe trade stories and we all tried to "one up" each other with jokes.

Saturday brought another full day at the booth for me, Steve went to have lunch with Gail Gygax and I sold books, and met more people.  I got to meet GeekPreacher and Manny from Norway, Griz Burnside, all of these people.  Some knew of TLG and some didn't but it didn't matter much, people who love games just love to game.  They would come up to me and talk about the game they were just in, ask about our books, talk to Steve or Jim.  At some point early in the day, someone asked Steve if he was going to run another game.  This turned out to a momentous question...

Because we had so many of our fans there and so many new people interested in the game, Steve decided to run an impromptu game at 6pm.  Well, new people interested in the game would stop by the booth and we'd tell them if they were interested in a new game, Steve was running one at 6.  And of course some of our longtime fans wanted in too.  To make a long story short, by the time the game was rolling, Steve had 18 players all setting up and getting ready to play.  18 players at an RPG table is a LOT of people, but Steve never batted and eye, he just got in there and started laying out the rules and helping the people new to C&C.  In no time the game was up and running. And my main job was to make sure people had what they needed, make sure they were happy, but really all I had to do was bring Steve a Dr Pepper every half hour because they were plenty happy without me.  They had Steve, a great storyteller and master of this game (he is the Troll Lord after all) running the show.  And really, it was a show.  He had them laughing, had people coming from other tables and the halls to check out what was going on.  It was something to watch.  If you come to a Con where we are going to be, I suggest you get in on a game with Steve; it's something you don't want to miss.  The game lasted approximately 5 hours!

After that, we ran out for some food (of course by now it's midnight) and then made it back for a midnight meeting with some potential clients and after that it was a late night party with Luke, Brandon, Alex, Ken, Dale, Chris, a whole slew of people that ran Gary Con. By the way, I can't say enough nice things about the crew running Gary Con.  Dale and Chris helped get us a great table in the exhibition hall and everyone was just very welcoming and helpful.  Thanks to all of you.

Where was I?  Oh yeah, the party.  Well, I'm not going to go much into that here, but suffice it to say there was war hooch, the nastiest thing on earth (I had nightmares about it for days), fire, dancing, people lifting people, and well, you get the idea.  People in Wisconsin know how to PARTY.

After getting to sleep around 4am, we got up early to go have breakfast with Joe and his crew, and John and Jim.  Then we opened the booth for a few hours before we had to make the 12 hour trek back home.  It was truly a very wonderful experience and I can't wait to go back next year.  Thanks to everyone who made it such a good time.  Tim

P.S.  Pictures of this event are at the bottom of this page and some are on Facebook as well.

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Gary Con Road Trip Contest!

We are just about ready to head to GaryCon. We decided it would be fun to have a little contest while on the road. At some point during the drive, we are going to ask a trivia question. First person to correctly answer and email Tim at redsoxburns (at) gmail.com will get a free PDF. We may do this more than once, depending on the time and drive. Check here or @trollordgames on Twitter or Troll Lord Games on Facebook for the trivia questions and updates from the road!

Three Hour Thursday Special and Gary Con!

Hey all, from 8:30am to 11:30am, Malady of Kings is only $4.99 in PDF.  Normally 12.99, this is a great deal but it only lasts for 3 hours.

Only a few hours before we head out for Gary Con! The weather is good, and we are getting excited about the trip.  Wish trolldog Maggie were coming, but maybe Gen Con.

K, gotta get ready to go, check for tweets, photos, videos, sales, news, info, all of what is best in life :-) from the road...  - Tim

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Wednesday 2 Hour Special

Beginning at 6pm CST and lasting two hours only, the entire Haunted Highlands series in PDF will be on sale for $9.99.  This is over 65% off the regular price.  Get your savings from 6-8pm CST here: Haunted Highlands Bundle!

Two Bundled Specials Ending Soon

Make sure to take advantage of these two great deals in PDF before they are gone! As soon as we are back from GaryCon on Sunday, these will be gone:

World of Aihrde all in one Bundle: Over 15 items, including the Players Handbook, Monsters & Treasure, Of Gods & Monsters, Monsters & Treasure of Aihrde, lots of adventures, a timeline, tons of maps, you name it.  The basics you need to play C&C and much more goodies and one great low price.

"A" Series Adventure Pack!: This includes all our "A" Series adventures, from A0 The Rising Knight to A7 The Despairing Stone.  Separate them or put them all together for one great campaign. Over 66% off regular price.

But hurry, these special prices will be gone before you know it...

One more day then we are off to Wisconsin!

