Dwarfs!

At long last, the Rock Hardy Book of Dwarfs is in the hands of a mighty layout artist known as Matt the Hildebrand.

I decided this book would be part of my Doomslakers Adventures series, which started in 2014 with Howler. I've long neglected doing modules and it's high time I got back to it. This isn't an adventure, but more of a setting, though it does include a short adventure at the end of the book. It's a book that outlines life in the Rock Hardy Mountains among the dwarfs (see Black Pudding #7 gazetteer).

It'll be something like 24-28 pages, 8.5x11 module size. Whereas the first two in the DSA series are specifically Labyrinth Lord compatible, I think this one will fly solo. I could slap an OSE label on it, but I'm kind of leaning toward just a general "BX" vibe. Obviously it is fully compatible with OSE, LL, BFRPG, etc.

This is the cover art, but not the final cover layout.

Here are the first two modules:

Rock Hardy Book of Dwarfs (Idea)

I'm working on a dwarf book. Working title is The Rock Hardy Book of Dwarfs, but that might change. My concept is to make this a black and white PDF and POD 48 pager. It is possibly the first in a series of setting books that very crudely describe my "traditional" fantasy setting of Yria. Basically most of what you find in the pages of Black Pudding would fit here.

Right now the book is at 9,000 words with a loose target of 10,000. So I could stop any time, clean it up, and finish the art. Like everything I do, this is meant to be an idea packet, an inspirational booklet. It will not be "complete" in any sense. It will be broad strokes, heavy on color.

The Rock Hardies are a mountain range in Yria where redneck dwarfs dwell. They like to fight, make and drink beer, and think of ways to win back their ancestral city of Frimmsreach.

All of this is subject to change per my whims. But as it stands, the book is compatible with B/X (Old School Essentials). It includes a lot of dwarf social stuff, beer, mountain monsters, etc. I certainly have toyed with the idea of making it a Troika! book or putting a Labyrinth Lord logo on it. Or even some other game engine or even completely system neutral. But honestly this was always meant to be a B/X setting* and I can't think of a compelling reason not to follow through on that.

I'll post more when I have more.

And yes, the Supercalla follow up is still on the table. Hellion Cross will see its day.

*B/X with a healthy smattering of advanced material, natch.

Dwarf Wants the Key

A random sketch. I like to think the dwarf is standing in the lap of this huge guy.

Dwarfen Saves

Heh. I did this last year for Inktober. A bit of a homage to B/X dwarfs. Also, that's the coolest thief I ever drew. He's skeevy and sleezy. The stripes suggest prison... oh so many stereotypes. I think I'll add him to the Meatshields of the Bleeding Ox.

Dwarfs of Lightning Spires

Here's a sheet for the dwarfs of the Lightning Spires, the eastern dwarfs of my OSR campaign setting Yria.

Following up on this post.

Meandering Commentary on Dwarves in My Campaign World

I was never a huge fan of dwarves. Or at least that's what I said. But when I started peopling my gaming world of Yria (Old Gnarl) I quickly realized that I must love the bearded bastards. When I ran my first Labyrinth Lord game dwarves turned out to be a key component.

The dwarves of Yria are of two varieties: western Rock Hardy dwarves and eastern Lightning Spire dwarves.

The western mountains are the Rock Hardies and those are populated by redneck dwarves who love to fight. Each mountaintop is dominated by a clan and the clans stage elaborate battles with one another over unclaimed hills and mountains... or just for fun. Dwarves here, a place just south of Frimmsreach (where the Ice Forest would be found), have names that are fun to make up. Here are some names of dwarves that appeared as NPCs in my first LabLord campaign:

Boomer Earthcleaver

Zapper Earthcleaver

Shank Earthcleaver

Bart Barrackbomb

Loots Doorbreaker

Brickwallow Stormshot

Tankfellow Stormshot

Hulktall Stormshot

Bruiser Barrackbomb

Killminster Barrackbomb

Urfnozzle Doorbreaker

Nabby Doorbreaker

Brickwallow Stormshot was the leader of the dwarves. I think only 1 or 2 of them were still alive by the end of it, but there was a cool episode in which the party's dwarven cleric, Frothgar, summoned the slain spirits of this party of dwarves for an epic battle against an army of trolls and giants.

Now, the eastern dwarves dwell in the great Lightning Spires, a range of thunderous mountains that dwarfs the Rock Hardies (pun intended). These are your aloof, snotty dwarves. They have high standards. They have culture and learning and are exceedingly concerned with craft and tradition. They don't actually interact much with the rest of the world and thus I have no fun things to say about them. But they would have names like Dalan of the Silver Sky or Myyra the Masterworker. None of this Doorbreaker bullshit.

On my good days I think about doing a comic strip series to explore the world of Yria. And in fact I've stuck my toes into that water more than once. Having done a lot of comics and comic strips over the years I'm stymied by one great obstacle... comics are a lot of work.

Seriously. If you know a person who makes a lot of comics or manages to do a "regularly scheduled" comic, you need to give 'em a big hug. If you are that person, here's a virtual hug: [hug].