Thursday, April 30, 2009

Chronicles of Kings

Chessor: The first of the Great Kings of the One Kingdom, who by hiring minstels, orators, bards and scribes had circulated false legends, odes, and Epic Poems about his many deeds. By these means, he became known as a great warrior, though he was really a coward and braggart, who was scared of his own shadow.
However, the commoners, who had always put great trust in the bard's tales, worshipped this hero of song and accepted him as their king.
In order to protect his image, Chessor spent all of his time hiding at the Castle of the Vale, and later the Palace of Mheer. To prevent the truth from reaching the people, he had the palace servant's tongues removed.
Chessor lived to be 87 years old, ruling for 50 years. Among his accomplishments: the construction of the Palace of Mheer and though centralized rule, putting an end to tribal, clan and guild jealousies.

"The Days of Chessor" (or the Jeweled Codex) records the legends of Chessor's great deeds, including the 'Slaying of Philb (or Phib)the Dragon' with a dagger, and a sack of corn. Also includes the Epic Poem, 'the Battle of Duslagoon'

"The Sun is Truth" tells the true life story of Chessor. It is believed these secret volumes were compiled by Plertill the Scribe, who became the second most powerful ('Voice to the People') person during Chessor's reign.

Excerpted from the Book of Vonn, the Chronicle of Kings

The GREAT STONE HEAD

"You never know when you may need a dead orc."

Friday, April 10, 2009

In the Beginning...

In recent years, there has been an increased interest in the early days of the Fantasy Role Playing Game, Dungeons & Dragons. Hey, I was a part of those days.
The Phanta Carta was a fanzine I published to cover several campaigns played at Toad Hall in Rockford, IL in the 70s and continued later in PA. It was my gateway to becoming a professional game designer, who had the honor and aggrevation to be published by the leading RPG companies in the world.
I just recently uncovered copies of this work and was reminded of my early days in fantasy RolePlayingGames.

My primary "D&D" memory is having FUN with a great bunch of people. Unfortunately, most of them are gone.