In a little more than 24 hours, we will be on our way to Gary Con, in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin.  Look for tweets, facebook stuff, blogs, pictures on our yfrog (seen at the bottom of this blog), even some youtube videos from the road and the con.  you should be able to reach us through twitter using the #garycon.  we'll be checking that regularly along with everything else so if you have questions for us about the con or anything, we are still around.  Steve will be running some C&C games and I'll try to get some video and still of that, also some pics of him sleeping, which I'm sure will occur as soon as we get on the road. :-)

Actually, I recently got my phone set up for tethering to my laptop (thanks to Ed from All Things Fun) so we can still work on the road; Steve may try to write some and do some online stuff on the 12 hour trek north.  He's working on his part of A8 Forsaken Mountain and I'll edit some while he drives, if he drives.  I tend to like to drive, especially since (as I mentioned earlier) Steve tends to fall asleep.

If you are going to be at Gary Con, you might want to know we are going to be exhibiting and selling while we are there, so make sure to stop by our booth to pick up some goodies, or even just to say hi.  I've not met a lot of you in person but have talked online, so it'll be a treat for me to be able to put some faces to names, maybe share a beer or two.  They have a bar at the lodge, right?  I'm looking forward to Blue Moon's summer honeymoon beer, but I've been enjoying darker stuff through the winter, guinness and other stouts.  Probably will be doing more of that too while in WI, since the weather is colder than it is here in Arkansas.  It will be comparable to Maine, so it'll be a nice blast of cold air for me.

Have you guys checked out the Loot website yet? It's run by Ed Healy and a few other folk; it's a pretty neat concept and we hope to maybe try putting a few of our products up there in the near future.  We'll be sure to let you know if that happens.  Ed's got a lot of great ideas and projects going, so if you are interested in games, gaming, the analysis of gaming and the industry, you should check him out.

A big congratulations to our friends at Fat Dragon Games, as their new release Realms of the Dwarf Lords: Mountains & Cliffs was released today.  Another great product by Tom and his crew, and it's already #1 on the best seller list at RPGNow.

Please note, the 2 hour Wednesday sale is happening at 6pm CST this week.  The times change each week to accommodate people from all around who want a chance to get in on it. I'll post it here and on Twitter, Facebook, C&C Society, all the usual spots.  Three hour Thursday might be a bit trickier as we are on the road, but we'll try and figure something out.

Finally, a quick reminder to check out our C&C Society and TLG Forums if you haven't already.  More and more people are joining each day and some really great info is being traded around and people are meeting each other, planning games, talking about C&C and other RPG related stuff. 

That's all for now, thanks!  Tim

Monday, March 21, 2011

Jonesboro FLGS now carrying Troll Lord Games, Castles and Crusades

We are pleased to announce that Castles & Crusades is now being carried at the following store in Jonesboro, AR:

GeekTOPIA
2607 East Nettleton Ave.
Jonesboro, AR  72401
870-275-6480
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/GeekTOPIA
They don't have a website as of yet, but they will have soon and we will update that here as well as on the Retailer Page of our website.  They are open Monday thru Sunday from 12pm to 10pm and they have plenty of place for people to play and to run games.  A really cool place, so go check them out!

In addition, owner Joseph Murphy is going to be running a game of C&C at MidsouthCon Saturday, March 26 at 11:30 if you are going to be there you should try to get in the game!

Letter from Troll Lord for everyone who pre-ordered the CKG

The following is a copy of a letter that will be sent to everyone who pre-ordered the Castle Keepers Guide.  We wanted to make sure everyone who pre-ordered saw it so I'm posting it here as well.  Here you go:

Greetings from the Troll Lord,

As you are probably aware we have extended an offer of 25% off your next purchase. We fully intended to do this through the website’s commerce page but as it turns out the software we need to set up the coupons is not agreeing with our present install. Our intrepid webmaster, Brian Kowalski, is hammering this problem out, but in the meantime we would like to activate the offer immediately and allow you to redeem the coupon via the phone.

Once you are ready to place an order, just give us a shout at 501-680-6597 during normal business hours 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. CST and place your order. We’ll discount the amount over the phone and get you hooked up.

Thank you for all your patience and kind support.

Have a great day!
Steve Chenault



Monday Markdowns and a Question about Laptop use on the Road

Good morning all...

Last week we came up with two bundles in PDF, an "A" Series Adventure Pack! and a World of Aihrde All in One bundle.  They weren't part of any regular special, just something we wanted to do to see if people would like them.  And they have, lots of people have bought it and others have requested it stay active for longer.  So, we are going to continue to offer both of those sale bundles through this week; until we get back from GaryCon.

A note on the "A" Series Adventure Pack. When I bundled up the series, I inadvertently left A3 out.  I've since fixed that and it now has all of them, A0 - A7.  Please contact me if you have any questions regarding this.

