Author James Ward Needs Our Help

James Ward, author of AD&D Deities and Demigods, Greyhawk Adventures, Metamorphosis Alpha, and many other books, has been a contributor in the hobby since the earliest days. His work has been an inspiration to me and I can imagine that many of you would say the same. Jim recently posted the following on his Facebook page:

"Got terrible news today. I need lots more hospital time with several more foot operations. How am I ever going to get work done in a situation like this. Bills are mounting and I have to be home to get much work done. I don't remember when I have been this miserable."

In the wake of this announcement, several members of the gaming community have started benefit auctions or raffles - proceeds of each of these to go to Jim Ward and his family to help with medical expenses. If you have a few extra dollars for a worthy cause, please consider helping out. Links provided.

James Spahn is raffling off two print "work copies" of his excellent White Star science fiction game. He has announced this raffle on Google+.

Taylor Frank of the Dungeon Lord blog has three separate offers, including Metamorphosis Alpha Deluxe Collector's Edition boxed set and some DCC material.

Spread the word for this worthy cause.

Edit - I've just seen that the is a GoFundMe account set up for Jim, for anyone that wants to donate directly.

Raven God Games Logo

I have been working on a logo for a few months now and have decided to go with the image below. Font may change at some point, but for now, I like it, and you can expect to see it on some upcoming RPG releases! Inspiration is drawn from viking head carvings which have been found on building posts, wagons, ships and the like. Let me know what you think!

Copyright 2015, Joseph D. Salvador III

TOMBSTONE RPG Playtest Released!

Just wanted to drop a quick note here for any who have not seen it already. Corey Ryan Walden's TOMBSTONE RPG, a wild west game inspired by the likes of Boot Hill, has been released as an Alpha Playtest. The game is very easy to learn and includes several character types that can represent nearly any type of character, or they may be expanded on due to the game's simplicity. Sections on character creation, skills, combat and judging teach you the game, and the town of Silverton and scenarios are offered to get you started! 57-pages of western mayhem!

If you are interested in giving the playtest a look, head over to his blog for the free download. Corey is looking for feedback as well, so if you give the game a whirl at the table, drop him a line with your experience (coreyryanwalden(at)gmail(dot)com).

Cover of Corey Ryan Walden's Tombstone RPG

The town of Silverton, AZ (Tombstone RPG)

Just a quick update concerning the work I'm doing for Corey Ryan Walden for his upcoming Tombstone RPG. He's hoping to have a playtest version completed by the end of the year. I, for one, am looking forward to it! Head over and check out his blog for updates, reviews and general role-playing talk. The map of the town of Silverton is complete (more or less) and I present it here for your perusal. Enjoy!

And here's another piece of Eric Wilson's art for the project, absolutely fantastic work.

Tombstone: A Wild West RPG - WIP

I have recently been at work on a pair of maps for Corey Ryan Walden's upcoming game Tombstone, a game that uses a 3d6 mechanic for action resolution. I have not yet seen the playtest version, but Corey discusses the game at some length on his blog (click above). Seems to be inspired by the classic Boot Hill RPG from TSR!

This work in progress is a small mining town to be detailed in Tombstone RPG. Just a photo for now, I'll post another update when its closer to completion. I'll also be doing a map of the United States just after the Civil War, which I am looking forward to!

Corey also sent along a few images he had commissioned from Erik Wilson to display here. The art is superb and has the perfect look for a wild west game! Enjoy!

Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea Adventures

Around December 2013 I wrote up a miniature setting as an add-on for the Hyperborea campaign setting. This micro setting was called the "Lemurian Remnant" and introduced a tropical lost world filled with dinosaurs and people of pseudo-Asian derivation. For inspiration, I drew from Burroughs and Doyle, and also read through the relevant sections from Blavatsky and other nineteenth - century theosophists. I sent the short manuscript off to +Jeff Talanian, creator of AS&SH and owner of North Wind Adventures, looking for approval and permission to send the material into AFS Magazine or Fight On!. A few weeks later I received a reply from Jeff and was surprised by his enthusiasm and even more astonished when he asked that I write an adventure module for official publication. 

Of course I said "yes," and started crafting the adventure that would become Forgotten Fane of the Coiled Goddess, packing it with pirates, kung-fu monks, dinosaurs, monkey-men and pulp adventure on an unexplored island. I hope you find it as fun to play as it was to create.

Forgotten Fane includes a full adventure, new deities, monsters, and equipment, as well as a complete description of the Lemurian Remnant micro-setting. I produced all digital maps in the module, while Glynn Seal of +MonkeyBloodDesign made a hand-drawn player's map. Cover art by well-known comic artist Val Semeiks with interior art produced by +Del Teigeler (Mavfire's Art Blog)and Johnathan Bingham.

The Hyperborea Adventure Three Pack Kickstarter is live and my module has the honor of being offered next to Ghost Ship of the Desert Dunes, by Jeff Talanian, and Beneath the Comet, by Ben Ball. There is very little risk in this Kickstarter, as all of the writing, editing and art has been completed. The only thing that remains is layout, printing and shipping! Please, offer any support you can and help spread the word!

Join the conversation at the Hyperborea Forums!

Two more geomorphs...

Just wanted to post up two more geomorphs. These are both being entered into the contest at Inkwell Ideas. Again, these are free for personal use. I've included two backgrounds for each.

Shrine of the Spider Goddess jpeg (black & white)
Shrine of the Spider Goddess jpeg (texture)

Shrine of the Sphinx jpeg (black & white)
Shrine of the Sphinx (texture)