Yesterday, I mentioned a few of the contests that had caught my eye (most notably because of the awesome prizes that could be won). Today I want to mention some really cool projects, that aren’t contests, being initiated by my fellow bloggers.
4etopia Forums
Quinn Murphy, perhaps better known as gamefiend from At-Will, has created the 4etopia forums dedicated to constructive discussion about 4e. The goals of 4etopia are probably best summed up by Quinn himself:
Why forums? I wanted a dedicated spot to talk 4th edition, pure and simple. I wanted a place where there wasn’t a lot of time wasted defending why we play (edition warriors please stay out!) and where the community could get right to the point of discussing the game.
Also I wanted dedicated space to discuss specific aspects of 4e that I feel don’t get enough attention. 4etopia has forums for discussing encounter design, and skill challenges, things that just don’t get enough love. There are places to chat about DPR, rules discussions, etc. I love to talk about all these things as well, but there are places you can go for that already. I certainly don’t want to duplicate anyone’s efforts! 4etopia is here for frank discussion of how we engage (as players) and create engagement (as DMs). Most importantly, it’s a place that’s meant to be fun.
Visit the forums, start a thread, and enjoy! Can’t wait to see you there.
Green Devil Face
Green Devil Face is a magazine being produce by James Raggi IV, the (sometimes controversial but always in your face) old school advocate from Lamentations of the Flame Princess. I need to get my hands on these cheap (less than $3.50) hand-assembled magazines to see the crazy shit James and his contributors have cooked up. Oh and did I mention James is taking submissions? Once again, I’ll use the words of the creator to best describe the project:
Green Devil Face, the zine, is a community project. It is intended to provide traditional fantasy RPG referees with game material that can be inserted as-is into their games. Detail is encouraged to give the reader the exact sense of how the author would play the trap out in-game, and of course the referee reading it is free to use that or substitute his own ideas as appropriate.
If you have a particularly original or clever trap, room, item, or tricky situation that you’ve used in one of your games and that you would like to share, submit it for publication in a future issue of Green Devil Face. We can’t pay anything, but you keep the rights to your work, and you get to see your name in print. All contributors get a copy of the final finished printed product.
GDF is also in need of an original logo, plus it would be nice to feature original artwork in future issues, so budding artists out there are encouraged to submit material as well.
A new issues will be released whenever 28 pages of content are filled, so submit now, and submit often!
Megadungeon.net
I think Monte Cook’s Dungeon-A-Day megadungeon service jumpstarted James Maliszewski of Grognardia to kick of his free community-based megadungeon project. Megadungeon.net presents the ongoing creation of a massive dungeon of Urheim that exists beneath the ruined Monastery of St. Gaxyg. Of course, I’ll steal the words of the project manager to help fully describe the project:
In addition to detailing the dungeon, its inhabitants, mysteries, tricks, traps, and treasures, I plan to use this site to discuss the philosophy of building a megadungeon, otherwise known as a “campaign dungeon,” because its purpose is to be the focus of an entire campaign rather than the locale for a single adventure.
Megadungeon.net will grow slowly, adding new material on an irregular basis. Some weeks there may be lots of updates, while others may have none at all. The speed with which Urheim is detailed will depend on when I get good ideas or when I receive sufficient submissions from contributors. Anyone who wishes to contribute is welcome to do so. One of my goals is to make this as collaborative a project as I am able. What that means is that, if you have an idea, big or small, feel free to send it in and I’ll do my best to find a way to use it. This includes alternate takes on elements I’ve already described, since options are an important part of the old school approach to gaming I prefer. I’m interested in submissions of any type, including cartography and artwork. Guidelines for submission can be found here.
One more thing, almost the entirety of the contents on this website (artwork and cartography being the primary exceptions) are designated Open Game Content under the Open Game License. That means you can take things from Urheim and use them in your own published products provided you include the Copyright Notice from Section 15 in your own copy of the OGL.
RPGBN Community Forums
Michael Wolf, who goes by Stargazer from Stargazer’s World, resurrected Phil Menard’s (The ChattyDM) old cobweb collecting forums and rebranded it as the official RPG Bloggers Network Community Forums. There are boards for Blogging, Game Reports, Other Geek Topics, Play-by-Post games, and many more. If you are looking for a new general RPG forum to hang out on because your current haunt has become a haven of suck, then head over there!
RPGBN Shared Setting
Enrique Bertran, the NewbieDM, initiated the RPGBN shared setting project where bunches of our fellow bloggers are busy carving out some crazy, serious, and humorous pieces of the world (using a map I donated that has been nicely modified to include a hex grid!). This is a long term deal without a lot of pressure, but there are some interesting things being created over there, go check it out and send your encouragement to all the bloggers!
If I missed an exciting project out there, pipe up and let me know in the comments!
Listening to: Mudvayne – Lost and Found – Fall into Sleep
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