So, Monday's Markdowns are as follows:

"A" Series Adventure Pack! only 9.99 You get all the "A" Series Adventures, at one really low price.
World of Airhde All in One Bundle only 49.99 This one has so many things in it, you just have to see it to believe it.  Everything you need and so much more. 
We are also going to offer one more thing for sale all week, and that is:
Tainted Lands  It regularly sells for 29.99, but this week, it's only 9.99

Before I go for now, does anyone know of a good way for us Trolls to use a laptop while we roam the country?  When one is driving, the other can be working, tweeting, updating, and not just on a tiny phone (frankly, Steve tries to destroy my phone each time he touches it LOL) but on a laptop.  @Mindea on Twitter mentioned a company called Clear and another, @Sajflorida told me to check with some ISPs.  I will follow up on those today but just wanted to pose the question here too.

Thanks!


Friday, March 18, 2011

"A" Series Bundle

For those that have purchased the C&C "A" Series Adventure Pack!, there was an adventure (A3 The Wicked Cauldron) missing.  This has been fixed and you can know download the complete purchase at RPGNow.com or DrivethruRPG.com.  Thanks, Tim

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Important information regarding the Troll's Tusk Newsletters

Recently, because of some issues with the company that handles our Troll's Tusk Newsletter distribution, the subscription list was shut down.  Because of this, you will be receiving a letter from Troll Lord Games requesting you confirm your continued desire to receive the newsletter.  The letter should look like this:

To ensure your continued interest in receiving email campaigns from our organization, we ask that you respond to this email.
Please confirm your subscription by clicking the link below or replying to this email.
Confirm Subscription
We ask for your confirmation to protect you from receiving unwanted email. If you do not respond, your email address will NOT be added to this list.
Thank you,

Stephen Chenault

Troll Lord Games 
NOTE: You may get more than one email if you are signed up for the "specials" newsletter as well as the regular email.  You will need to confirm for both of them.

So, when you receive this email(s), please click on confirm your subscription by clicking on the link provided in the email.  This will put you back on the list(s) and you will continue receiving the newsletter without interruption.  If you don't confirm, you will no longer receive our newsletters.  

Thanks, and if you have any questions about this, please email me.   Tim

Gearing up for Gary Con

One week from today, Steve and myself will be hurtling north again.  This time, however, it will be more due north, than east.  We are headed to GaryCon in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin.  The Con is March 25-27 and promises to be a fun time, both in gaming and celebrating the life of the Troll's friend and mentor, Gary Gygax.  As I'm sure most of you know, Gary Gygax worked with TLG for almost 8 years before his passing.  A day hardly goes by that Steve or Davis doesn't quote something he said.  I won't go into them here now, but suffice to say, they are always smiling in the retelling. 

As our last foray into the wilds of the US, we will be "wired", sending out tweets, facebook posts, blogs, hopefully even some youtube videos.  This last video we did, What is Best in Life Vol. 1 is going to be turned into a series of informative and likely very humorous videos chronicling the days in the lives of the Trolls.  For you twitter fans, we will be using a couple hashtags throughout GaryCon, our usual #trolllordgames and #garycon. 

The last trip we took was exhausting.  It was about 18 hours to All Things Fun in New Jersey and it was non-stop, since we were pressed for time (in true Troll Lord fashion, we were late to the live video broadcast by about 30 minutes).  But all in all, it was a great trip.  I've mentioned before that Steve (back then Stickboy), our buddy Kenneth and myself have taken many a trip together around the country and Canada.  For a time, I lived in Baltimore.  Steve came to visit me one day on leave from the Army and after being there a few hours, I said:

You wanna go to Quebec City?

In true Troll Lord fashion, he responded:

They got Dr. Pepper up there?

I said:

Yup.

And that's all it took, we hopped in my ancient automobile and took off, stopping only for an hour to rest near St. Johnsbury, VT.  Now, we of course did this trip on the spur of the moment.  In winter.  When we left Baltimore, it was very mild.  When we got to Quebec City, it was about 2 degrees Fahrenheit.  We were (are) idiots.  We left Maryland with a light coat, no hats or gloves.  And of course we got in about Midnight, so most things were closed.  But we were young and idiots, so we just started hitting the bars and warming up that way.  We finally found a place that would take us for a night, the Auberge St-Louis.  The next day we spent wandering around that beautiful city, eating great food and walking around.  And yes, we did find some Dr. Pepper. 

Since it was only a short leave, we stayed that day, then headed back out for the long drive back to Balto.  Steve tends to fall asleep fast on these trips and this was no exception.  But somewhere in western Massachusetts we almost hit a deer, it just leaped out of the woods and caused me to swerve and sway all over the road.  After that, he was up for the rest of the trip.  By the time we got back, we were both hairy, smelly and tired.  But it was a great trip, one we talk about a lot.  Those times when you just get on the road and go, without a care in the world.  While the trip to Gary Con has a purpose, and a good one at that, it's still that same exhilaration--Road Trip!

Let us know in the comment section of this blog if you are going to be at Gary Con, we can't wait to see everyone!

Thanks, Tim

Three Hour Thursday Special

Our Thursday Special has now started! Here is our fearless leader showing you "What is best in life":



Click the picture to see our youtube video: "What's best in life vol.1"


For the next three hours, when you order the Players Handbook, you get Monsters & Treasure for free, both in hardback! Click here to save now: Three Hour Thursday Sale!

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Two Hour Wednesday Special!

Starting at 4pm CST today, you can get Codex of Erde Gazetteer for $1.00!  This will only last 2 hours, expiring at 6pm.  Get yours now!

A Contest by one of our Fans!

Hey All: One of our fans is having a contest, giving away a bunch of TLG goodies. You can watch his video and learn about how to win by going here: The Alfred Effect.  It's a great and fun way to pick up a lot of C&C stuff!


Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Bundled Specials

Hey, Wanted to let you know about two specials we have going in PDF, these are really great deals:





The first is what we are calling the World of Aihrde All in One Bundle.  It's just loaded with stuff, the Players Handbook, Monsters & Treasure, Of Gods & Monsters, Mortality of Green, Shades of Mist, Lure of Delusion, tons of Aihrde Maps, and even more.  For a full listing of all items in the bundle and to purchase and download now, you can get it here: World of Aihrde All in One Bundle.





The second one is called C&C "A" Series Adventure Pack and it includes all of the A Series Adventures, from A1 up to the brand new in PDF A7.  This pack is over 60% off regular price.

Thanks and we hope you enjoy these bundles!

Monday, March 14, 2011

Convention updates -- Where the Trolls will be

While we await final confirmation details on our own TrollCon, we thought you might want to know about a few of the upcoming Cons we will be attending. 

March 25-27 -- We will be in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin for GaryCon.  Three days of gaming, seeing old friends, meeting new ones.  We will have a vendor table set up in case anyone wants to buy anything.  As some of you know, Gary Gygax was a good friend to the Trolls, Steve in particular, so we welcome this chance to honor and celebrate him.

April 15-17 -- The Trolls will be heading north again, though not quite as far as Wisconsin.  This time it will be for Egypt Wars, in Carbondale, Illinois.  Three days of gaming; Steve and Todd will have to really keep their wits about them. 

August 4-7 -- We will be at GenCon. The Trolls can't miss out on the biggest gaming event of the year! In addition to having a booth, we will be at Scotty's Brewhouse for a GenCon Meet-n-Greet on Wednesday, August 3 from 8 to 11:30.  Come hang out with the The Trolls, Fat Dragon Games crew, the Kentucky Fried Gamers, the Whosyergamers and kick off Gen Con right!

We are still looking into a few other Cons as well as our own TrollCon.  Probably Origins, maybe a few others.  As we figure out where we will be, we'll let you know.  Cons you want to see the Trolls at?  Let us know in the comment section here.

Thanks -- Tim

News from the Trolls -- Specials and Notes on TrollCon, etc.

Now that the major sales have come to a close, both the GM's Day Sale and our $10 Print Sale, we can go back to our regular "Specials" schedule.  Mondays we usually have a few items from our PDF catalog marked down; so here is what we have this week, expiring Friday, March 18:

The Malady of Kings, from 12.99 to 8.99
SG1 Engineering Dungeons, from 9.95 to 5.99
A6 Banishment and Blight, from 4.99 to 2.50
A1 Assault on Blacktooth Ridge, from 4.99 to 2.50
And
Monsters and Treasure of Aihrde, from 24.99 to 12.50

Remember, these sales will only last until Friday, so get your savings as soon as you can. 

It's always busy here at the TrollDens.  Steve is writing and doing a million other things, Mark is printing/cutting paper, making books, and I'm editing/selling, sitting around making fun of Steve's choice of music.   And before you know it, TrollCon will be upon us.  Right now we are looking at July.  Lots of people have been asking about it, and we are working hard to secure a convention hall and a block of rooms that can accommodate us.  As soon as we have the dates secured, we will let you know through all available channels.  This year promises to be even more fun, with the release of the CKG since last TrollCon and we have a few more surprises and tricks up our sleeves for you. 

Also, expect some announcements in the next few days about some new releases!

Alright, that's it for now I guess.  If you have any questions or comments, please leave them and I will be happy to read/respond; a lot of good ideas and discourse can be started this way, so please feel free to comment and discuss.  Thanks! -- Tim

Friday, March 11, 2011

The Troll Lord talks about the CKG

Hey all, thought you might want to hear from Steve regarding the CKG, the history of it, and it's place within Castles & Crusades.  If you follow our Troll's Tusk Newsletter, you might have seen a little of this, but if not (and even if you have) it's worth a read:

"The Castle Keepers Guide is at last released and perhaps it is time to talk a little more about where this books lands in the pantheon of C&C books and what exactly it is.

The CKG was conceived as a book that would help new comers to the game and table top genre get into running games quicker by giving them a better understanding of how role playing games work. It quickly evolved into a book that would be more than a simple instruction manual; as Davis took over lead development on it the book became a structure within which to house all the rules rejected from the base-line C&C game as well as a host of house rules; these combined with the how-tos making it a great project still. When Davis removed himself as lead designer and Steve took over the book morphed once again. In a long conversation with Mac Golden (co-creator of C&C) it came out that what the CKG should be is all the above as well as a place to answer all those questions the players ask the CK throughout the course of any game.

In some ways the massive delays played well with the books development allowing it to morph with the game's growth. Particularly important was several years of playing C&C with CKs encountering issues...such as henchman loyalty...that the PH just did not handle in detail. For certain the Siege Engine can supply the answer, but what are the factors that influence the actual challenge level? 

This, the CKG has done. A notable example are the tracking rules. Listed under the ranger class are a host of rules on tracking, how to gauge time, weather, and the tracks themsleves in order to come up with a reasonable CL. For certain the CK can still do this on the fly, but if rules are needed, then the rules are now there.  

 So what role does this book have at the table? The book is not necessary to play C&C. It was never intended as such, nor has it changed since the book's release. However, the CKG is filled to the brim with new concepts, rules, tips of the trade. More than that it gives hints of what CKs could do on their own, creating a basis for new approaches to things like magic spells. The CKG is almost 300 pages, with multiple rules for multiple problems, issues, and circumstances. We tried to cover as much as we could, and keep it as useful as possible.  

It's a good book and one, though not necessary to play C&C, we think you'll really want at your gaming table." 

So there you have it, straight from the Troll Lord's mouth. Well, his pen.  Okay, his fingers actually.  But I've been around him a lot when he is typing and I can tell you he talks out the words a lot when he types.  :-)

In Other News

Our $10 sale is winding down.  You have only to Sunday to save over 50% on many of our hottest items.  Probably the best deal to me is the Players Handbook/Monsters & Treasure for $20. They are both in hardcover and are really the only main books you need to play Castles and Crusades.  It's a great deal, even if you own them already, you can get another copy, give it to new players, etc. There's never been a better time to get these two major works.  

So go to the TLG Specials Page to check the special on this combo and plenty more, including the entire A Adventure Series for $10, the entire DB Series for $10, and much more.

We are getting excited and gearing up for Gary Con! We hope to see all of our fans and friends up there.  We'll be making the long trek by car again, should be great fun.  TrollDog Maggie wants to come, but we are gonna be out of the hotel most of the time, but maybe next year.  

I was in the main TrollDens yesterday for meetings and to do a little case wrapping on some hardcover books and i snapped a few pics of a part of the print shop.  I've posted these on our yfrog and you can see them by clicking on them at the end of this page.

Guess that's all for now, have a great weekend if I'm not back before then.  

-- Tim

Wednesday, March 09, 2011

Contest Winner Announced

Congratulations to Alfred Bonnabel for winning our March Contest!  His name was selected at random from all the entrants.  He received a free copy of both Winterhawk: Castle Base Set from Fat Dragon Games and The Umbrage Saga by Troll Lord Games

Thanks to all of you who entered, we had a great response this time and I want to thank Tom Tullis from FDG for throwing his support into this month's contest and offering up a prize. 

Look for another contest next month where you can win more prizes! 

Tuesday, March 08, 2011

KFG Review of CKG

News
Kentucky Fried Gamers review Castle Keepers Guide:

From the Anvil: Upcoming products from TLG and more

Hey all, I've decided to do another installment of "What's upcoming from TLG" since I got such a good response last time.  Here is a sneak peek at what's coming to our store soon (in addition, it's what I spent most of yesterday editing and I can tell you, it's really well written and a great adventure):

DA 1 Dark Journey
Product Type/Format & Price: Perfect Bound; 24 pages; $5.99
Written By: Kim Hartsfield
Ordering Info: TLG 8319, ISBN: 978-1-936822-05-8
Adventure Type: Dungeon
Level: 1-3
Party: 3-5 characters
Setting: Aihrde, Portable to Home-brew
The goblin trail leads into the wilds, easy enough to follow; it offers little but a small reward. But as with many trails, it's not where it begins, nor where it leads one to, but where it ends that matters. And this one ends at the gates of an underground fastness, a hold of stone and iron; a dungeon-home to the goblins and their black hearted masters. But this is no simple goblin hole, nor a lair of some larger beast. Here, beneath the earth, lies a sprawling dungeon, built long ago by a wizard, for his own machinations.
Dark Journey is a dungeon adventure cast in the classic mold. Here the CK is able to present the players a network of inter-connecting halls, rooms, chambers, cellars and more. A wizard's old hold, it offers libraries guarded by strange monsters, laboratories, cellars, trapped chambers and more; here lies the wizard's forgotten wealth, his magic, his money, his artifacts. But the adventurer must be wary for wizard's do not idly set treasures down but that they are trapped or protected by guards and wards and monsters summoned from dark places.
Beneath the earth lies adventure, wealth, glory and more than the small reward for goblin raiders. Take the Dark Journey and began an adventure in a dungeon world.

So there you go, it should be out very soon now that the editing is done.  It needs layout and art etc. from Peter and a final proofing from the Troll Lord himself then it will be in the store!

Also, while I've got you here :-) let me remind you of a few specials we've got going and the March contest.  First, they have extended the GM's Day Sale to 4pm EST today.  So you still have a chance to get all our PDFs at 25% off.  You can find that sale here: GM Sale 

Next is our own sale.  We have a whole bunch of our items on sale, including some great bundles.  You'll want to check it out.  Prices have been cut by as much as 70% on some items and adventure packs.  You can find our sale here: Print Sale

Finally, we have our monthly contest going until Midnight tonight.  It's sort of a scavenger hunt.  Find two things, one on our TLG website and one on Fat Dragon's website and send the answers to me.  I did it and it took me about 1 minute to finish (not that I'm eligible, but I just wanted to test it).  I'll reprint the questions here:

1. On the TLG homepage, what is the second to last word on the very bottom of the front page (right before LLC)
2. On the FDG homepage, what type of Watchtower is shown at the very bottom of the front page?


Once you have them, send the answers to me at my email address redsoxburns@gmail.com before Midnight tonight and you are entered to win 2 free PDFs, valued at over $25! It's that easy.

Soon I'll be blogging about the upcoming trip to GaryCon.  I know a bunch of TLG fans are going to be there and I'm looking forward to meeting them.  I'll give you the lowdown on what we will be doing there in an upcoming blog. 


Thanks! 


Monday, March 07, 2011

GM's Sale ending!

Today is the last day to save big on all TLG and Castles & Crusades products in PDF.  All items at least 25% off: GM's Day Sale

Contest: Win 2 Free PDFs!

Hey all, our monthly giveaway contest for March is here! This time, not only will one lucky winner get a free PDF from Troll Lord Games, but he/she will also get a Free PDF from Fat Dragon Games.  From TLG, you can win The Umbrage Saga and from FDG you can win their Winterhawk: Castle Base Set. All you have to do is answer two trivia questions, then send your answers here with the subject heading "March Contest". The contest will run from 12pm today (Monday) through Midnight Tuesday, CST.  The questions are:

1. On the TLG homepage, what is the second to last word on the very bottom of the front page (right before LLC)
2. On the FDG homepage, what type of Watchtower is shown at the very bottom of the front page?

One winner will be picked at random from all the correct answers and announced here on Wednesday. Good luck!

Saturday, March 05, 2011

From the Anvil: Upcoming products from TLG

The following is a sneak peek at one of our upcoming adventures:


A8 Forsaken Mountain Adventure, 24 pages, Perfect Bound, ISBN Not Available
Adventure Type: Sea Adventure, Plane Travel, Overland
Level: 8-10
Party: 3-5 characters
Setting: Aihrde, Portable to Home-brew
Forsaken Mountain is an adventure designed for 3-5 characters of 8th to 10th level. It is an epic adventure that sets the adventurers on a fantastic journey, leaving behind the mundane prime and entering the fabled Dreaming Sea. This module is designed for those characters that are truly leaving behind the mundane and entering those fantastic and heroic adventures where death lingers behind every door and doom follows every misstep. Creatures in this and the following adventures in the A series are powerful beyond imagining and aged beyond dreams. Events swirl around the characters and they come to realize that events are occurring outside of them but, through their actions they may influence, in a major way, the outcome. It will be here that heroic characters are made or broken and the adventures they have ever after will no longer be the same. Ultimately, through their actions the characters are going to influence major events in the world, and now the hero must step forward and affect that outcome.
The Forsaken Mountain follows the adventures in the A series developed by Troll Lord Games, however the adventure can be used as a stand alone should the Castle Keeper desire (see Involving the Player Characters for more details on this option). The characters must travel far beyond the realms of man and cross over into the land of dreams and thence into the realms of the forever dying, where creatures both horrifying and ambrosial dwell. Only the bravest can survive here for one's fear will certainly be one's undoing.
For the first time in many long years a cold wind blows from Aufstrag. The Ahargon Den, The Great Maw, the gates of Aufstrag, has opened and a host issued forth. Lord Coburg the Undying, Master of Aufstrag, self-appointed heir to Unklar Dark Heart has sent forth his servants. Rumor spreads across the land, far and wide, that they seek the Vessel of Souls. But all know the legend of the vessel of souls, stolen by a Confessor Knight before the Winter Dark War's end and borne upon a wind of desire across the Dreaming Sea, there the thief set it at the base of the Forsake Mountain, safe from all hands and all those who would misuse it. This vessel, possessed of wondrous power must never fall into the hands of the enemy, for if it does the power in Aufstrag must surely bend its will into the lands of the Empress.

Weekend and Questions

So it's the weekend and I'm sitting up at TrollDens North Annex, basically a cabin on the Spring River.  It's a beautiful place and it's been a nice day of relaxation, trip to the store, reading, watched a movie, played with Maggie.  Also been pondering some things, like GaryCon, GenCon, and a host of other things.  Over on Twitter, I've been disussing our ongoing sales on RPGNow and our own TLG Store, but also asking people about their favorite FLGS.  I'm partial to All Things Fun, since we had such a good time there in Jersey, but I know people have their favorites all around the country and indeed the world.  So if you have a favorite, let us know about it in the comments section of this blog.

Next week, our regular PDF special sales will be back in effect, as the GM Day's sale will be over.  There will also be another contest I think, giving away not one but two PDFs.  That is still in development, but as soon as it's finalized, I'll let all of you know.

Well, I best get back to the other parts of my job and to enjoying the weekend.  But please feel free to post your comments here about your FLGS or any other thing you would like to discuss.  Oh, and before I forget, I keep meaning to remind those of you who use our forums that we have a Q&A With The Trolls thread in there that stays global.  It's our way of letting you ask me (us) specific questions and I check that everyday, unlike the rest of the forums. I try to keep up with most of the threads, but if you are looking for an answer from the Trolls, it's best to put it in that thread to make sure we see it.

Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend!

Friday, March 04, 2011

$10.00 Specials and more from our own TLG Store

Even though the GM's day sale is still ongoing, we are having our own specials at our own TLG Store.  Plenty of bundles and specials to make your gaming great! Please go to TLG Print Specials
to get your savings today.  These low prices won't last forever -- the sale will last until midnight Sunday March 12, or until we run out of current stock.

Some examples of savings are:

All the A Series Adventure Modules -- was $45, now only $10
Of Gods and Monsters -- was $25, now $10
Players Handbook -- was $16, now $10 (notice a theme here? :-) )
Accessory Pack -- a $30 value, now $10
Monsters & Treasure -- was $15, now $10

and much, much more.  It's the perfect time to get your whole group in on these savings, so they can each have the basic books, modules, etc. everything to make your game even better.

Thanks!

Tim

Tuesday, March 01, 2011

TotalCon Wrap Up from Terry Gwazdosky

Below is the wrap up from Terry who was a CK and attended TotalCon in Mansfield, MA.  Many thanks for his permission to reprint here.  Hopefully the Trolls can attend next year!


I just got back from Total Con25 in Mansfield, MA. I played a ton of board/card games and several RPGs (OD&D, 1E D&D, CoC) I also ran two games of C&C:

Game One: I ran "The Crypt of Istaris" from Dungeon magazine for 4 players. This module has a nice mix of MacGuffins, traps/tricks, monsters, and interesting situations and it has become my "go to" module for convention games. It also has a 4-hour game time limit, so players can't stop to rest.

I had 2 grognards who were big into role play, a 4e player, and old school convert. Only one was familiar with C&C, but they all took to the system without a hitch. They came up with some inventive solutions, including "slime shoes". When they were faced with a floor covered with green slime, one of the players stuck bits of wooden planks to her boots and ran across the floor (only 30'). I had her make a DEX check to keep from falling, and she just managed to get across and get the wood off before it and her boots got eaten.

My favorite quote from the game: "My turn again? Wow, this game plays fast!".

They all said it was fun and one of the players, who I later found out was also a game designer, later told me that I did a fantastic job. :D

Game Two: For this one I used "The Curse of the Witch Head", an OSRIC adventure by Expeditious Retreat Games, for four players. This is another good convention game module as it has only 20 dungeon rooms. One player was a 1e guy who brought his kids and their friends to the con (how cool is that?!), one of said kids, and 2 others that had played C&C once at a Game Day at their FLG last year.

Their was lots of laughs and exultation from the players during the session. At one point I noticed they were all leaning forward and seemed to be hanging on every word. I believe I might have gained at least one new

This particular game reminded me just how "by the book" the later editions of D&D can force you to become. Scanning her spell sheet, one of the players came up with several great uses for her spells. If I was still playing 3.x, I would have said, "that spell doesn't work like that", she would have been disappointed, and the game would have dragged to a halt while they looked for alternate solutions. It also shows how we need new blood in this hobby to keep from becoming jaded to every situation and never thinking outside the box.

I also got to play a few games of D&D with Tim Kask and Frank Mentzer. In the past I've heard some people dump on Tim, and I have to tell you, I just don't see it. Tim's games force you to keep moving; if you don't you get whacked by wandering monsters. You do *NOT* question Tim on rules - if you do, he politely reminds you who is running the game and that he adjudicates things equally for both PC and their opponents. I found Tim to be a very nice person and he was more than happy to BS with us after the game.

Frank invites correction on rules points as long as it doesn't slow down the game. He also follows what he calls "the rule of cool" - if you do something that either isn't covered in or that contravenes the rules to some degree, he allows it if it adds to the fun (gee.. that sounds a lot like rule 0 in C&C ;) ). During a break in play, Frank overheard me proselytizing for C&C and he totally agreed. He had lots of good things to say about C&C and the Trolls in general.

Make sure you take lots of mental notes if you get a chance to game with guys of this caliber. It's the little details they throw in that can help make you a better CK/DM.

Lastly, at one point I overheard a great ruckus coming from the young gamers area. I later found out that someone was running "Keep on the Borderlands" (not sure of the system used) for the kids and using their parents as henchmen. What a great idea! They were laughing and cheering so much that you couldn't help but smile.

TrollCon East Wrap Up

What a whirlwind tour! It took us 18 hours to get there but it was well worth it.  We had an excellent turnout and I think everyone had a great time.  In true Troll Lord fashion, we were a bit late in getting to All Things Fun.  We got to New Jersey on time, got to the hotel, got cleaned up and gave ourselves 20 minutes to get the 6 miles down the road to the store.  However, 6 miles in New Jersey isn't the same as other parts of the world. Especially during rush hour on a Friday!  Poor Ed had to entertain the live broadcast audience for 20 minutes or so while we made a mad and frustrating non-dash down hwy 73.  But we finally got there and proceeded on with the interview online, answering questions from the online and local contingency.  Ed even greeted us with fluted champagne glasses of Dr. Pepper! 

After a little break in which we brought stuff in for the Con, more people started showing up and instead of running a game right away, Steve did what Steve does best -- he rambled on about Troll Lord Games, the CKG, Arkansas, you name it.  Incidentally, all the events, the interviews, games, etc. were taped by Ed and are available for viewing on their website.  

This lasted until about 10, then we closed for the Con for the evening and went out for a lovely dinner with Ed and Dina, his wife and business partner.  A special thanks goes out to Ed, Dina, and Brian (the manager at ATF) for all their hard work, hospitality and kindness.

Saturday we spent the morning eating at Ponzio's in Cherry Hill, NJ and then catching up on work (mobile phone and laptops mean the Trolls never rest) and then it was time to get back to All Things Fun to begin gaming.  Our turnout was even larger than Friday, but that didn't stop Steve, he brought everyone that wanted in on games; we figured it out and he was CK for around 10 hours on Saturday, ending about 1:30 Sunday morning.  Only a few people had played C&C before, but because of the ease of the system, everyone was able to get up to speed very fast and get going, a few ppl had never even played an RPG before, but credit Steve and his CK skills for making it fun for everybody. 

Back to the hotel for a few (and I mean just a few) hours of sleep then we were back at All Things Fun for breakfast with Ed and Dina and a few brave souls then it was time for us to get back on the road.  Weather was good for traveling and we made good time, getting in about 1:30 Monday morning.  The road trip was great (and chronicled by both of us during the day and night).  I make that trip up and down the east coast regularly but it's always best when you have a friend with you, especially Steve because when he is not sleeping, he is usually regaling you with stories and keeping you entertained. 

One of the best things to come out of the event was a regular game that is starting next Monday at 6:30 at All Things Fun, hosted by Rich McKee, one of the attendees of the Con.  You can contact him through his blog about joining the game.  He is a great guy and an experienced GM so anyone is welcome and I know they will have a good time. 

Once back, we got back into the business of running TLG along with the rest of the gang.  It was a great trip and we can't wait to go back next year.  Hopefully even more people will be there and we can run even more games!

You can view some of the pics taken by Steve and me during the trip and at TC East at the bottom of this page, along with other pictures of all things TLG.  

In other news, the GM's Sale is going on over at RPGNow and DrivethruRPG.  Until March 7, you can save 25% on all our items at their stores.  This is an annual event and easily the biggest sale of the year on all PDFs.  So stock up on great savings while you can.  As a consequence of this sale, our normal sale schedule has been temporarily suspended as this sale gives even more savings.  We will however, have some items on our own TLG site in print for sale a little later this week.  I'll update you on those when they happen. 

That's all for now, I suppose.  Thanks and more later!

GM Sale is underway

The annual GM Sale has started!  You can save 25% on all items at RPGNow and DrivethruRPG by clicking here:

Plywood Memories from Gencon to Vegas

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